Chapter 324 – You Can Do It. (3)
[Later, we discovered that the Grexes had formed an unbelievably massive kingdom deep underground. Queen Grex laid dozens, even hundreds of eggs daily. The creatures born from those eggs devoured underground monsters and beasts, and when food ran scarce, they even turned on each other to survive. But we didn’t know that then.]
Boom!
The blood of the Grexes sprayed everywhere like a storm. Ghislain spared no effort in cutting them down.
“Just a little further! Keep pushing!” he shouted.
At some point, the area became completely packed with Grexes. The creatures clung to Ghislain and his party, desperate to save their queen.
“Kiieeeek!”
Queen Grex shrieked incessantly, her cries echoing through the forest. Kaor, visibly irritated, shouted, “Can’t someone shut that thing up?”
“It’s pointless. She’s not calling them with her voice.”
In his previous life, even the knights of the Ducal family had tried to silence Queen Grex. However, the Grexes had swarmed regardless of her cries.
This indicated there was another way the Grexes were being summoned, but the Ducal family hadn’t uncovered that secret.
After all, the abilities of monsters were often bizarre and beyond comprehension.
Belinda urgently proposed another idea. “Why don’t we just kill her? Toss her corpse to those things and use our forces to systematically wipe out the ones already here!”
Ghislain shook his head grimly. “That won’t work either. It’ll lead to something far worse.”
[The Grexes swarming us were beyond what we could handle. Our camp was overrun in an instant, and many soldiers perished. Even skilled knights and magicians couldn’t hold their ground against such overwhelming numbers. In the end, we decided to retreat and, in an effort to stop their advance, killed the Queen Grex.]
Boom! Boom!
Each swing of Ghislain’s sword obliterated dozens of Grexes.
Yet, their numbers showed no sign of diminishing. Belinda, unable to hide her frustration, asked again, “Why not? What happens if we kill her?”
“Ferdium will fall.”
[Killing the Queen Grex was the worst mistake we have made. The Grexes went berserk after losing their queen. It was as if they were determined to hunt down the humans who had slain her. Their sheer numbers were staggering. It felt like every single Grex living underground had surfaced. The resulting tide of Grexes annihilated everything in their path.]
Belinda froze for a moment, stunned by his words. Fighting in the Forest of Beasts, she couldn’t comprehend how this could affect Ferdium.
“What are you talking about? What does Ferdium have to do with this?”
“They’ll spill out into the world.”
[The Grexes eventually left the Forest of Beasts. Their first target was Ferdium, the closest settlement to the forest. The city was ravaged, countless people died, and its infrastructure was destroyed. Yet the Grexes didn’t stop. They scattered, wreaking havoc everywhere.]
Ghislain clenched his teeth and shouted again, “We have to reach the fortress! We need to trap Queen Grex there and hold them off! That’s the only way to keep them attacking the fortress instead of spreading elsewhere!”
[Unprepared, we couldn’t stop them. Eventually, Duke Harold Desmond led the Northern Army into action. Commander Kaipiler, who had been stationed at the northern fortress facing off against the savages, joined forces with Baron Arel Hydune and his garrison to finally subdue the Grexes.]
Spurred by Ghislain’s shout, the party pushed through the swarm of Grexes. Though they wanted to press him for more answers, there was no time, too many creatures were closing in.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Kiieeek!”
Everyone used their mana without restraint. The number of Grexes chasing them now exceeded thousands, and more kept emerging from somewhere, rushing straight at the party.
If they were encircled even for a moment, they’d be torn apart instantly.
This was Grex territory. Monsters instinctively avoided this place, knowing it was under the Grexes’ domain.
“Ahhh! Damn it! I’m getting caught again!” Gordon, who had been holding the rear, screamed. The sheer number of Grexes surrounding him was slowing him down, leaving him at risk of being left behind.
He had a deep trauma from being captured by monsters in the past. Desperately, he swung his sword with all his might, but there were too many Grexes.
Even the knights fighting alongside him were struggling to keep up.
Slash!
“Guh!”
The Grexes began clinging to the knights’ armor, one after another.
Though they tried to shake them off while running, more kept latching on. If this continued, they’d be swallowed by the swarm.
Assessing the situation, Ghislain shouted, “Belinda! Kaor! Keep clearing the path! I’ll take the rear!”
“Young Master!”
Belinda gasped in shock, but Ghislain paid no mind and immediately moved to the rear.
Boom!
The Grexes clinging to the knights were sent flying by Ghislain’s sword strikes. Only then did the knights catch their breath and charge forward.
Alfoi, bouncing against Belinda’s side as she carried him, began calculating.
‘The Lord is covering the rear. Kaor is breaking through the front. So, we need to run faster.’
He didn’t have much mana left. A large portion of it had been spent entertaining Queen Grex earlier.
Now that they were on the verge of escaping, Alfoi, who had allowed himself to relax in Belinda’s arms, felt a renewed sense of urgency.
‘If we get caught, I’m dead.’
With that thought, he squeezed out every last drop of his remaining mana. Though his mana reserves hadn’t grown much due to focusing solely on laborious tasks, his mana control had improved drastically compared to before.
Buzz―!
A resonance of mana spread in all directions. Alfoi, using every ounce of strength he had, cast a spell that lightened and sped up everyone’s bodies.
“What the!”
“What’s this? Magic?”
“Nice! We’ve gotten faster!”
The sudden lightness startled everyone. This would make escaping much easier.
There was no other mage here except Alfoi, so it was clear this was his doing. Casting a spell on so many people at once required immense focus and precision in mana control.
That someone like Alfoi had managed to pull it off? Truly, this guy always managed to deliver when things were desperate.
But Belinda, who carried Alfoi at her side, shot him a sharp glare.
She was skilled enough to feel the mana flow spreading out from Alfoi. And so, she realized one key detail.
One person had been excluded from the effects of the spell.
“You… deliberately left the Young Lord out, didn’t you?”
Alfoi’s magic hadn’t reached Ghislain, who was holding back the Grexes at the very rear.
As Belinda’s anger flared, Alfoi shook his head furiously, his face showing his exhaustion.
“N-no! I didn’t have enough mana to reach him! This is my limit! I barely managed to cover the people here! Look at me you can tell from my face!”
Alfoi vehemently protested, looking genuinely drained. His pale complexion and trembling body seemed to back his claim.
But only Alfoi knew the truth. Belinda had no choice but to grit her teeth and turn away.
“Young Lord!”
The distance between them and Ghislain grew rapidly as their lightened bodies allowed them to move faster. Thanks to this boost, Kaor was also breaking through the Grexes’ encirclement more quickly.
Ghislain, unfazed, laughed heartily and shouted.
“Well done, Alfoi! Everyone, don’t worry about me, just run to the fortress! I’ll catch up soon!”
Belinda hesitated briefly, but decided to trust him.
Ghislain was the most skilled among them. If she went back to help, she might only end up hindering him. Reaching the fortress quickly to bring reinforcements would be far more beneficial.
Boom! Boom!
Kaor and the knights ahead were busier than ever. They had to deal with the Grexes while clearing a path to drag Queen Grex along.
“Damn it! Hell! This cursed forest! I must have been crazy to come here again!”
Kaor swung his sword furiously, cursing nonstop.
When they’d fought off the monster wave in the Shadow Mountains, at least they’d had an army. Never before had they attempted such a breakthrough with so few people.
This lord who constantly attempted such reckless operations was a true lunatic. What gave him the confidence to keep moving like this?
Reflecting on their past successes, Kaor had to admit it was exhilarating and even fun at times. But he was certain this couldn’t continue forever or he’d die young at this rate.
As Kaor and the knights frantically slashed at Grexes and hacked through trees, they finally came upon a wide, open clearing.
“We’re here!”
Kaor shouted in relief. They were close to the fortress now. From the watchtower, the situation here would be visible.
It seemed this area wasn’t part of the Grexes’ territory anymore; none of the creatures were bursting out of the ground.
Running with all his might, Kaor swallowed his pride and did something he’d sworn never to do in his lifetime.
“Old man! Help us!”
Swish!
At the same time, an overwhelming rain of arrows poured down from the fortress.
“Kiieeek!”
The Grexes chasing them fell in heaps as they were struck by the arrows. Although countless more still pursued them from behind, eliminating those trailing alongside them provided a moment of much-needed relief.
At the highest point of the fortress, Gillian, observing the situation, bellowed.
“Loose!!! Secure their escape route!”
Swish!
Another volley of arrows rained down. Acting on Ghislain’s orders, Gillian had already prepared the troops for battle.
The soldiers spread out, attacking the approaching Grexes. The elves provided precise support with their bows and arrows.
“Kiieeek!”
Thud!
A Grex leaping toward a knight collapsed, its head pierced clean through.
The elves, with their near-supernatural archery, were clearing the area around the fleeing group.
“Kieeeeeek!”
The screams of the Grexes echoed all around. The fleeing party was too busy to notice, but Gillian, watching from a higher vantage point, swallowed nervously.
“What… is this…”
The forest trembled. The reddish hue of the Grexes gave the impression of a crimson tidal wave surging toward them.
Rumble!
In his lifetime, he had never seen so many monsters gathering at once. Even the hunters who lived off monster hunting in the Shadow Mountains would agree this was unprecedented.
It was horrifying. That swarm of Grexes seemed capable of devouring the fortress in an instant.
The soldiers broke out in cold sweats as they stared at the advancing horde.
“Wh-where the hell did so many monsters come from?”
“Shouldn’t we have spotted a ton of them in the forest already?”
“Of course… the Lord again…”
Everyone nodded at the last remark. When something unusual happened, it was almost always because of the Lord.
It was fortunate they had the fortress. If they had faced these monsters without it…
This place would have turned into a living hell.
But having a fortress didn’t mean they could relax. Judging by the sheer numbers, even this well-constructed stronghold wouldn’t hold for long.
“Lower the ropes!”
At Gillian’s command, the remaining knights lowered sturdy ropes. Those who had made it to the front of the fortress grabbed the ropes and were quickly hoisted up.
“Kieeeek!”
Queen Grex screamed and thrashed as she was pulled up into the fortress.
The soldiers wrinkled their noses in disgust at the sight but refrained from attacking her.
They all understood now that this monster was the central target of the operation.
“Where is the Lord? Where is he?”
At Gillian’s shout, Belinda, bloodied and in disarray, answered.
“Get the knights ready immediately! We need to rescue the Young Lord!”
Gillian turned his head urgently. The number of Grexes surging toward them had increased even further.
The soldiers were shooting arrows as fast as they could, but the horde wasn’t diminishing, it was growing. There seemed to be tens of thousands of them. The ground quaked, and the forest trembled with the monsters’ movement.
Finally, Gillian understood the meaning behind the Lord’s command before he had left.
― “Just in case, I’ll say this. No matter what happens, do not come out. Defend the fortress with everything you have. If the fortress falls, Ferdium will surely be annihilated.”
Crunch.
Gillian clenched his teeth so hard he thought they might break. If such a massive swarm of monsters left the Forest of Beasts, the Ferdium territory would undoubtedly be destroyed.
Perhaps not only the Royalist Faction but even the Ducal Faction’s support would be necessary to deal with this.
He had to obey the Lord’s orders. But leaving the Lord alone amidst such a horde was unthinkable.
Even a Sword Master would inevitably exhaust himself and perish against such overwhelming numbers.
As Gillian hesitated, Belinda shouted at him.
“Gillian! Get the knights ready now!”
Gillian looked around.
The soldiers were already showing fear on their faces, troubled by the absence of their Lord.
Kaor and the knights who had participated in the operation were slumped on the ground, their bodies drenched in blood, gasping for breath.
‘Lord…’
Gillian turned his gaze to Vanessa, who was waiting nearby.
She had already carved a magic circle into the ground and was on standby with the other mages. Everything Ghislain had ordered was prepared.
However, casting the magic now would definitely put the Lord at risk. If activated prematurely, even he would be caught in its effect.
“Kieeeek!”
Rumble!
The Grexes now filled the area in front of the fortress. The soldiers and elves, their faces lined with fear, shot arrow after arrow without rest.
Gillian exhaled deeply and shouted.
“Everyone, hold your positions! Use all your strength to block the incoming Grexes! I will not tolerate a single person abandoning their post!”
“Gillian!”
Belinda shouted furiously, her eyes blazing. She glared at him, shrugged off her robe, and drew a dagger.
She was ready to go after Ghislain herself.
At that moment, Gillian picked up two massive axes, one in each hand, and spoke.
“I will bring the Lord back myself. Hold out until then.”
Thud!
With that, he left those words behind and leaped off the fortress.