Chapter 22 - Dark Mage Subjugation (2)
Chapter 22 - Dark Mage Subjugation (2)
022
"We've arrived."
The cave wasn't hard to find at all.
Just as the search party had said, there was only one place in the entire forest oozing with such wicked energy,
and thanks to the traces left behind by previous visitors, it was super easy to locate.
'Whoa, I never really knew what wicked energy meant. So this is what it feels like.'
It felt kinda like walking past an abandoned house in the middle of the night.
Just looking at it sent chills down my spine and put me in a bad mood for no reason.
I've never been to a slaughterhouse, but if I did, I figured this was the exact vibe it would have.
"I can't even fathom how many people died inside here."
Mumbled a nameless soldier as a thick stench of blood drifted out from deep within the cave.
If past me from my days living on Earth had caught a whiff of this smell, I would've puked on the spot.
"Alright! Time to go to work. Shield bearers! Forward!"
Soldiers holding massive red shields stepped in sync and took the very front.
The cave entrance was extremely narrow. Was it even four or five meters wide at most?
Thanks to that, we had to walk in a single file line. Just putting a single shield in front completely jammed up the vanguard.
"Actually, this is better. No matter how hard those bastards charge, they won't be able to pierce these shields."
Goblins' claws or teeth had no way of penetrating those thick shields.
Everyone seemed to think so, as the soldiers carrying shields pushed straight ahead and entered the cave.
"Everyone, going in!"
Their movements were like clockwork.
Standing right at the front was the oldest-looking shield bearer, followed by a spearmen right behind him.
Judging by how they moved, it looked like they paired up in twos: shield bearer, spearmen, shield bearer, spearmen.
In the center stood Knight Anders and her squire, followed by the axemen.
The two of us were at the very end. Was this out of consideration for us or something?
-Jeobeok-jeobeok.
"Those goddamn bitches! Just how many lives did they ruin?!"
The inside of the cave was horrifying beyond expectations.
Blood was smeared all over the floors and walls, and the deeper we walked, the more the stench of rotting corpses assaulted our noses.
This wasn't the work of just a few dozen people. It was a sight where at least hundreds must have been harmed!
"It makes me honestly wonder what kind of wicked scheme required harming this many people."
"Hmm. With this many sacrificed, I can't even guess what kind of demon might have been summoned."
The soldiers kept walking.
Contrary to its appearance, the scale of the cave was immense. Was it dug out artificially like this?
How much had we walked? Suddenly, the soldier at the front stopped.
"They're coming! Brace for impact!!"
-Tadadak!
The sound of bare feet sprinting across the stone floor echoed from deep within the cave.
There were only those bastards who could make a sound like that in the dark.
"Kieeeek!"
Goblins.
Tearing through the dark, these unholy little shits lunged toward the shields with all their might.
"Where do you think you're going!"
However, the shield bearer timed it perfectly, slamming his shield into the rushing goblin's body and finishing it off with a downward chop of his blade.
And the spearmen behind him raised and threw his pilum.
"Keeek!"
The vigorously flying spear pierced straight through the goblin in front and impaled the bastards behind it as well.
As corpses piled up in the already narrow alleyway, the goblins in front could hardly climb over.
On the other hand, the shield bearers were taller than the goblins. Naturally, they could step over the corpses and bash them with their shields.
"Hoo...! All enemies appearing in the vanguard have been dealt with!"
"Good. Swap with the second row!"
Besides, these guys looked like they hadn't done this just once or twice.
Whenever the stamina of the guys at the very front ran out, they quickly swapped with the squad behind them to maintain peak condition.
Unless enemies came in a continuous, endless wave, there was no way they'd ever collapse from physical exhaustion.
"Wow."
Honestly, it felt a little anticlimactic.
Because throughout the advance into the cave, the battles had been one-sided. The goblins couldn't pierce the shields and were unilaterally beaten and stabbed.
Occasionally, several of them would rush up and struggle to push the shields back, but in such a cramped space, they couldn't leverage their numerical advantage.
In the end, they just pushed each other and tripped over themselves. And that was it. The shields would mercilessly crash down, crushing their spines or heads.
By the time they had swapped squads about seven times, there were no more charging goblins.
"Looks like every single goblin in the cave has come out..."
However, the deeper we went inside, the stronger that peculiar wicked energy grew.
Was the black magician inside? Anyway, our target wasn't the goblins, so we kept walking.
"...! It's a plaza!"
After passing through the narrowest of corridors, we saw a place where light burst forth from within.
We hurriedly rushed toward it. And what came into view was a cave plaza that anyone could tell had been artificially excavated.
"Heh, did they make this by driving the goblins?"
It was far too vast to have been built by goblins.
No, how on earth could they have made such a huge plaza in the first place? Something like this should only be possible with modern architecture.
"Commander! Over there!"
"Uh-oh!"
A robed figure standing where one of the axemen had shouted.
It was the stereotype of a black magician straight out of a game or novel. Wearing a black robe and leaning on a bizarre staff.
"My, I was wondering what kind of maggots were disturbing my research. Was it you bastards?"
"It's a black magician! As expected, those bastards were behind this! Form a formation!"
The moment the order dropped, the rigorously trained soldiers moved in unison to create a defensive line.
The shield bearers stood at the very front, with the spearmen right behind them.
The axemen were at the very rear, taking stances as if they would pounce at any second, yet they still seemed to be guarding the vulnerable flanks and rear.
"Why has Knight Na-euri, who usually rummages through goblin dung, graced this place with her presence?"
"...You know me?"
"Of course I do! My test subjects were most terrified of you, bitch."
The wicked-looking black magician clicked his tongue, as if acknowledging her title as the commander of the goblin extermination unit.
"Test subjects...? I've never fought such things."
"Don't you remember five years ago?"
"...!"
Seeming ticked off by those words, the female knight stepped forward.
Then she snatched a pilum and threw it straight toward the black magician's torso.
With explosive muscular strength, the spear tore through the air and flew forward.
"Guk!"
The pilum accurately pierced right through his solar plexus. The black magician, wearing no armor other than his robe, was blown backward and tumbled to the ground.
"Gugh-argh! You, you illiterate bitch! Throwing a spear while someone's talking?!"
"He didn't die...?"
He looked like he'd been blown back several meters, yet somehow the bastard was completely fine.
"If I were going to die from a measly wound like this, why would I even bother being a black magician, you pathetic little seed?!"
"Looks like I'll have to slice his throat to kill him. Sakabara!"
Even after seeing that the opponent was a semi-immortal who didn't die when his solar plexus was impaled, the seasoned knight showed not a single trace of panic.
At her command, the axemen stepped forward. Their single-handed axes with razor-sharp blades looked capable of instantly severing even the thickest of necks.
"Strike!"
The eight axemen bravely rushed in. Despite wearing heavy combat gear, they were remarkably fast.
"Ha! You're sending your subordinates in your stead? Fine. I suppose I shall do the same. Come forth!!"
-Kwahhhhng!
It appeared in an instant. Its very entrance was extraordinary, as it trampled the three leading axemen and literally blasted them apart.
"Grrrrr...!"
"G-Good grief! Dear God, what on earth is that!"
"It's a monster! A monster goblin!"
Its build was nearly four meters tall. Or maybe even taller. It was dark, so I couldn't see well.
Anyway, it was a goblin of immense size.
The reason I thought of that thing as a goblin was because, aside from its abnormal size, its overall appearance was unmistakably goblin-like.
Perhaps shocked by its bizarre appearance, even the veteran soldiers were flabbergasted.
"Hector! I shall heal my wound with those bastards' life force!"
So his name was Hector.
Anyway, the creature reached out and slapped one of the axemen with its hand.
"Guk!"
Not only was its size massive, but its speed was also incredible.
The attacked axeman couldn't react at all and collapsed on the spot.
"Well done. Bring that fellow here."
"I... un...derstand...."
Oh, god.
What did I just hear?
"A goblin speaking...!"
"Even pathetic humans can speak, so there's no reason a goblin shouldn't be able to."
The goblin named Hector grabbed the fallen axeman by the leg and dragged him over.
Amidst the consecutive horrors, the other soldiers stood stunned, simply freezing in place.
"Gug-argh..."
"Such great life force. With this much, it'll heal completely in one go."
The truly horrific spectacle wasn't over yet.
The black magician raised his hand toward the fallen axeman.
A moment later, accompanied by a jjeojeojeok- sound, green light surged from the axeman's eyes and mouth.
"Kuaaaaaack!"
The sight of a human turning into a mummy in an instant was something impossible to watch.
The scarier part was that every time the green light flowed in, the pilum impaled in his solar plexus was slowly being pushed back out.
"Done."
It took about ten seconds for the axeman to become a completely shriveled mummy.
In that brief span of time, the black magician had cleanly healed his pierced solar plexus.
"Though there's still a slight scar. Well, I suppose I can slowly suck them dry one by one."
Red eyes hidden beneath the folds of his robe flared up.
"I'll kill every last one of you!"
The cave vibrated along with Hector's roar.