novelraw Chapter 208 : Chapter 208
Chapter 208 : Chapter 208
Chapter 208: Subjugation Battle (8)
A vast forest located in the far south of the continent.
Dense, dangerous, and oppressively sticky, few dared to explore it. It teemed with ferocious beasts and monsters.
‘Go deep into the great forest? Are you insane?’
‘It’s a perilous realm! The dense trees make day feel like night, and strange energies disrupt your sense of direction. I’m not going. No way!’
Even local hunters, well-versed in the terrain, avoided the heart of the great forest.
But the subjugation team had to venture into that treacherous place.
Because that was where the Red Magician’s hideout was located.
“Let’s go.”
Yet, facing the dense forest, like the maw of a beast, Durand Verhagen’s voice held no tremor.
Nor was he alone.
The eyes of everyone marching into the forest’s depths shone with crystalline light. Even the lowest-ranking members showed no fear, striding confidently forward.
Their preparations were that thorough.
Their forces were that superior.
Who were the members of this Red Magician subjugation team?
Six Sword Masters, two high priests. Over a dozen top-tier Graduates supported them, and even the ordinary team members were all at least Expert level, flawless in skill.
And that wasn’t all.
Their equipment was the best.
Holy relics from the Holy Kingdom would protect the team from vile black magic, and Artifacts from the Magic Towers would enhance their base strength by 1.5, no, two times.
Supplies?
They were ample. Each member’s Subspace Backpack was packed with food, water, and potions.
With such preparations, even the Red Magician, the pinnacle of black magic, would tremble in fear.
‘Wait, Red Magician. You won’t survive this time.’
‘For the continent’s future, we’ll uproot the root of evil!’
Emboldened, the subjugation team marched, marched, and kept marching.
Ferocious beasts?
Monsters more grotesque and terrifying?
They were no match for the team.
Crunch-!
Boom-!
A single gesture from Konjinyu, Acanthus’s leader, turned a giant saber-toothed tiger into a bloody mess.
He wasn’t the only one.
The team’s powerhouses easily dispatched Monsters popping up here and there, and after a few such instances, no more dared to attack. They must have instinctively realized the team’s strength far surpassed their own.
Thus, after two encampments, on the afternoon of the third day.
Leading with a holy relic sensitive to dark energy, the team came upon a massive cave.
It was clearly not natural, carved artificially into the mountain.
Certain that the Red Magician’s forces were inside, the team leader, Durand Verhagen, warned in a low voice.
“This is where it begins. Stay alert but don’t tense up too much.”
After speaking, the team leader entered with noticeably more cautious steps.
Following his lead, the rest of the team moved slowly. Some opened their canteens to wet their parched mouths from tension.
The problem arose an hour after entering the cave.
Growl-!
Rumble!
“What’s that!”
“Don’t panic! Hold the formation!”
“Stay calm!”
At the sudden roar, the team leader and Master-level forces calmed the troops. They widened their eyes to discern what sinister trick the Red Magician was using.
But their composure was a mistake.
Too cautious, the team failed to act swiftly, and their ranks were split by artificial stone gates rising from the ground.
No, it wasn’t just their ranks. Three stone gates rose suddenly, dividing the team into four fragments.
“Hmm…”
“What should we do, Sir Rough Schroeder?”
Duke Muel asked the wandering knight. In this quartered team, they were the highest-ranking, so their judgment was crucial.
After a moment’s thought, Rough Schroeder said.
“Breaking the stone gates doesn’t seem wise. Striking those ominous things… feels like playing into the Red Magician’s hands.”
“Hmm… I agree.”
Duke Muel nodded.
The artificial stone gates splitting the team were covered in eerie magical runes, but unfortunately, their group lacked a high-level magician to analyze them.
If they recklessly broke the gates and triggered a massive explosion or curse?
Even with Artifacts and holy relics, the damage would be significant.
“Rather than breaking through here, it’s better to target another section. Though that’s a last resort… for now, we should take the open paths.”
“Hmm, that feels like following the Red Magician’s plan too, which doesn’t sit well…”
“No choice, is there? The good thing is, we have this.”
Duke Muel pulled a blue, transparent orb from his pocket.
A holy relic from the Holy Kingdom that glowed brighter in areas dense with dark energy.
Every Master-level powerhouse carried one, so it would eventually guide them to regroup.
The issue was minimizing losses until they reunited with the other teams…
“Well, we’ll just have to do our best.”
“I’ll take the rear. You handle the front.”
“Got it. Let’s move quickly.”
Thus, Duke Muel led the front, and Rough Schroeder guarded the rear as the team resumed exploring the artificial cave.
A sharper tension settled in everyone’s minds, but it didn’t escalate to panic or trembling fear.
After all, their leaders were among the continent’s rare absolute powerhouses, fewer than thirty or forty in number. No matter how great the Red Magician was, he couldn’t handle them like twisting a child’s arm.
Above all, with everyone carrying a darkness-chasing holy relic, they would eventually converge in one place.
‘It’s fine. The divine watches over us.’
‘No matter what tricks the Red Magician pulls, we’ll win.’
‘After this subjugation, I’ll confess to her. I can do it. We can do it!’
Each member regained courage in their own way.
Duke Muel led them bravely, and two hours passed.
Feeling hungry, he found a suitable cavern, scanned the surroundings, and, finding no threats, ordered a rest.
“Might as well eat.”
“Let’s do a headcount first. Not that there should be any issues…”
“Any issues?”
“Well… we should do what needs doing, right?”
“Hmm, fair point.”
Duke Muel nodded.
He didn’t think there’d be any problems. With Master-level forces guarding the front and rear, and no encounters with enemies during their march, their progress had been so smooth that they almost had to force themselves to stay tense.
But.
“……?”
“This is…”
Something was wrong.
The numbers didn’t add up.
They had confirmed 49 members initially.
But now, only 45 remained in the cavern.
A tenth of their forces had vanished without a trace.
“Magic? Vile black magic?”
“If it were, the holy relics guarding against black magic would’ve reacted…”
“Hmm, then…”
‘An assassin.’
‘An assassin?’
The same thought struck Duke Muel and Rough Schroeder simultaneously.
It was the only explanation. The only thing that could bypass the holy relics and Artifacts and chip away at their forces was a shadowy, stealthy assassin.
But even that was hard to accept.
Who were they?
Sword Masters.
Superhumans with hearing sharper than an elf’s, vision and smell superior to a wild beast’s, guarding all directions.
And yet, they hadn’t noticed anything?
‘This is…’
‘It wounds my pride.’
The two superhumans’ expressions hardened.
Irritation surged.
Even if the cave was filled with strange sorcery dulling their senses, failing to detect a mere assassin’s ambush was hard to swallow.
But it was fine.
Now that they knew an assassin was at work, they just needed to be more cautious.
Nodding, they quickly finished their meal and urged the team on.
“Get up. We need to regroup as soon as possible.”
“If anything happens, shout immediately. Though I’ll likely notice first.”
“Understood!”
“Understood!”
The team responded boldly.
Though shaken by the anomaly, courage still lingered in their hearts.
Seeing this, Duke Muel and Rough Schroeder nodded as if to say, ‘That’s how it should be,’ and the march resumed.
…And a few hours later.
Confirming the team had dwindled to the thirties, Duke Muel and Rough Schroeder roared with bloodshot eyes.
“Where are you! Where the hell are you!”
“Come out, you filthy assassin!”
It was unbelievable.
Utterly unbelievable.
Even in a cave brimming with dark energy, dulling their senses, a Master was a Master. They weren’t so incompetent as to miss an assassin wreaking havoc on their team.
Yet, it had happened.
Despite their vigilance, their forces steadily dwindled, devastating the team’s morale.
They were no longer the Holy Kingdom’s elite.
They were just frightened children, cowering in fear.
Rumble-!
Whoosh!
Whoosh-!
“Come out! Show yourself!”
Enraged, Rough Schroeder drew his Color Sword and swung it wildly.
He felt he’d go mad if he didn’t. Overwhelmed with frustration and anger, he moved like a lunatic for about a minute, prompting a concerned look from Duke Muel, who wondered if Rough had fallen to a mental attack.
‘No, that can’t be. A Sword Master wouldn’t fall to mental magic.’
He shook his head vigorously.
The dire situation was making him think negatively.
Taking a deep breath, he approached Rough Schroeder.
He understood his feelings, but it was time to calm him down.
…That’s what he was thinking.
“……!”
A faint figure rose behind Rough Schroeder.
An old, one-armed man with a haggard face. He looked so shabby anyone might dismiss him, but Duke Muel felt chills.
No presence emanated from him at all.
“No!”