Chapter 415
Chapter 415: Not Yet Able to Close It (1)
Kururung!
A strong surge of magic erupted, shaking even the surroundings of the building.
The knights hesitated and stepped back. The power of the mana was hard to endure, but there was also a growing sense of unease rising from deep within their hearts.
“W-what is this?”
“What kind of magic is this…?”
“Let’s retreat for now.”
The knights spread out, surrounding the building, while still glancing nervously around.
“You guys… why aren’t you running away?”
The state of the people nearby was strange. Just as Lucas had said to Ghislaine, the people looked as if something was off.
In such bizarre circumstances, it was normal to be terrified and flee. Yet everyone just stared blankly at the crumbling building.
Ghislaine glanced back and spoke.
“They’re already taken. They’ll mutate soon, so kill them all.”
Crack! Snap! Snap!
Zzzzzt!
Before Ghislaine’s words even ended, the people began to mutate. Once they revealed their forms, they lunged at the knights.
“Ugh! I knew it would be like this!”
Bam!
Lucas shouted loudly, swinging his spear and decapitating one of the mutants.
The other knights reacted similarly. As long as they were cautious of the acidic poison spraying from the blood, handling the mutants wouldn’t be difficult.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
In an instant, dozens of mutants were killed. And just then, the rift finally revealed itself.
Kururung!
The building couldn’t withstand the magic pouring out from below and completely collapsed. A grotesque mutant with the pretty name “Sera” burst under the debris.
Crackle!
Above the fallen wreckage, suddenly the air cracked open, and bright light poured out. It was as if the very fabric of space was tearing.
“W-wow… what is that…”
The knights stared at it in fascination, dazed.
To see nothingness cracking open like that was something they had never witnessed before.
Crackle! Snap!
The ‘rift’, as its name suggested, spread cracks around it, resembling shattering glass.
From within the gap, one could even feel a sacred aura. This was in stark contrast to the ominous feelings they had sensed earlier, leaving everyone bewildered.
The cracks in the air continued to widen, like shards of glass breaking apart.
Inside, a dark purple light filled the space. The knights watching it held their breath.
“W-what is that…”
“What’s inside?”
“Is it a monster?”
At some point, a gaze like that of a devil’s eye was staring back at them.
Grurrr…
From behind the eye, the faint cries of a beast could be heard. It felt like something was eager for the space to open, something that wanted to escape this place.
And then, tiny particles of light began to slip out through the opening, scattering everywhere.
“Everyone, get rid of those!”
Ghislaine shouted. The particles could only be eliminated by those who could handle mana.
Even in their dazed state, the knights moved according to Ghislaine’s command.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The particles burst easily. The problem was that there were so many, but eliminating them wasn’t too difficult.
The knights asked while destroying the particles.
“What are these?”
“Mutants.”
“Huh?”
“If they get inside people, they turn into mutants. So don’t let any slip away and take them all out.”
“Eww! Gross!”
Fearing that even one might escape, the knights raised their mana with great effort to eliminate the particles.
Although those who could handle mana wouldn’t mutate easily, it was still unsettling.
With Ghislaine’s skills, he could have occupied the space and detonated all the particles at once, but he only emitted his aura blade and quietly gathered his strength.
Meanwhile, something enormous became visible beyond the ever-widening rift.
Tatadadadada!
The sound of people rushing from behind could be heard. It was the market leading the soldiers coming here.
“Count Penris! What on earth is going on! Why are you causing this in someone else’s territory?”
The market was extremely angry. No matter how prominent a high-ranking noble might be, causing a scene in someone else’s territory crossed a major line.
Ghislaine glanced back at the market and asked.
“Have you evacuated the surrounding people?”
“Tell me what’s happening first!”
“I asked if you evacuated them.”
“I-I profit…”
The market gritted his teeth, glaring at Ghislaine before shouting.
“The Count doesn’t have that kind of authority! I am the mayor of this city!”
“Didn’t Marquis Branford send an official document stating to cooperate unconditionally regarding the rift?”
“Still, there are procedures! I must inform my lord and officially relay the situation to the Crown Prince Faction…”
“You fool.”
“What did you say?”
Ghislaine spoke to Gordon, who had followed the market.
“Gordon.”
“Yes!”
“Immediately subdue the market and lead the soldiers to evacuate the surrounding people.”
“Understood!”
Bam!
“Kurgh!”
Gordon kicked the market’s shin, forcing him to kneel right away.
Then, with his sword against the market’s neck, Gordon growled.
“Lead the soldiers and evacuate the surrounding people! Now!”
The market’s guard knights were at a loss for what to do. But once Gordon’s sword dug a little deeper, causing blood to flow, he quickly gestured to the soldiers.
“Quickly, evacuate the people around here!”
The soldiers moved to evacuate those who had been watching from a distance.
Now, only Ghislaine, the Penris knights, the mayor, and some of the city’s forces remained near the rift.
The market continued to glare at Ghislaine, asking.
“What on earth are you doing!”
“Securing the door.”
“Huh?”
“Everyone, spread out even more!”
At Ghislaine’s sudden shout, the knights retreated. The market and his troops were also dragged back in confusion.
The opening of the rift had widened enough for a gigantic monster to emerge. However, the eye that was there at first had disappeared, leaving only the purple darkness behind.
Everyone stared at Ghislaine and the rift, completely unaware of what was happening.
Ghislaine gripped his sword with both hands, slowly raising it as if to cleave something.
His sword continued to burn brightly.
Everyone present, unsure of the reason, held their breath under the weighty atmosphere.
Just then, something leaped out from the rift.
Bam!
As if waiting, Ghislaine swung his sword toward it.
Kwaaaang!
A bright light instantly spread around.
Once the light faded, the knights tightened their grips on their weapons upon seeing what was in front of Ghislaine with tense expressions.
“W-what is that…”
What sprinted out of the gate was a colossal monster.
It grounded its four powerful legs firmly on the ground, its gray body clad in shining golden armor.
It sported several blue horns on its head, and its thick tail stretched long, tapering toward the end.
Sharp spikes protruded from various places along the tail. Its claws and teeth looked equally sharp.
From its gaping mouth, endless clouds of blue smoke billowed out, spreading into the surroundings.
The awe and momentum stemming from its grandeur could easily be described as a beast from myth.
Ghislaine glared at the monster and spoke.
“Equidema.”
The scholars from his past life dubbed it the “Harbinger of Doom,” giving it the ancient name of the “Beast of Plague.”
It was the first to emerge whenever the rift opened, causing devastation around.
Kwaaaang!
Equidema let out a powerful roar as soon as it emerged, seeming displeased with Ghislaine for attacking it. Although its body bore deep wounds, it seemed to be fine. If anything, it appeared even angrier.
At that roar, the knights all took a step back. They trembled involuntarily.
With one roar, everyone felt their bodies tingle and experienced a primal fear that froze their souls.
“W-what an insane… roar…”
“What is that? How can it still be alive after taking an attack from the lord?”
“Is it something like a dragon?”
While the Penris knights were scared, they still managed to speak. They were such fools that they couldn’t lose their bravado even when frightened.
But the soldiers who had followed the market simply dropped their weapons and sat down. Some even wet themselves in fear.
Seeing the flustered people, Ghislaine clicked his tongue and stomped his foot.
Kwaaaang!
“Get a hold of yourselves!”
Equidema’s roar had effects similar to Dragon Fear. That was why everyone’s bodies had turned rigid with terror.
When the knights finally regained their senses and tightly gripped their weapons, something else burst out of the rift once more.
Kaahhh!
“W-what now!”
The ultimate drama king, Lucas, shouted with wide eyes. Strange monsters were jumping out, dozens of them.
They resembled humans but had gray bodies, long arms, and red eyes. There was no hair on them, and they possessed sharp, long teeth and claws. Their abdomens were so sunken that their ribs were clearly visible.
They looked like grotesque versions of humans. In Ghislaine’s previous life, these monsters were called “Cracked Beings.”
Ghislaine shouted once more.
“‘Cracked Beings’! Don’t let them spread! I’ll handle the monster!”
Kaahhh!
The relatively smaller Cracked Beings spread out in all directions. Naturally, they had to collide with the surrounding knights.
“Ugh, damn it! I can’t take this!”
“These disgusting bastards!”
“Kill them all!”
The knights unleashed a burst of mana. The deep-seated rejection they felt rose to the surface, fueling their strength from the very start.
Kwaaaang! Kwaang!
Kaahhh!
The Cracked Beings were extremely agile, and their attacks were sharp. While they didn’t use mana, their physical prowess was on par with junior knights.
They drooled as they indiscriminately attacked anyone who appeared in front of them.
The soldiers of the city, who were still unable to muster a proper defense, were swiftly torn apart in the chaos, even despite Ghislaine’s warnings.
“Uaaaah!”
Cries of the soldiers echoed from all directions. The Cracked Beings began to gnaw at the soldiers’ flesh.
Seeing this scene, the market trembled and stepped back, shouting.
“Help, help! Assist Count Penris!”
The market’s cries rallied the city’s knights and soldiers into battle. What had started as dozens of Cracked Beings soon swelled to hundreds.
Faced with the fear of their own lives, the city’s knights and soldiers swung their weapons wildly.
Kwaaaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Kaahhh!
“Uaaaaah!”
Screams rang out from every corner. Thankfully, the Penris knights erupted with all their strength, preventing the Cracked Beings from escaping this location.
Even amid this chaos, Ghislaine and Equidema continued to stare each other down.
Grurrr…
Equidema took slow sideways steps, sizing up Ghislaine. It was wary of the human who had inflicted wounds upon it.
Ghislaine also smiled, watching Equidema’s movements.
“It’s been a while.”
Of course, he never believed that the creature would understand his words.
It was most likely that this wasn’t the exact monster he had slain in his previous life, as this creature appeared each time the rift opened.
But he had anticipated seeing this being again for a long time.
It was inevitable.
“This time will be different from the last.”
When Ghislaine first confronted this monster, the world was already racing toward destruction.
None had been prepared for the rift, not even anticipated it.
But now, it was different.
He had prepared many things against the Age of Turmoil. Plus, thanks to Raviere, he had been able to eliminate far more rifts than in his past life.
Others began to prepare for the Salvation Society’s schemes as well; while not completely satisfactory, at least the lords gathered their armies with some vigilance.
Thus, things would change. They had to change.
“This time, I will erase all of you from this world.”
Fwoosh!
Ghislaine’s eyes glowed red. At the same time, crimson energy began wrapping around his body.
The aura blade of his sword rose high, glowing with a blood-red light.
Grurrr…
Equidema, who had been glaring at Ghislaine, lowered its body. Its beastly muscles swelled as if they would burst.
It realized that the opponent right in front of it was not to be taken lightly.
Ghislaine and Equidema slowly began to move, maintaining their fierce gaze on one another. They concentrated on being ready to strike at the slightest opening.
And just as the blue smoke emanating from Equidema briefly obscured their vision…
Woooosh!
Ghislaine and Equidema launched themselves toward each other.
Kwaaaang!
