Chapter 293 154. In the Name of the King -1 (Part One)
Chapter 293: 154. In the Name of the King -1 (Part One)
Translated by a Passing Wanderer
Edited by RED
**
“Uwaaaaahk!” someone screamed out.
Others firmly clamped their mouths shut. Their eyes shot open wide, but their minds wanted so badly to reject the reality happening right in front of their eyes.
‘This, this has to be a dream.’
‘T-that’s right. Our peaceful Aslan is suddenly experiencing a civil war?’
‘Not only that, isn’t it too strange for us to protect our border with orcs?’
‘Most importantly, though…’
The Necromancers and slave soldiers standing on top of the barricades’ platforms could only swallow with their suddenly dry mouths
‘…There’s no freaking way we can resist monsters like that!’
This spectacle laid out right before their eyes…
An azure ocean of holy water had spread out seemingly everywhere, and bizarre monstrosities were crawling up from its surface. Their numbers began in the dozens, but soon swelled past hundreds and into the thousands.
Every single one of them was a monster that had shed any pretense of being a humanoid creature. No wait, it was more accurate to say the rough outlines of humanoids had been haphazardly added to their construction, which only made them look even more terrifying.
These monsters made out of bones began screeching loudly. The tones containing the Spirit Speech of divine power slammed into the ears of Aslan soldiers and they simply froze up on the spot.
Just as they gradually regained their wits, Jeram’s loud voice resounded out, “Oh, hear ye, brave warriors of Aslan, stop these abominations-!” He was glaring at the Holy King, even though he himself was still buried in the barricade. “The murderer of our king, Rahamma! Beat the war drums, and command the army!”
The various commanders finally pulled themselves together after Jeram’s roars reached them. They then shouted out themselves, “Prepare for combat!”
“Beat the drums, now-!”
Boom-! Boom-! Boom-!
The drum beats reverberated throughout the area of the defences. However, the noise only managed to drive the Aslan soldiers and monsters, already suffering from great fright, further into the grip of terror.
The drum beats sounded like the marching footsteps of the powerful monsters, instead!
“For the sake of Aslan-!” a commander standing above the barricade cried out. The soldiers around him also roared out, rousing their faltering courage, but they still couldn’t do anything about their paled complexions even now.
“Fire!”
Orcs, ogres and goblins began moving. These creatures couldn’t retreat even if they wanted to; it was their fate to fight until they lost their lives, as they were under the spell of the vampires.
“Load-!”
Orcs pulled on their bowstrings, while goblins began operating the siege weapons. The arrow tips were aimed at the sky, while the tips of the ballista bolts pointed at the holy monsters on the ground.
“Fire-!”
The orcs up on the rough walls fired the arrows, while the ballistas were shoved back by the recoil from firing their bolts. The arrows drew arcs in the air before descending to the ground, while the powerful ballista bolts brushed past the monsters.
Bones shattered when arrows hit them. The bolts punched right through the undead, shattering them into millions of pieces.
However, rising as if to overcome their decreasing numbers, even more of the holy undead were gradually added to their ranks, causing the terror in the Aslan soldiers to grow even worse.
“Go.” One word from the Holy King, and the monsters pounced forward.
The ground below their feet rumbled. They rushed forward, their feet splashing the surface of the lake of holy water.
Arrows and siege weapon projectiles continued to fly in, but those obstructions only caused a brief stagger in the progress of the holy undead and failed to stop their advance.
-Kkiiiaaaaahk!-
Thousands of undead spread out in a wide area and rapidly closed in on the barricades, including the skeleton centipede moving at a frightening turn of speed.
“C-close the gate! You idiots, close it, now!”
Ogres heeded the Necromancer’s order and quickly closed the barricade’s gate. But when the gateway was slammed shut, the skeleton centipede simply burrowed straight into the ground by using its dozens of finger bone-like legs.
Water sprayed up into the air, before the holy water rapidly filled up the hole dug out by the undead monster.
“Gone? Centipede, monster? Where?” the orcs watching this scene muttered, while their eyes opened wider. As they dazedly stared at the ground, the ground behind the barricade they were standing on suddenly broke open, and the skeleton centipede shot out from the hole, its glowing eyes gleaming sharply.
“Kuoh-ooooh!”
One of the ogres tried to swing its club, but the skeleton centipede rapidly dashed forward and wrapped around the giant creature like a snake. The sharp claws attached to the ends of those finger bone-like legs stabbed deep into the ogre’s flesh. The skeletal head tore open its victim’s throat and its blade-like ribs tore the struggling monster’s hide apart.
The ogre screeched tragically and collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
The orcs watching this scene lost all colour from their faces. An ogre, a creature far larger and stronger than they were, was instantly torn into bloody rags.
Meanwhile, goblins were crying out urgently, “Coming, coming! Monsters, coming!”
Orcs turned their heads forward again and saw the skeleton soldiers with four arms closing in.
Ladders made out of bones were pressed against the barricades. The undead creatures used their four arms and two legs to climb the ladders at shocking speed. But that wasn’t even the end of the story. Some didn’t even bother with the ladders and simply crawled up on the surface of the barricades like some kind of insects.
This scene was truly horrifying to behold. Orcs bashed their spears down to shatter the bones of the undead below them.
But then one of the skeleton soldiers grabbed the incoming spear with its free hand, and used the orc’s weapon as a make-shift rope to climb up even faster instead!
Once this skeleton soldier reached the platforms on top of the barricades, it unsheathed all four of its swords and began swinging them around indiscriminately.
Four blades flew about. To defend against it, the orcs raised their shields. The first blade was indeed blocked, but the second, third, and fourth aimed for the new opening and stabbed cleanly through the orc.
Other skeleton soldiers reaching the platform soon after simply spun around like tornadoes while brandishing all four of their swords.
—
The Holy King calmly observed the unfolding situation. Behind him were the skeleton ‘cavalry’ that closely resembled the mythical creatures, centaurs.
Allen took a good look at the surprisingly sturdy barricades before bringing out Amon’s grimoire. He then began chanting the summoning spell for a certain creature.
“Dammit, my duty is to defend this place!” Jeram had finally managed to extract his embedded body from the barricade.
He needed to endure this assault for at least three days. Only then could he earn the grace period of ten days Rehton had mentioned and prevent the imperial bastards from reaching the royal capital.
Even if he was to die here, he’d unhesitantly sacrifice himself if that meant he’d regain the glory of Aslan.
“For Aslan-!!!” Jeram yanked his sword out and roused up his demonic energy. His eyes became bloodshot, and the muscles all over his body ballooned up.
He glared murderously at the Holy King holding a grimoire in the distance. In order to kill that bastard in one powerful strike, Jeram even chose to shave off his own lifespan.
“Wooo-ooooh-!”
He kicked the ground with great power and dashed forward. The holy water on the ground spun up as if a storm was coming.
But, the moment Jeram’s sword was about to slam into Allen’s forehead, goblins on the barricade’s platforms screamed out in pure terror, “A great being! A great being comes!”
Huge claws emerged from the holy water’s surface and slammed down on the ground, followed soon after by the skull of a dragon.
The instinctive, indescribable fear stopped Jeram’s sword dead in its tracks.
“Kasim.”
As Jeram was faltering in shock, Allen summoned a greatsword and easily deflected the Aslan feudal lord’s sword away. Bone armour was rapidly wrapped around the Holy King’s frame. Claws that resembled meat hooks shot out and grabbed Jeram by his throat, lifting him clean off the ground.
“Keo-urhk…?!”
“The great being! The great being, oh, oooh!” Goblins and orcs kept screeching, trembling in pure terror. Some of them fell to their knees and bowed their heads deeply, or began shaking their heads desperately after failing to escape.
“Stop that thing-! Don’t just stand around like idiots, you damn orc bastards-!!!” Necromancers loudly roared out, and got ready to cast their spells.
But even they still couldn’t help but falter a little after witnessing the mythical Bone Dragon only seen in distant legends. While they dithered about, the undead dragon slammed its skull straight into the barricade.
The sturdy defensive wall broke apart like it was made of cookie crumbs. The Necromancers on top of the platforms plunged to the ground and died after being impaled or crushed by the debris.
Scorching flames filled the Bone Dragon’s maw, then spewed out to burn every single monster standing before it.
“Kuwaaaaaaah-!”
All the Necromancers and slave soldiers witnessing the unfolding spectacle held their breaths.
Orcs managed to flail about within the ocean of draconic flames for less than two seconds. In that short blink of a time, their bodies simply burned away. They were completely erased from this world, not even their skeletons remaining.
One of the slave soldiers dazedly shifted his gaze over to the shattered hole in the barricade. Dust clouds kicked up as skeleton cavalry rushed in through the open gap. A lengthy spear was swung through the air, instantly chopping the slave soldier’s head off.
The skeleton cavalry spread out in all directions. Their hooves even trampled past the orcs that boasted larger physiques than humans. The undead didn’t discriminate between orcs, goblins, or humans; they hunted them all down as long as they were on or near the barricades.
Every time the undead swung or stabbed with their spears, a life was reaped away, without exception.
-Ku-oooooooh!-
The Bone Wyvern flying in the air spread its wings wide. Skeleton mages riding on top of the creature took aim with their muskets. They accurately picked out the pockets of resistance still daring to fight back and sniped the enemies to death one by one.
A portion of the slave soldiers discarded their weapons and fled after witnessing the merciless march of the monstrous holy undead. One of them tripped on something and fell awkwardly to the ground.
This soldier hurriedly looked behind him and discovered a skeleton centaur-like creature pouncing on him. The glowing eye sockets of the undead gleamed murderously within its skull. Its jaw split open as it exhaled bluish air, a bizarre cackling noise escaping from it at the same time.
It was like staring at the messenger of death closing in.
“H-hold on, d-don’t kill me! I surrender! I surrender-!!!” The slave soldier shielded his head and cried out.
When that happened, the undead cavalry simply brushed past him. It stabbed its spear at a nearby Necromancer trying to wield his staff, lifting him off his feet before discarding the lifeless corpse away to the side.