novelraw Chapter 57 : Chapter 57
Chapter 57 : Chapter 57
Chapter 57. The Invasion of the Lombard Kingdom (3)
“That's enough!”
At Anonymous' shout, the dragons' seemingly endless barrage of breaths ceased.
The dragons, who had transformed after a long time of being in human form, wore satisfied expressions.
“I finally feel like my stiff shoulders are loosening up.”
“Keke, me too.”
“Huhu. At this rate, the Demon Tribe will vanish without a trace, right?”
However, Anonymous, who hadn't transformed on my orders, scowled and muttered.
“How did they block this?”
I, too, whose power had returned with the night, slowly nodded.
“Amazing. The enemies didn't take a single bit of damage.”
Rude also chimed in.
“That is undoubtedly Scutum, the 8th-tier defense magic! But how can they have such a reaction speed?”
Scutum. An absolute magic nicknamed the Shield of God.
In the original version, it was the highest-level defense magic the daughters could learn, and one of the spells they absolutely had to master right before facing the Demon King.
‘If you couldn't learn Scutum, you could never withstand Nox's attacks.’
It was a magic that boasted such absolute power, yet to see it used on a scale large enough to cover a part of the forest was a scene I couldn't believe even seeing it with my own eyes.
“Scutum boasts immense defensive power, but its long activation time makes it vulnerable to surprise attacks. Also, it can't be cast on such a large scale. This is not a spell that a single wizard can cast.”
If that was the case, then the only thing that came to mind was the magic device Noemi used when she defeated the old Demon Tribe's followers.
In other words, they must have used magic scrolls.
Magic scrolls activate the instant the parchment is torn, allowing magic to be cast in a flash without any incantation.
And they must have used not just one or two, but at least ten or more simultaneously to display that level of power.
Amidst the despondent dragons who had been so confident.
I once again emphasized that the enemies were not to be underestimated.
“The enemies wouldn't have come here without a plan. Dragons, transform back into humans immediately, and raise the alert to the highest level.”
If they could use magic scrolls containing Scutum, the king of defense magic, on such a large scale, they must have brought other magic devices as well.
However, due to this bombardment, the enemies wouldn't be able to advance toward us recklessly, so in a way, we had performed an effective check on them.
Anonymous also expressed a similar view.
“I don't know how many more of those they have, but it's probably right to assume they've used most of them up with this attack.”
“I suppose so.”
No, it had to be that way.
Otherwise, the situation would be too disadvantageous for us.
“A surprise attack is the most effective response to a surprise attack. We attack the enemies now while they hesitate.”
“I am ready at any time.”
“Good. You and I. And Adel and Alvarez. The four of us, along with the dragons who have learned swordsmanship, will devastate the enemy. Rude and Noemi will remain here and provide support fire.”
Rude looked relieved, but Noemi was different.
“I want to go with Dad too!”
“From now on, it will be close-quarters combat. Shouldn't you stay here to conserve your stamina and give orders to the dragons?”
“No! I'm going too!”
Noemi wouldn't back down.
I subtly sent a signal to Rude, who was next to her.
Rude, with a bitter expression, secretly cast a Sleep spell on Noemi from behind her.
Noemi, not expecting her master to act this way, collapsed on the spot.
I supported the falling Noemi and whispered in her ear.
“I'm sorry. But for now, please trust your dad.”
Noemi had already performed a great feat by single-handedly wiping out the remnants of the old Demon Tribe.
If this were the original version, I would have definitely launched the attack with Noemi in tow, but,
this was a DLC where I had to raise three daughters at the same time.
‘Raising the daughters as evenly as possible would be in line with the game's objective. If Noemi alone goes on a rampage, the balance will be severely broken.’
In a game where multiple characters fight at once, focusing on just one character would lead to disaster.
It would be better to give other characters a chance to shine, apart from the main one.
‘This time, I need to create a stage for Adel to shine as well.’
Also, considering the opponent came prepared for magical defense, a swordsman would have a more advantageous position than a wizard.
I left a word with Rude to take care of Noemi and quickly dashed toward the forest.
I could feel Anonymous, Adel, and Alvarez following close behind me at high speed.
Well then, shall I see if my skills are useful in a large-scale group battle like this?
Despite facing a massive enemy force, endorphins surged through me.
***
The number of enemies was roughly 400.
At first, they had brought a large army of over 50,000,
but now, all the humans had been pulled back, leaving only the demons here.
400 vs 40.
If this were reality, it would have been a reckless operation with no need to see the result.
But this was a fantasy world.
High-level characters each boasted a prowess beyond compare, comparable to an aircraft carrier.
First of all, as for me, I was a former Hero.
The man who defeated the Demon King.
Excluding Anonymous, I was practically the final boss of this world.
In the game, Frank's abilities were probably sealed because otherwise, the daughters would have no opportunity to be active.
Adel?
Her combat power was something even I personally acknowledged.
In the Demon Territory, she cut down enemies so quickly that the words ‘killing machine’ naturally came to mind.
Besides, didn't the current Adel have the Armor of Reflection she got from Mammon?
It would only be a plus, never a minus.
As for Anonymous, what more needs to be said?
‘She's in human form, but her strength refuses to be compared to that of mere dragons.’
Just having her by my side was reassuring.
Alvarez was… hmm. A bit ambiguous.
But he was an undead.
He possessed an immortal body.
He would recover from most wounds quickly, and especially now, at night, he would show even greater strength.
‘As long as his head doesn't separate from his body, there shouldn't be a big problem.’
With the sword-wielding dragons and Alvarez lagging the furthest behind, the enemies soon came into view.
Were they excited that the dark night had come?
They openly shed their human forms and stood as ferocious monsters.
Of course, that didn't change anything.
Swish.
Swi-swish.
Not a single scream was heard.
We cut down the necks of every one of them we saw and moved deeper into the forest.
Then, suddenly.
A heavy axe blocked my vision.
“Die!!”
Sensing danger, I slowed down to dodge his attack.
Woosh-
The eerie sound of the axe blade cutting through the air.
If I hadn't moved, my body would have been sliced in an instant.
‘He's quite strong.’
The man, with a look that said he didn't expect me to dodge this attack, soon observed my face closely.
“Well, well, who do we have here! Isn't it the great Hero who killed the previous Demon King?”
“Do you know me?”
“Of course, I do! How could I forget that detestable face?”
“What's your name?”
“Hmph. Curious, are you? It's Igralus. The name of the man who will kill you. Don't you ever forget it, even in hell. But how did you dodge my attack? I heard your powers were sealed?”
Igralus?
A name I had never heard before.
He looked quite strong, but if he was someone whose name I didn't even remember, he must be nothing more than an extra.
I entrusted him to Anonymous and moved to another location.
“How dare you run away, leaving me behind!”
He screamed at the top of his lungs, but right now, annihilating all the demons here was the priority.
Leaving someone of his level to Anonymous should be more than enough.
I continued to cut down the necks of every demon in sight.
Cutting, and cutting, and cutting again.
I didn't know how many demons had fallen to the tip of Ragnarok.
So, was I tired? Not at all.
On the contrary, an unknown sense of ecstasy was welling up inside me, which must be what the Hero's power was.
More strength surged into the hand gripping Ragnarok.
It felt as if Ragnarok was demanding more blood, as if it had become a demonic sword.
***
Igralus tried to chase after Frank, but he didn't dare.
The beast before him was glaring at him fiercely.
But her appearance was far from that of a beast.
A human girl wearing a maid outfit.
She looked weak enough to be killed with a single finger, but the aura emanating from her body was formidable, even to a veteran like himself.
“Tsk. Who the hell are you?”
“Is there a need to know that?”
“What did you say?”
“It means I have no name to teach a guy who's going to die anyway. Are you an idiot?”
With those words, she subtly moved her sword.
He thought he had dodged it, but his right cheek was already stinging.
When he touched his right cheek with the hand not holding the axe, it was slick with crimson blood.
“Uwaaah!! I'll kill you!”
Swing! Swiing-
Unable to contain his anger, Igralus swung his axe wildly, but the opponent, who hadn't told him her name, giggled and easily dodged his attacks.
“With just that level of skill, you dared to raise your axe to my Master?”
“You wreeetch!!”
“This time, I'll attack. Try to block it if you can.”
Come to think of it, the opponent had only been dodging his attacks until now.
She hadn't counter-attacked at all.
Igralus' fingertips trembled slightly.
‘Am I… feeling fear?’
But it was already too late for regret.
The trajectory of the sword grew faster as time passed.
His body was torn here and there, blood gushing out like a fountain.
Thinking he might die at this rate, Igralus shouted loudly.
“W-Wait! What the hell are you?”
“You finally noticed? You really are an incredibly dull idiot.”
Anonymous smiled faintly and released a portion of the magic power she had been suppressing.
Then, an immense aura, incomparable to before, enveloped her body.
“N-No way…”
“That's right. I am Anticus, the queen of dragons. The name of the woman who will kill you.”
She mocked him, repeating the exact words he had said to Frank.
Igralus, wanting to buy time somehow, trembled and asked.
“Why is someone like you in human form?”
“I have no obligation to answer that, do I? Just die.”
Chwa-reureuk!
The moment he felt something pass by.
Anonymous' sword had precisely split Igralus' body in half.
Igralus collapsed without letting out a single scream.
Despair and terror filled the face of the man who had been split in two.
Anonymous flicked the blood off her sword and grumbled.
“What's this. He's nothing special, is he? No matter how I look, it doesn't seem like he has any special magic devices.”
She gazed at Frank, who was relentlessly cutting down enemies, and muttered softly.
“Master is just too cautious. Well, that's not so bad either. Hehe.”
At that moment, a sliver of moonlight broke through the obscuring clouds and shone on her face.
Her face, engulfed in deep madness, was chillingly cold and beautiful.
Who on earth could possibly think this girl was an ordinary person?
Her name was Anonymous.
The second name of the one who was the queen of dragons and had become the Hero's slave.
***
Meanwhile, at that same time.
Despite searching all over the Tambora volcano, Nox couldn't find a single trace of Lucifer.
“Daamn it! Where the hell did he hide!”
Enraged, Nox unknowingly nudged a device at his feet.
Suddenly, a recorded video popped up.
“Ah, if you've found this, you must be someone who knows my identity.”
Startled, Nox stepped back and examined the figure of the voice in the video.
Two huge wings.
A tail longer than its legs.
Sharp fangs.
It was the typical appearance of a demon, similar to the Demon Tribe yet subtly different.
“Unfortunately, I'm not here. Keke. Did Primus tell you my location? But how many thousands of years ago do you think that was? You're a fool. If you want to catch me, try wandering the whole world. Not that I'd be caught even then.”
As soon as those words ended.
Poof!
“Keuk! What is this!”
The device at his feet exploded, and the figure was no longer visible.
Nox then realized that just because it was Primus, it didn't mean he knew everything.
He also felt an indescribable rage at the fact that he had been toyed with by his opponent.
“You son of a bitch!!!”
Nox's voice thundered throughout the Tambora volcano, but that was all.
The person he was looking for, Lucifer, couldn't even hear that voice.
He had left this place long ago to find his brothers.