Chapter 77
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: 17. Demon Plague. (4)
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As the sun rose, the mercenary corps finished their rest, rose to their feet, and formed ranks.
Viscount Biya scanned the leaders with a solemn expression and gave a nod. It was the signal to begin the mission. His gaze lingered intensely on Leader Allen for a moment. A silent plea: please take good care of her.
The viscount's own mercenary corps took the lead, approaching the rusted iron gate. They hooked a grapple onto the ring-shaped handle and pulled with all their might.
"Pull—!"
The burly mercenaries grunted with effort, and with a screech of creeeak, the rusted hinges began to turn, wailing like banshees.
...And so, the massive iron gate, sealed shut for countless ages, finally swung open. The mercenaries circled around it, peering down into the pitch-black void below.
The elderly mage from the viscount's corps illuminated the darkness slightly with the orb at the tip of his staff. A long passage stretched downward into the gloom, lined with an iron ladder.
They couldn't gauge the size of the space below from here. They'd have to go down themselves.
The viscount nodded to his vice-leader, who stepped forward at the signal.
"One group at a time, in order—!"
First the viscount's corps, then Allen's, followed by the remaining three.
Once all eight of the viscount's mercenaries had descended, a shout echoed up that it was safe. Allen's Mercenary Corps followed, one by one, climbing down the ladder.
Before descending, Allen glanced back toward where Natasha waited. Their eyes met just as she lifted her cloth covering.
An intense, burning gaze. ...Then he climbed down the ladder into the passage.
The passage was cool and slightly damp. Nothing compared to a dungeon, of course.
After a long climb down the ladder, Allen landed in a wide corridor. It stretched left and right like a sewer. ...Clearly not meant for storage.
The arched ceiling of the rounded tunnel was riddled with gaps where plant roots dangled like willow branches. Allen couldn't even guess how long this place had been abandoned.
...No wonder the monster spawn loved it here.
Once the other three corps had descended, the corridor felt a bit crowded. Allen asked the now-unblindfolded Odd-Eye which way to go. She pointed decisively in one direction.
"It leads that way."
The mercenaries, direction set, moved in two lines hugging the left and right walls of the wide corridor. The gloomy passage was lit bright by the mages' mana orbs.
As they scanned the wide corridor, Captain Aiden, walking beside Leader Allen, whispered quietly.
"What do you think they built this for?"
"Who knows... Looks like an evacuation route."
Whatever its purpose, it didn't matter. They just needed to smash whatever was sucking the life out of that noble lady.
The corridor was quite long. Then, far ahead, the wall abruptly ended. ...Meaning the passage opened into a larger space.
The viscount's vice-leader halted the group. Things looked like they'd turn to combat once they passed that point.
Leader Allen silently met the eyes of each of his members. No need to repeat the earlier warnings—they were veterans, after all.
After a brief pause to catch their breath, the group pressed on. The color-seeing Odd-Eye spotted something sinister crouched beyond the passage's end. The black line stretching from Natasha connected to it like an umbilical cord.
As expected, it was a monster.
The mercenaries emerged from the passage and descended slightly into the space below. Ankle-deep water sloshed in the vast chamber. It could easily hold a thousand people.
And there, nearby, they spotted what looked like a stone altar. The moment Allen saw it, he knew this wasn't just an evacuation site.
...This is a sacrificial chamber...!
A place prepared to summon some evil—demon or monster. Runes covered the ceiling in ancient script. Hundreds of skulls hung decayed in places, and the bones submerged in water crumbled squishily underfoot.
No one had imagined a place like this; they stood half-stunned. The viscount's elderly mage approached the altar slowly, then spotted something massive crouched beyond it.
—!!
Startled, he pointed it out to the vice-leader.
The monster, fattened for ages on its host's life force, was even larger than Allen had anticipated. Fortunately, having failed to fully consume its host, it hadn't awakened yet. ...Existing as a formless mass, it twitched sporadically.
The vice-leader and four leaders exchanged glances. They quickly formed ranks. Allen ordered Elena to prepare her magic.
"Your strongest shot."
The other mages readied their most powerful spells. The red-robed mage, too, channeled something even stronger than before, proving the fruits of his grueling training.
Once ready, the five leaders nodded to each other. At the vice-leader's signal, the magic unleashed toward the monster.
Powerful spells from the three corps with mages—whoosh—slammed into the monster's body, followed by massive explosions—.
————!!!!!!
The magic tore huge chunks from the monster's body, which vaporized into smoke.
"Again—!"
But before the second volley, hundreds of black tendrils shot out from the monster in all directions. They latched onto skulls, which began to rattle and move.
"Below too—! Watch your ankles—!"
The black lines even controlled submerged skulls. Mercenaries stomped on the heads grabbing at their ankles. At the same time, they fended off hundreds of skulls raining down from the ceiling like hail.
"Blast them with magic—! Keep attacking, no breaks—!"
The members smashed approaching skulls with their weapons. After fighting nimble ghouls, these sluggish skull-heads felt manageable for Allen's corps. Hundreds swarming in a confined space made the numbers gap obvious, but they could handle it.
The two corps without mages tried closing in on the monster, but dozens of hand-like protrusions from its slimy body blocked them.
Magic spells continued sporadically, slamming into the monster and exploding.
Just then, the blind saintess saw the umbilical-like black line suddenly thicken, the monster gulping something down voraciously. She alerted her leader.
"Leader, the line connecting to the monster has gotten much thicker. If we don't destroy it fast, the lady's in danger—!"
Hearing this, Allen ordered the red-robed mage for another heavy hit.
"Then I can't maintain the light!"
"You guys can hold out?"
"We'll manage—!"
The members replied they'd make do with the dim surrounding light. Skulls weren't as fast as ghouls, after all.
"Elena. Do it. As strong as possible. One shot to end it—!"
At the command, light flared from her magic staff. Mana gathered intensely, transforming into an enormous elemental spell.
Elena aimed precisely at the monster with her staff and unleashed the elemental magic.
And...
Quite some time had passed since the mercenaries vanished.
Natasha sat on the dirt floor under a shaded spot untouched by the sun, wrapped in her cloth, her breaths faint.
Deep in meditation, she suddenly felt excruciating agony.
————!!!!!
"Agh."
A groan escaped her unbidden. The pain started in her side and spread through her entire body.
"Natasha—!"
The viscount, waiting nearby for the mercenaries' return, rushed to his daughter as she collapsed forward, trembling violently.
"Ugh, ah...!"
"Natasha, Natasha...!"
It was suffocating torment. But she bit her lip until it bled, enduring.
I have to hold on. Hold on. With my willpower, to the very end, with my willpower...!
Her body shook, but she made no more sounds.
She sensed the thing parasitizing her body was under attack. Amid the endless agony, it suddenly began sucking something from her furiously.
————!!!!!!
Her vision blackened in shock. She couldn't breathe. The horror of everything being drained from her.
Die, die, die, aaaah, no, nooo, nooooo—.
Natasha's eyes rolled back, foam at her mouth. ...Yet to the very last, she fought to endure.
To the end, the very end, that final moment...!
Believing Allen would succeed. Firmly trusting he would save her.
The viscount wailed over his fallen daughter, but she heard, saw, felt nothing. Her senses had faded. Only a faint flicker of mind remained, like a candle about to gutter out.
...And as her final breath ebbed—
Something surged up her throat, clearing her airway.
Wheeeeeeeck—.
Black, congealed blood.
She coughed violently, gasping as if dying.
Her darkened vision cleared, her deafened ears opened, sensation returned to her numb body.
...And at last,
She beheld the clear blue sky.
So very peacefully.