Chapter 87
< 087. Where Are You? >
Beyond simply preventing Akan from finding the tower, another objective had emerged.
To bring down the golems and seize them.
And to kidnap the golem artificer.
It would serve as the foundation for building a better, stronger tower.
After hearing Berje’s goal, Ernan offered several pieces of advice.
“Akan treats golems as special strategic assets. Unless they’re lower-grade units, they never allow them to be taken outside. Their management is extremely strict. If one is destroyed, they retrieve every last scrap.”
“What does that mean?”
“Unless they’re driven into an extreme situation, even if a golem is destroyed, they’ll recover as much as possible and take it back.”
“That won’t be easy.”
Still, that didn’t mean it was impossible.
“Roger said he thought it was made of orichalcum alloy, right? That means it’s definitely a latest-model unit that hasn’t been revealed to the world yet. Its strength and destructive power are unknown, but considering it ranks above any golem that has appeared so far…”
She didn’t need her to finish the sentence.
“You mean I won’t be able to defeat it?”
“Unless the Demon King personally steps in, it will be impossible.”
He had felt as much. No matter how many Orcs charged at it, the Orcs would all end up as corpses.
Akan’s group didn’t consist only of golems.
“Will you personally take action?”
“Impossible.”
Though he had acquired the Phoenix’s corpse and gained new power and a new identity, freeing him from being bound to the role of Demon King, the other Demon Kings were the problem.
A Demon King leaving their tower to appear elsewhere would definitely cause trouble. It would be a blatant violation of what was written in The Demon King’s Standard.
If Berje stepped in and even one survivor escaped to spread word of his actions, the other Demon Kings would never let it pass.
A report would be sent to the Archduke without fail, and some form of penalty would descend.
Nor could he simply slaughter all of them. Akan would not sit still. No one knew what problems that might ignite.
“Then there’s no method.”
“There is. I don’t need to use my own sword to corner them. This is the Ergest Mountains.”
There were more than enough blades available to take his place.
---
“……”
Lavinia’s eyes opened.
“Demonic power.”
Rubbing her drowsy eyes, she rose from her bedding.
“Princess?”
A knight guarding the tent spotted her.
“Demonic power.”
“…Pardon?”
“Demonic power.”
Keng-keng-keng—
Just in time, the howls of the hellhounds echoed. The hellhounds, chained to pillars reinforced with weight magic so they couldn’t break free, were thrashing in wild frenzy.
Only then did the knight understand the princess’s meaning.
“You can sense demonic power?”
“Yes.”
“Please wait just a moment. I’ll inform the prince at once!”
Soon, the sleeping encampment awakened. Cain hurriedly donned his armor and rushed to Lavinia.
“Sister, you truly sense demonic power?”
“Yes.”
“Where is it?”
“Over there.”
“It must be very faint.”
“Yes.”
“And the others?”
“It’s extremely faint, but we can sense it.”
In the direction Lavinia pointed, nothing but snow was visible. Cain couldn’t sense demonic power at all.
But he trusted Lavinia. The howling hellhounds and the heroes accompanying them making the same claim strengthened that certainty.
However—
‘Moving at night is not a wise choice.’
And something that hadn’t been sensed during the day had suddenly become detectable.
That meant it wasn’t the tower. A stationary tower wouldn’t hide its presence and then suddenly reveal it.
‘I’ve never heard of such a thing.’
Which left only one possibility. A monster—or a demon.
‘For a demon to appear near our campsite in the middle of the night means…’
An ambush.
“Everyone, ready for battle immediately! Monsters may be approaching!”
“Yes!”
Soldiers moved in haste. They reinforced the protective barrier with magic, and knights and soldiers took their positions. Mages hurriedly stored spells through memorization. On the makeshift watchtower, a soldier peered through a magic telescope into the darkness.
“No contacts yet!”
“Do not lower your guard!”
They stayed awake through the entire night.
“……?”
And the Demon King watching from afar tilted his head.
“This is more effective than sending monsters.”
The initial irritation—why they sensed demonic power yet weren’t chasing it—had long since vanished.
---
It was unfortunate for Berje, but he couldn’t use the same tactic twice.
“Let’s try tracking it for now.”
After staying awake the whole night and finding that the demonic power didn’t disappear even when day broke, Cain alternated between short rests, then cautiously began advancing toward the source.
“Could it be a Demon King’s trap?”
“We have no clues anyway. Whether that place holds the true Demon King’s Tower or a trap, we must go and confirm it.”
To minimize losses, they positioned the golems at the front.
“Granada, do you remember this path?”
---
New Terms/Characters Introduced
• 마견 (hellhound) : hellhound (species)
• 마기 (demonic power) : demonic power
“It isn’t the path the hero squad traveled.”
“Then the likelihood is even higher.”
Since the Demon King’s Tower had not been at the end of the path the hero squad took, the unexplored path actually held greater possibility.
“Sister, you must guide us well.”
“Yes.”
The deeper they went, the more monsters appeared. The mountain terrain grew harsher. Naturally, the group’s pace slowed.
“We camp here tonight!”
One day, two days, three, four. They walked deeper and deeper into the heart of the Ergest Mountains and fought more monsters.
Yet among them, not a single demon—nor even a single demonic beast—appeared.
The absurd part was that the demonic power was still being sensed.
The hellhounds, Lavinia Akan, and the twelve heroes accompanying the group all reported the same thing.
The demonic power was growing stronger.
‘A trap?’
But it was already too late to turn back. Having come this far, they had no choice but to see what lay at the end.
Another day passed.
“...It’s quiet today.”
“There are no ambushes, strangely enough.”
That day—
Not a single monster appeared, to an eerie degree.
“Strange.”
Even without Lavinia saying it, everyone sensed it. Something was happening.
Tension peaked.
“Found it.”
“There!”
At last, they approached the source of the demonic power.
It was—
Krrr—
A single dog.
A hellhound, said to be a hound of hell. A beast that stood over 3 meters tall and could devour most monsters.
But it was not a beast radiating such overwhelming demonic power that they could feel it from afar.
“No.”
Lavinia shook her head. The demonic power she had been chasing was not this one.
A heavy foreboding brushed through everyone’s mind.
“Everyone fall back! Turn around immed—!”
Keng-keng-keng—
The hellhounds roared wildly. Titan pounded its chest.
Kurrrrr—
The ground trembled.
And then it collapsed.
Crack-crack-crack—
The hellhound screamed. A massive maw swallowed it whole.
Crunch—
Shreds of crimson flesh burst in every direction.
Cain swallowed sharply at the sight of the enormous form devouring everything.
Legs firm as rock.
A heavy body like a mountain.
A massive, greedy head.
A monster that devoured all things whole.
It was—
Behemoth.
A monster that devoured even ogres. A monster with demonic power, making some argue it should be classified as a demonic beast rather than a mere monster.
Its red eyes scanned the prey before it. It swallowed the remains in its mouth. The horn-like fangs jutting from its lips glistened with blood.
“...Can we escape?”
“Behemoth, despite its massive size, possesses explosive power surpassing an ogre.”
A denial.
Cain bit his lip as cold sweat ran down his cheek.
“If we fight it—”
“If we avoid major mistakes, we can win.”
The commander of the Blue Meteor Mage Corps spoke with confidence.
Indeed, no matter how mighty the Behemoth, it couldn’t compare to the Demon Kings.
But the problem was that they were also not a force capable of capturing a Demon King.
‘No, this won’t work.’
It wasn’t a matter of whether they could win or lose.
The Ergest Mountains were vast, full of monsters, and they were deep in its heart.
A fierce battle—whether won or lost—would leave them wounded, forcing Akan’s group into a hellish retreat.
Cain could not allow that.
“We’ll draw its attention with the golem and slowly retreat—”
Even if it was wasteful to lose a golem, it was still just equipment. Throwing one away was better. And since this was the Ergest Mountains, no one would be able to retrieve the scrap to extract its technology.
At that moment—
“Your Highness. Behind us…”
“Hah…!”
Cain let out a laugh of disbelief. In the distance, hundreds of Peul Orcs appeared. They had perfectly cut off Akan’s retreat.
It was a trap.
“Sir Dolkin.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The commander of the White Wolf Knight Order answered solemnly.
“Lead the soldiers and hold back the Peul Orcs. My sister and I, the golems, and the Blue Meteor will defeat the Behemoth—just hold out until then.”
“Once we sweep them aside, I will aid Your Highness in beheading that beast.”
“We will help as well.”
“Thank you. That strengthens us.”
Cain gave a short laugh at Granada’s words.
“We must not let the battle drag on.”
They could handle the Peul Orcs and the Behemoth somehow. But if the noise and the smell of blood drew more monsters, then true hell would begin.
Kwooooooo—
Behemoth’s roar cut off his thoughts. The creature leaped. It blotted out the sun and fell toward Akan’s forces.
“Block it!”
Gigigig—
The golems moved frantically. They braced their legs into the ground and thrust out their fists.
Kwaaaaaaang!
The golems staggered, but their combined effort halted the Behemoth’s charge. And above them—
“Demonic beast.”
“Materials.”
The Titan Chimera fell. On its shoulders sat the princess, gleaming with greed.
Kwooooooo—
Titan landed on the Behemoth’s back. With a crash, the ten-meter body lurched violently.
Titan slammed its fist down, and the golems charged from every direction.
One ten-meter Behemoth, five five-meter golems, and one Titan.
At a glance, one might think the greater numbers would win. But the terror of the Behemoth was not its size alone—its strength surpassed even that.
Gigigig—
The golems clinging to the Behemoth were flung away with grotesque noises. Its huge jaws clamped onto a golem’s arm.
Kagagagak—
Sparks flew. The only reason the golem endured was the orichalcum alloy.
Nothing more, nothing less.
---
New Terms/Characters Introduced
• 베헤모스 : Behemoth (monster)
• 프얼 오크 : Peul Orc (species)
The Behemoth hurled the golem away while still biting down on its forearm. It swung its massive body and collided head-on with the charging Titan.
Kwaaang—
Kwoooo—
The Titan screamed as it was knocked flying. Lavinia was buried in the snow.
“Sister!”
Brilliant blue aura surged relentlessly from Cain’s sword. Sharpened to its limit, it sliced toward Behemoth’s flank.
Kagagak—
A sound no one would believe came from aura meeting flesh. The recoil jolted Cain’s body. At the same time, red blood splattered.
Behemoth screamed in pain.
A golem thrust its fist into the beast’s open jaws. With a bang, its fangs trembled.
Right after, magic from the Blue Meteor Mage Corps poured down. Razor-sharp ice struck Behemoth’s hide. It couldn’t pierce the tough leather, but its massive body shuddered.
“A magnificent sight.”
Watching from afar, Berje burst into laughter.
A battle between monsters each over five meters tall—rare even in the Demon Realm. To think he would witness such a clash in the middle realm was beyond imagination.
“As expected of orichalcum…! Not even Behemoth’s teeth left a scratch!”
“It’s merely that it didn’t scratch.”
“And despite being thrown around like that, not a single malfunction! Truly, Akan’s magi-engineering is the finest on the continent!”
Mm. That needed to be ignored.
Berje’s gaze returned to the battlefield.
The moment the monstrous clash began, the Peul Orcs and the knights collided on the opposite side.
Krutu and the royal guards faced the White Wolf Knight Order. The other orcs crashed into the soldiers.
The fighting was fierce, and the orcs were disadvantaged.
Krutu was being pushed back by the White Wolf Knight Commander, and the royal guards could barely hold their ground. The same held true for the regular orcs against the soldiers.
In every aspect, the orcs were inferior.
‘As expected of Akan’s elites.’
It showed clearly how much Akan had invested in this operation.
But Berje wasn’t disappointed. He had already expected that much, and the orcs’ goal wasn’t to wipe them out.
At that moment—
Kwaaaang—
A golem hurled by Behemoth crashed into the center of the battlefield of the smallfolk. Several orcs and humans beneath it died without even screaming. The formation collapsed, and chaos erupted.
Simultaneously, Krutu and the royal guards began to sprint.
Their target: the golem artificers.
The knights rushed after them, but frost wolves hidden in the snow leapt out from every direction and pinned them down.
“No!”
The prince—Cain, was it?—spotted the orcs and screamed.
The collision that followed—
The golem artificers and the mages, who had been focused entirely on Behemoth, fell helplessly.
Still, not all the golems shut down immediately. Golems were not highly intelligent, but they possessed ego. Once given an order, they continued to follow it until a new one was issued.
Meaning, from this point on, they would fight with no retreat—until Behemoth died or they were destroyed.
And golem artificers did more than relay commands.
They supported the golems with magic, enhancing their flexibility and combat efficiency. Without them, a golem’s combat ability plummeted.
That was reflected at once.
Kwaaang—
A golem staggered. Behemoth flung aside three golems at once and rampaged.
Titan intercepted the charging beast, but its body was pushed back, leaving a long furrow in the snow.
And in that moment, Krutu sounded the horn of retreat.
The Peul Orcs withdrew in perfect coordination. Akan’s forces moved to pursue, but the Behemoth rampaging right before them took priority.
“Hold the Behemoth!”
“Knights! Protect His Highness!”
“Leave the orcs!”
The White Wolf Knight Commander, Dolkin, gnashed his teeth. He barely suppressed the urge to chase the orcs. His foremost duty was to protect Cain and Lavinia.
The knights charged toward Behemoth.
Dolkin’s sword unleashed a three-meter blade of aura. It carved a long wound across the back of the beast chewing on a golem’s head.
Kwoooo—
The horrifying scream made several soldiers collapse in fear.
‘Damn it, nothing is ever easy.’
Granada whispered sharply to the hesitant members of the Red Hawk Assault Unit.
“If you run now, you’ll be branded trash. At least fight once before preserving your lives.”
“O-of course!”
Bark hurled himself at Behemoth. Before his aura-enhanced blade could touch its hide, Behemoth’s tail smashed into him. His body vanished into the snow and did not rise again.
He probably wouldn’t get up until the battle was over.
The Red Hawk members followed after Bark.
‘…These idiots.’
Granada clicked his tongue.
The battle raged for a long time.
---
“Haa… haa…”
Cain spat out the blood that had entered his mouth.
Behemoth’s massive body collapsed with a thunderous impact. A small avalanche rolled over the exhausted Akan forces.
“Are you all right?”
A barrier from the Blue Meteor Mage Corps enveloped them. The commander approached Cain.
“...I am fine. Assess the damage.”
“Yes.”
The soldiers hurried to clean up the battlefield.
“There were some losses among the mage corps and the golem artificers due to the orc ambush, but not large. The problem is that three golems were completely destroyed and cannot be salvaged.”
“Mm.”
“The casualties among the knights and soldiers are not as high as expected, thanks to the orcs retreating.”
“That’s a relief, at least.”
He didn’t know why they had retreated, but because of that, the damage was less than expected for such a fierce battle.
“Gather the bodies of the fallen, take the Behemoth’s corpse, and prepare to move. Ah, but…”
Cain looked around.
“Where is my sister?”
Lavinia and Titan were nowhere to be seen.