Chapter 377: Demon Hounds
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 377: Demon Hounds
Fear took root in the depths of everyone’s hearts.
They heard it—a heavy, labored breathing.
It was a sound no human lungs could produce. In those few fleeting moments where everyone instinctively held their breath, it sounded as if countless tattered bellows were wheezing with all their might in the darkness.
"Grrr..."
A low, guttural growl rumbled. Sharp claws scraped against steel, sending sparks flying and finally illuminating the true forms of the monsters lurking in the dark.
They were... hounds. Massive Demon Hounds with razor-sharp fangs and glowing crimson eyes. There were scores of them, each as large as a small hill. They were entirely hairless, their powerful, python-like muscles covered in scales that shimmered with a metallic luster, making them look all the more hideous.
"Are these... the statues from before?"
Someone cried out, remembering what these Demon Hounds were supposed to look like.
Muen remembered quickly as well.
It was them! It was the hound-shaped statues that had stood in silent formation back in that vast hall!
But...
"Didn't you say those weren't mechanical puppets?"
Seviel whipped her head around to glare at Muen, her voice trembling with irrepressible terror.
She remembered all too clearly just how many of those statues she had seen in the darkness... If that many mechanical puppets were here... would they really be able to escape the fate of being finely minced into meat stuffing?
"Stay calm. These really aren't mechanical puppets."
Muen put some distance between himself and the Prisoner, looking back as more and more Demon Hounds paced out of the darkness.
They swayed their heads, their steps light and agile, occasionally snorting a foul, bloody stench from their nostrils.
"Mechanical puppets don't breathe."
"Then what are they..." Seviel was stunned.
"Likely... more 'gifts' created by the Goddess's Authority."
"The Goddess's Authority... Wait, isn't that even worse?" Seviel was horrified.
"Heh..."
Muen gave a bitter smile, his hands tightening around his hilt. A lingering heat still radiated from his back.
He didn't say much, but in that moment, he felt a strange sense of absurdity.
He hadn't forgotten his original, purest reason for coming to the Holy City.
It wasn't to deliver a letter for Teacher Mela, nor was it to jump blindly into this pit to help Liya become the Saintess.
It was... to undergo the Holy Light Baptism so that the alchemy core in his back would fully fuse with his body, eliminating the rejection reaction he was destined to face.
And here it was—a miracle that countless people could only dream of, one that practically overturned the fundamental laws of alchemy—happening right before his eyes as if it were the most mundane thing in the world.
The conversion of life and death.
Statues that were once inanimate objects had, through a divine miracle, transformed into living Demon Hounds to cut off everyone's retreat!
Such extravagance made Muen so jealous he could practically weep.
"Liya."
"Yes?"
"The Goddess seems quite generous. Can you ask her to share a bit of that power with me?"
"Well..."
Liya thought about it seriously, then tilted her head and answered with innocent sincerity, "I don't think so. With my current Power of Faith, the Goddess probably won't listen to me. Maybe I can try after I become the Saintess."
"I figured as much..."
As more Demon Hounds emerged into the flickering firelight, Muen noticed that some were already stained with crimson blood and mangled limbs. They must have been the ones who chose to leave early.
Muen could already imagine their despair when they found the "harmless" statues surrounding them had turned into monstrous hounds during their retreat, leaving them with nowhere to run.
"But our situation is just as desperate."
Their only retreat had been cut off by those Demon Hounds; they were just as trapped!
Therefore...
Muen turned back to face the withered Prisoner.
The others near him had reached the same conclusion: fighting an unknown number of living Demon Hounds of unknown strength was not a smart move.
There was only one path left—the door behind the Prisoner!
Fortunately, the passage above the stairs was narrow, so the Demon Hounds couldn't swarm them all at once. They had to seize the window of opportunity before enough hounds gathered to overrun them!
"Running isn't an option. We have to kill this thing!"
Margarita didn't hesitate, kicking off the ground.
Dozens of golden wedges manifested in mid-air, and countless chains wove into a net, binding the Prisoner tight. Simultaneously, thunder roared as a bolt of lightning capable of charring a magical beast to a crisp pierced the Prisoner.
But Margarita’s expression shifted. Setting aside the fact that the lightning did nothing, she felt as though she wasn't restraining a withered husk, but a volcano on the verge of eruption!
"What are you all standing around for? Waiting to die?" she barked.
"I don't need orders from you!"
Anne snapped back. But before her voice even landed, a massive shadow slammed down!
The monster Reta’s hulking frame descended from above. The hideous bone knife, at least two meters long, looked like a toy in his hands as it tore through the air, violently hacking into the Prisoner's shoulder.
At the same time, a pitch-black longsword lunged from the shadows, aimed straight for the Prisoner's forehead.
Clang!
The chains rattled.
The Prisoner’s knees buckled under the immense force.
But in that instant, both Anne, who was commanding Reta, and Paul, who had launched the sneak attack, paled.
Sparks flew where their weapons struck the Prisoner’s surface, yet they hadn't even pierced the skin.
How was that possible? Just a moment ago...
"My blade is special."
Muen sighed, having held back to observe this time. "This freak's physical toughness is beyond normal, and it seems ordinary attacks are useless. Otherwise, I would have taken his head off just now."
Taking the head first was a habit Muen had developed after facing countless monstrosities.
Though, more often than not, it didn't actually do much.
"Then..."
Tinkle...
Paul was about to speak when Muen heard the swaying of the lantern again amidst the sighs.
"O Goddess..."
The kneeling Prisoner continued to hold the lantern high, weeping in sorrow. The dim, yellow light flickered within.
Muen’s heart constricted as a sense of dread welled up again.
Vroom—
The air suddenly vibrated. The torches on the walls flickered wildly, as if about to go out.
Yet, in the chaos, darkness did not fall. Instead, Muen felt the surroundings grow brighter.
Like stars... illuminating the night!
Muen turned his head slowly.
Brilliant points of light ignited on the Demon Hounds lingering at the edge of the darkness.
These points of light, accompanied by a chilling aura, skittered across the hounds' bodies before gradually converging.
Hideous maws opened wide, and concentrated light pooled within them like rising suns.
"This is..."
Everyone’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
Motherfucker... this is... magic!
Those Demon Hounds could use magic!
And it wasn't just any magic—it was a high-powered, highly coordinated Combined Array!
The hounds hadn't even tried a physical charge; they had gone straight to casting?
At that moment, everyone’s vision went dark as a wave of sheer, "getting-fucked-by-a-dog" bewilderment washed over them.
If you're going to play this dirty... why didn't you just put a bunch of Gundams here?!