Summoning the Holy Sword - Chapter 212
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- Chapter 212 - Battle in the Nest (1)
Chapter 212: Battle in the Nest (1)
Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios
Splat.
“That’s the thirteenth one.”
Rhode kept his sword and glanced at the dead Parasite. Then, he eyed his mercenaries and studied the state of their bodies.
Hmm… around two thirds?
“Let’s take a break.”
Rhode motioned them to sit down, and all the mercenaries immediately plopped onto the ground. He was pleased that they didn’t return to their usual companions even though they were tired. All of them sat with each other and discussed the previous battle. Although their newfound cohesiveness was worthy of praise, Rhode chose not to say anything.
His stance towards his mercenaries was clear. He chose a rather harsh way of managing his mercenaries as he knew that humans would naturally perform better under heavy stress. In this case, he wanted them to strengthen their bonds, which they did in an incredibly short period of time. Rhode even planned not to let them rest if they couldn’t raise their weapons, and only when they had mentally or physically broken down would he stop.
Under such pressure, the mercenaries had no time to consider minor problems between the different cliques. They took in deep breaths and slumped on the ground, grumbling to the other nearby mercenaries.
Rhode didn’t want them to be too familiar with one another because it might cause him a headache one day if they decided to rise against him together. Basically, he wanted a balance between fear and respect, which was what he was looking at right now. This made him quite satisfied.
A mercenary group leader must not be overly amiable or understanding, and neither must they be unfriendly or rude. Rhode recalled a time where a lot of players left his guild because he was too cold. Since everyone was a player, he didn’t have a reason to display his arrogance. However, Rhode was clear that a leader cannot lead with only kindness as a trait. When others begin to realize that you’re not much different from themselves, significant problems will start occurring.
Kavos sat by the side, gazing at Rhode. The young, black-haired man sat quietly in the corner. Flames from campfire illuminated his slender frame. While he physically sat near the mercenaries, they felt like as though he was far away. As an ex-mercenary group leader, Kavos understood why Rhode did this because his brother Derick was the same. Initially, when Derick formed a mercenary group after the army ceased its operations, Kavos didn’t feel that his reserved brother would be able to do a good job. He felt that Derick wasn’t as skilled as him in soft skills and he wasn’t as passionate as Obertan who could rely on his charm to control troublemakers. However, Derick still managed to succeed.
Although he wasn’t well-liked amongst his members in the beginning, his stern attitude which he cultivated from the army eventually gained the recognition of the mercenaries. However, Kavos was clear that Rhode wasn’t such a person. This experienced thief sensed the emotions that Rhode had been revealing time to time. It was arrogance, prideful and determined faith. One can forget about affecting his views on anything. That perpetually expressionless face kept all emotions within and would only reveal a smile in front of the little girl with the same face as him.
When Kavos met both Rhode and Christie, he was stunned. It was especially so when Rhode displayed a brilliant smile that easily rivaled the most beautiful flower in the continent, though he had to quickly change his thoughts because he remembered that this man hated anyone who treated him as the opposite gender.
Fortunately, Rhode did not appear in crowded areas with Christie… if not, who knew what would happen?
–
Almost there…
Rhode calculated the journey. They had spent five days in Blackrock Depths. Coincidentally, Rhode already predicted there would be certain situations, so he had given his men enough time to prepare for this. However, despite all the predictions and preparations, injuries were still unavoidable. Two mercenaries had already paid with their lives for their carelessness. The Parasite also infected five to six others. Luckily, Lize and Celia were there to rescue them. However, it would be hard to say if they wouldn’t be traumatized by the method Celia used to dig out the worms from their bodies.
At this moment, most mercenaries had already recovered from their fatigue. They whispered curiously and looked to the direction of Rhode with worry in their eyes. Some quick-witted mercenaries had discovered that the amount of rest time equaled to the difficulty level of the upcoming monsters. If the monsters were strong, Rhode would let them rest longer, but if the monsters were weak, then they would be like the donkeys whipped by the merchants. These few days they were already used to Rhode’s instructions, and now, they realized that their break had obviously been much longer than before.
Soon, more of them began to suspect something was wrong and seemed to discuss with themselves. No one dared to ask Rhode about it. Some of the mercenaries turned their heads towards the few maidens sitting with Rhode. They were the only ones allowed to sit in Rhode’s vicinity. Therefore, no mercenaries dared to get closer to them. After all, these beautiful ladies had a unique charm of their own, like brightly lit lamps in the night. When they were fighting the monsters, the mercenaries realized that the maidens weren’t anywhere safer than themselves. Anne’s passionate and outgoing characteristic touched some of their hearts.
However, Marlene’s sharp gaze was like a sword hanging near their necks. Her cold expression was enough to stop those mercenaries from getting close to her and made them consider if it was worth it. They didn’t wish to get hurt by playing this stupid game…
The only one they could talk to was the gentle cleric who healed their wounds. Even if they feigned injuries, she wouldn’t get mad. But Celia would intervene sometimes and stare at those mercenaries with her piercing gaze.
In other words, the four ladies were like a bunch of thorny roses. Beautifully dangerous. If you hug them, you’ll get pricked. But even if you retreat, somehow, something would draw you back to them.
Perhaps some outsiders might even envy these mercenaries who had the chance to party with such beautiful women in a dark cave. But little did they know that this was nothing like those erotic fantasies in their heads. It could even be considered mental torture.
Frankly, when the mercenaries saw the four women together with Rhode, they didn’t feel a speck of jealousy. Rather, they felt that it would only cause unnecessary trouble if they associated with them.
“All right, get up.”
Under all of their gazes, Rhode clapped his hands and stood up. The mercenaries quickly got up along with him. These few days, they had gotten used to this motion. Their leader was extremely cautious, before every battle, he would give out critical life-saving pointers. They had to admit, compared to a leader that gave vague reminders such as ‘All of you be careful’, ‘beware your back’, Rhode’s pointers were much more helpful in staying alive.
“We’ll get busy soon. I hope that everyone is ready. I’ve given you ample time to rest because the next battle will be incredibly tough. And how tough you say? All I can answer is that it will require you to utilize what you’ve learned so far.”
The mercenaries immediately paled. After a few days of experiencing the command of this young leader, they were somewhat desensitized to his odd way of describing the danger. The way he warned them was as though he had been to this place before. But still, the things that he told them brought fear to the mercenaries.
They subconsciously checked their reserves and found that they weren’t fully stocked. At most, they had only two more bottles of flaming agents. However, they still had an ample number of healing potions left. They understood the usefulness of the flaming agents, but it was useless against those crawling worms on the ground.
“Marlene.”
Rhode signaled to the young mage who stood up and walked towards him. Then, Rhode made his way to the mercenaries and gave them a few scrolls. Meanwhile, Marlene was quite unhappy because the number of Fire-type scrolls she purchased wasn’t what she expected. While she still did manage to acquire a decent amount, she realized that someone had bought the rest of them. This unexpected event forced her to sit in front of a desk and craft the scrolls herself. Oh lord, since 13 years old, this maiden had already stopped doing such mundane things that only apprentices would do.
Fortunately, time didn’t wear off her ability to craft scrolls. She could still vividly recall how to draft the formations and diagrams needed for the scroll, but that didn’t make Marlene any happier.
“In the upcoming battle, all of you will need these magical scrolls.” After confirming that everyone had received a scroll, Rhode continued, “The way to use them is simple. Tear off the seal and throw it out. But everyone must listen to my command and not act on your own unless you have to… Kavos, I will leave you in charge. This time, our defense circle will be larger so we may not be able to handle every corner and there may be leaks. I need you to be well prepared.”
“Yes, Leader.”
Kavos nodded.
“Marlene,” Rhode looked towards Marlene by his side and said, “Since you’re considered quite experienced now, I don’t think I need to clarify much. Still, I need you to be aware of threats from underground. If you suddenly feel the earth tremble, you must leave that area! It is the same for the rest of you. Anne, your priority is to protect Marlene, the rest is secondary. And lastly, Lize, you’ll need to use your abilities this time.”
“Yes, Mr. Rhode. I understand.”
Lize stood up and answered firmly. Everyone had significant growth from the time spent in the mirage. Lize was no different. No matter where she went, she’ll never forget those techniques. Previously, Lize always played the role of a support, but now, she finally had the chance to display her true battle abilities.
“Very well, let’s move.”
Rhode spoke indifferently as though it was any other ordinary adventure.
However, when the group reached a deep, empty cave, they began to regret not having Rhode give them some pep talk to boost their morale. At least in such circumstances, they hoped that someone would provide them with courage and encouragement.
In the dark underground, a bright radiance flashed. A thick stench of blood filled every corner of the room. Even the soil on the ground was moist and disgusting. Marlene realized that Rhode’s warning wasn’t necessary because as soon she stepped on the dirt, it shook slightly as if it was alive.
Whether Rhode had warned her or not, Marlene was certain that she didn’t like this mushy feeling at all.
Suddenly, something trembled in the distance.
A towering, giant hunk of flesh stood upright. Due to the light emitted from the group, everyone could quickly identify the abomination. Countless tentacles flew across the air, and not far away from the body were Parasites. They appeared much larger and more threatening than the Parasites the mercenaries previously encountered. These beings were once humans that had transformed into a monster because of the fiends.
However, the most frightening part of the massive chunk of flesh was its core. In the middle of the squirming tentacles, there was a section filled with pale, churning liquids that periodically dripped to the floor.
“Oh my god!”
Lize immediately cupped her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Marlene merely frowned, not saying anything else. However, the way she gripped her wand revealed her unstable emotions. Anne was the most psychologically affected one. She let out a cry and quickly hid behind the crowd. And as for Celia, she remained the same as always. Her sword was lifted, ready to vanquish the evil before her.
The corpse entangled in the sea of tentacles made the four women react adversely. It was the half-elf maiden.
Her four limbs were completely hidden behind the chunk of flesh and her round eyes were soulless as she stared into open space. A tentacle was forcefully stuffed into her mouth, wriggling grotesquely as it pumped gallons of liquids into her. Compared to her slender frame, her stomach area was unnaturally bloated, and within her belly, something appeared to be moving. From time to time, several tentacles entered between the legs of the half-elf maiden. Once the tentacles retracted, pale fluids would gush out, followed by white, tiny eggs slipping out onto the ground. Then, the eggs would sink into the rotten flesh on the ground and fuse into a bulging vessel, pumping nutrients to the main body. Then once more, the tentacles repeated the vicious cycle.
“Such… wretched evilness… unforgivable!”
Everyone shuddered in fear and disgust. Compared to the loathe that the male mercenaries had for the evil being, the four women had a more profound understanding of the half-elf maiden’s agony.
“No time for chit-chat. Time to move!”
Rhode’s reassuring voice woke everyone from their stupor. And at this time, they heard a familiar squeaking sound — hundreds of fiends suddenly emerged from the darkness, leaping towards them.
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Chapter 213: Battle in the Nest (2)
Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios
The mercenaries were no longer unfamiliar with these fiends. The fiends had sharp claws and were able to fly at high speeds. Their only flaw was their fragile bodies which couldn’t withstand attacks from the mercenaries. After adventuring through the tunnels for five days, the mercenaries were already familiar with these damn things. Therefore, when these creatures suddenly rushed towards them, the mercenaries instinctively grabbed the flaming agent on their waist and threw it on the ground. Once the bottle broke, and when the agent made contact with the air, a wall of flames immediately engulfed the earth, following with a mini explosion.
The blast caused a sudden heat wave to surge towards the mercenaries, burning some of their clothes. However, compared to them, the fiends were less fortunate. Some of them weren’t able to stop in time and flew into the flames. The lucky ones managed to use the momentum to bypass the wall of flames without receiving significant damage, but eventually, they met their doom at the hands of the mercenaries on the other side.
The extreme temperature caused discomfort to the mercenaries, but it was even worse for the monsters. A nearby Parasite thrashed its tentacles violently and rushed towards the intruders, garnering the attention of a few other Parasites along the way. While their fat and fleshy bodies were much slower than the fiends, their strength was incomparable. They could unreservedly puncture holes in the wall of flames without receiving much backlash. Frankly, if the mercenaries had long ranged weaponry, they could obliterate the Parasites before they reached the flames. Alas, it was a pity that the raging wall of fire was like a double-edged sword. It could obstruct the aggressive attacks from the monsters, but it also hindered their field of view. Thus, they weren’t able to launch long ranged attacks on these Parasites.
However, that didn’t mean that others would have the same problem.
Rhode and Celia flew over the wall.
The group of mercenaries was already familiar with the duo’s method of fighting, and this situation was no different. Besides, they didn’t even know how Rhode succeeded in bypassing the wall of flames. Both figures merely appeared alongside the wall and then suddenly disappeared.
“Come with me!”
Rhode burst through the wall of flames with a sword on his right hand, then, he lifted his left arm forward, materializing a green card on his palm which he soon crushed unhesitatingly. In less than a second, a pair of translucent wings began to bud on Rhode’s back, rapidly increasing in size as he shot towards the fiends in front of him. When he took the third step, his toes pushed his body into the air as if he was as light as a feather. And at the same time, Celia flapped her wings and followed him closely. She held her sword with both hands, releasing a silver flame to repel the incoming monsters. Both of them flew to where the Parasites were.
“———!!”
The Parasites roared aggressively. They quickly opened their mouths and shot out numerous tentacles coated with a toxic liquid towards Rhode. But at right this moment, Rhode’s body suddenly became translucent as he transformed into an ethereal form, and the poisonous tentacles phased through him without causing any harm. Then, Rhode used the opportunity to perform a leap which quickly propelled him towards the flank of one of the Parasites before hacking down his sword.
The razor-sharp Crimson Blade sliced through the Parasite’s rotten flesh effortlessly, and when the blade was halfway through the body, a condensed light erupted from the sword, tearing a one-meter hole in the Parasite. From the gaping hole, dozens of smaller fiends scrambled to escape, gnashing their tiny rows of knife-like teeth at anything they could grasp. But they were quickly consumed by the brilliant silver flames radiating from Celia, generating a spark of beauty in this dark and evil space.
Rhode ignored the incapacitated Parasites as he knew that these injuries were just flesh wounds. Other than temporarily halting their progress, there was nothing else to it.
Within a few minutes, most of the Parasites were more or less lying on the floor, unable to move. They squirmed on the ground as they attempted to regenerate their wounds while the giant chunk of flesh frequently ordered them to move forward.
That’s the last one.
Rhode somersaulted in the air before landing neatly on the ground. Then he shifted his attention to the last mobile Parasite. However, this Parasite was somewhat more intelligent as it didn’t instinctively charge towards Rhode. Instead, it took a step back and protected its body by using its two humongous arms. Rhode’s eyes widened in surprise at this change in behavior.
This development caused Rhode’s usual strategy to fail. However, as an experienced player, of course, he knew alternatives to counter this turtling Parasite. Rhode quickly raised his arm again and materialized a black card.
As though descending from the heavens, the Centaur Knight came rumbling down from the mid-air, crushing the Parasite’s arms with its iron hooves. At the same time, Rhode veered to the left to avoid crashing into the Centaur Knight. The Parasite had no idea that such an attack was possible. It attempted to react to the sudden development, but all it could do was to protect its chest which was to no avail.
When the Parasite finally collapsed to the ground, Rhode had already withdrawn his card. From a small gap in the fleshy walls of the disabled Parasite, Rhode discovered a face stuck to a chunk of flesh — Barney.
Whatever left of the ‘courageous’ swordsman was only an empty husk for the fiends to invade. There were visible gashes on his face which were filled with countless small tentacles, wriggling under his skin like fishes swimming in the sea.
However, Rhode wasn’t surprised at all. He grabbed a small bag that hung from the Parasite and leaped into the air, seemingly disappearing into thin air. In Rhode’s point of view, he had never regarded that man as an obstacle before. Not now, not before, and clearly not in the future.
Meanwhile, within the wall of flames, the battle was equally as intense.
“…!!”
Marlene lifted her wand up high, conjuring a pillar of fire which erupted from the ground, causing the battlefield to turn chaotic. Under the searing heat, the disgusting fiends turned into ashes. But before Marlene could catch her breath, the ground suddenly trembled. She immediately recalled Rhode’s warning and swiftly jumped to the side, not forgetting to yell at the nearby mercenaries at the same time. Right after the words left her mouth, a sharp thorn impaled the space where she previously stood. If Marlene were just a second slower, she would have been directly pierced through.
“Evil being!”
Marlene stopped and glared at the fleshy thorn and its enormous eye that was blinking at her. She quickly raised her wand and chanted furiously. Suddenly, a thick tentacle swiped down from above, attempting to remove this insolent human from its sights.
However, a flash of lightning stopped it from advancing any further. Icy swords appeared out of thin air and pierced into the tentacle. Like shards of glass through the bare human skin, the swords easily sank deep into the tentacle, causing it to freeze at an alarming rate. Then, several earth spikes burst out from the soil and destroyed the freezing tentacle.
Regarding technique, Marlene had much more to learn. But when it came to battle awareness and personal style, Marlene’s abilities were not far from the ‘mentor’ in the mirage.
Randolf raised his bow and aimed.
Whenever the Parasites entered the wall of flames, their bodies caught fire quickly. But they still used their fat and bulky frame to open a path for its allies. Alas, whenever any of them decided to pass the wall, a volley of arrows greeted them ‘courteously.’
The blazing arrow tips tore through the air, piercing between Parasite’s eyes as well as their wounded spots. Fire was the best element against Parasites which were overloaded with fats and oil. Within a few seconds, the flames spread from in between their eyes, then to their head, and lastly through their veins. Thus, under their rough skin, a fire appeared to be burning them inside out. After a while, when the trapped heat had nowhere to escape, the Parasites would then fall backward explode.
“Oh, sh*t!”
A nearby mercenary got caught in the blast and flew a considerable distance before rolling on the ground to a stop. Before anything else, he quickly got up and removed the mini tentacles writhing on his clothes, but when he turned around, a terrifyingly enormous blood-dripping mouth appeared in front of him. The mercenary’s expression sank as he closed his eyes, accepting his imminent death… but suddenly, a golden shield encompassed his entire body!
Lize had a grim expression on her face as she raised both hands in the air. An illuminated golden halo condensed on her hands, causing the tentacles to retreat after smashing onto her shield. The monsters screeched under the blinding light, and with a wave of Lize’s right arm, a sanctified holy aura burst out, liquifying every fiend into a puddle of black, pungent water. Just like snow in the summer.
“Hu…”
Lize closed her eyes and exhaled a breath of relief. Unlike mages, clerics received a certain amount of power without the need for enchantment. In the mirage, both Lize and Marlene realized this, but compared to Marlene who went down the path of a destructive mage, Lize decided not to follow her ‘mentor.’ She took half a step back into the protection of the mercenaries and cast another layer of protection over the mercenaries.
“Hell yeah!!”
A heavy shield smashed onto the ground, turning the scrambling fiends into minced meat. Anne lifted her golden shield in the air and extended the corners by at least twice, revealing the Heart of Rock embedded deep within. Then, she flipped her hand over and gripped the enarmes tightly. Razor sharp blades shot out from between the gaps in her shield, and at the same time, she threw it into the air like a boomerang.
The spinning shield created a tiny vortex wherever it went as it sucked the palm-sized fiends towards it. As much as they tried to resist the pulling force by flapping their wings, eventually, they were pulled into it and minced into pieces like boats attempting to outrun a hurricane. When the shield finally returned to Anne, the blood dripping off the edges made her look extremely indomitable.
–
After getting rid of the last obstacle, Celia and Rhode finally arrived in front of the colossal chunk of flesh. It wasn’t until now that they had the chance of witnessing its true appearance.
Countless of squirming tentacles under the filthy, rotting meat wriggled endlessly. The many hideous eyes observed the dark surroundings for its foes, and at the base of the towering chunk of flesh were eggs the size of cantaloupe melons which was surrounded by bulging vessels that greedily absorbed the nutrients within.
“Remember your duties, Celia.”
The battle angel nodded as Rhode reminded her softly. She clutched her sword while gritting her teeth.
Before the battle, Rhode and Celia exchanged opinions about the relic. The holy relic which belonged to the church was hidden within this creature’s body. In the past, the relic used its divine energy to seal this creature, however, the previous pack of idiots roused it from its slumber, causing the seal to vanish and the holy relic lost its power. Therefore, Rhode decided to tear the devil’s body apart using brute force and search for the location of the holy relic before getting Celia to trigger it with her holy energy which would ultimately reseal the devil. And once the seal is active, Rhode could easily defeat this devil.
This strategy was only possible because of the existence of Celia. He didn’t have many men who possessed the holy element and Lize was unsuitable, so he could solely depend on Celia. Fortunately, Celia was a summoned spirit. If any unexpected incident occurred, she could still ‘survive’ through resummoning. As a Summoning Swordsman, Rhode always had a way of communicating with his spirits, and if anything went wrong, Rhode would immediately summon Celia again, just like what he did in High Cliff Village.
After reminding Celia, Rhode swiftly drew his sword and plunged it deep into the ground. Suddenly, a series of violent shockwaves erupted with Rhode as the epicenter. Many of the delicate eggs were defenseless against this force and began to shatter. Furthermore, the underdeveloped fiends within instinctively crawled out — but only to meet their demise shortly after.
“———!!”
The devil let out an enraged roar after realizing the death of its kin. The tentacles which were previously working on transmitting the nutrients began to rise from the ground and shot towards them at ridiculous speeds. However, Celia and Rhode were already prepared for its attacks long before destroying the eggs and had already flown off the ground. The attack wasn’t even close.
However, that didn’t mean that the devil would give up. It swiftly released another dozen tentacles from its body towards Rhode and Celia.
Tch.
Rhode frowned when he saw the smelly flesh-colored tentacle.
You think you’re the only one with that many limbs?
Rhode snorted coldly, and a black card flew out when he waved his hand.
Soon, countless of black tendrils emerged from the shadows and bound itself on the flesh-colored tentacles attacking Rhode and Celia, forcing them down to the ground. The devil then summoned more tentacles while facing this unwelcomed guest — but how could it exterminate its own shadow?
At this moment, Rhode sped downwards with incredible speed.
The Crimson Blade started releasing a brilliant light. For a normal human to search for the relic within the devil’s body was like finding a needle in a haystack, but as for Rhode who had completed this mission many times before, it was a walk in the park. He had already detected the presence of the holy relic, so the next thing he had to do was to expose it completely.
Blade of Destruction, activate.
A blinding radiance radiated from the Crimson Blade as Rhode drilled his sword towards his target. The sword tore through the air and collided with the devil like a meteor. Then, a long screeching sound echoed throughout the cave, followed by the sound of flesh tearing apart. Rhode’s attack punctured the hard, exterior surface of the devil, revealing a more vulnerable flesh trembling within.
Final attack!
The intense light coalesced on the blade reached its peak, and Fury Trial, under the guidance of Rhode’s intent, began vibrating violently like a wild beast attempting to escape its cage. At this moment, a pale figure blocked Rhode’s path.
The half-elf maiden whose limbs were tied up, lifelessly opened her mouth, seeking for the young man’s help.
“Help me… I don’t want to die…”
“Mmmph—!!!!”
A tentacle suddenly emerged from within the maiden’s mouth and shot towards Rhode, but it soon vanished under the tremendous power of the sword light.
Rhode swung his sword without the slightest hesitation.
The sword which was already glowing terrifyingly bright, erupted as it pierced into the half-elf maiden’s skull. Then, Rhode mercilessly lunged his sword into the wound that he caused earlier, and almost instantaneously, an extremely black, blood clot appeared, contrasting against the brilliant light from his blade.
“Throw the scrolls! NOW!”
Rhode yelled at the top of his voice, and at the same time, he emptied the small bag that he took from Barney. More than ten Fire-type scrolls fell out. Then, he unhesitatingly threw them all towards the blood clot after removing the seals on the scrolls.
All of the mercenaries immediately complied with Rhode’s command. They unsealed their scrolls and threw them towards the ray of light. Suddenly, the bloody flesh carpet, the eggs, and tentacles all ignited in flames at the same time. Marlene quickly cast a fire resistant shield with Lize to protect the mercenaries from the lack of oxygen and the scorching heat waves within the enclosed cave.
The devil’s fleshy exterior began to melt, just like a soap bar returning to its liquid state. The murky blood and mournful cries intertwined; its sound was enough to cause everyone to tremble in fear.
Meanwhile, Rhode finally found the object he had been looking for. Although it flashed for a mere second, it wasn’t enough to escape from Rhode’s eyes.
“Celia!”
The battle angel shot down and sped into the devil’s body following Rhode’s coordinates.