-Muooo!!
The deer cryptid let out a strange cry from within the fog.
The scream of rage soon beca mixed with pain as it was hit by the magician's counterattack.
"It worked! There's a reaction from that thing!"
"Keep pressing the advantage and push it back!"
The deer cryptid was clearly different from the wolves that were scattered all around.
It was enormous and sturdy, possessing trendous magical power.
They were not sure if that pitch-black thing should be called magical power, but the way it used it was similar to condensing pure mana and firing it.
Because of that, it was extrely difficult to deal with.
It was almost like encountering a legendary beast that was only known through stories.
But now that many of the wolf cryptids that had been protecting it were reduced in number, the Templar Crusaders succeeded in pushing back the deer cryptid.
It wouldn't be long before they could completely defeat it.
So they divided their forces and sent a separate detachnt to the First Checkpoint City.
Thousands of people gathered here couldn't all hunt the deer cryptid simultaneously, so dividing the personnel was the right decision.
Having gained so leeway, they waited briefly for good news from the separate detachnt sent to the First Checkpoint City but they encountered a shocking reality.
"The detachnt sent to the First Checkpoint City was annihilated?"
News that the detachnt composed mainly of knights and priests had been annihilated weren’t directly received from the detachnt.
Rather, the opposite.
No news at all had been received from them.
Not a single one from over hundreds of people.
"What on earth is in the First Checkpoint City?"
Just as they were resolved to first eliminate the deer cryptid right in front of them before thinking about it further, that's when it happened.
-Awoooo!
A wolf's howl was heard from sowhere.
"This is..."
The Templar Crusaders were bewildered.
This howling that echoed was no ordinary size to be just another wolf.
Sure enough, a new cryptid revealed itself through the fog.
What appeared this ti was an even larger wolf.
If the ordinary wolf cryptids seed made of black mud packed together, this one looked like it was made of black smoke.
The evidence was in its black fur that rippled like a mirage, blending with the fog.
Not only was it much larger than the other wolf cryptids, but there was also a difference in that its eyes were blue instead of red.
-Grrrr!
The wolf saw the cornered deer cryptid and twisted its face.
The wolf kicked off the ground and charged toward the Templar Crusaders.
"A new cryptid is coming!"
"Be careful! We don't know what abilities it might have!"
Everyone was extrely tense.
Just looking at its size, it appeared to be a special individual like the deer cryptid.
Sure enough the wolf cryptid's body beca blurry and transford into a black wind.
"Huh."
The knights and holy knights who tried to block the wolf cryptid from the front were surprised to see the wind brush past them as if teasing.
Imdiately after, wounds like those made by sharp blades appeared all over their bodies and blood sprayed out.
"Aaagh!"
"Kugh! What, what is this!"
Even though it just brushed past them, it caused severe injuries.
Conversely, their attacks didn't work on it.
It was literally like wind.
They were unable to cut with swords, and if done wrong, they would get cut instead by this flesh-slicing gale.
The black wind swept through the Templar Crusaders positioned around the deer cryptid.
The front line that couldn't react in ti collapsed, and thanks to that, the cornered deer cryptid was finally able to regain so composure and retreat.
The wounds on the deer cryptid regenerated quickly.
The wolf cryptid deactivated its wind form and stood beside it.
"To have two such crazy monsters. Surely there aren't more of them?"
"Damn it. Is this what it ans to be cryptids serving the Demon King?"
They thought it would be a difficult fight, but facing it was beyond imagination.
The Templar Crusaders rallied their lines with determined faces and raised their spirits.
Seeing this, the wolf cryptid growled and suddenly charged at the deer cryptid.
"What, what's happening!"
"What on earth?"
For a mont they thought internal strife had broken out, but that wasn't it.
The wolf cryptid entangled with the deer cryptid and they began to mix together like kneading clay.
Even for cryptids, the sight of them twisting together was enough to give goosebumps, like watching a nightmare.
After the two cryptids' bodies rged and swirled together briefly...
A huge flower bud appeared in their place.
The drill-like spiral bud that rose sharply gradually split from the tip and soon blood fully.
From inside the black flower erged a monster that looked like a half-and-half mix of the wolf and deer cryptids.
The head of a wolf with deer antlers, along with long legs.
-Swish.
The fully blood black flower was absorbed into the cryptid's body.
When its frost-like blue eyes fell upon them, the Templar Crusaders unconsciously shuddered.
At that mont, the fusion cryptid moved.
It kicked off the ground and ran through the empty air.
The Templar Crusaders were bewildered as the cryptid disappeared high into the sky in an instant.
"What. How can sothing that size fly?"
"No, more importantly, how is it even possible?"
The deer cryptid, which had been a large fixed gun emplacent, now had the mobility of a wolf added to it.
Black spheres ford around the fusion cryptid as it soared high through the fog.
It was a pure manifestation of force created by condensing high-density mana.
The fusion cryptid dropped these spheres to the ground.
Not just one, but dozens simultaneously.
"Everyone take cover!"
"Fall back!"
-Kwa-gwang-gwang-gwang!!!
Consecutive explosions tore through the fog.
Red flas erupted, sending shockwaves in all directions along with debris flying like shrapnel from the impact.
It was truly like a bomber plane.
However, unlike a bomber that would need to drop its payload and then resupply, the fusion cryptid had no such limitation.
-Swoosh swoosh swoosh.
Black spheres fell again.
The bombardnt toward the ground rcilessly swept through the Templar Crusaders.
Magicians and priests shot magic and holy spells to hit the entity in the air.
Countless colorful attacks rose through the fog.
The fusion cryptid quickly moved away from its position by treading on air and poured down another bombardnt.
Death and screams blood like flowers on the ground, accompanied by explosions.
* * *
-Clink-clank.
The separate detachnt that reached the First Checkpoint City heard the sound of chains.
Unlike the Second Checkpoint City which had been reduced to ruins, the First Checkpoint City maintained its original form.
But in that desolate place with no people, the clink-clank sound was extrely clear to everyone's ears.
This wasn't the sound of ordinary chains being dragged.
Judging from the extraordinary sound, it was clearly several tis larger and heavier than normal chains.
The mont they thought that, the chain sound stopped.
"The sound stopped."
"Don't let your guard down. We don't know where the Demon King's minions might attack from."
No sooner had those words ended than a building collapsed and a black form pounced on the holy knight standing at the front.
-Crash!
It was a giant anchor.
The holy knight who had been on high alert imdiately raised his shield and infused it with holy power to defend, but...
The anchor shattered the shield infused with holy power and slamd the holy knight into a building on the opposite side.
"Wh-what?"
Everyone was shocked at this surreal sight of a huge anchor that would normally be used on a large warship, along with the anchor chain connecting it.
Who could have ever predicted that such a thing would suddenly appear in the First Checkpoint City?
-Twang!
Just then, the anchor chain connecting to the anchor embedded in the wall was pulled taut.
The chain, which should have sagged downward due to its weight unless extrely tense, ford a perfect horizontal line in the air.
And then with a creaking sound, the anchor began to move.
"Everyone duck!"
A holy knight who saw it up close shouted.
As he shouted, he flattened himself to the ground.
That holy knight was quick-witted.
He knew how threatening this attack was because he had seen the holy knight at the front who was completely destroyed despite holding up a shield.
But those who were at a distance and couldn't see it clearly were different.
"Grant us your holy protection!"
"An unyielding shield against the enemy!"
"The Father's grace is with us!"
Each raising holy power to raise shields, or create walls of holy power, or strengthen their bodies.
Even as a separate detachnt, their numbers approached 300.
They judged that with this many people, they could face even the Demon King's minion.
How foolish that misjudgnt was beca clear imdiately.
The tension-filled chain and anchor were swung horizontally like a whip.
-Slash!
And the world was precisely cut horizontally.
"Huh?"
A holy knight holding a shield uttered a confused sound.
Just as sothing like a black whip was swung, his vision suddenly began to fall forward.
"Why on earth."
His head tilted to the side with a creaking sound.
There stood the lower half of a body that had lost its upper half.
It didn't take long to realize it was his own.
And he wasn't the only one.
Other holy knights and priests who ca with him, all those who stood their ground to face the black chain...
All were cut in half and collapsed.
The surrounding buildings were the sa.
"This, this doesn't make sense."
Those were the holy knight's last words.
Of the nearly 200 people, less than 50 who heard the shout to duck managed to survive.
With that one strike, over 150 people had died.
And these were the pride of the Bretus Holy Nation—holy knights and priests.
The place swept by the black chain had everything cut in half, turning into ruins.
Debris from collapsing buildings covered the corpses.
Thick dust rose everywhere.
The people who had ducked got up from their positions, coughing.
"Wh-what is this?"
Their voices trembled involuntarily.
It couldn't be helped.
With just one strike, hundreds of the Order's prized troops were taken down at once.
'If I had also stood my ground trying to endure...'
The thought that he would have departed this world sent chills down his spine.
'But who on earth?'
Who could cause such destructive havoc?
The survivors' gazes turned to the center of the circular ruins created in the heart of the First Checkpoint City.
-Clink-clank.
As the chain sound was heard, the smoke settled.
What revealed itself was a beastkin male with a huge build.
Copper skin and muscles that looked like they might burst.
Proving he wasn't just outwardly strong, he was holding an anchor as big as himself along with a suffocatingly massive anchor chain.
At the end of the anchor chain was a harpoon of the sa dark color as the anchor.
A harpoon, an anchor and the massive chain connecting them.
Could such a fearso weapon exist in this world?
Even if it did exist, could anyone properly wield it?
That impossible feat was unfolding before their eyes.
"Quick-witted fellows, aren't you."
Pantos muttered, looking at the approximately 50 survivors.
He had tried to wipe them all out at once, but the number of survivors was more than expected.
"A beastkin? A beastkin?"
"H-how could such an uncivilized barbarian be here..."
The people of the Order couldn't believe what they were seeing.
It was surprising enough that a beastkin was here, but even more bewildering that it was just one.
The ears on top of Pantos' head twitched and caught their muttering.
"Uncivilized, barbarian. There was soone who said such things to before."
One of the three Great Holy Knight Commanders of the Holy Nation had his arm torn off alive by Pantos.
"I wonder what kind of end you will et."
Pantos slowly spun the chain.
The giant anchor attached to the end made a whooshing sound as it rotated like a windmill.
As the speed of rotation gradually increased and the shape of the anchor began to blur, strong winds whipped around the area.
-Whoosh!
A huge black line was shot like an arrow toward the people of the Order.
It was like a crouched snake lunging at its prey.
Holy knights who couldn't react in ti were hit and turned into pieces of at.
The chain curved flexibly and swept through people nearby as well.
It didn't take long for the separate detachnt to be completely annihilated.
* * *
"It seems like he's having quite a wild ti over there."
Alex, who was in charge of defending the First Checkpoint City along with Pantos, gave a bitter smile as he watched a section of the city collapse.
He had thought Pantos would be quite irritated from staying too quiet until now, but he didn't expect him to cause such havoc from the start.
"At this rate, nothing will be left around here."
Alex said that, but he knew that once he entered battle himself, he would also destroy everything like Pantos was doing.
For a separate detachnt to already be storming the First Checkpoint City...
The pace was faster than expected.
"Even though we've been slowing them down continuously, they're already here. Indeed, overwhelming numbers are scary."
What had co now was just a taste.
More would co in the future and he alone wouldn't be able to stop them all.
Even with perfect preparation, there's a limit to how many hands an individual can handle.
Especially if Master-level knights or Lexer-level mages were mixed in with them, the situation would beco even more unfavorable.
"I really hope you don't co."
Alex murmured, recalling the face of his forr lover.
Even though he himself knew that was impossible.
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