Episode 673: The Piercer, the Protector (1)
Mwaaaaaa!!
A deer cryptid screamed in the fog.
The screams of anger were soon mixed with pain as the wizard counterattacked.
“Okay! The guy is responding!”
“Keep pushing with momentum!”
Deer cryptids were distinctly different from the wolves that were ubiquitous around them.
The creature was huge, strong, and possessed tremendous magical power.
I don’t know if I should call that pitch-black thing magical power, but the way it was used was close to condensing and shooting out pure magical power.
As a result, it was too difficult to deal with.
It was to the point where I wondered if he would act like that if he actually encountered the spirit that was only told in stories.
However, now that the wolf cryptids that protected him have been greatly reduced, the Crusaders have succeeded in driving away the deer cryptids.
It won’t be long before we can completely take that guy down.
So, we divided the people and sent individual special forces to the first checkpoint city.
It was the right decision to consider the distribution of personnel, as the thousands of people gathered here could not hunt deer cryptids at the same time.
Since I had some free time, I waited for some good news from the special force sent separately to the first checkpoint city.
They were faced with a shocking reality.
“The special force sent to the first checkpoint city was completely annihilated?”
News that the special force consisting mainly of knights and priests was completely destroyed.
It wasn’t news that was directly relayed to the special forces.
Rather the opposite
Because no news has been delivered to them.
Not a single one out of hundreds of people.
“What on earth is in the first checkpoint city?”
At that time, I decided to think about it after I eliminated the deer cryptid in front of me.
Awww!
A wolf’s howl was heard from somewhere.
“This····”
The Crusaders were in a panic.
The howling that was now resonating was not of an ordinary size for a wolf to be called that.
As expected, a new cryptid appeared through the fog.
This time, a larger wolf appeared.
If the typical wolf cryptid seemed to be made of clumps of black mud, this one seemed to be made of black smoke.
The black hair that sways like a mist as if mixed in the fog is proof of this.
It was also larger than other wolf cryptids and had blue pupils instead of red.
Krrrrrr!
The wolf’s face twisted as he looked at the cornered deer cryptid.
The wolf kicked the ground and rushed towards the Crusaders.
“A new cryptid is coming!”
“Be careful! You never know what kind of powers it might have!”
Everyone was very nervous.
Just by looking at its size, it looked like a special entity, just like that deer cryptid.
just as expected·
The wolf cryptid’s body became blurred and turned into a black wind.
“Huh?”
The knight and paladin who were trying to block the wolf cryptid from the front were bewildered as they watched the wind passing by them as if teasing them.
Immediately afterwards, sharp blade-like wounds appeared all over their bodies, and blood spurted out.
“Ugh!”
“Ugh! What the heck is this!”
It was a fatal wound even though it was just a brush.
On the contrary, this attack did not work on him.
He was literally the wind.
A sharp wind that cuts the flesh that cannot be cut with a sword and can even cut you if you are not careful.
A black wind swept through the Crusaders who were arrayed around the Deer Cryptid.
The battle line collapsed before they could react, and thanks to this, the cornered deer cryptid was barely able to regain its composure and retreat.
Deer cryptid’s wounds healed quickly.
Next to him, a wolf cryptid stood side by side, releasing its wind power.
“There are two of those crazy monsters. Surely there can’t be more?”
“Damn it, is this the Cryptid commanded by the Demon King?”
I thought it would be a tough fight, but when we actually faced it, it was better than I had imagined.
The Crusaders gathered their ranks with determined faces and gained momentum.
The wolf cryptid growled at the sight and suddenly rushed at the deer cryptid.
“What the heck is that!”
“What on earth?”
For a moment I thought there was some internal strife, but that wasn’t it.
The wolf cryptid tangled with the deer cryptid and they began to mix together as if kneading clay.
Even though they were cryptids, the sight of them tangled up with each other was as creepy as a nightmare.
For a moment, the bodies of the two cryptids were entangled together in a swirling motion.
Suddenly, a huge flower bud appeared in the place.
The flower buds, which were pointed and spiraled like a drill, slowly split from the end and soon bloomed brightly.
A monster that looked like a half wolf and half deer cryptid emerged from inside the black flower.
A wolf’s head and deer’s horns, along with long legs.
Chorrrrrrrr
A fully opened black flower was absorbed into the cryptid’s body.
When the blue eyes like frost touched the Holy Crusaders, they shivered without realizing it.
At that moment, the fusion cryptid moved.
The guy kicked the ground and ran through the empty air.
The Crusaders were shocked at the sight of the cryptid disappearing high into the sky in an instant.
“What the heck, something that big can fly in the sky?”
“No, but rather how?”
The deer cryptid, a large fixed-form weapon, has been given the mobility of a wolf.
A pitch-black sphere formed around the fusion cryptid that soared high into the sky, piercing through the fog.
Crystals of pure power created by gathering high-density magical power.
The fusion cryptid dropped the sphere to the ground.
Not just one, but dozens at the same time.
“Everyone, get out!”
“Get back!”
Kwakwakwakwakwang!!!
There were successive explosions that tore through the fog.
The impact of the explosion sent shockwaves in all directions, with red flames rising and debris flying like shrapnel.
There really was no bomber.
However, unlike bombers that had to dump gunpowder once and then resupply, there was no such thing for the fused cryptid.
Shushushushung·
Black spheres falling again
The ground-based bombing raids swept through the crusaders without mercy.
The wizards and priests fired spells and magic to hit the thing in the air.
Countless colorful attacks rising through the fog.
The fusion cryptid quickly leapt out of its spot, stomping on the air, and rained down another barrage of bombs.
Death and screams rose like flowers on the ground, accompanied by explosions.
* * *
Chorrrrrrrr
The special force that arrived separately at the first checkpoint city heard the sound of chains.
The first checkpoint city was still in its original form, compared to the ruined second checkpoint city.
But the rustling sound in that deserted and deserted place was so clear that it was heard clearly in everyone’s ears.
It’s not the sound of an ordinary chain being dragged.
Judging from the sound, it was clear that it was several times larger and heavier than a regular chain.
The moment I thought that, the sound of the chain stopped.
“The sound stopped”
“Everyone, don’t relax. You never know where the Demon King’s minions might attack.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a building collapsed and a pitch-black figure fell upon the knight in the lead.
Kwaaang!
It was a huge anchor.
The knight, who was very nervous, immediately lifted the shield in his hand and defended by infusing it with divine power.
The anchor shattered the shield of divine power and threw the paladin into the building on the other side.
“What, what is it?”
Everyone was shocked by the unrealistic sight.
A huge anchor that looks like it would be used on a large warship, and even an anchor chain that connects the anchor.
Who would have expected it to appear out of nowhere in the first checkpoint city?
Paaaaaaaang!
At that moment, the anchor chain connecting the anchor stuck in the wall was pulled taut.
It should have sagged down due to its weight if there wasn’t a lot of tension, but it was perfectly level in the air.
Soon, the anchor began to move with a thud sound.
“Everyone, bow down!”
The knight who saw it up close shouted:
As he shouted, he bent down flat.
The knight was quick-witted.
Because I saw the knight in the lead, who was completely taken down while holding a shield, I knew how threatening that attack was.
But those who couldn’t see it because of the distance were different.
“Give me your holy protection!”
“An indomitable shield that will not yield to the enemy!”
“The grace of the Father be with us!”
Each one generates divine power to erect a shield, create a wall of divine power, or strengthen their body.
Even though they are a special force, their number is close to 300.
Their judgment was that with this number, even if they were the Demon King’s servants, they would be able to deal with them.
It soon became clear what a foolish misjudgment that was.
Tension-laden chains and anchors were swung lengthwise like whips.
Tsk tsk!
And the world was split exactly horizontally.
“uh?”
The knight with the shield let out a questioning sound.
It felt like something like a black whip was being swung around, and his vision suddenly began to fall forward.
“why·”
His head creaked and turned to the side.
There, the lower half of his body, missing his upper body, was standing there blankly.
It didn’t take long for him to realize that it was his.
That wasn’t all·
The other knights and priests who came with him also stood their ground to stand against those black chains.
The upper and lower bodies were separated and fell down.
The surrounding buildings were the same.
“This doesn’t make sense”
That was the knight’s will.
Among the nearly 200 people, less than 50 people heard the call to crouch and saved their lives.
In the attack just a moment ago, almost 150 people died.
These are the knights and priests who can be said to be the pride of the Bretos Holy Land.
Wherever the black chain swept through, everything was cut in half and became ruins.
The rubble of the collapsing building covered the corpses.
A thick cloud of dust rose up.
People who had been bending over stood up, groaning.
“What the heck is this?”
My voice trembled on its own.
It had to be that way.
It’s just one hit.
With that one blow, hundreds of soldiers that the sect was proud of were killed at once.
‘If I had just stood there and tried to endure it,’
A chill ran down my spine at the thought that he had left this world just like that.
‘But who the hell is it?’
Who could commit such a destructive act?
The survivors’ gaze was directed to the center of the circle that had been created as a ruin in the center of the first checkpoint city.
Chorrrrrrrr
The smoke settled with the sound of chains.
What appeared was a large, mermaid male.
Copper-colored skin and muscles that look like they’re going to burst.
As if to prove that he was not only strong on the outside, he was carrying an anchor as big as himself along with an anchor chain that was also quite unpleasant to look at.
At the end of the anchor chain was a harpoon of a dark color, like an anchor.
A harpoon and an anchor, and a huge chain connecting them.
Could such a hideous weapon exist in the world?
Even if it exists, would it be possible to handle it properly?
The impossible is now unfolding before my eyes.
“You guys are quick-witted.”
Pantos muttered as he looked at the survivors, numbering about 50.
I tried to wipe them all out at once, but there were more survivors than I thought.
“Suin? The Suin tribe?”
“Oh, how can such an uncivilized barbarian be here···”
The people of the church couldn’t believe it when they saw Pantos.
It was surprising that there were Suin here, but it was even more disconcerting that there was only one.
The ears on top of Pantos’ head perked up and picked up the muttering.
“There was a guy who said to me, ‘You’re uncivilized, you’re a barbarian.’”
A man who was one of the three great knight commanders of the Holy Nation had his arm torn off while he was still alive by Pantos.
“What kind of end will you meet?”
Pantos grabbed the chain and slowly turned it.
The huge anchor hanging at the end of it spun like a windmill, making a whooshing sound.
The speed of rotation gradually increased, the shape of the anchor began to blur, and a strong wind swept through the surrounding area.
and·
Peeing!
A huge black line shot out towards the people of the church.
It was a form of a snake curled up and rushing towards its prey.
The knights who were unable to react were hit by it and turned into pieces of meat.
The chains creaked and snapped, swept away even the people nearby.
It didn’t take that long for the special forces to be completely destroyed.
* * *
“They seem to be having a great time over there.”
Alex, who was in charge of the defense of the first checkpoint city with Pantos, smiled bitterly as he watched a part of the city crumble.
I thought you’d be really angry because you’ve been so quiet up until now, but I didn’t know you’d do something so big from the start.
“If we do that, there won’t be anything left around us.”
Alex said that, but he knew that if he went into battle, he would beat everyone up like Pantos.
The special forces are already storming the first checkpoint city.
It was faster than expected.
“But you keep delaying it, and it’s already here. As expected, quantity is a bully.”
What we have now come to is only a taste.
More people will come in the future.
You won’t be able to stop them all by yourself.
Even if you do your best, there is a limit to the number of hands an individual can handle.
Especially if a master-level knight or a lexer-level magician is mixed in among them, the situation will become even more unfavorable.
“I really hope you don’t come”
Alex muttered as he recalled the face of his old lover.
Even though I know that it can’t be done.
