kscans

Chapter 299 - The Battle for the Fortress and the Battle in the Great Hall

The moment my hand touched the castle gate, I felt the space around me warp. In that instant, the gate before me vanished, and I realized I was now inside it.

"So it really did turn into a dungeon..." Myra said, gripping her battle-axe and scanning our surroundings.

The scene before us was completely different from the ruin we had seen from the outside. Within the high walls, a magnificent building with several spires soared before us. It wasn't the dull, mouse-gray color we'd seen from a distance, but was coated in white plaster, looking as pristine as if it had just been built.

"Is this what the fortress used to look like...?"

"Probably," I answered Myra. She leaned in close, staring at me.

"Wh-what is it?" For a second, I thought she wanted a kiss, but then I realized it wasn't just her; Famu, Mizuki, and Marmi were all staring at me too, and I faltered.

Mizuki reached out and placed her hand on my forehead.

"Mash, you have a fever, don't you..."

Being looked at with such worried eyes, I became aware that I was sick, and suddenly my body felt sluggish and my head began to ache. I realized that this light-headed feeling wasn't from using Goddess Summon, but simply from being unwell. But there was nothing I could do about it in a place like this.

"...He's an old man now, so the mountain climbing must have worn him out," Marmi muttered from beside Mizuki.

"I'm young! And I don't want to hear that from you, Mo! You were the most exhausted one of all!"

"...I'm young. I recover quickly." She sniffed as if in triumph.

"Grrr..." I was about to grab her for some mischief when Myra smoothly slipped between us and stopped me.

"That's enough. Mash, we've confirmed the fortress is a dungeon. Since the Crimson Brigade mercenaries were able to escape, we should be able to find an exit without defeating the Area Guardian. For now, let's go back outside and regroup."

"You're right." Just as I was about to nod, Famu's dog ears twitched.

"Master, I can hear someone crying."

At her words, we all listened intently. It was coming from inside the building in front of us. It sounded like a woman's wail, somewhere between a scream and a shriek.

"A mercenary...?"

"It could be someone captured by the Crimson Brigade."

"Which means the only way to find out is to go inside." I checked the windows; it looked to be four stories tall. The spires extending from it seemed to add another two stories in height.

Famu started walking towards the door. I began to follow her, but Nephi grabbed my arm.

"Mash has a fever. The party is exhausted. We should turn back."

"But..." I couldn't deny the possibility that the crying person was from Famu's village. I had to check. Famu, who had already started walking, stopped and turned around.

"I'll go check on the situation. Master, you look for an exit."

"No. All six of us, together."

My body felt light and unsteady. But I couldn't let Famu go alone. I passed Famu and placed my hand on the building's door.

The door was heavy, creaking open with a groan. We entered a large, hall-like space. The ceiling was high, open to the second floor. It was a simple room, devoid of decoration. Torches fixed to the walls were lit, but they were too faint to fill the space, leaving it feeling dim. In the center of the room, a single woman was crouched down. From her small frame, I thought she was either a young girl, smaller than Marmi, or an old woman, but since she had her back to us and was looking down, I couldn't be sure. Her long hair was unkempt and messy. A green garment peeked out from under a gray cloak. Her sobbing cries echoed throughout the space. Why was she crying in the middle of an empty hall? The creepiness of the situation outweighed any urge to call out to her.

Famu, who I thought would be the first to rush over, seemed to feel the same way I did. Her initial bravery had vanished. She stared at the center of the room, then looked back at me, troubled. Mizuki and Myra were the same. They were the types to run to someone's aid first, but since they weren't moving either, I had no choice but to start walking toward the woman.

"Hey, what are you crying about?" I called out cautiously. The crying stopped abruptly. A silence so profound it felt like a membrane had formed over my ears enveloped us.

The figure slowly stood up and turned to face us.

Her red, bloodshot eyes, which showed she'd been crying her heart out, took up half of her face. She had no nose, and long fangs grew from her mouth. I thought she looked like a grasshopper or a mantis, but I couldn't even guess what race she belonged to. Her skin was wrinkled and seemed stretched taut over her bones. Her chest was exposed, and her withered breasts hung limply.

"Were you assaulted by someone...?"

As I was about to speak, Nephi passed me and stepped forward. She took a large step and jabbed the old woman with her staff. The old woman went flying backward like a rag doll.

"Heyyyyyyy!" I couldn't help but shout at Nephi. Just then, the building's doors slammed shut.

"Mash, watch out above!" Mizuki's voice rang out. As I looked up, a black shadow shot straight down toward me. A dagger was clutched in its hand, its blade flashing.

"Kuh!" The sharp metallic sound of a fierce clash echoed. I had instinctively drawn my sword and blocked the strike with my blade. I tried to counterattack, but the monster spread its wings and soared back into the air.

Looking up, I saw countless monsters flapping about chaotically.

"Small goblins... with bat wings...?"

"Those are Imps," Nephi muttered. She then pointed to the old woman standing before us. Her eyes were still bloodshot as she let out another wail, a sound so loud it could shatter eardrums.

"And that's a Banshee."

"She's not human?" She relaxed her stance and looked at me with wide eyes.

"Does that look human to you, Mash?"

"Well, I don't know what kind of races exist in this world."

She gave a faint smile and turned her gaze back to the Banshee. A black, stain-like blotch spread across the floor around her, and from within it, Skeleton Soldiers crawled out. I glanced behind me to see Famu, Mizuki, and Myra with their weapons drawn, protectively surrounding Marmi. I drew my sword and stood beside Nephi. More than five Imps were flying wildly, and four skeletons had appeared, encircling the Banshee. With so many enemies, I thought it best for Nephi to provide magical support.

"Can't we do something about that crying...?" I wanted to charge in and silence her with a single slash, but the skeletons guarding her stood firm with their shields up. Breaking through them wouldn't be easy.

"They say that wail prophesizes that someone is about to die."

"Is that so? In that case, we'd better kill her to make the prophecy come true."

Nephi snorted at my words.

"Speaking of which, there's another legend that's perfect for you, Mash."

"What is it?"

"They say if you suckle on those breasts, your wishes will be granted."

"...In that case, I'll just suckle on yours and have you grant my wishes."

Marmi swung her wand. A small spark flashed at its tip, and in the next moment, a brilliant flash of light shot toward the ceiling. A deafening roar of thunder drowned out the Banshee's ear-splitting wail. At the same time, several Imps that took a direct hit fell as if their puppet strings had been cut. Mizuki, waiting on the ground, cut them down one after another with fluid sword strikes. Beside her, Famu gracefully dropped low and unleashed a vacuum wave at an Imp that had dodged the lightning.

"Kikuichimonji!" The attack precisely sliced through the Imp's wing. As it lost balance and fell, Famu delivered the finishing blow. Myra stood in the way of any monsters trying to target Marmi. Though she had switched from a mace to a battle-axe, her centrifugal strikes had lost none of their power; if anything, they were sharper than ever.

Myra glanced my way and gave a small nod. I judged that I could leave the flying monsters to them and turned my attention back to the Banshee and its skeleton guards. The monsters showed no sign of attacking us. However, the ear-splitting wail continued to grate on our nerves. I tried to attack the Banshee, but was blocked by the frontline of Skeleton Soldiers.

The Banshee's mouth opened exceptionally wide. In that moment, a cannonball-like shockwave was fired.

"Here it comes!" Nephi thrust her staff forward as if to catch the projectile. An arrowhead the size of a fist, created with Earth Magic, formed at its tip and was launched at high speed. The two collided in the center of the hall, shattering into pieces with a loud explosion. As smoke enveloped the area, Nephi charged forward. She slipped through a gap in the Skeleton Soldiers and thrust her staff at the Banshee. But the Banshee smoothly retreated, creating distance, and the tip of the staff fell short.

"Damn, not enough reach...!"

"No, this is enough." Her thrust stopped dead right in front of the Banshee. A new arrowhead had already formed at the tip of her staff.

"Take this!" The arrowhead, fired from point-blank range, struck the Banshee's forehead, and the monster was sent flying backward, collapsing to the floor. The skeletons' swords were a moment too late as they swung at Nephi.

"Nephi!" I shoulder-charged one of the Skeleton Soldier's shields, throwing it off balance, and took the other skeleton's sword strike in Nephi's place.

"Damn, this thing hits hard for a skeleton...!" My movements were sluggish, and my reaction was slow, so I took the full force of the blow. As I staggered, a skeleton's kick landed, and as I struggled to keep my balance, another skeleton's sword swung down mercilessly. I dodged the blow by leaning back, then slid in and swung my sword to sweep its legs. With the dull sound of something hard breaking, the skeleton collapsed with a clatter. Before I could even confirm it, another skeleton closed in and swung its sword down. At the same time, another one joined the attack, and a fierce exchange of blows began. The skeletons' sword pressure was heavier than I'd imagined, and being pressed by two at once reduced my offensive options. I was gradually overpowered and forced onto the defensive.

But all the while, Nephi completely ignored the skeletons and pushed forward. Slipping past a blow from a skeleton guarding the Banshee, she followed up on the fallen monster. The Banshee let out an ear-splitting scream and opened its mouth wide.

"It's over." Before it could unleash another shockwave, Nephi unhesitatingly thrust her staff into its open mouth. In that instant, the Banshee's body convulsed violently. The arrowhead pierced through the monster's head, struck the floor, and shattered. As the Banshee dissolved into particles of light, the Skeleton Soldiers it had summoned crumbled into sand and vanished.

I turned to see Mizuki delivering the final blow to the last Imp. I watched the scene and took a deep, ragged breath.

"Managed to clean that up, huh..." I sheathed my sword. I was thinking it would be best to head back for now when I noticed Marmi frowning.

"What's wrong, Mo?"

"...The door won't open." Thinking she just wasn't strong enough, I tried it myself, but the door was shut tight and showed no sign of opening. I thought we could get out through the side windows, but they were sealed shut and wouldn't break even when I struck them with my hilt.

"That enemy was too weak to be an Area Guardian. It seems we've been lured in," Myra said, pointing to a door at the back of the building. The door at the far end, which should have been closed, was now open.