Chapter 22: Must I Spare the Enemy? (4)
It was once called Dorman, the safest city among the northwestern ports.
But now, its fame was overshadowed as it was engulfed in thick smoke.
“Strange. It’s as if the smoke is enveloping the entire city.”
It hadn’t been long since the city had come into view.
Gerard, who had been staring intently at the rising smoke, spoke up.
“It’s certainly not normal.”
As Gerard said, the black smoke meticulously covered the skies above Dorman in a hemispherical shape.
Artier, watching the scene, quietly put a finger to his ear.
[Communication is impossible for an unknown reason.]
It seemed that it was not simple smoke, but some kind of power that made communication impossible.
‘Could the magic we set up when we were in the aqueduct still be in effect?’
He thought so at first, but soon shook his head.
It would be difficult to avoid people’s notice if a spell that greatly damaged the command structure was suddenly cast over the entire city.
After a moment of thought, Artier was able to form a hypothesis.
“It might not be the Magica Mercenary Corps’ magic.”
“What?”
“Are you saying those monster bastards are using magic now?”
“It’s not impossible, is it? There are many magical beasts that use magic.”
There were several reasons.
First, there was no reason for humans to voluntarily use communication jamming. It would be different in the future, but the possibility of humans at this point worrying about Hellmorph eavesdropping was low.
Besides, it went without saying how much of a help magical communication, which allowed for immediate command issuance on the battlefield, was.
“But this is on a different level!”
Collie was so surprised that his Shape Shift had partially come undone, and dog ears were poking out from between his cap.
“If they can wield that much mana in magic, in human terms, that’s the level of a Grand Magus. And if that’s true, there will be nothing we can do here.”
Grand Magus referred to the high-ranking mages, of which there were only four in the Empire.
They were the most famous figures, ranked among the strongest in <Cross Destiny>, and were treated as beings on par with gods by most NPCs.
“There won’t be a Grand Magus-level one among them.”
Artier shook his head.
Not only were there no intermediate or higher-level individuals in the Hellmorph formation, but a Grand Magus-level would have to be at least level 100.
A Hellmorph with that level of ability would absolutely not appear at this point due to game balance.
“They’re probably pooling their power to cast the spell.”
“That wouldn’t be impossible.”
“In any case, the situation is not good.”
Gerard, having grasped the situation, muttered while glaring at the fog.
“The soldiers participating in this defensive battle are mercenaries, not soldiers. If the command structure disappears, they are bound to be shaken even more.”
“Then let’s prioritize dispelling that magic.”
The way to dispel magic was simple.
It was to remove one of the three elements of magic: the caster, the mana, and the formula.
“If we attack the individuals casting that magic, the spell will be dispelled.”
“Good. Let’s find them.”
“No need to search.”
Bow, who was watching the situation from a tree, stretched out his arm and pointed somewhere.
There, ten butterfly-like Hellmorphs were gathered, continuously waving their antennae towards the city.
“Doesn’t that look suspicious?”
“Indeed.”
For them to display such behavior outside the barrier without entering the city was certainly suspicious.
As Artier lowered his posture and moved forward, everyone followed him.
“Bow, you take five. I’ll take the other five.”
Swish!
The creatures, who were only looking forward, began to scatter in all directions with strange cries only after the torso of one of them was sliced in half.
“Don’t let a single one get away!”
Bow shouted as he began to slaughter the Hellmorphs in an instant.
For Bow, who was capable of ranged attacks, flying aerial monsters were a welcome sight.
“Kuk!”
On the contrary, Artier, who had confidently launched a surprise attack, was flustered by the unexpected situation.
It was because the Hellmorph bastards were all focused on escaping without even attempting to counterattack.
‘Since the opponent isn’t attacking, I can’t do anything either? Was there a problem like this?’
Perhaps it was because he had only met formidable monsters so far.
Artier had not thought about a situation like this at all.
“Stop right there, you things!”
Roar!
Jeina let out a thunderous lion’s roar to apply a slow, but in the end, two of them escaped Artier’s grasp and soared high into the sky.
“Prua Cargo!”
I had no idea how they could speak with the body of an insect, but they said so and waved their antennae, beginning to fire ominous-looking silver mana arrows.
“Dodge!”
Artier flawlessly parried the incoming arrows with his sword.
But the next part was the problem. No matter how much he swung his sword, he couldn’t reach the Hellmorphs floating in the air.
‘Annoying…’
This was a matter of matchups.
An inevitable powerlessness that one had no choice but to face.
“They’re quick……. Hard to hit.”
It was no different for Gerard. Gerard scowled as he watched the Hellmorph dodge his mana bullets.
“Then how about this!”
Gerard, closing his book with a snap and extending his hand, swatted at the empty air as if catching an insect.
He had used Telekinesis.
Pow!
Then, surprisingly, one of the Hellmorphs in front of him took the impact and plummeted to the ground.
“Nice one, Gerard!”
Artier did not miss the food served on his table.
As Gerard swung his arm once more, Artier was able to take care of all the flying Hellmorphs.
“That was a good method.”
“I’ve always been annoyed by flying things too.”
Woooong…….
As the ten Hellmorphs disappeared, the sphere over the city became slightly blurred.
Artier tried to communicate with anticipation, but only static could be heard.
“It seems this won’t be enough. Bow, can you find any others?”
“I don’t think we need to look.”
“Pardon?”
Bow pointed his finger somewhere.
Far away, up in the sky, something was flapping its wings and flying towards Artier.
“Looks like they’re properly pissed off.”
“Or they haven’t grasped the situation.”
Artier smirked and lightly rolled his wrist.
“Collie, can you pull them down to the ground like Gerard did?”
“That’s an easy task. I can handle up to three at the same time, sir.”
“Jeina, please step back.”
“Tch… fine.”
“Bow and Gerard, please do as before.”
“Understood.”
A short while later, a mountain of monster corpses was piled up near Artier.
Was it because they were flying monsters specialized in magic? Their defense and health were weaker than paper.
“They’re the weakest of all the monsters I’ve seen so far. What kind of creatures are these?”
Bow muttered, kicking their bodies.
“They weren’t meant for combat in the first place. Just being able to cast this massive spell gives them great value.”
“Then that’s a bit hopeful. It means not all monsters can tear people apart.”
Gerard sliced open their corpses with his sword.
Inside them, there was nothing that could be called what is commonly known as organs.
They were just filled with white flesh and muscle, like a sausage, and the bones to support them.
“……They have no organs at all, does that mean these things don’t eat?”
“Are they dolls?”
“No, look at this blood and twitching muscle. This thing was alive just a moment ago.”
“Ew! Gross!”
Jeina, disgusted, gently pushed away a nearby Hellmorph.
“It has a mouth but no organs, and blood flows but it has no separate blood vessels. It’s like it was left unfinished……. This is not harmonious.”
Collie showed an emotion close to contempt.
To a druid who loved the harmony of nature and life, the body of a Hellmorph seemed to induce an unbearable sense of disgust.
“Do the comms work, Gerard?”
“Not yet. It seems these weren’t all of them.”
Gerard took his hand from his ear and shook his head.
“We’ve caught all the ones outside, so they must be inside the barrier.”
“We have no choice. Let’s head inside.”
Before entering the barrier, Artier had the party members stop and reminded them of the plan once more.
“We don’t know what other effects there might be besides the comms being down, so everyone be careful not to get separated. Jeina, as I said, please rest until I ask you to do what I requested.”
“Sigh… okay.”
“Collie, Gerard. The mana inside might be contaminated. Please conserve your mana as much as possible until it’s confirmed.”
“Understood.”
“And Bow, please find the monster with the appearance I described as quickly as possible. Got it?”
“You want me to find a white thing that looks like a mix between a spider and a human, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Alright. I’ll find it somehow. But how will I contact you? In this state, I can’t contact you even if I find it.”
“Take this.”
Artier handed a scroll to Bow.
It was the last remaining Fire Burst scroll.
“I believe you can find my tracks, Bow. But if you think it’s dangerous, fire that scroll into the air. I’ll get there as fast as I can.”
“Hah, using intermediate magic as a mere signal flare? I’m getting spoiled.”
Bow muttered sarcastically, but quickly took the scroll.
The way he carefully placed it in his bosom suggested he secretly wanted to try using it.
“Alright. Let’s go in then.”
Artier was the first to extend his hand towards the barrier.
With the feeling of passing through sticky jelly and a change in the air, the burning city came into clear view.
[Magic Circle: You have entered the Time of Hell.]
[All communication with the outside of the magic circle is blocked.]
[The stats of all living creatures except Hell Soldiers are decreased by 5%.]
Artier felt his whole body become sticky with sweat, as if he had been under the scorching midsummer sun.
5% wasn’t a high number, but the problem was that this magic circle was spread across the entire city.
“What kind of magic is this?”
“My body feels heavy.”
“I’m sure I washed?”
“Ugh……”
While the party members who entered together were all giving their impressions, Bow cursed and clutched his nose under his mask.
“Contaminated mana is spread everywhere. It must be the effect of that magic circle.”
“That’s right. At this rate, even using magic is dangerous. If you inhale too much contaminated mana, you could get sick.”
Collie also said, looking around anxiously.
Is anyone there?!
Just then, an urgent voice echoed in everyone’s ears.
This is the shopping district crossroads! Please help! They’re all over the place!
“Shopping district crossroads?”
“It’s close from here. Just a short walk.”
“Let’s go. They seem to be in a hurry. And Bow, please do as I asked.”
“Got it, see you later.”
Artier immediately started running while sending a communication.
We’re on our way. Just wait a little longer.