Chapter 135
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: The Black Ghost Brigade
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Curse
A distant past.
An age when all was chaos.
In Odobaekryeong, beings bearing the destiny of ruin appeared.
They were the Seven Calamities.
Each was a cataclysm, a force of nature with the power to destroy the world, which even the Baekdaesega dared not face.
The Five Heroes became legends of Odobaekryeong not just for conquering numerous Labyrinths, but more so for defeating the Seven Calamities.
Without them, the world would have been destroyed seven times over; that was how terrifying the Calamities were.
However, some Calamities, though vanquished, left remnants behind.
There were two prominent examples.
The legendary divine beast, the Black Dragon, born from an egg left by the Vicious Dragon, who later formed a pact with the Black Dragon Knight, one of the Five Heroes.
And the most terrible of curses, one that even the Five Heroes could only seal: the Fiend.
This much was common knowledge.
A legend known to all.
But as for *where* the Fiend was sealed, that was a secret so thoroughly hidden that not a single trace remained.
From curious scholars,
to crawlers blinded by greed,
to nobles with hidden agendas.
Countless individuals had scoured every corner of Odobaekryeong, yet none had found even a clue.
The irony was that the seal was ultimately discovered by a clueless caravan.
But ignorance can sometimes be a sin.
The merchants, who earned a pittance trading with isolated territories, mistook the seal for a mere undiscovered ruin and tampered with it.
They had no idea that the price for their folly would be a gruesome demise.
…With a single exception.
The witch, offered as a living sacrifice to break the seal, was instead chosen as the vessel for a new one.
And now, at this very moment.
The Fiend, released from its new seal.
No, to be precise, Kael was frozen as he watched the troll, which had accepted the curse and grown even larger than before.
“…My god.”
Even when facing the half-monster Lar Arga, he had been tense but not afraid.
He had the strength he’d built through the expedition.
He had experience hunting 4-star monsters.
Most importantly, he had his comrades.
‘I have to fight… that?’
But at this moment, he couldn’t muster the same confidence as before.
He could tell.
Unlike the half-baked state where it couldn't even use its innate power properly, the fully transformed Lar Arga was a true monster.
It had become stronger than when it was a sapient being.
That was precisely why mutations were more terrifying than any other monster.
And what about them?
They had already lost more than half their mounts.
The slave soldiers were utterly exhausted.
Even the divine beasts were covered in wounds.
In their current state of depletion, could they possibly fight that monster and win?
And even if they did, what then? Could they escape this Labyrinth, now shrouded in the Fiend's curse?
Knowing the answer, Kael turned pale.
He wasn’t the only one.
Arsha bit her lip.
Parsha clenched her fists.
The slave soldiers stood rigid.
Orr Kai cowered with her tail between her legs.
The very people who had fearlessly charged a super-class Awakened One moments ago were now unable to move.
The reality of facing a legendary Calamity like the Fiend had filled their hearts with despair and fear.
“Looks like the Fiend really wants to play with us, doesn't it?”
“……”
“I wanted to save this for later, but since it's come to this, I suppose we'll have to give it a proper welcome.”
…Except for the boy, who spoke with his usual nonchalance, as if he had anticipated this all along.
Had that madman forgotten the meaning of fear from the day he was born?
As everyone stared in disbelief, Dion casually posed a question.
“Shuttle, you ready?”
“I told you, didn't I? The preparations are complete.”
“Then bring them out.”
And there was one other.
The girl in the straitjacket, who had mostly just watched the fight against Lar Arga.
Far from being terrified by the Fiend’s curse, she had snorted as if it were pathetic.
The Vault Keeper smoothly responded to Dion’s words.
And so, with a clank.
The moment the chains binding her stirred.
“—Everyone, come forth.”
*Creeeak.*
It wasn’t sturdy like the Waryongjang at the vanguard.
Nor was it a nest for the mounts like the Goemokjang.
It wasn't built for combat like the Chamgeomwon and Yamyowon on the flanks.
The territory that had served no other purpose than guarding the rear.
A door connected to the deepest basement of the Soryujang opened, and a group slowly walked out.
*Clank.*
A motley collection of weapons.
Brands seared all over their bodies.
Clothes in tattered rags.
Thick shackles on their ankles.
At a glance, they resembled the slave soldiers in that they were clearly meant for combat, but…
Unlike the White Ghost Brigade, their shabby appearance and gloomy aura set them starkly apart. A group in black masks lined up in the Soryujang.
The Vault Keeper knelt politely before Dion and spoke.
“A total of forty-four units. All have been brought out.”
“Yes, this should be enough.”
As Dion nodded in satisfaction at the unmoving figures,
Naru, Kael, and Liya wore looks of bewilderment.
Even for them, who had been with Dion since before the expedition, these black-masked slave soldiers were a new sight.
“Uh, what? Who are they?”
“My lord, did you have more slave soldiers that I, Kael, son of Chavera, did not know about?”
“They seem a little strange for slave soldiers, don't they…?”
“…Parsha.”
“…I know.”
Unlike the vassals and collaborators, who were ultimately outsiders, the two dark elf mother and daughter stiffened.
As a high official and concubine,
and as a vassal and collaborator,
they, Dion’s closest aides, knew.
These were Dion's secret weapons, prepared to secure achievements in this war and to be used if things went wrong.
That was why Parsha had retreated with the slave soldiers, and Arsha had ceased her command.
They knew they were no longer needed; in fact, their interference would only be a hindrance.
“Shuttle, you know what to do, right?”
“Of course.”
And in their place, the girl in the straitjacket and chain collar, with purple twin tails, stepped forward.
The Vault Keeper spoke with a haughty air.
“Black Ghost Brigade, advance.”
*Fwoosh!*
“…!”
In that instant.
Naru’s eyes widened.
The moment the Vault Keeper gave the order, the forty-four slave soldiers began to chant spells or leap from the Soryujang, rushing toward the giant.
It wasn’t just because of the various supernatural powers emanating from their bodies.
Dion using high-class Awakened Ones as slave soldiers was nothing new.
What truly astonished Naru was their level of skill, which was overwhelmingly superior to that of the White Ghost Brigade.
*Boom, thwack, schlick!*
Dodging attacks with afterimages.
Blinding with bursts of light.
Transforming into lightning to plunge blades.
Watching the black-masked slave soldiers attack the monstrous Lar Arga from all sides, even using secret techniques, Naru let out a groan.
‘Most of them are [Adept] or higher… There are even [Experts] and a [Master]?’
The higher an Awakened One’s rank, the more mana stones and time it took to advance their proficiency.
Yet, unlike the slaves of the White Ghost Brigade, who were almost all at the [Novice] level and thus still showed some clumsiness, the movements of the Black Ghost Brigade were impeccably skilled.
The level of a select few was on par with a true order of knights.
There were two problems.
First, for all their skill, they fought with a startling lack of coordination, each for themselves.
And second…
*KRAAASH!*
“Keuk!”
…no matter how skilled individuals were, a pack of rabbits could not defeat a lion.
With just a single stomp.
Lar Arga unleashed the power of its tattoos, sending the surrounding Black Ghost Brigade flying.
It might have been different during its transformation.
But having become a complete monster, the power of a super-class Awakened One, now even stronger than before, was not something high-class Awakened Ones could handle.
That’s why Naru urgently advised Dion.
“M-my lord. Shouldn’t we provide support quickly?”
“No, not at all.”
“What?”
“They don’t need any more support than what Shuttle provides.”
“What does that…?”
“By order of the King’s proxy, I command you.”
Before Naru could even ask in confusion,
the Vault Keeper took a confident step forward and spoke with a cold smile.
“Dispose of that overgrown beast, even if it costs you your lives.”
*Crack.*
“Kraaaaaaaaah!!!”
“Kyaaaaaak!”
“…!?”
In that instant.
Their eyes turning black, their powers surging explosively, the Black Ghost Brigade charged the giant like madmen.
Whether they were kicked away,
or scorched by a massive lightning bolt,
they never stopped.
As long as it wasn't an instant kill, they regenerated from any wound in a flash, relentlessly bombarding the giant with magic and arrows, tearing at its body with their swords.
…with power squeezed from their very own lives.
“Krrroooaaaaar!”
*Krrrrrumble!*
But, as expected,
the giant did not go down easily.
The more fiercely the Black Ghost Brigade charged, the more savagely it rampaged, swinging its six arms and unleashing spells.
*BOOM!*
“Heek?!”
Perhaps it was bad luck.
Or perhaps a lack of skill.
A member of the Black Ghost Brigade was struck squarely by Lar Arga’s fist and sent flying all the way to the Waryongjang.
Like a pebble skipped across water, the soldier bounced several times before crashing to a halt right in front of them.
Naru’s eyes widened.
He thought the soldier was surely dead, but as the figure staggered to its feet, he recognized the cat-like head visible through the cracked mask.
‘The Laying brothers from the Rogue Nobles' Alliance?’
‘…Wait a minute.’
‘If that’s the case, then these black-masked soldiers are…!’
Naru froze.
When Dion had declared war on the Rogue Nobles' Alliance.
The youngest son of the Laying family, the fallen cat-man nobles whose house Dion had crushed first—why was he a slave soldier?
As the brands on his body glowed and he charged back into the fray like a madman before his wounds had even fully healed, Naru understood.
‘The rogue nobles we captured?!?!’
Since the war began,
Dion had destroyed several families.
Some were ransomed and sold,
but the rogue nobles who couldn't pay their ransoms had been taken prisoner.
Naru had assumed they were just rotting in a prison, being useless mouths to feed, but here they were, fighting and dying as mere slaves.
As Naru stood dumbfounded by this absurd, almost incomprehensible reality,
Dion spoke nonchalantly.
“Hmm, I should probably lend a hand to save some time.”
『Unlight Family's Myriad Demon Style Military Arts』
『Mutual Destruction』
With a snap of his fingers,
dark demonic energy flowed from Dion.
Infused with this wicked and potent power, the soldiers of the Black Ghost Brigade began to burn not only their life force but their very lifespans as they rampaged.
As a result,
each of them unleashed power that surpassed the limits of a high-class Awakened One, overwhelming the giant.
No matter how much Lar Arga thrashed about,
no matter what spells it used,
it was useless.
No matter how many Awakened Ones it crushed,
it couldn’t stop the charge of the Black Ghost Brigade, who, heedless of their own lives, foamed at the mouth and charged forward to obey the ‘King’s command,’ even as they died.
—Like a lion, gradually being torn to bloody shreds by a pack of rabid wolves.
“Good heavens.”
“What… is this…”
And unlike the others, who couldn't believe their eyes, Dion accepted the scene as a matter of course.
Dion had gained much from the expedition—upgrading the slave soldiers, training them through raids—but this was his second greatest achievement.
Finding the legacy of the King of the Dark Grotto hidden in the [Shadow Tower] and restoring the Vault Keeper’s power.
Of course, this was only a fraction of it.
Her recovery was not yet complete.
But this small portion was enough.
—More than enough to crush a ‘mere’ super-class mutant.
“Hmph, to think they called a mere trifle like this the ‘seventh.’ How absurd.”
And so, after a fierce battle that felt longer than a moment,
yet shorter than an eternity,
the Vault Keeper looked upon the tattered, fallen giant and the black-masked slave soldiers, who had collapsed, bleeding from every orifice, and snorted.
Meanwhile, Dion checked the jobs and experience points they had offered up and smiled brightly.
“Of course, you can't pass up a double XP event.”
『Achievement: Subjugation of the Rogue Nobles' Alliance Lord.』
『Achievement: Golden Thief, Golden King.』
『Achievement: Phenomenal Giant Killing.』
『Achievement: Ruthless Disposal of Pawns.』
『Achievement: Iron-Blooded Commander.』
『Achievement: Subjugation of the Fiend's Puppet.』
『Achievement: Fox Borrowing the Tiger's Might…』
『3-Star Jobs 【Barbarian】, 【Wild Fighter】, 【Necromancer】, 【Rogue Knight】, 【Tough Body Master】, 2-Star Jobs…』
『Acquired 【Super Regeneration (SR)】, 【Dual Casting (R)】, 【Cold Heart (R)】, 【Intimate Death (R)】, 【Wildness (Un)】, 【Tough Body (Un)】, 【Danger Sense (Un)】, 【Night Vision (N)】, 【Noble's Grace (N)】, 【Rogue's Eye (N)】…』
…
…
…As she watched the boy smile as if he’d struck gold after annihilating the lord of the Rogue Nobles' Alliance and the other rogue nobles who had once dominated the Deformed City,
she thought.
No matter what monsters existed in the world,
none could be as wicked and atrocious as this pretty-faced boy.