Chapter 422: Welcome to the Land of Struggle
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 422: Welcome to the Land of Struggle
‘Can we win?’
Making that judgment is a crucial factor in any fight, be it a large-scale battle or a personal duel. This battle was no different. The enemy was likely the race they called Green Skins, though they could have been something else. But all the information from the briefing pointed to them being Green Skins.
Muscles that looked ready to burst, monstrous features, and eyes consumed by madness.
These were the races they were supposed to clash with after a little more time had passed. It was unbelievable that they had encountered them already. Without realizing it, George let out a loud shout.
“F-Fire!”
The firearms spat flames, but every shot was blocked by the massive shields the monsters carried. The sudden ambush left no time to organize their ranks. The warriors moved to the front, but that only ended up obstructing the view of the soldiers with the guns.
The troops were terrified, overwhelmed by the ferocity of the monsters charging at them with suicidal abandon.
“Get a grip! This is just like any other battle! Re-form the lines! Mages, begin your incantations! Riflemen, keep changing your positions! Fight as if you’re facing a pack of demonic beasts!”
“Uwooooooooh!”
It seemed an officer who thought along the same lines as him had shouted, but the situation didn’t improve. Because the head of the man who had just spoken was instantly split open.
“Kwegh!”
He collapsed in an instant, letting out a bizarre, strangled cry.
The sight that followed was something never before seen in battle: the monster grabbed the split-open head with both hands and tore it apart.
“Aaaaaaaaargh!”
Guild members began to scream, their faces twisted in horror.
A monster swinging an axe with a thunderous voice, another shooting strange projectiles that didn’t look like magic, and behind them, a small monster quietly fiddling with a rescue beacon. Besides them, dozens, no, hundreds of monsters were methodically slaughtering his guild members.
To get mixed up in that fray was suicide. It was undoubtedly a suicidal act. They had to somehow create distance and then re-engage. But there was no way. Looking to his side, he saw the mage, Tildara, also wearing a look of confusion, unsure how to react to the sudden turn of events. George screamed with desperation.
“Create distance!”
This was a fight that was only possible if the warriors could buy time and space for the firearms to be used. But most of the warriors were already rolling on the ground.
The arms and legs of the warriors he had thought were strong were being mercilessly torn off. Guts, brain matter, and broken bones flew into the air as their bodies were drenched in splattered blood and entrails. At some point, the sound of their own screams grew louder than the monsters’ roars. The creatures’ green bodies were gradually turning red, and they were all charging toward them as if celebrating a festival.
“Aaaaaaaaargh!”
“H-Help me!”
“Priest!”
The priest who should have been healing the warriors was caught in a monster’s grasp, his body completely torn in two. The mage who should have been casting defensive spells lay on the ground, his neck half-severed.
These were not mindless beings. They clearly understood the most effective way to attack and crush their enemy.
Some had already forgotten they were in the middle of a battle, collapsing to the ground and vomiting. Others, trembling in fear, could be seen using mages and priests as human shields.
“Krrrrrrk…”
George looked around with an expression of utter disbelief.
A monster tore off a man’s arm and chewed on it. A group of them surrounded a woman, devouring her entrails.
“S…ave… me…”
“Pl…ease…”
“Aaaaaaaaargh!”
“Kirik! Kirik!”
Hearing a sound, he turned his head slightly. His eyes fell upon the small monster at the very back—the one that had been playfully tossing the rescue beacon and laughing.
Around its neck was a necklace woven from countless human fingers. It didn’t take long for him to spot his own son’s finger among them.
“My… my son…”
“There are no humans left. Are you the leader of this group?”
He stood with his mouth agape at the reply that flew back at him, and then he heard the voice again. They weren’t speaking his language. They were clearly using some kind of magical method to translate their words.
“A deaf human.”
“You… you bastard! Do you know where you are?! Where is the owner of that device?!”
“Did I not say they are all dead? This is my land, the land of Little Finger. It was you humans who trespassed. Hehe.”
As he stared blankly at the creature speaking as if it were all a game, a voice came from his side.
“P-Please, spare me. Please… I beg you. I’ll do anything. Please…”
It was Talia, speaking from beneath the Orc who had been the first to roar, her head tilted up. Of course, her voice didn’t last long.
Squelch.
With a sickening sound, the head of the master of a prominent clan from a small city burst into nothingness.
“A female who begs for her life must be killed. Yes! Yes!”
“Do you think you bastards will get away with this?! Soon… soon, countless allied forces will enter this forest and wipe out monsters like you!”
After spitting out the futile threat, he found himself panting, glaring down at the small monster. What he saw was a face with the corners of its mouth subtly turned up in a smile.
“That is good news. The human who appears to be the leader seems to have some spirit. He doesn’t look too bad. He must hold a high position!”
“…”
“The Great Tribe Leader will surely be pleased! Apachi! Crugar! Contact the East Continent at once! Little Finger will claim the first victory in the Land of Struggle!”
The surroundings were already completely stained with blood. Those still standing tried to resist, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the charging monsters, spilling their guts as their bodies were torn to shreds. Even the humans already on the ground twitched intermittently, struggling to escape the hands of the monsters trying to eat their organs while they were still alive.
These beings were completely different from them. It was laughable to think that a conversation was ever possible.
“S…ave… m…e…”
“Guuuh…”
Perhaps they had chosen the wrong enemy to fight. George stared at the scene around him and muttered to himself over and over.
*
“Lady Maria.”
“Again?”
“Yes.”
Maria bit her lip hard. For the past few days, she had been reeling from the news pouring in from all across the continent. The number of missing persons was steadily increasing in every region, regardless of whether it was a major city or a small town. Rescue teams sent to find the missing went missing themselves, and then the teams sent to find them also vanished. The absurd situation was impossible to comprehend.
Of course, it wasn’t as if she had no leads. No matter how cleanly they tried to cover their tracks, traces of a battle were bound to be found. The archers capable of reading such signs had returned with faces pale as sheets, but based on the data they provided, she had a rough idea of who had taken root in the forests.
‘Filthy monster bastards…’
Maria let out a sigh, then looked at the man before her and slowly opened her mouth.
“Where is it this time?”
“The southern forest of Oakland. George, who ran a small guild, and Clan Master Tildara have gone missing together. We are currently conducting a search, but…”
“But you’ve found nothing. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes. It appears to be a power slightly different from magic, which is making the search difficult…”
It was guerrilla warfare. They had swarmed into the West Continent all at once and were waging a guerrilla war before even declaring it. How they got in, how they established themselves here—it was all a mystery. But one thing was certain: they were chipping away at her forces before the war had even begun.
Not only were her troop numbers dwindling, but so were her supplies. The forests surrounding each city were the foundation of their livelihood, essential places for development and growth. The fact that a force comparable to an entire guild was hiding in those forests was a major threat. Naturally, her worries could only deepen.
“The mines…”
“We have not heard anything from that front yet.”
“That’s a relief.”
The one silver lining was that the areas with key resources had not yet been captured. They were likely hesitant to appear in strategically vital locations. Since she had deployed forces that surpassed those of a typical small city, they were naturally being cautious. It was imperative to defend these important places at all costs. If the mines located in the far north of the continent were to be captured, things could get very complicated.
“Effective immediately, I will do everything possible to prevent any single guild or clan from venturing outside the forests. They will be permitted to enter only the outskirts of the forests for resources. Please relay the order to minimize casualties and to assemble troops as soon as their magic is analyzed.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“You may leave.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Her hands were tied. She had anticipated that they wouldn’t play by conventional rules, but she had never imagined they would strike in such an absurd manner. However, there was another way to look at the situation.
What if they were forced to move so hastily? What if their continent was not yet ready for war, and this was a move to buy time? The ones who had entered the continent now could simply be disposable pawns.
‘They might be hoping to shake us.’
The continent was vast. The disappearance of a few guilds or clans was not enough to deal a major blow. It would only slow things down a little. Just as Maria was thinking this and lifting her head, she saw the adjutant who had just left cautiously re-enter her office.
“What is it?”
“W-Well… that is…”
“Speak quickly.”
A hesitant mouth. An anxious expression. She could instinctively tell that something much bigger had happened.
“The… the workshop in the u-upper part of the Blackrock Mountains… has c-completely vanished. In… instead… at the entrance to the m-mountains… along with a spire built from human corpses… th-their flag…”
A flag bearing the image of a blood-stained dagger.
“The people at the workshop in Thornbush Falls were also f-found impaled on spears and hanging from trees. We believe the rest of the humans inside are s-sending distress signals, but even that is uncertain. We are currently in a m-meeting to decide whether or not to dispatch a rescue team.”
A flag bearing the image of a black spear.
“The forward base in the southern wilderness has also… c-completely fallen into enemy hands. We are trying to determine the status of the p-personnel who were inside, and troops are being rapidly assembled to prepare for a s-siege.”
It was a flag bearing the image of a giant monster.