The Casillum Campaign (3)
War is a never-ending cycle of gains and losses. The hill we occupied today during the day may have been taken by the enemy before the sun even set.
In other words, we may not have been able to recover the bodies of our fallen comrades. At a time when it was already hard enough to take care of just one man, there simply wasn't enough time to recover their remains as well.
Naturally, the battlefield is filled with the corpses of demons, monsters, and humans trampled underfoot.
Amidst countless corpses being churned into mud mixed with blood, everyone said that even if a corpse couldn't make it back home intact, it would still be a lucky one.
Due to concerns over hygiene and the inability to leave them lying around, we buried unidentified bodies on the spot as a temporary measure...
But demons. It seemed that Loktur used them like that.
On the outer walls of the fortress, heads hung from hooks, swinging gently. Not just a few, but nearly a hundred.
"Bad taste, huh."
I pulled my eyes away from the telescope; I didn't want to see more and lose my stomach. I handed it back to Lucas.
Luke had already looked quite sick of it; he didn't even try to hide the uncomfortable expression on his face as he stared at the wall. Then he asked Lucas.
"What exactly do those dangling heads give those bastards?"
"I don't know. Loktur might just have a crazy hobby. He's the kind of enemy that can pop up anywhere."
Lucas looked back at Casillum through the telescope once more, then opened his mouth.
"Loktur isn't the type to care about those things. He's more like a monster than a demon from the start. Probably what his subordinates did."
The smile had completely vanished from Lucas's face, which was usually so smooth and carefree.
Lucas was starting to look disgusted as well.
"Probably to break morale. Soldiers can break under something like that, can't they."
Of course, Luke and I were already feeling this way, but soldiers would be hit with fear and disgust, and their morale could drop.
If our own comrades ended up like that, with soldiers near death, they would lose their will to fight.
"This makes our training squad's job even heavier, huh?"
"Only by seizing a real victory can the soldiers enter Casillum without fear."
Tsk. I clicked my tongue. I now had one more reason I absolutely had to succeed.
Well, I hadn't even been thinking about failure... But it felt like my shoulders were getting heavier.
As my and Luke's faces darkened, Lucas put his arms around our shoulders again and flashed his usual clever smile.
"Feels heavy, right? My shoulders are heavy too. But listen."
Lucas kept glancing between Luke and me. He sighed deeply and turned his gaze toward Casillum.
"Who else would do it besides us?"
***
A gloomy fog hung low over the ground. The moon was hidden behind clouds, so hardly any moonlight reached the earth.
Demons and a few monsters patrolled the walls. While their attention was distracted, my hand pressed against the wall.
A silent black hood fluttered above the wall. The moment it landed behind the demon, a knife stabbed into its throat.
At the same time, I choked its neck with my arm and snapped its neck in one breath.
"Cough..."
The monsters beside the demon immediately charged at the black-hooded attacker.
The attacker calmly watched the approaching monsters before finishing them off with a low voice.
"Luke. Rigel."
In that instant, two more black robes appeared from behind the attacker. The sound of flapping wings accompanied a spray of deep-red blood from the monsters.
The demons and monsters fell silent. We carefully lowered the bodies, then lowered our stances.
"The mages' magic is quite useful."
"Other monsters that are sensitive to smell and sound didn't notice, huh. You know the time limit, right? Thirty minutes."
"I know. Luke, did your placement go well?"
From beneath the black hood, Luke, whose hair faintly glowed violet, simply nodded without answering.
The moment.
Kuuuung!!
The entire Casillum fortress shook as we planted our feet. At the same time, a massive explosion boomed from far away.
Demons and monsters walking inside the fortress rushed toward the blast. Their direction was directly opposite where the three of us stood.
"How many mana stones did you overcharge?"
"The mages worked hard. To explode even a single body-sized stone, ordinary magic power wouldn't have been enough."
"Save the small talk. We're entering the fortress interior now. No information inside, so follow my instructions, but use your own judgment in emergencies. Got it?"
Lucas trusted us more than our limited experience, but he trusted the abilities of the two of us who had already joined the ranks.
Luke was, of course, the Hero who would succeed him, and Rigel was talented enough to compete with the Hero even without divine blessing.
We locked eyes with each other, then nodded.
Gripping the top of the windows inside the fortress, we slipped inside like infiltrators. We wrinkled our noses at the stench.
'The smell of rotting corpses... And how thick the mana is.'
The thick mana was even denser inside the fortress, pressing down on our bodies.
But one thing was certain. Loktur was here. There was no other way this much mana could be felt.
"It must be down below. Loktur's body couldn't possibly fit in this narrow space."
A narrow passage wide enough to block the way entirely with just two strong men. Lucas thought Loktur, a giant of a monster, would never walk these paths.
Meanwhile, the mana stone in his pocket had started losing its glow. The mana stones supplying power to the robes were gradually draining, and a slow countdown continued even now.
"Hurry up and move."
Just as I took a step forward, Lucas stopped my body with his hand.
Looking through a small mirror around the corner, I saw winged monsters flying there.
"Those two definitely didn't move east without a plan."
The flying eyes belonged to one of the Sathking's monsters, an information source.
If that eye spotted us, information would naturally reach the connected Sathkings. And if we were discovered at this stage, failure was almost certain.
If we were discovered, even if we failed, we'd have to fight every single monster and demon in the entire fortress with just the three of us.
Moreover, the moment we made contact with the other two Sathkings, the situation would turn worst.
'Stay as unnoticed as possible.'
Once the eyes disappeared, we prepared to move forward again.
Lucas led the way. I took the rear with Luke on my side, watching carefully.
We avoided fighting as much as we could. But if a demon blocked the only path.
"Magic Bullet."
Using a sign to distract, I charged once and stabbed the throat, silencing it with a quiet sound.
We descended one floor, then another. Even after reaching the lowest floor touching the ground, our feet kept moving.
Soon, we reached the hall.
The largest square of the fortress, the mana here was far thicker than before.
We checked the soundproofing magic of our robes, then hid in a corner and looked down at the hall.
Countless monsters and demons roamed the hall. Especially the many floating eyes made it troublesome.
"How do we get through... Should we wait?"
Lucas groaned, lifting his loosened headband and sinking into deep thought.
But I already knew a simpler and sure solution.
"We don't have time. Just smash the ceiling."
"What? Don't say crazy things, Rigel."
Lucas looked at my suggestion with disbelief. But I was serious.
The moment a sword was drawn. It wasn't mine.
Intense light burst from the sword. Divine blessing had been infused into Luke's sword, and tremendous power began gathering at a glance.
"You crazy bastards..."
Lucas urgently pulled a glass bottle containing liquid from his pocket and threw it toward the door on the opposite side.
Kwaaang!
The moment the bottle hit the ground, explosion shattered the door. Every monster and demon's gaze focused toward the door from the loud sound and light.
Using the chaos, Luke positioned himself directly below the hall's ceiling. Then, in an instant, he leaped into the air.
The target was the ceiling.
By now we were so close that everyone would notice with the commotion and light. But even if they noticed, it would be too late to turn their heads.
'Now.'
Luke, gripping his sword with both hands, swung it toward the ceiling.
Just the shockwave from the blessed sword was enough to shatter the ceiling.
Kuuuaaaaah!!
The spot where the shockwave struck the ceiling rose upward.
And the ceiling, firm as a solid slab, tore apart. Then broken pieces rained down.
Before the enemies could focus on Luke, the falling rubble from the ceiling covered the demons, monsters, and eyes.
Kurrrung...
The sound that shook the entire fortress only ended after a long time. Thick dust rose, obscuring our vision.
At that moment, I felt the magic on the robes disappear. The mana stone had lost all faint light. We discarded the now useless robes.
"Luke, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
From within the dust, Luke's flat voice rang out. Getting closer, Luke stood atop the debris.
When I moved a short distance away, he had only covered himself in dust, showing no wounds.
"You know it was a crazy operation, don't you? You two."
At that moment, Lucas spoke. He wasn't scolding us.
Rather, he shook his head as if tired.
"The magic on the robes is also ending, and there's no way to pass without being discovered against such forces. It would have been better to bury us all at once."
"I agree with Rigel's opinion. The robe's magic was already weakening, so I acted first."
"...I see. I agree too, but you went too far. From now on, think more carefully. Got it?"
We both nodded. The result was good. Well, it was all good.
I raised my head and looked over the shattered ceiling and the rubble that had buried everything.
A single slash powerful enough to smash the ceiling in one go. Even knowing it was beyond human power, I was amazed by its force.
Only the Hero could have such power. I would never be able to wield it, no matter how hard I tried.
Just as I was staring at the rubble with that thought.
Kuuuoooong.
Something unknown stirred with vibration from beneath the rubble.
At the same time, a sound like a beast's roar echoed. The ground trembled, sending a creepy feeling throughout my body.
Lucas looked down at the debris beneath his feet and spoke.
"...What is that?"
Thud, thud, thud, thud!!
The rubble shook. The ground trembled more and more violently, and after the shaking became too strong to maintain balance, the three of us realized this spot was dangerous.
"Get down!!"
At that moment, something rose from the rubble. Luke jumped back from the debris a moment too late.
But something massive loomed above Luke. The giant crashed down with a boom.
Kuuung!!
Dust billowed again. Rigel and Lucas drew their swords, guarding against the huge silhouette.
The moment, a tear-like piercing scream rang out.
"Uwaaaah!!!!"
It was Luke's voice. As the dust cleared and the giant rose higher, there he was.
Luke, whose legs were twisted and broken, lay screaming.
"Grrr..."
A rough, beast-like sound came from above.
I looked up. The thing staring at us was a giant demon... no, a monster far larger than the two.
The monster's hand had struck Luke, its palm covered in blood.
Rigel instinctively understood.
What the monster before us was. What we were facing.
One of the Sathkings, a member of the Four Calamities.
The War God. Loktur had appeared.