Chapter 215
Chapter 215
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 215
Chapter Title: Star Crusher (4)
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Delutana's moniker is the 'Golden City'.
As the name suggests, Delutana is the most prosperous metropolis in the Alliance, a holy site of commerce, trade, and wealth piled as high as mountains. Ever since the Golden Lord Remillion designated it as the Alliance's central hub some 250 years ago, this had remained an unchanging truth throughout the ages.
Villagers in remote hamlets feel a swell of awe just hearing the name. They dream golden dreams, imagining tycoons and noble ladies stepping from carriages in silk robes threaded with gold wire, amid streets paved with gold ingots and crowned by golden spires.
It wasn't quite that extravagant, but in normal times, Delutana was certainly a city to behold in wonder. Buildings adorned with colorful gemstones, streets lined with artistic sculptures, a convention hall vast enough to drop jaws... And above all, the central plaza dominated by a house-sized golden statue of Remillion provided instant proof of why the city bore that name.
But there was no room to feel any of that in Delutana now.
Not when fanatical followers of the gods—more relentless than demons—had seized the entire city.
"[Hearken, servants upholding the exalted Guide of Light! The holy war has begun! From this place to the ends of the earth, for all eternity, we shall spread Elga's 'gospel'!]"
""[From this place to the ends of the earth, for all eternity, we shall spread Elga's 'gospel'!]"
- Grrr... grrr...
- Grrf, grr! Grr, grr, grr!!
Shimmering hides fluttered like celestial fronds, and savage howls echoed like martial hymns. Countless gospel zealots and snow-white hounds rose up with one mind: to proclaim the 'gospel'.
That ferocious horde had already blanketed the city. Even the watchmen guarding it had long retreated to a single point. Beautiful streets lay in ruins, vibrant chatter replaced by threats demanding gospel recitation and screams of terror.
"[Recite this 'gospel' with fervent sincerity, unbeliever. Do so, and you shall be saved from the valley of death, clad in the 'garments of light' as I am... ]"
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Urgh, uwaaaaaah!!"
And the visitors who had smashed through the gates finally grasped the source of the din.
A scene far more horrifying than imagined. Duncan stood frozen, trembling in place.
"Haaah... Yu, Yulia... Dunsen..."
But his companion, Kadim, calmly handled what needed doing.
"Hey, got a question. Know where a guy named Goltaran or the Wheeled family might be...?"
"[You wretch—judging by your garb, a heathen worshiping petty gods! If you value your life, recite this 'gospel' at once! Then your soul and flesh shall... ]"
"Don't know? Fine."
Thwack—crunch!
A casual punch pierced a zealot's face. Its skull shattered like bloody fireworks, its glowing hide slumping limp without so much as a twitch before vanishing.
Kadim clicked his tongue and shook off his fist. The cold made brains and gore freeze and stick fast. Every nearby Elga follower turned to him at once.
"[This impious heathen has slain a servant spreading the gospel!]
"[Blasphemy! All together—deliver Elga's judgment upon this wretch deserving heavenly punishment!]"
- Grooowl, grr! Grr, grroar!
Dozens of zealots and hounds charged. Smashing them barehanded would be inefficient. Kadim gripped his dark axe haft and hurled it without mercy.
Whiiiiiir—!!
Vapor trails ringed the lightning-fast axe blade. White-compressed air swiftly mingled with crimson. Those touched by the wavy whirlwind burst into ragged flesh without even a dying cry.
——KABOOMCRACKCRACK—!
- Yip... yip...
"[Grrraaaah...]."
Over a dozen went flying; ten returned.
Whirrrrr, thunk—!
The clustered horde was massacred in a straight line. Guts and hearts exploded, abdomens shredded to rags, zealots' skulls crushed as they flopped on the ground. Red frost rimed the puddle of meat and blood.
Kadim approached one still conscious, shoulder severed.
"Got a question. Know where a guy named Goltaran or the Wheeled family might be?"
"[Grk... Hea-then... Recite... the gospel... ]"
"You don't know either."
Thud—crunch!
His stamping foot pulverized the skull; the once-glowing eyes squished and oozed. The remaining zealots quailed at the overwhelming violence, not daring to approach.
It wasn't just them overwhelmed. Duncan, face ashen, stammered.
"M-My lord... Wh-what in the world did you just...?"
"Popped some skulls. Asked about your family; they spouted nonsense."
"N-No, that's not... Th-these folk... They're just brainwashed weirdly by Elga... Their bodies are, aren't they just ordinary citizens?"
"Is that so? What does it matter?"
"..."
Kadim nodded toward street corpses mangled by zealots and hounds. Possessed by demons or gods, they threatened him and committed atrocities—reason enough to kill.
He understood the concern, though. If Duncan's family had ended up like this, Kadim would spare their lives and subdue them, offering reassurance. Yet Duncan couldn't calm his agitation.
"B-But... couldn't you subdue them like that too? They might have families, and there could be a way to restore them..."
"...That'd waste a lot of time. You okay with your family dying or turning into that meanwhile?"
"..."
He had no rebuttal. Worrying about others when he couldn't even find his own family... Duncan squeezed his eyes shut, berating his own foolishness and weakness.
Still, Kadim respected the merchant's humanity and left room for it.
"Draw your 'World Tree Dagger,' Duncan."
"...!"
"It puts targets to sleep instead of killing on stab, right? Any you subdue with it, I won't touch. To search for your wife and kids while saving innocents, you'll need to move faster than me."
"..."
The deliberation was brief. The dejected merchant's eyes ignited. He nodded solemnly, gripping his neck dagger.
And so, a fierce headwind began to blow against the 'gospel' flooding Delutana.
Duncan donned his cloak and lurked in shadows, ambushing foes. Attacks from formless, silent assailants left even hide-clad zealots helpless.
"Sl-sleep, you bastards!"
Vmmm—! Vmm—!
"[Urgh... ]"
"[Un-unbeliever... What have you... ]"
"Hey, sleep nice now! Unless you wanna die!"
The dagger's effect was reliable. It pierced phantom-like without tearing flesh, lulling targets asleep. Soon, streets piled with slumped zealots.
Meanwhile, Kadim focused on the hounds.
Crunchcrunch, thwack—bam!!
- Yelp, yeeeelp...
- Gack—!
Elga's ferocious familiars were mere meat before him. Axe-slashed dogs flew like butchered carcasses; kicked ones exploded like blood blobs.
Occasional charging zealots had their hides ripped and tossed to Duncan. Light hides that sliced iron crumpled like dragonfly wings in his brutish grip.
Crunchcrunch—!!
"[Gaaaaah!!! You bastard!!! What have you done!!]"
In the midst of it, Kadim spotted something on a writhing zealot's back.
A decagram emblem—an exact match for the Decagram's 'stigma'.
"...!"
Arch Paladin Hendark's words on the 'stigma's' effects and constraints flashed through his mind. Instantly, the cause of Delutana's calamity and its solution sketched themselves in his head.
But he had no intent to resolve it immediately. More pressing matters first.
No gains from zealots, so he shifted to survivors on the streets. Finally, a woman saved from hounds yielded useful info.
"G-Goltaran and the Wheeleds...? You mean Goltaran the patriarch... N-no, General Goltaran and Lady Wheeled?"
"...Yeah, probably."
"I-I heard General Goltaran marched near the border... Not sure about Lady Wheeled... B-but all survivors fled to the east gate evacuation zone. If she was in Delutana, she'd surely be there..."
"Is that true!!"
Duncan flung off his cloak, dashing from the shadows. The woman jumped, eyes wide like a rabbit's, then nodded dazedly. A stern command issued from the blood-smeared barbarian.
"Guide us there. We'll clear the path."
"Eh? B-but... To get there from here, we pass the central plaza... Th-there's monsters... swarms of them... It's way too dangerous..."
"..."
Kadim furrowed his brow briefly, glancing at the tattoo on his back, then muttered.
"These monster husks are miracles of the gods anyway..."
"...Pardon?"
"'If they're gathered,' that's perfect. Let's move out."
*
Delutana's garrison soldiers endured all manner of trials.
One was the clamor before this makeshift barricade.
"Please, just let me through once, soldiers!"
"Blocking the way so suddenly is too much!"
"My father's still out there! I'll grab him and come right back! Promise, it'll be quick..."
""..."
The garrison had hastily erected sandbags and wooden barricades upon setting up the evacuation zone. After admitting citizens for a set time, they sealed it per council orders. Essential to block monster incursions.
But inevitably, not everyone made it in time.
Whole families locked out was one thing... The real heartbreak was partial separations. All they could do was beg at the barricade.
"M-my grandpa went out! He can barely walk, but he headed to the north gate alone... Sniff, I need to help him..."
"My son's right there! Hiding just beyond the barricade!! Please, save my boy... Hic... sob..."
"I'll kneel and beg, soldiers... Huh? What? If you don't let me through in this rain, everyone outside dies by your hands! Your hands!"
""..."
Soldiers had warm blood too. How could they not waver at citizens wailing for family?
But no choice. Opening now risked massacring the evacuees. They gritted teeth, gripped spear hafts, steadfastly holding the line.
Still, barricade guards had it better than those fighting outside, risking lives.
'...Aaaah...'
'...Uha, aaaah...'
Chilling screams echoed over the earthen wall. Citizens paled; soldiers shuddered, eyes shut tight.
They were truly unstoppable monsters.
Hounds tearing comrades' limbs, light blades decapitating citizens in rows—visions seared in minds. Near-demon strength, hundreds, thousands infesting the city... Delutana's fall was inevitable.
This barricade was a flimsy stopgap. Panic-stricken reports from central plaza troops confirmed it: swarms like ants there.
If they surged here... Those screams would soon be theirs.
But the prediction never came true.
"...Huh?"
"What's that...?"
""...?"
Citizens gasped in confusion, pointing. Soldiers followed gazes to a colossal head rising from the central plaza—like a mountain goat's and lion's fused.
The grotesque thing gaped wide and slammed the ground...
Thud—gasp! Whooooosh...
...chewing the plaza whole before vanishing like illusion.
Mind-numbing surrealism. All watchers gaped. Stranger still: post-vanishing, monster roars and soldier screams hushed as if lies.
"..."
"..."
Silence fell. Eerily profound after the chaos.
But fleeting. Citizens snapped to, buzzing breathlessly.
"Wh-what was that? Empire Elga fanatics summoning another monster?"
"No! It wouldn't vanish like that! Magic from the Magic Tower mages?"
"Doubt it... Never heard of Delutana mages wielding that scale..."
Before order restored, fresh anomaly struck close.
——Thwack—crash!
"Urk!"
"Kyaaaa!!"
"Hngh, ptui, ptui, ptui!!"
The blocking wall crumbled instantly. Nearby soldiers and citizens fled in panic. Dust settled, revealing the culprit's silhouette.
A hulking Atalan, so brutish one questioned if human...
"Got a question."
""..."
"Anyone here know the Wheeleds' whereabouts?"
The words were clear, yet none responded. Paralyzed by the bizarre scene, overwhelming presence, voice's gravity.
Save one.
A girl of thirteen or so, lately begging to save her grandpa. She timidly approached the giant—his form strikingly like the 'benefactor' her grandfather described.
"Um, excuse me! Sir, are you... a warrior of the Indomitable Legion under General Goltaran?"
"...No."
"Th-then... do you know someone named Gullak? Bad leg, chipped front tooth, nickname 'Old Man Ironhammer'..."
An unexpected name at such a moment. The giant's eyes narrowed; he countered.
"...That goat-milk drunk?"
Conviction dawned; she clung desperately.
"Y-yes, yes! Mercenary sir, you helped my grandpa before, right? P-please help him one more time! His forge is by the north gate... Sniff, he went out alone to finish a masterpiece for you, sob, hic..."
"..."
Kadim gazed down at Gullak's sniffling granddaughter clutching his pants, face hardening gravely.