Episode 518
A piercing whistle cut through the air as he signaled a retreat. Together with his team, he shattered the ice barricading the wall and stepped outside.
To their astonishment, not only had the temperature plummeted, but a fierce blizzard was raging around them.
Claire’s eyes widened in shock. “The weather changed so suddenly… How is this possible?”
Adnan furrowed his brow, sensing something ominous in the biting wind. It felt as if they were in the heart of the northern continent. The real problem was that the temperature kept dropping.
“If we delay any longer, we’ll freeze and be unable to move. We need to get inside quickly…”
Before Adnan could finish, he sensed something approaching from behind.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The ground trembled with a terrifying sound. Turning around, they saw new monsters emerging through the howling wind.
A guttural roar, like that of a ferocious beast, echoed around them. Adnan immediately recognized the sound.
“Ice trolls. Troublesome creatures have shown up.”
These ancient monsters were known to appear only in the remote highlands of the northern continent. Unlike regular trolls, these were covered in fur and had thick layers of fat, making them difficult to cut even with a sword.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The ice trolls emerged fully, their massive forms cutting through the storm. Adnan’s expression grew even more serious as he realized these trolls were twice the size of the ones he knew from the northern continent.
“Are they monsters from the demon realm?”
Drawing his twin swords, Adnan turned to Claire. “While Bodmir and I hold them off, Captain Claire, lead the troops and continue the long-range assault from the outer wall.”
Claire, not one to back down, readied her crossbow. “How do you plan to handle them with just the two of you? I’ll cover you!”
With determination, Claire fired a volley of arrows at the ice trolls.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Dozens of arrows struck the trolls, but their thick hides rendered the attack ineffective.
Roaring in anger, the ice trolls shook off the arrows embedded in their bodies.
Adnan, keeping the trolls at bay, shook his head. “Arrows won’t work on them. It’s better to retreat and call for reinforcements from the knights to increase our chances of survival.”
Hearing Adnan’s calm yet precise judgment, Claire nodded and led the others away. “Retreat now! We’ll support you from afar!”
As Claire and her team withdrew, Adnan and Bodmir faced the ice trolls with their swords drawn.
“These are even bigger than the ones we fought in the Ice Mountains last time,” Bodmir remarked.
“Let’s hope their size makes them slow,” Adnan replied.
The two charged forward simultaneously.
Adnan leaped into the air, swinging his twin swords to distract the lead ice troll.
The troll swung its massive ice club at him with a fierce roar.
Whoosh!
Fortunately, its speed was no different from a regular ice troll. Adnan deftly changed direction mid-air, keeping the troll’s attention on him.
Meanwhile, Bodmir slid beneath the troll, brandishing his bastard sword.
“Take this!”
With a swift strike, Bodmir severed the troll’s Achilles tendon.
Roaring in pain, the troll lost its balance and toppled over.
Crash!
But being a troll, its severed ankle would soon regenerate. Adnan knew this and quickly approached the fallen troll, driving his twin swords into its eyes.
Squelch!
To stop its regeneration, he had to destroy its brain.
The troll thrashed in agony, trying to swat Adnan with its massive hand.
Bodmir intervened, slicing off the troll’s arm.
Thud!
Taking advantage of the moment, Adnan drove his swords deeper, scrambling the troll’s brain.
The ice troll finally went limp, defeated.
“Phew…”
It took both of them working in tandem to bring down just one ice troll. But the real challenge lay ahead.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
More ice trolls began to emerge from the blizzard, an entire horde approaching.
Adnan and Bodmir readied their swords, prepared to face the oncoming threat.
Highlanders, destined to battle monsters, always fought with the knowledge that each moment could be their last.
“Let’s go.”
Just as they steeled themselves to charge at the trolls, something unexpected happened.
One of the ice trolls suddenly turned on its own kind, attacking them.
‘What’s going on?’
Adnan and Bodmir were taken aback as the trolls began fighting each other. The attacking troll’s eyes had turned a strange red, hinting at something amiss.
With a crazed roar, it continued its assault on the other trolls.
Bodmir turned to Adnan. “I don’t know what’s happening, but we should get to higher ground. Staying here will just make us their next meal.”
Adnan nodded in agreement and began climbing the outer wall.
For ordinary knights, scaling the nearly seamless wall would be impossible, but for Highlanders like them, it was a simple task.
Whoosh!
Once atop the wall, Adnan and Bodmir surveyed the scene. They spotted figures exuding an unfamiliar aura.
It was none other than Titus and Yulina of the Three-Eyed Clan.
Thanks to Zeke, they had awakened their true power, using their bloodline abilities to manipulate the ice trolls into fighting each other.
Adnan quickly grasped the nature of their power.
‘Incredible… I never knew such power existed.’
While Titus and Yulina held the trolls at bay, Bodmir and Adnan watched the unfolding battle from the wall.
Their jaws dropped in disbelief.
“Holy…”
With Hades’ barrier gone, a massive army of monsters was pouring through the gate, swarming towards the city of Mycenae.
It was like a tidal wave of monsters crashing down upon them.
Adnan recalled an ancient term used to describe such a sight.
‘Monster Wave.’
It was the perfect description for the relentless surge of monsters.
The sheer number of creatures was dizzying.
At that moment, Xeros, the leader of the mage unit, landed on the outer wall.
“Adnan! You’re safe. Thank goodness.”
Xeros, who had been casting spells from the watchtower, looked exhausted.
He glanced at Bodmir and Adnan, then spoke.
“The number of monsters is beyond imagination.”
Adnan hadn’t seen such a vast number since the beast horde that attacked the Forgotten Forest. Back then, they had the help of the Storyteller and high-table members like Nigel, which allowed them to hold their ground.
Even with well-trained soldiers, it was impossible for ordinary humans to fend off such a massive force of monsters.
Adnan clenched his teeth, searching for a solution.
‘We have to hold out until Sir Zeke arrives.’
In the Forgotten Forest, it was Zeke’s power that had turned the tide against the beasts. Though the numbers were greater now, Adnan held a faint hope that Zeke could once again save them.
‘The problem is that the monster wave is coming from all four directions.’
Even with their experience, Adnan and Bodmir couldn’t defend all sides at once.
As Adnan pondered their predicament, a rumble echoed through the sky.
Boom!
A massive bolt of lightning struck from the dark clouds gathering over the northern gate, obliterating the monsters approaching from that direction.
Adnan was stunned.
“Is it Sir Zeke?”
Xeros shook his head. “No, it’s Lady Arina holding the line there.”
Arina, the most powerful mage on Zeke’s side, was fiercely defending the northern gate.
Boom!
A powerful gust erupted from the eastern gate.
Duke, having regained his strength as the Black Knight, was using his wind magic to blow away the monsters attacking from the east. Those that managed to break through were swiftly cut down by the Black Legion in their enhanced suits.
At the western gate, Hades used his magic to hinder the monsters’ movements, while Yellin led the Ishtar and Salmak assassins to deal with those that climbed the walls.
‘Impressive.’
The city’s garrison boasted an extraordinary combat force, surpassing that of many kingdoms.
Xeros, surveying the scene, turned to the awestruck Bodmir and Adnan.
“The real issue is the southern gate. While the terrain is advantageous for defense, it’s the most vulnerable in terms of fortifications.”
Adnan looked at Xeros. “How many troops do we have left?”
“The Barbarian troops and the Three-Eyed Clan are on standby below,” Zeroth reported.
Though both the Barbarians and the Three-Eyed Clan possessed formidable strength, only Zeke could truly command them, so they had been kept in reserve for the time being.
Adnan’s eyes gleamed at Zeroth’s words. “Can the Three-Eyed Clan disrupt the monsters like those two?”
“Yes, while those two are the strongest, the rest of the clan can also wield their power.”
Adnan’s mind began to form a plan. “Good. Zeroth, when I give the signal, instruct the Three-Eyed Clan to create a diversion among the monsters.”
Zeroth was taken aback. “Are you planning to go down there yourself?”
Adnan nodded. “I noticed earlier that the terrain near the south gate is uneven, with plenty of cover. If we don’t confront them head-on, we can handle them.”
Bodmir nodded in agreement and stood beside Adnan, who continued, “Lead me to the Barbarian leader. I know a bit of their language, so I’ll try to negotiate cooperation.”
‘This place…’
Zeke surveyed the cavern with sunken eyes. In the dim center stood a massive pillar, exuding an ominous aura.
He had sensed something before entering, indicating it had a purpose, but with the destruction of the alternate world, the pillar seemed to have lost its magical supply and lay dormant.
Still, Zeke remained cautious, approaching the pillar warily. ‘If Abel is hidden, it would be here.’
Just then—
Sssshhh—
A tentacle shot out from the darkness toward Zeke.
Whoosh—
A shadowy blade sliced through the air, severing the tentacle before it could reach him.
Sizzle—
Acidic liquid dripped from the tentacle’s severed end, and it fell limply to the ground.
‘Is this its last gasp?’
Zeke used shadows to clear the fallen tentacle and moved closer to the base of the pillar.
Beneath it, organic material formed a nest-like structure, pulsating weakly as if its life force was fading with the chaos entity’s disappearance.
As Zeke approached, a few tentacles rose, but the shadowy blades swiftly cut them down, just as before.
Drawing nearer, he examined the grotesque nest and noticed something surprising—a sharp object had sliced through it.
‘What is this…?’
The cuts were from the outside, not the inside, suggesting someone had entered from outside and tampered with the nest.
‘Could it be Narak?’
Zeke manipulated the shadows to pry open the nest’s walls and stepped inside.
The interior, composed of organic matter, resembled the insides of a massive creature, filled with grotesque flesh and tentacles.
Zeke searched for signs of an intruder and soon discovered something within.
A stone sarcophagus lay ensnared by tentacles.
‘Is that it?’
Abel Draker had suffered a fatal wound from the god-slaying stone Zeke had thrown. Chaos had attempted to heal Abel with its power, intending to hand him over to Narak.
The sarcophagus was likely the site of that healing.
Zeke extended shadows to inspect the sarcophagus.
Sssshhh—
Shadowy blades severed the tentacles and organic matter connecting to the sarcophagus, bringing it before Zeke.
He reached out, eyes fixed on the sarcophagus. ‘Abel, let’s end our cursed connection here.’
Rrrrrr—
Zeke’s shadowy force pried open the tightly sealed sarcophagus.
Crash—
With a loud noise, the sarcophagus opened.
Zeke, gripping Ascalon, remained on guard, peering inside.
But contrary to his expectations, nothing happened. Instead, something fell limply to the ground from within.
Thud!
With a loud thud, a lifeless man’s body collapsed to the floor.
‘What is this?’
Zeke used shadows to turn over the fallen body.
He immediately recognized the corpse.
It was none other than Abel Draker.