Awakening the Great Chapter 40

Chapter 40: The Mountain Rabbits and the Draug

1: The Cave Entrance

Halfway up the rocky mountain, in front of a cave.

The Mountain Rabbits prepare to enter the cave, relying on torches. There was no need for conversation. Right after sunset, the enemy's identity beca clearer than ever.

[Zaal'mor vekh, unn krahn sol'kaar]

[Human, have you reached before death]

The rough, low whisper was certainly not made by a person. The sharp, angular tone was grating, but the problem was more the feeling of it boring into one's head.

At this, Ella quickly recited a sacred law incantation.

"O Kriyasi, illuminate the path with light. Protect my eyes and ears from evil whispers. Burn the shadows of the corrupted with holy light."

Hwaaak!

Though the prayer was short, limiting the size and scope of the divine power, it was enough to clear her head.

But only for a mont, as low, barking sounds echoed one after another.

[Threkh sull, mor'vaar kotha'al]

[Faith becos ash and disappears]

[Sha'zar mor drekh…suul vaar]

[Your soul is mine…I will devour.]

A voice that seed to mock the existence of gods. As the air naturally grew heavy, the Mountain Rabbits all trembled in unison.

"This bastard... He's stronger than expected."

"Mm, he's no ordinary one. He penetrated the divine power to deliver his whispers."

"Let's give it our all."

The veteran rcenaries warn with the shortest possible sentences. They had realized this was no pushover enemy.

Then suddenly, Basim's fist tapped Calix's waist. When he turned his head, the dwarf held out a long strip of cloth.

"Basim? This is..."

"It's processed skin from a sand worm. There was sothing that Mozak fellow gave you, wasn't it. I was going to process it a bit more before giving it to you, but it seems right to wear it now. Draug devour souls, but that doesn't an there won't be physical combat."

He had completely forgotten about the gift from Jursi Mozak. The stocky man had made under armor (armor worn underneath) without Calix knowing.

"...Thank you."

"Drape it diagonally from your left shoulder to your right side. It'll definitely protect your solar plexus and front abdon."

"Yes."

And his words were not wrong.

2: Inside the Cave

The inside of the cave was narrow and deep. The path split into several branches, taking quite a long ti to determine direction, and at the end was a huge cavern.

However, it was not empty.

Cheolpeok-

Volga looks down at his feet. He thought he had stepped in mud, but it was blood. Traces of the dead had gathered, rotted, and filled the floor with a viscous consistency.

"Euhi...! Kkeueuup."

He had tried to scream but covered his mouth, so this was doing well enough.

The problem was that it wasn't just a simple pool of blood.

Kkulleong.

The hardened blood clots glowed whitish like oil stains. Soon the surface trembled and writhed as if alive, gathering together.

And soon, sothing rose from within it.

The first thing visible was a hand.

This was made of the blood and flesh of the dead combined, with black skin tangled around white bones as the base, forming an incomplete shape. Each finger bent separately as if they were an individual living entity.

The second thing revealed was a face.

But could it be called a face? Calix looked at the entity rising with contempt in his expression.

The round face was shaped as if blood and flesh had lted and flowed down. In the form that continuously dripped and filled repeatedly, there were no eyes, nose, or mouth to speak of. Just deep darkness seething within.

Cheolpeok!

The creature quickly pulled out its entire body and took its first step.

On the cave floor, the rotted blood clots had already hardened long ago, so they cracked like pudding with the monster's movent and then pressed back together. The sight of sticky liquid crawling about was full of nauseating stickiness.

And thus, the monster took complete form.

"...Draug. A nightmare born from the grave."

Ella mutters the enemy's identity like talking to herself.

A being born from the traces of the dead, blood, and remnants of souls tangled together. As the creature's entire body writhed for a mont, countless faces appeared and disappeared on the surface.

A child crying after losing their parents. A soldier sacrificed without knowing anything. An old man trying to pick even one herb.

Various faces tried to say sothing in an instant, but they quickly mixed into the Draug's body and disappeared. Yes. That was not simply traces of the dead. It was the totality of despair, anger, and fear left by the dead.

[Braka, Braka......]

[Submit, submit......]

[Krah'mar thaan, unn mor threkh.]

[I am chaos, and I hunger.]

The Mountain Rabbits are overwheld by that presence. They couldn't know how many souls the monster before them had devoured, but they instinctively realized it possessed powerful strength.

"Just as darkness cannot swallow light, light becos a lamp that never goes out in the darkness..."

"Eueu..."

"I, I am..."

"Run, we have to run!"

They just need to hold out until Ella's prayer is finished, but the fear rising from deep in their hearts devours the newcors one by one.

As the Draug's ntal attack subtly intensified, they were swept by the desire to give up. If it worsened just a little more from here, they would start attacking their own allies.

That's when it happened.

"Ha, look at that fellow?"

Gregor, the old rcenary who treasures his shield, points his finger at the monster. His eyes were sparkling, unsuited to the situation.

"Squashed nose, pressed-down mouth, drooping eyelids, even harsh speech! Just like my mother, yes!"

"..."

What kind of crazy talk is this?

The Mountain Rabbits stare at Gregor as if bewitched by sothing. The Draug or whatever, that monster was no longer in their thoughts.

"Even spitting out blood clots like spitting saliva is exactly the sa! Ah, Mother! My beloved mother! Are you doing well there!"

"..."

"Goodness, Gregor. What kind of... Comparing your mother to such a hideous monster!"

"Hey! She was strong! A very strong woman! Don't you dare insult my beloved mother!"

"No, insult... ?"

"Of course, that fellow must be very powerful, too. But surely not as much as my mother! What are your hearts like, gentlen? Are you ready to fight?"

Calix lets out a hollow laugh like the other Mountain Rabbits.

Oh, Gregor.

The old man had lost his mory and sotis acted incomprehensibly, but he was soone you could never hate.

3: The Battle Begins

Thanks to Gregor buying so ti, Ella's prayer is completed, and the stage is set for full-scale combat.

"So that false deception and evil temptation may not pierce us, cast your shield over this place!"

"Shield! Shield! Shields are the best!"

The mont the sacred magic 'ntal Protection' activated.

Chwaaaaak-

Monsters erupted from the pool of blood. Most were missing humans, but so beasts were mixed among them.

"Marik! Forward!"

"Yes!"

At this ti, the Mountain Rabbits' response thods were divided into three types.

Those targeting the Draug's main body were Commander Royce and Vice-Captain Marik. The dwarf Basim would escort Ella, and the rest would eliminate the beings that erged from the pool of blood.

Calix belonged to the third role among them. To damage the main body, one needed at least to handle 'Wind's Scar', so it was still premature.

"Don't think hastily! That monster bastard has limits, too! Think of it as slowly shaving it down!"

"Aaak!"

"That idiot... The opponent isn't human! It doesn't feel pain!"

Casualties occur in the blink of an eye. It was Wheatley, a newcor who knew how to use a sword fairly well. Whether clawed, blood was streaming from his chest as he was dragged to the rear.

There was no need to scold him for being careless. The monster's movents were that swift.

[Reality Acceleration '2.0'x maintained]

Certainly, his sense of speed was the sa as usual. With the neural accelerator's output reaching '2.0', his body was agile, and his hands moved as intended. However, the problem was that the combat-specialized monster's body could not keep up with the movents.

Kwaak-

As the beast charged forward, no, the thing that was once a beast swung its greatly enlarged claws, Calix deflected it diagonally and created distance.

If it had been human, this would have been enough.

But the opponent was none other than a wolf. A four-legged beast whose body muscles and claws had swollen to maximum... A corrupted monster.

Paaaak!

Sure enough, it leaped without hesitation, and Calix also made a quick decision.

'Half-hearted attacks are aningless. I need to cut its throat in one go.'

Therefore, the confronting motion becos the 6th chapter of the Dance of the Wilderness, Red Sunset. Originally, it would be a strike combining thrusting and slashing, but given the opponent-

'Don't gather strength in the middle, finish it in one blow.'

Then the linking motion had to be smooth above all. Breathing should be taken in slightly more than usual, and concentration should be raised to the extre before thrusting the sword.

[Combat Enhancent Activated]

[Reality Acceleration '2.2'x]

[User reaches high speed]

Pu-kwaaang!

As the neural accelerator responds in ti, explosive power is contained in the stepping foot.

Geudeudeudeu-

The blade thrust forward collides with the monster's claws, spreading ominous noise, but there's no need to rush. No, one must not rush.

The monster seems difficult to handle, too, but it's certainly not as much as the knight captains. When competing in strength and the center of power shifts, right at that mont.

Kwaaak!

Using the opponent's strength, naturally rotate the wrist and change the way of gripping the sword handle.

Hwiiiik.

The monster that leaped into the air uses up its attack turn and prepares to land, but.

Calix is now in a slashing stance.

Pu-kwaaaaaaak!

The torso was cut in half horizontally and blood splattered in all directions, but Calix moved to help his comrades without having ti to enjoy his elated feelings.

'...Trying to cut smoothly definitely improved things. The feeling in my hands, so to speak.'

Fortunately, the battlefield situation isn't bad either. The veteran rcenaries may have minor injuries, but haven't suffered fatal blows, and Zahira is wielding her long chain sword mainly to help the newcors.

Among them, Volga's performance shines.

"Euryaaaaa-!"

Peoeok!

Volga smashes the head of a corpse with an iron club suited to his build. Due to the neural accelerator's output limit, there were restrictions on speed, but he made up for the weakness with strength alone.

"Always Calix!"

Peoeok!

"Only he discovers secrets!"

Peoeok!

"Gets smart and praised! I get scolded!"

Peoeok!

"More, co more!"

Jealousy is ugly, but wouldn't good things be good anyway?

Hwiik-

"Th, thank you..."

Calix grabs the nape of Kotchap, a newcor, pulling him out of the enemy's attack range, then switches places to face the enemy directly.

If it continued like this, they would succeed in the subjugation without major problems.

[Ah, it hurts... It hurts...]

"..."

However, upon facing the opponent to be killed, he feels as if his breath is blocked. The reason Kotchap allowed the attack while half out of his mind.

Before his eyes was a child.

Flesh was torn in places and it slled rotten, but it was a child in the sa appearance as when missing, whose body was not grotesquely distorted.

Kkadeuk.

Calix unconsciously grits his teeth.

This child was made to be seen. It must be the work of the evil being called Draug, done to psychologically shake the subjugation force.

"#$@!"

"Damn it..."

Seeing curses burst out here and there, it seems others are facing the sa situation.

...I'll have to kill it.

I have to kill it.

"Cook comrade."

"...Gregor."

"That child is already in God's embrace. That is just a shell. However, we are human, so think of it as stopping the insult to the dead. Give peace."

Gregor's words are right. Compassion and guilt should be distinguished. At this, Calix slowly approached while directly facing the child's murky eyes.

[Gargar in thurn thranthin...?]

[Where is your god...?]

Then suddenly, an evil voice stops his steps.

"Ella!"

Puhwaaaaaa-aak!

A sinister energy swept everywhere.