Chapter 299 - 299. Battle for the Fortress and Combat in the Hall
When my hand touched the castle gate, I felt the surrounding space warp. In that instant, the gate before me vanished, and I realized I was inside.
"Looks like it was a dungeon after all..."
Maira gripped her battleaxe and scanned the surroundings. The sight before us was nothing like the ruins we had seen from outside. Within the high walls, a magnificent building with several spires stood before us. Unlike the drab, gray appearance from afar, it was freshly coated in white plaster, looking newly built.
"Could this be what the fortress looked like back then?"
"Probably," I replied to her. She leaned closer, staring at me intensely.
"W-What is it?"
Did she want me to kiss her? But then I noticed Fam, Mizuki, and Marmie staring at me as well, and I flinched. Mizuki’s hand reached out and touched my forehead.
"Mash, you’ve got a fever..."
Her worried eyes made me realize I was actually feeling unwell. The lightheadedness suddenly became intense—this wasn’t from the goddess’s summoning but from being genuinely sick. But there was nothing I could do here.
"...I’m just old, is all. Must be from all the hiking."
Marmie, who had been watching me with concern, muttered.
"I’m young! And I don’t wanna hear it from someone who’s the most tired!"
"...I’m young, so I recover quickly."
She puffed up triumphantly.
"Gnnnuu..."
Just as I was about to tackle her in a joke, Maira smoothly wedged herself between us.
"That’s enough. Mash, we’ve established that the fortress is a dungeon. Since the Crimson Brigade mercenaries were able to escape from here, there should be an exit even if we don’t defeat the Area Guardian. For now, let’s exit and regroup."
"Yeah," I agreed. As I nodded, Fam’s dog ears twitched.
"Master, I hear someone crying."
Everyone perked up at her words, listening closely. The sound came from inside the building in front of us. It sounded like both a wail and a scream.
"Mercenaries…?"
"Maybe someone captured by the Crimson Brigade," Marmie offered.
"Looks like we have no choice but to go inside and confirm."
A check of the windows revealed it was a four-story building. The spires rising above it looked about two stories tall. Fam started walking toward the door. I followed her, but then Nephie seized my arm.
"Mash is running a fever, and the party’s exhausted. We should retreat for now."
"But..."
Before I could finish, the door slammed shut behind us.
"Mash, watch out!"
Mizuki’s voice rang out. As I looked up, a black shadow plummeted toward me. A short knife gleamed in its hand, reflecting the dim light.
"Tch!"
Metal clashed as we exchanged blows. I parried the attack and tried to counter, but the monster spread its wings and took flight. I looked up to see countless creatures flapping wildly in the air.
"Small goblins... and bat wings?"
"Those are imps," Nephie muttered. Then she pointed to the old woman at the front. She was still crying with bloodshot eyes and began to wail again, her voice piercing the air.
"And that is a banshee."
"Isn’t she a human?"
Nephie gave me a wry smile. "Does she look human to you, Mash?"
"How should I know what races exist in this world?"
She smirked and turned her attention to the banshee. A black stain spread on the floor around her, and from it, skeletal soldiers rose like emerging from a churning swamp. Behind me, Fam, Mizuki, and Maira stood guard over Marmie, weapons ready. I drew my katana and stood beside Nephie. More than five imps swarmed around us, while the banshee was surrounded by four skeletal soldiers. Their numbers were too great, so I hoped Nephie would provide magical support.
"Can’t we do something about that crying?"
I wanted to dash forward and silence her with a single slash, but the skeletal soldiers formed a shield wall, making it difficult to break through.
"That crying is said to foretell the death of someone nearby."
"Really? Then we have no choice but to kill her and fulfill the prophecy."
Nephie snorted.
"Speaking of which, I heard a certain legend that’s perfect for you, Mash."
"What is it?"
"Apparently, if you suckle from her breasts, she’ll grant your wish."
"...Then I’ll suckle from your breasts and make you grant my wish."
Marmie held her wand high. A tiny spark raced along its tip the instant a blinding flash of light erupted toward the ceiling. A thunderous roar, coupled with the banshee’s ear-splitting wail, filled the air. Several imps caught directly in the blast plummeted to the ground lifelessly, and Mizuki, fluidly, cut them down one after another. Beside me, Fam gracefully lowered herself, launching a vacuum blade towards the dancing imps.
"Kikuichimonji!"
The attack accurately sliced through an imp’s wings. As it fell, Fam delivered the finishing blow. Maira stood defiantly against the monsters that tried to target Marmie, expertly countering them. She had switched from her mace to a battleaxe, but her mastery of centrifugal force hadn’t diminished—her attacks were only more intense.
Maira glanced at me and nodded slightly, signaling that she and the others could handle the monsters in the air. I turned my attention back to the banshee and her skeletal guards. The monsters weren’t attacking, but the banshee’s piercing cries continued to disrupt our nerves.
I struck at the banshee, but the front skeletal soldiers blocked my path. The banshee’s mouth opened widest of all.
"The shockwave!"
Nephie thrust out her staff in a ready stance. A stone arrow the size of a fist formed at the tip, forged from earth magic, and was launched at high speed. The two collided in the middle of the hall, shattering into powder.
Amid the smoke, Nephie charged forward. She slipped through the gaps between the skeletal soldiers and thrust her staff toward the banshee. However, she recoiled just enough to maintain distance, preventing the attack from landing.
"No good. Not enough reach...!"
"Actually, that’s more than enough."
Her thrust halted right in front of the banshee’s face. Another stone arrow was already forming at the tip of her staff.
"Take this!"
The arrow, launched from point-blank range, struck the banshee’s forehead, sending it crashing backward onto the floor.
Late, the skeletal soldiers’ swords came down on Nephie.
"Nephie!"
I crashed into one of the skeletal soldiers’ shields, disrupting their stance, while intercepting the other skeletal soldier's sword on her behalf.
"This undead brute’s got some weight behind its blows..."
My sluggish movements made me slow to react to the attack. That’s why I got hit by the brute force of its swing. As I stumbled, another skeletal soldier’s kick hit me. I braced myself, but yet another sword of skeletal soldier mercilessly came down upon me.
I barely dodged the attack by recoiling, and then swept with my katana in a leg sweep.
With a dull sensation of breaking something hard, the skeletal soldier collapsed into pieces. Before I could even register this, another skeletal soldier closed the distance and swung its sword. Combined with the attack of another skeletal soldier, a series of intense sword clashes began.
The skeletal soldiers’ sword pressure was heavier than I’d imagined, and their attacks grew relentless as they pressed me two-on-one. Gradually, I tired, forced more and more into a defensive position.
Even as I fought them, Nephie didn’t ignore the skeletal soldiers at all, but instead pressed on forward. She weaved between the skeletal soldiers’ attacks protecting the banshee, and then delivered a follow-up attack on the fallen banshee. The banshee gasped, opening its mouth wide.
"End this."
Before another shockwave could be unleashed, Nephie thrust her staff mercilessly into its maw.
The instant it pierced the banshee’s head, its body shook violently. The stone arrow shattered against the floor. As the banshee dissipated into a shower of sparkling particles, the skeletal soldiers she had summoned also crumbled and vanished in an instant.
Turning around, I saw Mizuki finish the last imp off.
Breathing heavily, I let out a sigh.
"Looks like we finished them off."
I sheathed my katana. I felt that retreating was the right option, but Marmie frowned.
"What’s wrong, Moo?"
"...The door won’t open."
Thinking she couldn’t handle it, I tried, but the door was stubbornly shut and showed no signs of opening. I checked if I could escape through the side window, but it was jammed and wouldn’t break even after I struck the handle against it.
"Those enemies were too weak to be Area Guardians. We’ve been lured in."
Maira gestured to the door at the far end of the hall. The previously closed inner door was now open.
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