Chapter 141

Holding the reins, I swallowed dryly.

Most of them were rotten soldiers who would split with a single strike, but with their numbers reaching thousands, the pressure was considerable.

Soldiers who neither tire nor feel fear. Once your feet are tied, breaking through might be impossible.

No matter how much you swing your sword, attacks will come from all directions, and after allowing a few injuries, you’ll eventually collapse from exhaustion.

No, let’s not think such ominous thoughts. I need to believe in myself. If it were a fight against a few strong opponents, maybe, but when it comes to dealing with a multitude of weaklings, no master could keep up with me.

“Wait a moment, I need to prepare too.”

Just as I was about to charge, Asha, who had gotten off her bike, urgently stopped me. Come to think of it, what about her? With just the jetpack on her back and the lance mounted on her bike, breaking through would be tough…

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to stay back here? It looks much more dangerous than expected.”

“Don’t worry. I have my ways.”

Asha began skillfully dismantling her bike here and there.

Was it designed to be disassembled from the start? The frames forming the bike’s exterior began to separate one by one.

Asha started attaching those frames to her jetpack and various parts of her body, like putting on armor. Moments later, only the most basic frame of the bike remained, and a heavily armored knight stood before me.

She had grown to the size of a person, her bulk expanded, looking more massive than even the heavily armored knights.

…Her physique was closer to a monster than a human.

“How do I look?”

“You look sturdy, but… won’t you be too slow like that?”

“This isn’t just ordinary armor. It’s a direct transplant of the Lichtwagen’s engine and drive system, so I’m actually stronger and faster!”

Think of it as an exoskeleton. With this level of technology, it’s strange that we’re still considered a minor power compared to the Empire.

Finally, Asha attached the lance to her armor and lowered her helmet visor.

A heavy engine roar echoed from the back of the armor. The engine built into the jetpack, combined with the bike’s engine, created a noise several times louder than before.

Asha’s body floated slightly, and smoke billowed from the exhaust pipes extending behind her shoulders.

“Shall we go? I’m looking forward to seeing the legendary skills of the Beastman Devourer!”

“Fine. If you fall behind, don’t blame me!”

I spurred my horse forward. The blue light trailing from the sword drew a long line in the air.

If I had known we’d be charging on horseback, I would’ve brought a spear. A spear is much more useful for a frontal assault.

The heavy engine sound followed from behind. Well, I do have a spear. A smile crept onto my face.

The monsters’ figures began to close in rapidly. Their half-rotten faces, turning to notice us, became clearly visible.

“Asha! Break through!”

“Boost charge!”

Asha shouted and accelerated sharply. Fierce flames shot from behind her, carrying several times the weight as before.

The red lance plunged into the horde of monsters.

—

Asha’s charge pierced three monsters simultaneously. The skewered monsters were pushed back several meters, and those caught in the momentum tumbled in all directions.

“Ughhh…”

The rotten soldier struck head-on groaned, looking down at its punctured abdomen. The cavalry lance, as thick as a human forearm, was a red-hot spike burning through its belly.

For a human, such a wound would be fatal. Even if not immediately, the pain of burning organs would have them screaming until death.

But this one was already dead. A weapon without even a hint of holy power, and a stomach wound that didn’t hinder movement. Essentially, it took no real damage.

The rotten soldier raised the spear in its right hand, as if to smash Asha’s head with the blade.

Asha twisted her wrist. Spiral blades emerged from the lance’s surface, spinning violently like a drill.

Flesh chunks flew as the monster’s torso was literally torn apart. Even if the Corpses Raised by Magic were semi-immortal, with their bodies split in two, the upper half had no choice but to collapse.

The monster’s spear tip missed uselessly.

Left alone, it would regenerate, but unfortunately for it, the sword in my right hand was Durandal.

A sword that cuts through the dead, spirits, and even magic.

The descending blade dug into the monster’s flesh. Twisting my wrist, I slashed sideways.

Like being bitten by a massive beast, the monster’s body was torn apart entirely.

That should do it.

I snatched the monster’s spear, gripping the middle of the shaft with my left hand. Charging like Asha would just get me stuck… I’ll use it to create openings.

I leaned sharply to the side, almost scraping the ground. Balancing on one foot hooked into the stirrup and the reins gripped tightly.

My vision shook violently; losing balance even slightly would send me headfirst into the ground. But I instinctively knew: as long as the horse lived, I wouldn’t fall.

I pulled my left arm back behind my shoulder, then thrust it forward.

“Haaah!”

A thrown spear, fired like a bullet from knee height, pierced through the rotten soldiers in a line.

Monsters with their ankles torn off staggered. They’d regenerate, but this created a gap in their formation, which was enough.

I climbed back onto the horse and charged into their midst.

The familiar stench of decay and thick miasma surrounded me. Half-rotten monsters filled the area. This was just the beginning.

—

The longsword, glowing faintly blue, drew endless arcs. Riding through the monsters, I cut down only those close enough to touch the blade.

A single strike was enough for the rotten soldiers. Some wore armor, likely made from soldiers’ corpses, but at best, it was no stronger than steel. With each swing, they tore apart like paper, sparks flying.

Looking back, the path was littered with monsters, sliced diagonally and writhing. Many had died instantly.

“Graaah!”

I locked eyes with a charging monster.

About 2 meters tall, with glowing blue eyes in a horse’s skull. Tentacle-like entrails whipped from its shoulders.

A jumble of remains. During VR training, Damien had struggled desperately against this monster.

But I’m not Damien.

I spurred my horse toward it.

The horse’s condition wasn’t great, probably because it had been drenched in blood mixed with magic several times. Its running speed had noticeably slowed, and foam mixed with blood dripped from its mouth as it gasped for breath. Two spears were lodged in its blackened flank, and blood was streaming down. It didn’t look like it would last much longer. Still, we’d broken through about half of the encirclement… Guess it held out longer than expected. Good job, buddy.

I planted my feet on the horse’s back and leaped off, spurring it forward. Blood and flesh exploded beneath my feet, accompanied by the horse’s agonized whinny. Leaving the dying steed behind, I shot forward like an arrow toward the chaotic remains ahead. The whip-like tendrils of entrails swung at me, but reacting wasn’t too hard. I severed the right one with my longsword and grabbed the left one, yanking it out. The monster, now missing both arms, staggered. A follow-up strike. Durandal’s blade fell like a guillotine, splitting the chaotic remains vertically. Over my shoulder, I heard the sound of a horse collapsing, its midsection completely gone.

Rest well. You were a good horse. Even though we didn’t spend much time together, it’s better to die in one clean strike than to be torn apart by monsters or suffer a painful death from magic poisoning.

“Are you okay, Ha-shal-leur?!” Asha flew over urgently, probably having seen my horse go down. Her armor was completely blackened, likely from cutting through countless monsters. “Still hanging in there. How about you?” I asked. “My propellant’s running low…” Asha gestured to her back. Indeed, the jetpack’s flames were noticeably weaker than before. “Guess we’ll have to run from here on out,” I said.

Meanwhile, I sliced through the rotten soldiers charging at us. Every time Durandal flashed, another body was reduced to pieces. The physical toll was heavy, but it was easier to fight this way. Riding a horse made it hard to swing my sword freely. Alright, halfway there. If we kept this up, we might just break through.

—

We kept moving without stopping for even a moment. I left our backs to Asha and focused on cutting down every enemy in front of us. Waves of monsters surged forward. I deflected a spear aimed at my shoulder with my armor and hacked off a rusty blade targeting my neck. Durandal’s blade swung relentlessly, carving through everything it touched—arms, legs, tentacles, torsos, armor, bones, flesh. A storm of blood raged endlessly.

After about twenty minutes of this, my body, soaked in rotten blood, steamed from the heat of battle. My breath was ragged, and my limbs felt like they were weighed down with heavy chains. My stamina was draining faster than I’d expected. Well, I had been swinging my sword nonstop while running full speed. Even so, my body was littered with wounds from glancing blows. A sword was even lodged in my left arm.

I could handle the chaotic remains, but anything stronger than that, and I had to dodge. If I got caught even for a moment, I’d be swarmed by monsters. Still, the fortress walls were getting closer. “Huff… huff… Asha, can you still hold on?” I asked. “I’m dying here…” she replied. “We’re almost there, just a little more!” I encouraged her, never stopping my sword. I cut down ten more monsters and advanced another few dozen meters.

At full speed, I could’ve reached the walls in two or three leaps, but that would’ve left Asha stranded in the middle of the chaos. Near the walls, the screams of soldiers and knights mixed into a deafening roar. Dozens of knights and paladins were holding the line at a breach in the wall, fending off the monsters, while soldiers rained arrows from above. A few knights were knocked down by the tendrils of the chaotic remains, and others stepped forward to fill the gaps.

Even inside the fortress, a battle was raging. Skilled fighters were locked in combat with isolated Grave Devourers. Did they let them in on purpose? If those things had charged head-on, the defensive line would’ve collapsed long ago. “Hey, look over there! The monsters are fighting each other!” someone shouted. “Monsters? No, those are people! Knights!” another replied.

Finally noticing us, some soldiers pointed in our direction and started murmuring. “Are they reinforcements?” “Reinforcements? There’s only two of them!” “Idiot! They broke through that horde alone! They must be masters!” Well, we hadn’t broken through yet… but they weren’t wrong about the master part.

I cut down another monster and caught my breath. We must’ve killed about four hundred by now, but it didn’t even show. “That armor… where have I seen it before?” “Black hair, scaled armor…! That’s right, no doubt about it! It’s the master of the Ka`har tribe, Princess Ai-shan Gi-or!” “A Beastman Devourer?! What’s she doing here?!” Soldiers who recognized me started shouting things like “Beastman Devourer” all over the place. Hey, if you recognize me, stop gawking and help out!

“Priests! Support them!” Leopold shouted urgently. A radiant holy light poured down on Asha and me. My wounds slowly closed, and a bit of energy returned to my exhausted body. My sword, which had slowed, regained its speed. Not just that—until now, my sword was the only way to deal with them, but with the priests’ blessings, I could use my arms and legs too.

“Alright, let’s break through, Asha!” “I’m counting on you!” Our speed tripled. My left hand tore through monsters, and a kick sent one flying. It took less than forty seconds to reach the fortress walls.