Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: The Blood Festival Begins
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***
“Damn it! What the hell are these guys!”
Mullan swung his massive bastard sword wildly at the Minotaur charging with madness in its eyes.
But all his attacks were blocked by its sword.
“What in the world are these things?”
While the Devil Squad members grimaced as they faced off against them, Dark quickly scanned the surroundings.
Far off, a reed field rising to waist height swayed as if whipped by the wind.
Even though there wasn’t a breath of wind.
‘This feels ominous for some reason.’
As Dark’s gaze deepened.
Poshe, who had also been staring at the reed field, approached from the side.
“Should we check it out first?”
“Probably best.”
Dark glanced at his comrades before continuing.
“If it feels off, pull back immediately.”
“Got it.”
Poshe lowered his stance as much as possible and swiftly moved toward the reed field. Even so, his footsteps made no sound.
‘What kind of bastards are these?’
He reversed his grip on the dagger, ready to counterattack at any moment.
Since the barrier had been completed, no monsters had appeared in the western mountains.
But orcs had shown up in the northern territory where the barrier wasn’t installed, threatening the locals.
As a result, the Devil Squad patrolled the northern region daily, hunting monsters.
With their growing real combat experience, everyone’s skills were improving by leaps and bounds each day, and their confidence was soaring.
When the distance to the reed field was about five meters.
The reeds’ movement stopped abruptly, as if by magic.
‘What the?’
As Poshe’s eyes sharpened!
In an instant, a chilling pressure of killing intent poured down.
Kruk kruk kruk!
Trolls burst out from the reed field.
There were too many for him to handle alone.
“Damn it!”
Poshe shouted as he fled back the way he came.
“Run!”
As he poured all his strength into sprinting away!
Something dropped from the sky in front of him.
Thud-!
It was one of the monsters his comrades were fighting.
But this one had sharp horns on its squad head, and it was about 1.5 times larger than the others, with an aura that spelled trouble.
Sure enough.
It glared with eyes overflowing with terrifying killing intent and let out a roar.
Kraaaah!
“Ugh!”
The pain felt like his eardrums were bursting, twisting Poshe’s face.
Dark, who had been watching the scene, whipped around and yelled.
“Everyone, run!”
At the same time, his comrades fighting the monsters all turned to look at him.
Dark was sprinting somewhere.
Beyond him, Poshe was running toward them, chased by monsters.
“What are those guys?”
“Look! There’s one with horns on its head!”
“Damn, it looks like the leader of the ones we’re fighting!”
“Mullan, clear a path!”
At Kasan’s shout, Mullan charged toward the dense forest at the 9 o’clock position and yelled.
“Follow me!”
He swung his bastard sword, clearing branches.
While he blazed the trail, the others unleashed indiscriminate attacks on the pursuing monsters.
But they parried everything with their swords, and even lucky hits barely fazed them.
Just superficial scratches at best.
Their heads might be monstrous, but it was like fighting armored knights.
Sword experts of intermediate level or higher, at that.
As the Devil Squad retreated from the area per Dark’s orders, Dark linked up with Poshe.
“This way!”
Dark bolted down the escape route he had anticipated.
Poshe followed behind and asked.
“What the hell are those things?”
“I don’t know either!”
“Where did they even come from? There was nothing here yesterday.”
“Right now, just focus on escaping them!”
Dark sprinted with all his might.
Poshe kept pace while glancing back.
The trolls were pursuing like madmen, spewing madness.
But the one that had terrified him wasn’t there.
‘Why isn’t it following?’
As he tilted his head in confusion.
Kraaaah!
A terrifying roar echoed from the sky.
Dark, who had been running ahead, suddenly stopped and turned around. He stared toward where the roar had come from.
“Shit!”
It seemed the creature hadn’t followed but had gone after his comrades instead.
He couldn’t abandon them and flee.
Dark and Poshe locked eyes.
Poshe nodded, clearly thinking the same, and charged toward the oncoming trolls.
Dark followed, shouting.
“Veer to 11 o’clock!”
Poshe leaped into the dense thicket at the 11 o’clock position as ordered.
Dark followed right after.
Kruk kruk kruk!
The trolls chased the two men like maniacs.
At that moment.
“Damn, my eardrums feel like they burst!”
Mullan clutched his ears with both hands, writhing in pain.
“Get lost!”
Latel charged at the Minotaur, thrusting his shield forward.
Thud!
A dull sound rang out, but the creature didn’t budge.
As he tried to shove the shield in again, it swung its fist.
Boom!
Latel flew back with his shield.
“Urgh.”
He had blocked with the shield, but even the reduced impact shook his innards badly.
Kasan, who knew how formidable Latel’s defense was, couldn’t hide his shock at the monster’s raw power that had sent him flying shield and all.
Mullan and Ramni were similarly gripped by fear.
“Damn it!”
Mullan gripped his bastard sword tightly with both hands and aimed at it.
“I’ll buy some time somehow, so check on Latel.”
“Please do.”
Ramni rushed to Latel.
At the same time, Mullan charged and swung his bastard sword.
Whoosh-.
The massive blade flew toward its waist amid a gale.
Clang!
It blocked with its sword and roared.
Kraaaah!
The sound carried mana, packing immense power.
Having endured it once before, Mullan had built some resistance and held on.
“Shut your damn... mouth!”
He swung the bastard sword with all his strength.
Once again, it parried with its sword.
But Mullan had anticipated that and swiftly thrust the bastard sword from the opposite side.
It struck the creature’s chest squarely.
Boom!
“...!”
Its skin felt coated in mithril; not even a scratch.
“This monster...!”
As Mullan grimaced, it swung its sword.
Scree!
It came like lightning with a sharp whine.
Mullan instinctively raised his sword to block.
Boom!
“Huhk!”
The monstrous force drilled into his bones, nearly making him drop his sword.
He couldn’t block such attacks forever.
But no strategy came to mind.
“This is insane.”
As Mullan hesitated, unsure what to do, Kasan leaped forward.
“Keep attacking no matter what! Otherwise, we’re all dead!”
“My attacks aren’t working!”
As Mullan frowned, someone else charged ahead.
It was Dark.
“What are you dawdling for!”
“Where the hell were you!”
Mullan brightened and followed him.
As the Minotaur blocked Kasan’s attack and prepared to counter, Dark leaped high above its head.
He reversed his grip on the dagger and slammed it down onto the creature’s head with full force.
Boom!
“What the!”
It felt like striking steel.
He had targeted what should be its weakest spot, but even the forehead didn’t yield.
These were beyond what they could handle.
And soon, a horde of trolls would arrive.
They decided to escape first.
Dark quickly scanned the surroundings.
Latel, who had been down, was now standing with Poshe and Ramni’s support, ready to move.
“Follow me!”
Dark ran close to Latel to make it easier for him.
“Let’s go!”
Poshe and Ramni supported Latel as they followed Dark.
Kasan and Mullan brought up the rear, blocking the monsters’ pursuit.
The two kept watch on the horned one amid the endless onslaught.
If it charged seriously, they had no way to stop it.
Yet it seemed uninterested, looking elsewhere.
“What’s it staring at?”
“Let’s use this to run, uwaaah!”
Mullan thrust his sword into a charging monster’s chest and shoved with all his might.
The oncoming ones tangled and fell.
As their momentum stalled, Mullan followed his comrades and yelled.
“Full speed ahead!”
The Devil Squad heard him and sprinted with everything they had.
As the momentarily stalled trolls roared and gave chase.
Bang!
“That sound!”
The Devil Squad halted in their tracks.
At the same time, the rampaging monsters froze, their gazes turning to the Minotaur.
The sword it held before its face split with a crack, then shattered.
Fragments pelted its face.
But instead of scratches, it only enraged the beast.
Kraaaah!
It glared ahead, radiating terrifying killing intent.
Then, a massive figure burst from the forest.
It was Kan.
Arthur, mounted on Kan, aimed his Sig Sauer at the Minotaur’s head.
“Shut up!”
Bang! Thud!
The Minotaur’s head snapped back, and Kan rammed its body with his head.
Thwack!
Kreeek!
The Minotaur was flung away.
Arthur yanked the reins and shouted.
“Sweep them!”
Hiiiing!
Kan rampaged through the monsters, exuding fearsome killing intent. They couldn’t keep up with his lightning speed.
They were getting one-sidedly crushed.
Dark, spotting Arthur upon his return, yelled at full volume.
“Attack!”
Everyone except Latel unleashed a barrage on the monsters.
Seeing the Devil Squad arrive, Arthur turned Kan toward the Minotaur.
Kruuuh....
It rose, emanating terrifying killing intent.
“You’ve got quite the sturdy body.”
Arthur kicked off the saddle and landed lightly in front of it.
He then drew a dagger from his lower back.
“I was curious what kind of beast you are.”
Kraaaah!
Having clashed with Arthur’s attack once, the Minotaur roared warily first.
But Arthur didn’t writhe in pain like the others; he just frowned.
“I told you to shut up.”
In a flash, he closed into its guard and punched its maw.
Thud!
Kraaa!
Then he slashed its side with the dagger.
Blood sprayed from the gash.
The creature that had easily blocked Kasan’s attacks crumbled helplessly before Arthur’s.
“As expected.”
This time, he slashed its thigh.
Kraaaah!
As it screamed and dropped to one knee, Arthur kneed its jaw upward.
Crack!
With a dull thud, it toppled backward.
Arthur kicked off the ground and kneed its face down.
Bam!
Kruu....
With Arthur’s knee embedded in its mouth, it couldn’t even scream, just convulsed violently.
Arthur gazed calmly at it and channeled mana into his dagger hand.
Golden aura flowed out, enveloping the dagger, which hummed in response.
Whoooong-.
He plunged the intensely glowing golden dagger into its heart.
Stab!
The Minotaur spewed blood and lolled its head aside.
For a beast no Devil Squad attack had fazed, its death was anticlimactic.
The monsters seemed to sense it too; they halted their attacks and fled in panic.
“Why are these guys acting like this?”
“They look terrified, don’t they?”
Mullan and Kasan were baffled. Dark, who had stabbed a troll’s heart, quickly retrieved his dagger and looked toward where the Minotaur had been.
He saw Arthur pulling the dagger from its chest.
“As expected.”
It felt as reassuring as a million-strong army.
The other squad members gazed at Arthur with respect.
Arthur nodded as he wiped the blood from his dagger.
Just before manifesting as bullets, wrapping aura around the weapon massively boosted attack power, as planned.
Thanks to that, he dispatched the Minotaur easily.
“I’ll make good use of this from now on.”
As he smiled in satisfaction.
Kruuuh....
A low groan came from the Minotaur, followed by a man’s voice boiling with rage.
“The festival of blood has begun....”
“...!”
As Arthur frowned, it added one more thing.
“He said to make sure to tell you this: welcome to hell, heh heh heh.”
“Shut up!”
Arthur hurled the dagger with full force.
Thud!
It embedded in the Minotaur’s forehead.
Arthur instinctively knew who the “he” it mentioned was.
“The Demon King. That bastard.”