Chapter 143 : Chapter 143
Chapter 143 : Winter Castle Attack
“Let’s assemble the members first.”
“Yes.”
“By the way, how did you notice the fact that Winter Castle is being attacked? I didn't even feel it at all.”
“Well, I just felt it.”
“Hmm, is that so? I thought you changed a lot, it seems your energy sense has become quite sharp too.”
Actually, the reason I could notice the fact of the attack on Winter Castle, which even Edric didn’t notice, was thanks to the warning of the Demonic Spirit Lion, who is Demonic energy itself.
[Vell, something harboring Demonic energy is approaching Winter Castle right now.]
‘Is it a mutant.’
[That I cannot know, but it is certain that it is an existence harboring Demonic energy.]
A mutant…….
I was a bit disappointed because the players I encountered in Akiro’s Labyrinth previously hardly carried any Ascension Stone Fragments, but this worked out well.
Anyway, my goal right now was to collect Ascension Stone Fragments, and if they rolled in on their own feet, there was no need to decline.
“Let’s hurry.”
“Ah, let’s do that.”
The 4th Special Task Force members also seemed to have heard the bell sound announcing the attack, as they were already outside the barracks fully armed.
“What is going on?”
At Conlan’s question, Edric spoke.
“Don’t know yet. But it seems Winter Castle is being attacked.”
“Groan. I thought it was quiet these days, is it again?”
“Rather, it was strange that it was quiet these days. That’s how extraordinary the event that happened to the King of the Demonic Realm was. Well, let’s move anyway.”
At that moment, Alicia looked at my face and spoke in surprise.
“Vell! Why is your face like that?”
“Hmm? Come to think of it, the Captain’s look is also quite something to see? Did you come back after having a round already?”
At that, Edric glanced at me, then nodded his head.
“I will explain about this later. Moving is the priority right now.”
“Hmm, if the Captain says so, it can’t be helped but…….”
Conlan glanced at my face.
“It looks as if you two fought or something.”
Conlan giggled jokingly.
Edric’s shoulders, who usually rarely revealed emotions, flinched slightly, but fortunately, I was the only one who saw that.
“Check your equipment in the time you say useless things, big guy.”
“I’m doing it well on my own.”
“Sure you are. The axe there is rusted.”
“What? When did this rust?”
Arriving near the castle walls while sharing trivial conversation, Winter Castle soldiers were in the middle of continuing the battle on top of the castle walls.
It seemed the mutants had already climbed up to the top of Winter Castle’s walls.
“Block that side!”
“Kuaak!”
A person who appeared to be a Centurion discovered Edric and pretended to know him.
“Ah, Sir Edric, you came.”
“Did the enemies already invade up to the castle walls?”
“Yes. At this rate, the damage to the soldiers seems like it will be large, so I think Sir Edric needs to step in.”
“The number of enemies? As far as I know, there were no signs of enemies of a scale large enough to breach the walls attacking already.”
“That…… there are not even twenty.”
Edric’s expression hardened stiffly.
“Are you saying the castle walls were invaded by not even twenty demonic beasts? Is there perhaps a mutant?”
“They are not demonic beasts.”
The Centurion added.
“They are humans.”
At that moment, a soldier who was on the castle wall flew to where we were and crashed onto the floor with a splat sound.
Looking at the blood, intestines, and brain matter protruding from the soldier’s body sprawled on the floor, Edric opened his mouth.
“……It seems we must hurry.”
Feeling the seriousness of the situation, Edric rushed urgently towards the top of the castle wall, and the 4th Special Task Force also followed behind him.
“Do not back down! We must not let those people enter inside Winter Castle!”
“Kuaak!”
“Do not pounce on them and maintain distance! Support will come soon!”
On the castle wall, soldiers were struggling to block the attackers, but perhaps because the level of the attackers was extraordinary, the soldiers were rather being pushed back.
Although Winter Castle’s walls were quite wide compared to general castles, even so, due to the nature of being a castle wall, it was inefficient for the many to deal with the few.
“Step aside!”
“Sir Edric! You came! Everyone back down! Sir Edric has come!”
As the soldiers stepped back along with Edric’s shout, the appearance of the attackers was revealed soon.
Ferocious black energy filling the whole body.
Black glint emitting from the eyes.
Violent movements as if not caring about getting hurt themselves.
That was an existence I already knew well.
‘Demonic person.’
About twenty Demonic persons were spewing bestial roars and staging a merciless massacre on top of Winter Castle’s walls.
‘Just looking at it, it’s not a level that can be dealt with by soldiers alone.’
Generally, players possess stronger martial power compared to the natives of this world.
But what kind of strength does one who took Demonic energy beyond the limit and became a Demonic person possess.
Now, I was seeing the answer to that in front of my eyes.
“Everyone be careful, they are not easy opponents.”
Edric spoke in a low voice while gripping his sword.
Fortunately, the twenty Demonic persons were not gathered in one place.
The Demonic persons we would deal with were about three.
In a way, it could be seen as merely three, but considering that these three had been slaughtering Winter Castle’s veteran soldiers on the castle wall until now, they were not easy opponents.
Along with that, on other castle walls too, special task forces and Winter Castle’s knights stepped forward.
Winter Castle’s side also knew that they couldn’t deal with them simply with soldiers, so they deployed powerful forces to not increase meaningless sacrifices anymore.
“I must purify this world stained with tears and blood. Only I can do it. I am the chosen one…….”
Facing the Demonic persons, as expected, they were spouting strange nonsense while drunk on madness.
The same phenomenon I saw from Yohan before.
“Not in their right minds.”
Edric also clicked his tongue after seeing their state.
“This world is full of sin. I must judge it with my hands, burn it all and make it anew a perfect world…….”
The standoff was not long.
“Implement, I shall!”
The Demonic persons rushed in spewing bestial roars, and Edric and the special task force members also gripped their swords and faced them.
“Here they come. Vell! I ask for support!”
Kwaang!
Starting with Edric and the Demonic person clashing, a full-scale battle began.
“Don’t know what it is, but kill them!”
“Hmph! Even if you don’t order me, I will!”
Conlan, Albino, and Alicia also followed behind Edric and rushed towards the Demonic persons.
‘Using a gun against a player with a bare face isn’t that welcome but…… it’s fine as long as I don’t let them leave alive.’
Above all, since the Demonic person was an existence drunk on madness as seen already, my thought was that I didn't need to worry about information leakage even if they saw the gun.
‘I will take the Ascension Stone Fragments possessed by the Demonic persons on this occasion.’
If that happens, I will be able to take one step further towards the huge secret of this world.
Unlike the penniless players I dealt with before, since Demonic persons were those who became Demonic persons as a price for being exposed to Ascension Stone Fragments, it was almost certain that they possessed Ascension Stone Fragments.
[Activates ‘Weapon Summon(??)’.]
[Personal weapon is summoned.]
[Summons weapon, ‘AKR-74 Assault Rifle (GF-40 Grenade Launcher Combined)’.]
Along with a blue halo, my old friend AKR-74 Assault Rifle revealed its appearance.
Clack─
Because Edric and the special task force members were tangled together with the Demonic persons, aiming was not easy, but saying it’s difficult doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
“Captain!”
Along with my shout, Edric, who was in the middle of continuing a fierce offense and defense with the Demonic person, stepped back one step.
Taaang──!!
Not missing that opportunity, along with the pulled trigger, the 7.62×39mm round rushed towards the Demonic person.
Tzzt!
As soon as the 7.62×39mm round containing the power of the Postponer of Ruin touched the Demonic person, intense sparks arose and the Demonic person stumbled greatly.
“Kuaak!”
Edric, who didn't miss the gap where the Demonic person became defenseless for a moment, moved, and soon Edric’s sword was swung towards the Demonic person’s neck.
However, the event of Edric’s sword striking off the Demonic person’s neck did not happen.
Because a snake shaped from black energy spewed from the Demonic person’s body blocked Edric’s sword.
“……!”
The bewildered Edric tried to step back, but another black snake that popped out from the Demonic person’s stomach area rushed towards Edric just like that.
“Damn─”
Even Edric, who had gone through all sorts of hardships, couldn't hide his bewilderment as if he hadn't expected this situation.
Since it was clear Edric would be done for at this rate, I pulled the trigger again.
Taaang!!!
The bullet containing the power of the Postponer of Ruin burst the head of the snake of Demonic energy at once.
“……Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
A big crisis had passed, but the Demonic persons were still going strong.
Since the power of the Postponer of Ruin was working properly, suppressing them wouldn't be difficult, but the problem was on other castle walls.
‘The situation is not good.’
Despite Winter Castle’s high-level forces, knights and special task forces being deployed, they couldn't suppress the Demonic persons easily.
That meant the Demonic persons possessed strength that couldn't even be compared to simple players, and above all, they were handling the tricky and ominous energy called Demonic energy.
‘Suppress them hurriedly.’
After cleaning up the Demonic persons here, if I support other places with sniping, we will be able to kill the Demonic persons without difficulty.
No matter how strong and tricky the Demonic persons were, this was Winter Castle, and Winter Castle’s power was enough to easily hunt even the King of the Demonic Realm if they did their best.
“The sound of gunshots sounds like music to my ears. Truth is contained in it. You guys won't know that a gun is nothing more than an illusion.”
As expected, despite seeing the gun, the Demonic persons only spouted madness-filled nonsense and didn't show any particular reaction.
“Everyone back off!”
The moment Edric and the special task force members stepped back all at once along with my shout.
Tung!
The grenade fired from the GF-40 Grenade Launcher flew at a somewhat slow speed, then soon caused a huge explosion.
Kwaaaaang!!!
What kind of power did the grenade containing the power of the Postponer of Ruin possess?
As if proving the answer to that, the bodies of the Demonic persons who were going strong until a moment ago became tattered at once.
Simply a grenade wouldn't have produced such destructive power against a Demonic person, but the power of the Postponer of Ruin acted as a natural enemy to the Demonic persons who harbored intense Demonic.
“What kind of power is this……!”
“……That guy Vell shows only surprising sights as days go by.”
Whether Conlan and Albino admired it or not, I had no intention of missing this opportunity.
“It is now!”
“Excellent!”
Edric didn't miss the moment the Demonic persons became incapable of combat for a moment.
Chwaak!
The slash that followed immediately cut the necks of the three Demonic persons at once, and the Demonic persons’ heads fell down one by one.
Originally, even if the Demonic persons became unable to move, their Demonic energy would have blocked Edric’s slash, but it was possible because the power of the Postponer of Ruin took away the power called Demonic energy from them for a moment.
“Where on earth did these monsters appear from…….”
Edric, who dealt with the Demonic persons directly, shook off the blood on his sword while saying that.
“……Hmm? What are you doing?”
“I have something to check for a moment.”
I approached the corpses of the Demonic persons and put my hands into their bosoms.
And soon I could discover Ascension Stone Fragments protruding sharply near the Demonic persons’ hearts.
Three Ascension Stone Fragments of different sizes.
Among them, there was also a fragment huger than any fragment I had taken before, so it was truly a tremendous achievement.
However, since there was no time to absorb this right now, I packed them separately in my bosom.
I didn't know what would happen if I absorbed the Ascension Stone Fragment, and I couldn't do such a thing in this situation.
Naturally, Edric who was watching that appearance looked at me with strange eyes.
“What did you pack just now?”
“Hmm, shall we say it’s a kind of loot?”
“Haha, of course since your merit is the greatest, it’s not like you don’t have the qualification but…… no, it doesn’t matter.”
Unlike when taking the mutant’s horn, this happened because I couldn't avoid Edric’s gaze here.
“Let’s talk about that later, and move for now. The situation in other places is not good.”
“Yes.”
I intended to do so anyway.
If done well, it was an opportunity to get my hands on as many as twenty Ascension Stone Fragments.