Chapter 306
Chapter 306
'There are quite a few.'
After leaving the autonomous district and entering the canyon, Zeke looked at the monsters gathered in groups and clicked his tongue.
Even in the Giant Mountain Range, called the paradise of monsters, he had never seen so many types of monsters gathered in groups like this.
Moreover, what was strange was that even monsters in extreme opposing relationships were traveling together in groups.
'No matter how much they are in a brainwashed state, there are more than one or two strange things.'
Zeke felt the need to investigate inside the canyon before going to the isolated old castle.
As he hid and entered deeper into the canyon, monsters in a berserk state were wandering around in small groups.
KRRRAAAA!
Zeke looked at the monsters up close and realized something unexpected was strange.
'These guys... they're not ordinary monsters?'
When viewed from a distance, he had only roughly understood them as a group, but up close, the monsters' appearances were different from typical monsters.
Normally, an ordinary orc would have a dark green skin, but the orcs here had various colors.
There were orcs with blue skin, and even orcs with pink skin.
After pondering, Zeke carefully summoned Richmond from the canyon.
WHOOOOOM!
Richmond surged from Zeke's shadow.
"What is it, master?"
Zeke pointed to the monsters in the canyon and spoke.
"Richmond, look at those guys over there."
After examining the canyon monsters, Richmond took a startled breath.
"M-Master... those..."
"Do you know what they are?"
Richmond nodded with eyes filled with curiosity.
"These monsters, I've only seen them in records. In other words... they are definitely monsters summoned from the demon realm during the Demon King's invasion in the Hero King era."
"Monsters summoned from the demon realm?"
He couldn't understand why monsters that had died over 2,000 years ago suddenly appeared in this canyon.
Richmond's eyes sparkled looking at the pink orc.
"Wow, that species is truly rare... Master, can't I go catch one?"
"If you do, I can't guarantee the other monsters won't all attack you."
Richmond made a disappointed expression at Zeke's words.
Ignoring Richmond, Zeke looked at the ancient monsters that seemed to number over hundreds and asked, "So do you think the Imperial people have summoned these monsters from the demon realm again?"
Richmond thought for a moment and then shook his head.
"The power required to summon monsters from the demon realm and summoning demon races is the same, but if calling from the demon realm were possible, they wouldn't have specifically summoned monsters."
"Are you saying it's inefficient?"
"That's correct. Even back then, rather than separately summoning demon realm monsters, it was more accurate that they brought along the monsters controlled by demon races while summoning low-ranking demon races."
"Then what happened to these guys?"
Richmond scratched his head and said, "The most likely possibility is... these monsters that came over back then were sealed and have now awakened..."
Zeke felt something click upon hearing Richmond's words.
'I also brought orcs from the Forest of the Forgotten. There's no reason I can't bring out monsters.'
After extracting ancient monsters from the Forest of the Forgotten, brainwashing them with an awakening agent, and releasing them throughout the Ghetto area with standby personnel stationed here, that could be the case.
'The Forest of the Forgotten isn't far from here. The Imperial people would definitely do something like this.'
The Empire Zeke knew could certainly create chaos by releasing an ancient monster legion in enemy territory.
One point of doubt was that in his previous life, the Empire had not used the method of releasing monsters to isolate enemies.
'Did something change when I returned?'
Using high-risk monsters meant significant danger.
Due to Zeke disrupting many of their planned strategies, they might have used this monster legion as a risky alternative plan.
Zeke sent Richmond back and decided to investigate the canyon situation further.
Contrary to his expectations, there was nothing special inside the canyon except for the berserk monsters.
'Are they trying to gradually increase pressure by positioning these monsters?’
Ghetto region, Delpoa and Allensia were bordering Baranaon.
After subjugating the bird tribes, if they move these monsters to the next invasion site and release them, it would naturally create a pretext for the Imperial peacekeeping forces to enter that territory.
It was clearly the Empire's plan to devour the entire Central Continent through such a method.
'Damn these guys. I don't know whose idea this was, but it's incredibly vicious.'
Zeke, who had escaped the canyon filled with monsters, surveyed the path to the old fortress.
He had no choice but to leave the monsters and head to the old fortress.
If the Imperial side noticed his movements and he touched something wrong, Able might not be able to appear outside.
Zeke turned his body towards the isolated old fortress.
* * *
Helen Draker drew another line on the fortress wall.
The number of lines had now reached a total of 35.
It meant she had been trapped here for 35 days.
'Food will soon run out.'
Helen's expression was inevitably dark after being confined in the fortress for several weeks.
When she entered the Ghetto area with Kali's letter, the Song of Crouching Flames and Crosstel's Bigjo had shown a wary attitude.
After persuasion, they agreed to meet at the old fortress within the Ghetto area.
Helen, along with several accompanying knights, the Joint warriors led by the Song of Crouching Flames , and the Crosstel werewolf gangsters brought by Bigjo gathered at the fortress called the old castle.
Just as the conference was about to begin inside the fortress, high-risk monsters suddenly appeared.
A monster legion appeared from nowhere and attacked the fortress.
Although Helen, the bird tribe, and Crosstel managed to block the first wave of monster attacks, the assault was far from over.
They barely held out in the fortress while defending against the endlessly approaching monsters.
Originally gathered for a conference, there was no food stored in the fortress.
They resorted to eating the horses they rode, and drank only the top layer of water after settling the contaminated water from an old well, using every possible method to survive.
However, their physical and mental strength had already been completely depleted.
Especially the Bird and werewolf tribes, who needed more food than humans, were finding it increasingly difficult to endure.
With limits to eating horses, they even caught and ate rats and lizards roaming the fortress, but this too had its limits.
'We must somehow hold out until the rescue team arrives.'
The problem was the Imperial garrison outside the Ghetto area.
Those who called themselves peacekeeping forces were using the appearance of high-risk monsters as an excuse to control and block entry into the Ghetto area.
Moreover, if Kali's knights, Crosstel's gangsters, or the Joint warriors tried to force their way in, the Imperial garrison would undoubtedly use this as a pretext to find a reason to enter the Ghetto area.
Helen put a piece of dried-up jerky in her mouth and chewed it as long as possible before swallowing.
Although her hunger was barely satisfied, she knew they couldn't hold out like this forever.
At that moment.
"Commander, something is coming from the front."
Helen rose and climbed onto the fortress wall.
Something was racing through the monsters gathered behind the fortress.
'What is that?'
Surprisingly, a single knight was riding a horse, wielding a massive horse-cutting sword and charging towards the fortress.
SLAAAASH!
With each swing of his sword, the monsters blocking his path were completely cut down.
The knight, who had rushed like a storm, had already massacred all the monsters and approached the fortress.
He shouted towards the fortress.
"I bring a message from Kali Draker!"
Helen recognized the knight's voice immediately.
'Zeke?'
Zeke had personally broke through the monsters to reach here.
Helen immediately prepared to open the fortress gate by jumping down from the wall.
The werewolves guarding the gate rose and blocked her.
"Hey, humans. It's better to stay still."
As the werewolf gangsters, whose size seemed to be twice Helen's, blocked the way, the knights of the Steel Knight Order stepped forward.
"He's a knight who brought a message from Kali Draker! Open the gate immediately!"
To which the gangsters spat and said,
"How would we know if it's really him or Imperial lapdogs? And what if monsters rush in when we open the gate?"
Everyone's nerves were sharply on edge due to not eating properly.
Helen pushed past the knights and took a step forward.
"The knight outside is my blood. I will guarantee he is not an enemy, so open the gate."
The werewolf gangsters flinched at Helen Draker, called the Steel Knight.
They well knew how terrifying her power could be, despite her smaller physique.
At that moment, a werewolf who had been lying stretched out at the back slowly rose.
"Damn it, I'm already starving to death, why are you causing a scene, humans?"
The rising werewolf was a tiger werewolf larger than the other werewolves.
Wearing mercenary-like clothing, the tiger werewolf cracked his neck and looked at Helen.
"Hey, human woman. Move back if you don't want to die. I'm in a bad mood because I'm starving."
The tiger werewolf was the assault captain of the Crosstel gangsters, a werewolf with strength and agility that most knights couldn't match.
Helen spoke to the assault captain.
"Open the gate. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise? What will you do?"
As the tiger werewolf bared his teeth, his eyes gleamed with a beast's unique light.
Helen grabbed the Dragon Buster hanging at her back.
Now that she knew the person outside was Zeke, she had to open the gate somehow.
As Helen grabbed the Dragon Buster, the other werewolves behind her panicked.
"C-Captain. Are you really going to fight? Bigjo said we must never fight among ourselves."
The assault captain glared at the other werewolves.
"What about Bigjo! Arrogant human woman. Good. I'm already hungry, so I'll cut off your arm and eat it."
As the assault captain raised his claws and approached, Helen also drew her Dragon Buster and confronted him.
The werewolf assault captain, with his sharp claws extended, charged at Helen first.
KWANG!
A fast and fierce attack using the werewolf's uniquely elastic body was unleashed towards Helen.
Helen blocked the assault captain's attack with her Dragon Buster.
WHOOOOOM!
Helen swung the Dragon Buster towards the tiger werewolf.
Faced with the threatening attack, he quickly retreated, baring his teeth and exuding a threatening momentum.
"How dare you?!... I'll tear off not just an arm but your legs..."
PUHK!
Before he could finish speaking, the enraged tiger werewolf was hit by a horse-cutting sword diving from mid-air and sent flying.
KWANG! KWANG!
The flying assault captain tumbled like a puppet with broken strings and was embedded into the fortress wall.
THUD!
The knight who had blown away the tiger werewolf with a single horse-cutting sword sword rose.
The other werewolves stood with their mouths agape.
"I-Impossible. How did you jump over this fortress wall..?."
Zeke, who had removed his helmet, glared coldly at the werewolf embedded in the wall.
"How dare you raise your filthy claws against my sister!?."
He turned to the werewolves and spoke.
"My name is Zeke Draker. I am the leader of the Black Sword Knight Order and Kali Draker's representative."
His eyes shone sharply.
"Go and call the Song of Crouching Flames and Bigjo."