081. Monster's Castle 3
‘Th-this can't be……?!’
Odekus clutched his shoulder where his arm had been severed, his face twisting in a grimace. Just moments ago, he had been standing right in front of Jack. Yet in the blink of an eye, their positions had switched. Now Bin stood there.
At first, he thought it was the work of the ten mages. But something didn't add up. They weren't skilled enough to wield space magic. Besides, those guys had been smashed into the walls by monsters and were out cold.
It couldn't have been them. If not the mages, then there was only one possibility.
‘Does that mean Young Master Bin……? Ugh!’
Odekus groaned, gripping his blood-soaked shoulder. He watched Bin with eyes full of questions.
Meanwhile, Bin's gaze turned to the Fifth Division knights. They were fighting desperately against the cavalry, pouring everything they had into the fray. One lapse in focus, and they could lose their heads.
In the chaos, only a handful had glimpsed Bin using magi. There was no room to look away.
Puk! Puk!
The sound of flesh tearing filled the air. Fifth Division knights lay decapitated on the ground. Before them stood the cavalry, weapons at the ready.
Bin furrowed his brow.
‘These bastards…….’
Even if Captain Odekus of the Fifth Division had screwed up, he couldn't just let all his men get wiped out.
Bin looked down at Jack, who had bowed his head before him, and issued the order.
“Go, Jack.”
As soon as Bin finished speaking, Jack yanked his sword from the ground and rose.
“I shall execute them at once.”
Jack turned, scanning his surroundings. He had been resurrected as a skeleton. But the blue armor covering his body made him look the same as before.
His eyes fell on the purple horse—the one he had ridden.
The horse hesitated.
“……”
It looked the same outwardly, but something felt off.
Sensing this, Jack began to emit magi.
Ssssh.
Dark, ominous energy seeped from his blue armor. Only then did the purple horse step forward.
Clop. Clop.
Whoosh.
Jack leaped onto the horse's back in one bound and charged at the cavalry.
Clop. Clop.
The cavalry hesitated, unsure what to do.
“……!”
Their minds were in turmoil. Jack had been their leader. Should they follow him? Or obey the king of Pirenchi Castle? Confusion reigned.
A few made their decision and drew their weapons.
Clang. Clang.
The moment those cavalrymen assumed battle stances—
Slash! Slash! Slash……!
Cone-shaped red twin swords pierced their abdomens in a flash. The strikes were blindingly fast.
Black blood dripped from the red blades. Soon, countless cavalrymen tumbled from their horses.
Thud! Thud! Thud……!
Faced with Jack's murderous aura, the other cavalry began to retreat.
The Fifth Division knights, clueless about the situation, were dumbfounded.
“Wh-what the hell is going on?”
“Why are the monsters fighting each other……?!”
As the Fifth Division knights panicked, Jack's assault didn't stop. Black magi spread around him, and he bellowed in a deep voice.
“Any who block the new king will be executed immediately.”
In that instant, countless swords, spears, and axes on the ground shot into the air.
The airborne blades surged toward the cavalry in a frenzy.
Shwick. Shwick.
A technique that lifted nearby objects with mana and controlled them. It was unmistakably the domain of a 2nd-class knight: Hawk's Sword.
Hawk's Sword. Named for the ability to levitate swords with mana and wield them like soaring hawks.
The cavalry's eyes widened at the incoming barrage.
“……!”
They gripped their reins with their free hands.
Clop. Clop…….
The horses bolted, but it was futile against the onslaught.
Thud! Thud! Thud……!
Swords, spears, and axes pierced their waists, shoulders, heads—without mercy.
One thing united the fallen cavalry: every one clutched a weapon.
That's right. Jack was only targeting those who had rebelled against him.
Watching this, Odekus couldn't close his mouth.
“……!”
He stared at Bin in bewilderment.
‘H-how can Young Master Bin command a monster……!’
His mind swirled with questions. The Bin he knew was Bascon blood. Yet here he was, ordering a monster—a 2nd-class one that had overpowered him.
Even in Taia, one of the three great combat families that could communicate with monsters, this was rare.
Odekus muttered to himself.
‘Th-this makes no sense…….’
As Odekus gawked at Bin with wide eyes, Bin turned and met his gaze.
Odekus froze.
“……!”
An inexplicable fear gripped him.
Step. Step.
Bin approached Odekus. Despite the man's massive frame, his face was already pale with terror.
Now face-to-face, Bin spoke in a low voice.
“The moment this gets out of your mouth, I'll take your other arm.”
“……!”
Gulp.
Odekus's throat bobbed. The words dripped with killing intent, sending chills down his spine. Sweat poured over him, and it felt like a blade was at his throat.
He knew it was no bluff. This was someone who had decapitated Jack—a foe he couldn't even touch—in one stroke.
He couldn't ignore Bin's warning.
As Odekus stood drenched in sweat, the area fell silent. The surviving cavalry had lost their will to fight against Jack and retreated up to the third floor. Jack, too, had returned to Codic's skull.
The surviving knights thought it a miracle from the gods. Without that bizarre monster infighting, they wouldn't have made it.
Alenda, captain of the Sixth Division, whose consciousness had returned, spoke to Odekus.
“Many knights have spilled blood. We should withdraw now.”
“Withdraw……”
Odekus's mind was a mess. They had succeeded in slaying the chimera, but at the cost of countless knights. Even his beloved O-Fang Knights were gone. It was his misjudgment.
That error had led to rivers of blood and lost lives. His greed for weapons had brought disaster. He might face demotion—or worse.
Odekus thought with a sorrowful expression.
‘Another failure?’
His gaze drifted to the stairs leading to the third floor as he pondered. Returning like this, he had no face to show his family. The pressure to achieve something greater crushed his chest.
Odekus glanced at his severed shoulder, the pain throbbing bitterly.
‘Is this the pathetic end of my knightly career……?’
As he hung his head, his eyes fell on the O-Fang Knights' corpses. Memories flooded back—of the days he first taught them swordsmanship.
Five knights built like Odekus himself. They always lagged in endurance training.
After one grueling session, they collapsed in a spread-eagle formation, panting heavily.
“Huff, huff…… We're gonna die at this rate.”
“Sure, we've got the size, but with this stamina? We'll drop dead before we reach the enemy castle……”
“Maybe we should just quit and take up farming?”
“You think farming's easy?”
“Still better than this……”
As the five bantered—
Step step.
A voice addressed them.
“Hey, you big lugs. You saying that after seeing my build?”
A massive frame with a huge axe slung on his back. It was Odekus, then a fifty-man captain of the Fifth.
“C-Captain……!”
“We didn't mean anything by it……”
The five stammered, fearing a reprimand for their weakness.
But contrary to their worries, Odekus grinned broadly and spoke proudly.
“Listen up. Once you're Fifth Division, you're Fifth forever. I picked you, so I'll take responsibility.”
Early dawn in the misty mountains. Six burly figures with heavy packs climbed in single file—Odekus and his men.
Odekus brought up the rear, pushing the stragglers and shouting.
“Come on, push! Bascon knights who'll carry the future of the Fifth!”
“Yes, Captain!”
And so Odekus and his men began their ascent.
‘I got distracted elsewhere for a moment. You guys worked hard in the meantime…….’
Odekus's eyes moistened. He wiped away the tears with his remaining arm and declared.
“Everyone, withdraw!”
The surrounding knights' eyes widened.
“……!”
No one had expected this from him. As they stood stunned, Alenda spoke.
“A fine choice.”
“Sometimes the whip works better than the carrot for an inadequate leader.”
“……Looks like you've found your true self.”
Indeed. The old Odekus had cared for his men more than anyone. But repeated failures had twisted him into chasing only success.
Seeing his remorse, Alenda smirked.
Sneer.
Soon after, basic first aid was administered to the wounded. Bandages and hemostatic herbs were applied.
As knights bustled around the injured—
Thud thud.
Two Fifth Division knights rushed to Odekus, faces troubled. They were the scouting party from the first floor.
“C-Captain. The castle gate won't open.”
Odekus's eyes bulged.
“What?”
“There's a powerful barrier over the castle. From the murky energy, it seems like a 2nd-class monster's doing.”
The knights' expressions hardened.
“……!”
In other words, they had to climb to the fourth floor of Pirenchi Castle.