Episode 346: The Haxen Family (2)
Dorgo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“Brings back memories.”
Strictly speaking, they weren’t memories of the past. The events Dorgo was recalling were from a distant future.
“I once ordered Damian Haxen to attack this kingdom. I wanted to see him destroy his own family with his own hands.”
There wasn’t any grand reason behind it.
Dorgo had lived for nearly a thousand years. To endure such a long time, a little spice was necessary.
The sight of Damian’s face at the moment of death, and the anguished expressions of his family, provided quite the stimulating spice.
“Well, you’ve done much better this time around. That insignificant house has turned into a grand castle.”
Dorgo looked down at Spring Castle and commented.
“Sita, have you located Damian Haxen’s family?”
”…”
“Sita?”
Dorgo turned to Sita, who responded with a stiff expression.
“Yes, Mother. They’re on the second and fourth floors of Spring Castle.”
“All gathered in one place, are they? That makes things easier.”
Dorgo’s eyes gleamed with a cruel anticipation, as if he couldn’t wait for what was about to unfold.
“Mother, let me handle it. I’ll bring Damian Haxen’s family to their knees before you.”
“No, let me do it! I want to!”
Epsilon and Iota eagerly volunteered, vying for Dorgo’s favor.
Though they had once been beheaded by Damian, they had been repaired by Dorgo just before arriving here.
Thanks to her, their severed heads were now neatly reattached.
“No, I want to handle this personally.”
With that, Dorgo turned his palm downward. The ground trembled, and skeletons began to rise.
These weren’t ordinary skeletons. Their bones were as black as pitch.
The aura they emitted withered the grass and trees around them, indicating they were no ordinary undead.
Normally, skeletons of this power could only be summoned from a battlefield littered with corpses.
But for Dorgo, that was irrelevant. He could summon even more powerful undead if he wished.
“Go and capture Damian Haxen’s family. The rest can be disposed of.”
At Dorgo’s command, the skeletons let out a cheer.
The dead preying on the living was a natural order.
With greedy eyes, the skeletons surged toward Spring Castle.
A black tide surrounded the castle.
The castle was under siege.
Veronica bit her lip.
Though she couldn’t see them past the castle walls, she could feel the undead closing in from all sides.
Escaping was impossible. That left only one option.
“Hey, are you there? Come out already.”
“Veronica? What are you talking about…?”
-I was just about to.
“Ahh!”
Lady Haxen shrieked and stepped back.
A stocky figure had appeared between them.
“A… a dwarf?”
Lady Haxen stared at the dwarf in disbelief.
She had never seen one before, but their distinctive appearance made them unmistakable.
-I’ll escort the lady. But be warned, they can use dimensional gates. They might catch up to our escape route. So…
The dwarf trailed off, and Veronica quickly caught on to what he was implying.
“I’ll hold them off. You just focus on the lady. If she gets even a scratch, I won’t let it slide.”
-Don’t worry. I’ll protect her with my life.
Veronica approached Lady Haxen, who looked at her with trembling eyes.
“Veronica, what on earth is going on?”
“Mother, please don’t ask anything right now.”
There was no time to explain. Veronica spoke earnestly.
“Just follow his lead. The others are probably being guided by dwarves too.”
The dwarves were scattered throughout the estate, ready to assist the family in an emergency.
“Alright, I’ll do as you say. But you must stay safe too.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m stronger than I look.”
Veronica smiled reassuringly.
Lady Haxen left the estate with the dwarf.
Veronica watched the door until Lady Haxen was out of sight.
-Are you done with your goodbyes?
Dominico’s voice came from behind her. He had appeared silently at her back.
-Let’s move. They’re breaking through the walls.
“Got it.”
Veronica picked up the twin swords leaning against the wall.
Crafted by the dwarves, they were made specifically for her.
Even with such formidable weapons in hand, she couldn’t shake her unease.
“Where the hell is Damian in all this?”
Trying to mask her fear, Veronica grumbled in a forced cheerful tone.
“The skeletons are coming!”
The soldiers guarding the walls shouted in panic.
There were fewer than fifty soldiers defending Spring Castle.
In contrast, the number of skeletons swarming toward them seemed to easily exceed thousands.
It wasn’t just their numbers. The ominous aura and overwhelming presence of the skeletons were beyond anything the soldiers could handle.
Gripping their weapons, the soldiers trembled.
“D-damn it! Everyone, ready your bows!”
“Don’t let them through!”
A few soldiers, managing to keep their wits, fired arrows at the skeletons.
But a few arrows couldn’t stop the advancing horde.
“They’re breaking down the gate!”
The skeletons surrounding Spring Castle began pounding on the walls and gate with their weapons.
The castle shook as if struck by an earthquake. The soldiers clung to the walls, screaming.
“Ahhh!”
“It’s collapsing!”
The gate was the first to give way.
With a feeble crack, it shattered. The skeletons howled as they poured inside.
The soldiers’ faces turned pale. The fear of death paralyzed their minds.
Then, just as the skeletons were about to breach the gate, an iron door slammed down.
The weight of the door crushed the skeletons beneath it. The ones behind were taken aback by the sudden appearance of the gate.
-Kieeek?
-Kreeeek?
The skeletons tried to break through the iron door. But no matter how hard they pounded, the door didn’t budge.
“What… what is this?”
“W-was there a second gate?”
The soldiers were just as bewildered. They stared at the unexpected iron door in confusion.
Then, the entire wall began to glow red. A shockwave erupted.
The shockwave obliterated the skeletons, scattering their black bones across the ground.
The soldiers watched in stunned silence.
-Hahahahaha!
Suddenly, laughter rang out. The soldiers looked up in surprise.
Dwarves had appeared among them.
-How about that! The secret of our Bissalhammer clan!
-We call it the Boom Boom Wall!
-Captain Kilo… can’t we change that name?
The soldiers, still dazed, looked at the boisterous dwarves.
“Who… who are you?”
-Us? We’re your allies!
“A-allies?”
-That’s right! The count’s eldest son asked for our help.
Kilo, the leader of the dwarves, laughed heartily.
-But this isn’t the time to be laughing.
Kilo looked up at Dorgo with a serious expression.
Being undead, he could sense it. The being floating in the sky was an unimaginable monster.
It felt like being an ant facing a human.
Kilo clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to suppress his intense anxiety.
He wanted to run.
But he couldn’t. A dwarf always kept their promises. Especially those made to a benefactor.
And Kilo had promised Damian Haxen. He would protect his family.
-Guys!
Kilo shouted, suppressing his fear.
-The day has come to use the weapons we crafted to our hearts’ content!
-Yes, Captain!
His subordinates shouted back.
They were just as scared. But like Kilo, they refused to flee.
-Good! Activate the devices! Show them the full might of our Bissalhammer clan…
At that moment, the monster in the sky raised a finger.
A small orb appeared above it. It seemed insignificant, but Kilo could feel it.
Even a volcano beneath the earth paled in comparison to the power contained in that orb.
-D-defend… no, run… run!
The tiny orb shot toward Kilo.
In the next instant, the gate and walls were obliterated.
“Dwarves, huh? You’ve got some interesting allies.”
Dorgo murmured as he looked down at the shattered Spring Castle.
“Impressive trick, but it won’t stop me.”
Dorgo descended with the four demon lords, stepping over the debris as they entered.
He could have flown over the walls, but he wanted to walk in on his own two feet. That was the victor’s privilege.
As they stepped inside, the sight of fallen soldiers greeted them. Among them were dwarves, too.
“Ugh…”
“Argh…”
Though they were undead and couldn’t truly die, they seemed to have taken quite a hit.
Dorgo paid no mind to the dwarves. They weren’t even worth finishing off.
“Come forth.”
At Dorgo’s command, skeletons materialized once more. He pointed towards the castle and spoke.
“Go and capture the family of Damian Haxen.”
The skeletons, following Dorgo’s orders, charged towards the inner fortress.
And then it happened.
A slash from nowhere cleaved through the skeletons, reducing them to pieces.
“Huh?”
Dorgo looked on in confusion at those who had destroyed his skeletons.
A knight clad in black armor and a woman in light attire stood there, swords drawn.
“How dare you trespass in our lord’s castle.”
“These skeleton bastards are tougher than they look.”
Dorgo’s eyes gleamed with interest as he observed the pair. They weren’t ordinary swordsmen. They were master-class warriors.
“Hey! You there! I don’t know where you crawled out from, but don’t move a muscle! I’m going to separate your bones from your flesh!”
The woman, Veronica, shouted at Dorgo, pointing her sword at him. Despite sensing his aura, she showed no fear, which amused Dorgo.
“You’ve brought some fierce guard dogs to protect your home.”
He had expected Damian Haxen to have some defenses in place for his family, but he hadn’t anticipated two master-class warriors.
“Let’s see what you’re made of.”
Dorgo commanded his skeletons. Hundreds of them rushed at the two warriors.
But they never reached them. Suddenly, weapons erupted from the ground.
“Huh?”
White skeletons emerged, each wielding weapons imbued with aura.
“Dozens of mid-class skeletons?”
It was too soon to be surprised.
The shadows of the black skeletons wavered, and dozens of wolves sprang forth, tearing the black skeletons apart and merging into a single entity.
From the rooftop, a figure leaped down—a girl with an androgynous appearance who incinerated the skeletons with ease.
“Whoa!”
“Yip!”
The wolves and Mia stood before Dominico and Veronica.
“Well, this is unexpected…”
Dorgo looked at the undead with a face of astonishment.
Two master-class warriors, and two undead of comparable strength.
And dozens of mid-class skeletons.
Even among the great evils of Pandemonium, none boasted such power.
“For someone who claims to hate me, you’ve certainly made good use of dark magic.”
Dorgo twisted his lips into a smirk.
“Mother! Let me handle this! I’ll destroy them all!”
“Stay put.”
Dorgo dismissed Iota’s plea with a single word and stepped forward.
“Damian Haxen’s efforts are commendable, but I won’t be held back by such pests.”
Dorgo reached out towards the undead army.
“What is he doing now?”
Veronica remarked, looking at him as if he were a fool.
Dorgo twisted his lips at her mockery.
They had no idea.
That the very space around them had turned into blades aimed at their hearts.
“Pests should be swept away in one go.”
Dorgo clenched his outstretched hand.
Invisible fangs tore the undead army to shreds.