Chapter 89
89Mars Relic Convoy(4)
There are five attackers. One of them had her head cut off by Zereah, and two of them were hit by the vortex of sacred law poured out by Hari..
A burning sacred flame, it will surely burn its enemies. As soon as it touches it, it sticks like white phosphorus and won't stop until everything is burned.──
-Geeeeeeeee──
The monsters on fire were drenched and sloshing, aiming for the scurrilous convoy..
"Even though it's on fire, how can I……."
As if I don't feel any pain.
"Come to your senses. Grab your shield and watch for his attacks. Especially watch out for those tentacles, they are poisonous.."
Hari was about to ask how he knew that, but he looked at the nape of Zereah's neck and was shocked..
There were dark-blue bruises spread across Zereah's nape, centered around a small stab wound..
"My Lord Zereah…!"
"Focus on the enemy. That's the priority now."
As the most veteran knight here, Zereah didn't care and picked up his sword. As a result, the battle between the four monsters and the relic convoy resumes..
-Kieeeeek─!
-Kiaaaah─!
Each monster's voice was different, but their behavior was the same as if they were the same species..
It swings its huge claws like a bear, looking for an opportunity to deliver a poisonous sting with its tentacles. He pushed in, ignoring the slight scratches as if he didn't feel any pain..
'Strong… ! It's almost like a grade A monster.!'
A difficult strategy and pure physical ability that can appear as a mid-boss even in the orange gate. It's not easy to deal with because he ignores the pain..
But Hari is God's maiden. She was the chosen user of the Holy Law, and given the size of her power alone, she could not be compared to these monsters..
-Quaaaaa…!
If it is not pushed away just by touching the flames, it will turn into a flame so large that it will completely burn down..
Hari's flame consumed the stinging tentacles and burned the monster entirely..
-Geeeeeeee…….
A monster whose voice seems to have died as if his vocal cords were burned in an instant. Meanwhile, Zereah and her knights steadily took down the monsters..
"Riders, hold on to your shields. 2 seconds is enough."
"I will uphold your name.!"
The commoner riders stopped the monsters' charge, relying only on their shields. Although he was a light cavalryman and a commoner, he was quite skilled in the art of shielding. They relied on each other to make up for what they lacked in strength and weight..
-Ughhhhh!
The monsters screamed when their charge was blocked. However, in group warfare, what is important is not individual strength but commanded combat power..
"Just watch out for the tentacles.."
Zereah and the knights dodged the tentacles that were swinging around randomly and stabbed the heads, which are the vital points of all living things..
If you can't pierce the skull with one hit, you immediately back off and leave it to the next knight's sword, and only after stabbing it several times does the monster go limp..
It was when there was only one last one left..
-Bake it…!
The monster that was stopped by the shield wall saw something and started running like crazy. At the end of the race without any thought of death, there was a 'reliquary' left unattended during the crowded battle..
"Uh, uhh?!"
Gu Dae-seong, who happened to be closest, inadvertently blocked his path..
"Koo, Koo Dae-seong Hunter!"
Hari shouted, but the monster was already right in front of Koo Dae-seong. Koo Dae-seong reflexively stabs his sword at a monster that charges at him while swinging its tentacles..
-wow!
Was I lucky? The sword that Koo Dae-seong stabbed pierced through his skull due to the acceleration of the monster, and he died..
"Wow, I knocked it down…!?"
However, as it collapses, a new type of monster attacks Gu Dae-seong..
Because of the running speed, the impact force, which is almost like a collision, is transmitted as is..
"Ugh! my arm…!"
He tried to pull out his arm, which was feeling intense pain, wondering if it was in the wrong place, but for some reason, his arm wouldn't listen..
"Pull it out!"
Knights and horsemen rescue Koo Dae-seong from being crushed by a monster. Hari also pushed the monster's body with all his might with his small hands, and Koo Dae-seong was barely able to escape the weight that was pressing on him..
"Hunter Koo Dae-seong! Don't get hurt... oh."
Ha-ri, who was immediately taking care of him, turned pale as she checked Koo Dae-seong's broken arm..
Between clothes torn by tentacles... It was because there were dark blue spots..
"I'm addicted."
It's not just Koo Dae-seong. Zere, who saved Hari and Daeseong in the first attack, as well as several knights and horsemen, were stabbed by tentacles while dealing with the monster..
"Ughhh……."
"poison……."
At the moment of battle, they were unable to pay attention due to excessive adrenaline, but the riders fell one after another. The knights seemed to be holding on somehow, but their condition didn't look good..
"We need to find an antidote."
"But it's a monster I've never heard of, so how can I?"
"Are the orc shamans or cultists monsters with some strange curse??"
Stella, who had served as a kingdom knight for dozens of years, had never seen such a disgusting creature before. Same goes for Zereah.
Since this is a creature I have never seen before, finding an antidote seems impossible. but…….
"This poison seems to be a poison I know.."
"yes? Sir Zereah.?"
Eyes focused on those words. He was the first to be poisoned and infers about the poison by examining the spots on his body..
"Neurogenic taxa of marine corals. It is an immediate poison and if left for too long it will lead to death.."
"You mean sea coral? Why is the poison of sea creatures harmful to land monsters?……."
"That's not all. Its front paws are like those of an owl bear, and its skin is similar to that of a wild boar. A mixture of many things."
"……."
The knights frowned at those words. Because it was taboo.
Combining and creating life is the domain of the gods. A taboo that should never be allowed to humans.
"Chimera synthetic water. It's the work of warlocks.."
* * * *
Zereah quickly created an antidote. He dismantled the chimera and created an antidote from the tentacles of the sea coral..
"First, the riders. they are in a hurry."
Zereah gave antidote to riders with low resistance first..
"Ugh... thank you."
"Lord Zereah... You have to decode it first……."
"Don't worry about me. Just as you were loyal to the people of the kingdom, you took an oath to protect the knights and commoners.."
Duties of nobles and knights. They sacrifice first. None of the knights abandoned this due duty..
The problem arose in the process of distributing the antidote to the knights..
"For one… It's not enough."
Among the articles, there were three that were addicted..
Acolyte Knight Zereah, Kingdom Knight Stella, and Koo Dae-seong, who is considered a knight of pilgrimage..
"Antidote from Sir Stella."
Zereah semi-forcibly handed over the antidote to the red-haired female knight. Because it is clear that she, the one in command here, must first be deciphered..
"Lord Zereah……."
Stella hesitated with the antidote and swallowed it. She blames it on her duty as commander..
"Ugh… sorry. Because I burned a monster……."
As Hari blames herself, Jereah pats her on the shoulder and smiles kindly..
"You never know what might happen during a battle. don't blame yourself."
Then Jereah approaches Koo Dae-seong and offers him an antidote..
"I am…."
Koo Dae-seong hesitated even after receiving the antidote. He is the weakest member of this convoy. The only alter ego of him is Zereah, an acolyte..
Is there really any way to compare the value of the two??
Why does this knight casually hand me the antidote?.
"Please take it quickly. This old man's arms are heavy."
Koo Dae-seong accepted the antidote, feeling burdened by his gaze without any hesitation, and swallowed it..
The powdered antidote left a thick feeling in my mouth, but I washed it down by drinking the water Hari gave me..
"The entrance was hidden more secretly. Even if they have a good nose, they won't be able to track you down easily in this cave.."
Zereah used his last strength to ensure the safety of the convoy. And he invited them to rest for a while..
"big…!"
"Lord Zereah!"
And his limit eventually came..
The knights and horsemen lit a bonfire and spread blankets around him to make him a little more comfortable. Even though he was a self-immolation, he was dying with honor..
"Lord Zereah……."
Knights… And Daesung, whose life was saved by his concession. The old knight said to their sad gaze:.
"Rest assured. Even if this body dies, my past self will be with you again.."
The Holy Grail Knight's recreation of his past is not just a one-time experience. The numerous processes he performed and the prime years of his life were allowed to be as many as the seven times he performed 'Flu's tasks'..
In other words, Zereah can be resummoned six times in the future..
"but… You are the only one."
Koo Dae-seong’s words struck a blind spot. Even if it is a recreated past, death is death. How can he accept his own death so calmly?.
"My true body... I received protection from the Lady of Death. He also gives grace to me, who is connected to the original body. so… There's nothing to be sad about. My death will be peaceful."
Although he himself was calm, his death was even more sad for those who watched him. Jereah said to Koo Dae-seong.
"Young knight, you are worthy. Thanks to you, the relics were not defiled by dirty hands.."
Koo Dae-seong wanted to say that it was like a miracle that he had done without realizing it. You wouldn't know if you were going to do it in the first place, but you're a half-penny who can't even be considered a pilgrim..
I was just lucky enough to pick up a hammer and felt like this illusion was weighing me down..
Zereah's gaze turned to everyone..
"Sir Stella."
"I'm listening, Lord Zereah.."
"This mission... It became clear that it was a trap. The problem is behind it all……."
The rare alliance and raid between orcs and barbarians could have been considered an incident that occurred in the process of searching for a holy relic..
However, such persistent tracking and an attack by an unknown group... And even the theft of the reliquary that the monsters prioritized, ignoring life..
"Someone is after the holy relic... … . Never… The holy relic must never be passed over.."
"Of course, Lord Zereah.."
"You... You are equating me with Zereah of Twilight... I'm just a stupid Jereah. Please treat my past that will be resurrected in the same way. To deliver this holy relic to the Lionheart King... It's something you should consume without hesitation."
"……."
Zereah looked at Stella, who was speechless, and could no longer speak as death approached her. His blurry gaze stared at the ceiling..
"In Lionheart... Glory be to you……."
He was a knight until the end, and the protection of death was willing to protect him in peace until his end..
* * * *
-Ughhhhh…!
-Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…!
A roar echoing through the canyon. At this, the orc warriors and beasts around took a step back..
"Mmm……."
Chimera monsters that offend not only the beast gods but also the orcs. The leader of the tracking team showed his displeasure by spitting..
"Tracking down with those monsters?."
"That's right. Even if it is an order from the ‘Great Chief’……."
In addition to joining hands with the barbarian cultists who would have axed him the moment they encountered each other, he was also strictly ordered to never clash with the people who led this entire situation..
Originally, the orcs were people who would ignore even the chieftain's orders if they did not like them, but it was the warchief who gave them the orders..
In front of that terrifying power and axe, even the strongest Orc warrior would kneel in fear..
"Still, there is something convenient about it. These monsters are good at smelling humans.."
The torn bodies of horses and knights were scattered around the orcs. One of the convoys torn into five by Grail Knight Zereah..
"shit! I can't see that thing! This is already my second failure.!"
This time, the Orc is outraged by the waste of money. The masters of tracking who serve the orc hunting god Skunik are second-guessing this nonsense..
"How many convoys are left??"
"There are three."
"These chimeras... Are there some who did not return??"
"All three."
In other words, it means that all three suffered. Knowing the power of these chimeras, the orcs sensed that the three remaining convoys were formidable..
"First, track everything. Because there's still a long way to get out of the canyon.."
"And then?"
"We should hit the weakest first.."
The Orc Tracking Team found the answer through rational reasoning..
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