From the information they extracted from the captured demon-how Marlene managed to force him to talk was anyone’s guess-they learned that he didn’t know what the slaves were being used for. His only task was to deliver them to the underground chambers of the castle.
How many demons lived in that place? Even that question went unanswered. So, while the captured demon’s information was limited, it did at least guide them to their destination this time.
The caravan of carriages rolled onto the castle grounds, the wheels crunching over the gravel path as they passed through an eerie landscape. On either side of the road, rows of weathered tombstones jutted from the earth like jagged teeth.
The distant cawing of crows echoed through the air, their black forms perched ominously on the tombstones, as if they were guardians of the dead. Every now and then, a bat would swoop low, its wings flapping silently as it darted between the trees that bordered the path,
disappearing into the shadows as quickly as it had appeared.
The atmosphere was thick with foreboding, as if the very ground they traveled on was warning them to turn back, yet the carriages pressed on, driven by a purpose that left no room for hesitation.
There was no one there to greet them! The entire place appeared unguarded, as if deliberately inviting them in. Who knew what the host had prepared for their arrival?
Subaru swallowed hard inside the carriage. “This is seriously creepy.”
“Even though you’re used to it and your guild master is a Demon, Subaru?” Broken teased.
“Yeah… but at least Paul’s a human like the rest of us outside the game. But here, we’re up against real demons! I don’t know, I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
As they reached the castle courtyard, the caravan of carriages slowed to a crawl. Despite the deliberate pace, the close proximity allowed Marlene to command her beasts to scout the castle’s interior.
From the carriage, two shadows darted swiftly across the ground, heading straight for the castle. Broken kept a watchful eye, utilizing his Hawk’s Eye skill to monitor their movement.
“Can you see through those demon beasts, Marlene?” he asked.
“Didn’t expect you to be that interested in me, huh?”
Broken merely offered a faint smile, knowing that such information was usually a closely guarded secret for someone like her. Still, he could tell by the way Marlene sat in silence, her eyes shifting ever so slightly, that she was indeed watching something unfold through those beasts.
Surely, she could see through the eyes of her demon beasts? It was an invaluable tool for scouting. The demon beasts could move unseen and with remarkable speed. With abilities like these, they could easily escape if necessary. Those two shadow wolves had undeniable potential.
“Marlene, did you find anything?” Subaru asked.
Marlene simply shook her head.
“Nope, I didn’t even find access to the underground chambers. I did, however, discover a staircase leading downwards, but it’s beyond the reach of my beasts,” she explained, clearly addressing Broken’s earlier question, despite having brushed it off before.
“Broken!”
The tense silence inside the carriage was shattered by Elowen’s voice as she peeked out the window. The others quickly followed suit, their eyes darting toward the castle.
What had seemed like a quiet, empty fortress suddenly erupted with activity. Dozens, then hundreds, perhaps even thousands of bats poured out from the castle, swarming the sky above them in a chaotic mass.
“What is that?! Huah…” Subaru exclaimed in a panic. “They’re already welcoming us!”
The bats began to dive lower, their numbers overwhelming. Some of them slammed into the carriages, shaking them violently and nearly toppling a few.
From the other carriages, shouts rang out as the rest of the crew scrambled out, drawing their weapons to fend off the onslaught of bats that were now attacking them from all sides.
Marlene was the first to leap out, quickly followed by the others. They grouped together, standing back-to-back, trying to shield their heads as the bats swooped and collided with them from every direction.
Two shadow wolves burst from the ground repeatedly, snapping at the bats, but the sheer number of them was overwhelming!
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“Marlene, your call!” Subaru shouted.
“Broken, your call!” Marlene shot back, turning the responsibility onto him.
Damn, why him?
“You’re really making this difficult for me, huh?!” he muttered under his breath.
Broken summoned the Wavebreaker Spear, revealing it for the first time in front of the others.
“Woah… the Legendary spear!” Subaru exclaimed excitedly.
“A Legendary-grade spear?” Elowen gasped, her eyes wide with surprise. “How do you even have a Legendary-grade weapon?”
“He said he has more than one, hahaha,” Subaru added, almost boasting on Broken’s behalf.
“Damn, that’s the Legendary-grade spear you crafted during that competition, right, Broken?” another chimed in, their voice filled with awe.
“I’ve been waiting to see this spear in action! Finally, we get the chance.”
“He’s our opponent outside of this, so don’t admire him too much,” Marlene said in her usual
flat tone.
“Yes, and here you are, Marlene, bringing him along and letting him get even stronger!” Subaru teased.
[Sea of Storms (Active Skill)]
Broken slammed the spear into the ground, causing dozens of magic circles to form in the sky. Moments later, a barrage of water spears rained down across the entire area, each one striking and obliterating the bats in its path. However, even after all the spears hit their targets, it wasn’t enough to clear them all.
There were only 100 spears, while the bats, though small, numbered in the hundreds- possibly even thousands.
“This is annoying. Use area skills now!” Subaru shouted.
Everyone began casting their skills, unleashing attacks in all directions. Yet, despite their efforts, the swarm of bats, though individually weak, continued to chip away at their health, relentless and seemingly endless, even after repeated assaults.
Frustrated, Broken activated his Summon Skill.
[Nature’s Herald (Active Skill)]
[Nature’s Herald has been activated. You’ve summoned the Elder Dragon Tree.]
As he did, a massive dragon made of intertwined trees and vines emerged, coiling through the
air above them.
“Woah… another summon!” Subaru exclaimed.
“Damn, the dragon is so cool!”
“I’m ready to see another summon from you, Broken, hahaha.”
“Surely, you guys know when to joke around, huh?”
The Elder Tree Dragon unleashed a powerful breath attack, its area-of-effect skill proving highly effective. The bats fell from the sky like swatted insects, disintegrating into pixels as
they hit the ground.
Despite the overwhelming destruction, there was no notification indicating that they had actually killed anything. It was clear that the bats were part of a skill cast by someone, but for a spell with such a massive impact, it must have been cast by someone incredibly powerful. The Elder Tree Dragon continued to hover in the air, sweeping its breath across the sky, gradually clearing away the swarm. As the bats were obliterated, the moonlight began to break through once more, the sky slowly clearing as the onslaught lessened. Finally, their efforts seemed to be paying off, with the number of incoming bats dwindling to a manageable
level.
But it had been a grueling challenge.
However, as some of the group glanced toward the castle, a new terror-a true nightmare- descended to greet them. Just like before, creatures with wings emerged, but this time, they were far more menacing. Massive wings spread wide on humanoid forms. They were demons, terrifying bat-winged demons, and there were not just one or two, but dozens of them!
A chill ran through everyone’s bodies as they realized the battle was about to take a much
darker turn.
“Prepare, we’ll handle this as usual,” Marlene said, her tone calm and composed.
“I don’t think there’s anything usual about this… Marlene…” Subaru replied, his voice trembling with fear.