Chapter 90

Chapter 90 - Time of Purification (4)

An evil army reaching hundreds surges in. Most are human-sized demon Wights.

"Shoot!"

At Eugene's command, the sound of taut bowstrings twanging rang out all at once.

Brilliantly shining silver arrows rush toward the wave of evil.

The sound of tearing flesh heard immediately after was not the 'Thwack!' sound typically made when an arrow pierces flesh.

Puhwaaak!

The silver arrows containing the power of purification chewed up flesh while evaporating the Wights' skin.

Chiiiiik!

The silver, which had become poison, made the rotting corpses even more withered and dried up.

A Wight hit by an arrow in the shin had its bone rapidly corrode and snap.

"Kkireuk-!"

Befitting an undead, it crawled with both arms even after losing a leg, but an arrow lodged in its forehead.

Tremble tremble.

The hand reaching toward the lined-up shields trembled for 2 seconds.

Crackle!

Its head exploded grandly and it collapsed on the spot. White steam of purification rose from the head that became like a hollowed-out watermelon.

Demon Wights that received the baptism of silver arrows fell everywhere spewing steam.

Ureureureu.

Stepping on those corpses, more Wights charge in.

Thwack thwack thwack!

Thump!

Those bastards also fall hit by silver arrows, and new bastards charge in stepping on those corpses.

Repeating that several times, the monsters finally reached within 10m of the square formation.

"Now!"

"Thrust!"

What greeted the monstrosities were dozens of silver-plated pikes.

Puck!

Monsters pierced through their faces, necks, chests, and bellies tumbled over.

The sound of flesh being pierced was heard innumerably, and the smell of burning flesh vibrated.

That smoke was sucked strictly into the ventilation shafts.

Kuuung!

Like a person rejoicing over a cigarette tasted after a thousand years, the castle vibrated with joy.

"Kkoreureureuk-!"

A demon Wight whose heart burst from a pike spewed blood bubbles and went berserk.

Chiii.

Hwareureureuk!

Spearheads are several times wider than arrowheads. Because that much more silver burned the impure flesh, they even caught fire altogether.

Becoming a ball of fire with even its lungs cooked, the Wight continuously screamed a silent outcry before dropping limp.

Sshwik!

Shwiik!

Even though arrows passed a handspan above their heads, the heavy infantry didn't even blink an eye and focused on the enemies right right before them.

Since they didn't fear even enemies that crawled up from hell, they had no reason to fear their allies.

Tribal warriors riding on scaling ladders modified from carriages projected firepower without interference even from behind the square formation.

"Kkieeeeek-!"

Finally, monsters that broke through even the silver arrows and pikes delivered body tackles to the shield wall.

However, spikes a handspan long heavily protruded on the surfaces of the shields.

Due to cost issues, they couldn't coat silver all the way there, but it was enough to neutralize the monsters.

Thwack!

Thwaack!

The monsters, which practically committed suicide, spurted blood from large holes and were knocked away.

"Keuwooooong-!"

The Ghoul grew enraged at the sight of the Wights falling like autumn leaves before they could chew even a piece of flesh.

The bastard let out a roar imbued with evil magic, but it shattered to pieces like waves crashing against rocks.

The warriors felt the Ghoul's breath passing their cheeks. It was just a disgusting stench, not something terrifying at all.

"Watch out above!"

Black, blurry forms of evil spirits flew cutting through the air.

Not only that, there were also dozens of beast-type monsters running on all fours along the ceiling and walls.

"If they drop from above, the square formation will collapse! Deal with those bastards first!"

At Eugene's command, the bowstrings fed with silver arrows unanimously aimed at the ceiling.

Pajik!

Pachuchut!

An evil spirit penetrated by a silver arrow bounced sparks in the air before disassembling and evaporating.

Thwack!

Thump!

Similarly, the corpses of shot-down beast-type monsters fell down.

However, because they maneuvered highly three-dimensionally, the tribal warriors also had to give it their all.

"Keuwoooo-!"

With the frontal arrow attacks gone, the Ghoul that had been watching for an opportunity charged in.

It is an existence born from the corpses of demons. It was larger and more powerful than the individual they encountered on the way to take up the post in Northfork.

What blocked its front were 2 iron ultra-large shields in the center of the square formation. Attached even with wheels, it had already surpassed the realm of a shield.

"It's coming!"

"Drop the anchors!"

At the mercenary captain's order, the shield bearers kicked the fixing devices with their feet. The wheels lifted and the anchors struck the ground, firmly fixing them.

A moment later, the Ghoul's body tackle came in.

Kwaaaang!

With a roar ringing out, the anchors fixed to the ground sparked.

However, the shield bearers withstood it. The mercenary captain's thought that it seemed capable of blocking even a Troll was no exaggeration.

"Geureureung-!"

"Heup."

A mercenary who saw the Ghoul's burning eyes right in front of him groaned but didn't take a single step back.

Moved by his subordinates' courage, Eugene swung the flail. The bunch of silver-plated maces dangling at the end of it raised a brutal sound of tearing air.

Kkwang!

2 maces hit the chest, and 1 hit the side of the face.

Chwaaak!

The flesh covering the Ghoul's cheek evaporated, revealing broken teeth, jawbone, and a crushed cheekbone entirely.

"■■■■-!"

The Ghoul howled in the language of hell and suffered in pain.

"Kill it!"

At Rex's shout as arrows aimed at itself from all directions, the Ghoul raised its arm to protect its face.

Kuwadeuk!

However, the flail that came flying again smashed the forearm and cleared it away, and silver arrows lodged into the exposed face.

"Uwaaaa!"

When the dead Ghoul collapsed, a hot roar burst out.

Taking over that, Marbas, who had completed his spell, reached out his hand.

"Corpses being used for the living is the law of the world! Ye the dead! If you cannot become sustenance, become a wall that protects the living!"

With the Ghoul at the center, dozens of Wight corpses responded to the magic.

Lumps of dead flesh simultaneously burst and clumped into one mass. A barricade born from weaving bones and meat was erected there.

Thump!

Monsters bumped their bodies against the barricade, but it didn't budge. Biting, scratching, and smashing were useless as flesh and bone reattached, making frontal breakthrough impossible.

Having no choice, they had to go around the side of the barricade or struggle to climb over it.

"Excellent, Sir Marbas!"

Pikes and arrows concentrated on the corresponding path and swept away the monsters much more easily.

"Keureureureung-!"

At that time, a second Ghoul appeared.

It was a massive entity nearly 5m tall. It seemed the demon corpses that became wombs were mid-to-large sized species.

"Oh my God!"

"Monster!"

Even the mercenaries overflowing with fighting spirit turned pale at that overwhelming majesty.

The Ghoul is holding a giant axe that seemed to have been used by demons. The handle is the bones of the dead, and the blade is otherworldly metal refined from the lava of hell.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Every time the bastard ran, the sound of the floor trembling echoed in the hall.

Kwaaaang!

The barricade of bone and flesh that had blocked countless Wights collapsed in a single body tackle.

"Hold on somehow!"

"Damn it!"

"The allowance is triple, but the risk isn't just triple, is it?!"

At the mercenary captain's order, the central shield bearers holding the ultra-large shields spat out curses.

But no one retreated. Because no one else other than themselves could do this role here.

Those who would have run away saying 'This isn't work for a mercenary' just a year ago held their ground with military discipline rivaling knights.

The giant axe struck the ultra-large shield.

Kkaaaang!

A tremendous spark flew, and the fixed anchors broke.

As if counterattacking, the flail Eugene swung forcefully struck the arm of the Ghoul holding the axe.

Chunks of flesh and blood burst out, but befitting its weight class, the Ghoul endured the hit.

Kwak!

Moreover, it even grabbed the bunch of maces of the flail with its other hand.

Chiiiiik!

It is a large grip seemingly capable of grasping 10 human heads. Amidst its palm being burned by silver, it was able to endure temporarily.

"Let go!"

But even this large Ghoul couldn't match Eugene in a test of strength.

"■■■?!"

As the Ghoul itself was draggingly pulled instead by the physical strength of Eugene who jumped off his horse, it was flustered.

"Is, is that human strength?"

"Which one is the mons..."

"Shut up! You retard! Do you want to be whipped?!"

They knew their employer was an existence possessing tremendous divine strength, but to think it was to this extent.

While the Dwarves and Dark Elves were astonished, only the human heavy infantry who had followed since Bonyard remained calm.

Because they had watched him sink ships with javelins and single-handedly drive a battering ram to grind down the castle gate and infantry lines.

"Keureureu-."

The Ghoul is famous for being cunning even among monsters. Even in a flustering situation, the bastard made the best judgment.

Buuuung!

It struck down the chain connecting the iron rod and the mace bunch with its axe.

Jwadeuk!

When the chain snapped, the Ghoul threw the bunch of maces backwards and delivered a kick to the tiresome central shield wall.

Kwaaaang!

Since the anchors were already broken, they had no trick to endure it.

"Uwaaak!"

"Aak!"

The central shield bearers screamed in pain as they flew away.

The only ultra-large shield that could stand against it disappeared.

Ordinary shield bearers and pikemen were exposed, and into that crack, monsters wormed their way in.

"Keureuk-."

The Ghoul didn't attack immediately but kept wary of Eugene. It picked up the ultra-large shield it knocked down and threw it at Eugene.

'Damn it!'

Dodging it was easy, but then the troops behind him would get ground down.

Eugene snatched a shield from a nearby shield bearer and received the throw.

Kwang!

Hastily blocking it and unable to secure his posture, Eugene flew backward from the impact.

"Knight!"

As the soldiers hurriedly ran to support him, the mercenary captain roared.

"U-formation!"

In this situation, blindly holding out is a stupid act.

"Just do as trained!"

The shield bearers abandoned the breached area and stepped back.

The shield wall was reconstructed from a linear formation to a U-shape, surrounding the monsters that had burrowed inside.

The places the shields couldn't fill in time were taken over by the Hammer Brotherhood to buy time.

"Heuryaat!"

With Centurion Rampage at the forefront, the Dwarf warriors swung their two-handed hammers and beat the monsters to death.

"Retreat!"

Glancing around even while fighting, Rampage immediately took his subordinates and stepped back as soon as the shield wall was rebuilt.

The monsters chased after them as if they couldn't miss them, but shields and pikes greeted the bastards anew.

"Keuwoooo-!"

The large Ghoul grabbed a few Wights in front of itself and threw them over the square formation.

"Kkieeek-!"

The Wights, without even blinking at the sudden situation, immediately coveted the surrounding flesh and attacked.

"Uwak!"

Not expecting the shield wall to be bypassed in this manner, confusion momentarily arose.

Kwajik!

However, Dwarf warriors immediately ran over and turned the Wights into pulp.

Being short and having a low center of gravity, they were extremely adept at concluding this kind of confusion.

"Knight! Are you alright?"

"No problem, so step aside!"

Eugene, taking a pike instead of a flail, shook off his subordinates and ran toward the Ghoul.

However, there was distance from the Ghoul, and the giant axe was already soaring high in the sky.

"Uwaaa."

Hind charged forward in front of the shield bearers who intuitively felt death.

The gaze of the Ghoul, about to sweep away the mercenaries, shifted to the knight right before its nose.

'We must maintain the battle line even for 1 second longer. The best sword must be swung purely for attack to win.'

Hind also knew well it wasn't a monster he could defeat.

However, he intended to draw the attention focused on the shield wall to himself and buy time for Eugene to attack.

Buuuung!

Hind barely dodged the horizontally slashing axe blade by diving face down.

Spat!

He slashed the shin as it was. The silver sword penetrated the thick hide and sliced off a portion of the shin bone.

The enraged Ghoul swung its axe again to crush Hind. However, the mercenaries didn't just watch.

"Shove him roughly!"

"Save the Knight!"

4 pikes surging from below pierced the Ghoul's muscular arms from all directions and fixed them in place.

Hududuk!

Dark red blood dripped down continuously onto Hind's face. Blocked by the united pikes and pain, the Ghoul's axe could not come down.

Spat!

Hind slashed the shin he had previously slashed once more, cutting it halfway.

Puck!

Immediately after, he was struck by a large palm and knocked away.

"■■■!"

The Ghoul poured the curses of hell upon the knight who made it lame. It felt its anger would only be dispelled if it trampled him down directly and ended him.

At that moment, two Dwarf warriors, who had stealthily circumvented to the Ghoul's back utilizing their low stature, reversed their grip on their axes.

They swung down with all their might using the pointed pickaxe part.

Kwajik!

One pierced through the Ghoul's instep and fixed it to the ground.

Kuwadeuk!

One tore apart the ankle and severed the Achilles tendon.

"Kyaaaaaa-!"

As the scream full of pain echoed, Rampage ran from the front and swung his warhammer.

The shin Hind had sliced in half was smashed to pieces, and the Ghoul collapsed.

"Shoot!"

Dozens of silver arrows poured into the face of the Ghoul kneeling with one arm and two legs disabled.

The Ghoul covered its face with its one remaining hand to protect it, but only up to there.

"Well done!"

Arrows might be one thing, but Eugene charging holding pikes in both hands couldn't be blocked by merely a palm.

Peueuk!

The pike penetrating the hand and the Ghoul's jaw pierced out even through the bastard's skull cap.

The massive 5m body swayed momentarily before falling sideways.

Kuuuung!

The warriors, feeling the vibration through the soles of their feet, felt maddening excitement. They stomped their feet with the momentum of clashing weapons and shields and causing an earthquake.

'Fortunately, he's alive.'

Hind had a pale face, but he was capable of standing up on his own. Valda, who was waiting in the rear with the medics, urgently took him away and nursed him.

"Spear!"

"Here it is, Knight!"

A pikeman immediately threw a pike to Eugene.

Eugene, standing atop the giant Ghoul corpse, held a pike in each hand and executed a dual-spear technique.

"Kkieeeeek-!"

The monsters charging aiming at him were all beaten by the Dwarves' hammers and rolled away.

"Where do you dare aim?"

"If you want your heads smashed, come at us!"

Centered around the commander, the Dwarf warriors constructed a living fortress. Finding it too low, they didn't even dare jump over it.

The evil spirits and beast-type demons pouncing from above were successively pierced and slashed by spears midair and shot down.

Jureureureuk.

Overflowing blood spread in all directions of the hall.

Even though hundreds of monsters died, not a single blood puddle formed in this wide space.

Even places where blood couldn't help but pool due to angles were sucked out into the walls as if drawn by an unknown power.

'Is the castle eating?'

The death and blood absorbed by the Moving Castle became its nourishment, and a part of that was transmitted to Eugene.

He didn't feel tired despite engaging in a fierce battle. Vitality born from boiling evil was continuously poured into his muscles and lungs.

If it were an ordinary person, they would have been tainted by madness, but Eugene's soul simply consumed the power.

* * *

Flop!

When the last monster collapsed, silence resided momentarily in the hall.

Thereafter, waves came in ranging from a few to dozens.

All of them collapsed becoming hedgehogs before the pikes and arrows far outnumbering their own headcount.

The cycle of new monsters appearing became 1 to 2 minutes, then 5 minutes, 10 minutes, and 20 minutes.

Finally, not a single one appeared even as an hour approached.

'We won.'

That single phrase pierced through the minds of all warriors, but everyone maintained formation in silence.

The back of the commander standing atop the massive Ghoul corpse holding spears and only looking straight ahead. No one even breathed a word while watching that.

"..."

Hwirireek.

Thud.

Eugene's spears spun half a circle and stuck into the Ghoul's corpse. Like planting a flag on a conquered hilltop.

Eugene turned around and surveyed the warriors' faces.

"Everyone has worked hard."

That low voice contained encouragement, not fighting spirit.

"Uwaaaaaa!"

Only then did the cheers of victory they had held back burst out.