NOVEL WEB Chapter 481
Tears fell upon the stormy desert.
The tears of the sky soaked the barren land, but life did not sprout.
The living standing on the dry ground looked up at the sky.
The dead in the underground sang the song of despair.
—
Episode 17 – The Tree that Drinks Blood
The threat of involuntary life is something everyone experiences at least once in their lives.
Even if it is a shabby life stained with contempt and pessimism, the yearning for life is as instinctual as it is for the living. Only when faced with the threshold of death do individuals finally realize the preciousness of life.
Even if it is just a miserable extension of life gained through a momentary reprieve.
Thus, when the one who presides over death appeared, it was only natural that deep down in the underground, a simmering anger rose.
“Those vile and crafty beings once again intrude with their filthy feet.”
Leather boots tread upon the earth.
Birth and death are part of the cycle. If there is one who presides over birth, it is only fitting that they also preside over death.
Nathaniel lowered his head and gazed into the abyss.
What came into view were wriggling masses of flesh, digging crooked and hardened claws into the rock, and bustling with their bony limbs, they climbed up through the gaps.
Amid countless monsters crawling up the wall, an angel standing at the edge of a leg spread both hands wide.
Just as the valley water flowed down the rocks, a pair of twin swords slid down from the sleeves and coiled into his grip.
The two daggers whirling around a ring. The sharp silver blades dispersed the thick darkness.
The angel, who governs the flow of events, signaled the start of battle with his daggers.
– Slash!
As Nathaniel stretched out his arm, one dagger sliced through the air.
The sharp blade plunged straight into the skull, and the grotesque mass of flesh fell, pushing away other masses.
Monsters that collided with the dead creature were shoved into the air and began to tumble into the deep abyss.
Monsters, glancing at their writhing counterparts, raised their heads. Then, thunk, three or four daggers struck their faces, sending the monsters back into the abyss once more.
“Hmph.”
Nathaniel snorted, observing the scene.
Like someone casually picking up pebbles by the roadside, the angel flicked the daggers away. Then, as a familiar heavy metallic sound began to resonate, he paused and subtly raised his head.
“What is it, Ramiel?”
Nathaniel’s gaze landed on the rough armor. Ramiel, a knight clad in plate armor, had approached her and began to speak.
“The demons’ minions have been released.”
“Yes, they have. Thanks to whom, I wonder?”
Ramiel’s gaze shifted to Nathaniel.
“Are you saying it is my fault?”
“Then whose responsibility could it be?”
Nathaniel continued without averting his gaze, as if his crooked mouth was meant to speak the truth.
“How many times must I explain that the seal was created? Did you truly think the pillars supporting the ceiling were mere structures?”
“That is something you know better than I do. The planning and completion of the seals in the chamber were done by none other than Nathaniel.”
“If the pillars collapse, the seals in the ceiling cannot be maintained. Have you forgotten that after 800 years of slumber?”
Nathaniel was questioning why such foolishness was allowed to break the seal.
With a shrug, Ramiel responded.
“Shouldn’t you have made it better? If you had made it sturdy enough to last a thousand years, this would not have happened.”
“Your ignorance is indeed tremendous. You always manage to astonish me. How did you become a burning sword with that head of yours?”
“That too, you know quite well, don’t you? You lost to me.”
“…You rascal.”
– Kieeeek!
A scream that could shatter eardrums interrupted the conversation. A hellish monster had somehow climbed the wall, opening its grotesque maw wide.
A thick, blackish liquid oozed down like threads, and whack! a tremendous greatsword smashed its teeth and emerged from the back of its head.
Ramiel had shoved the greatsword into the monster’s mouth and twisted the handle. As the blade cut through its right cheek in a graceful arc, before the filthy bodily fluids could drench the greatsword, the monster’s head fell off.
In a single stroke, Ramiel had decapitated it, and Nathaniel, who had been about to say something, held his tongue, annoyed.
“We’ll argue later. Let’s take care of those things first, Ramiel.”
“Do as you wish, Nathaniel.”
Ramiel and Nathaniel stood back to back.
Moments later, a dance of the greatsword and twin daggers began to unfold in the darkness.
—
A gloomy howl swirled within the cavern.
It resembled the wails of the vengeful dead or the screams echoing from hell.
Chills raced down spines, becoming more distinct as the howl drew closer.
Even in stillness, one could feel a shiver, and the urge to block one’s ears occasionally arose.
The wailing from the underground was so bizarre it was unbearable.
“Huh.”
As the gauntlet swept around the back of the helm, a silver slash cleaved a monster in two.
The swordsmanship was so fast that it was hard to track with the eyes. After splitting the creature in half at the waist, Ramiel swung the greatsword to take down the other monsters beside her.
With a weapon that most decent merchants would hesitate to wield, the knight swung it as if it were an extension of her own body. In diagonal slashes, from top to bottom, left to right. The greatsword chopped through the minions of hell, splashing blood like a vibrant dance.
It was called a hellhound because it took on the form of a dog, yet it was a demon’s minion born from hell.
The black blood flowing instead of bright red proved that it was a cursed existence.
The knight, having plunged her greatsword into the minion’s chest, twisted the handle.
Leaving behind the first heart it pierced, the greatsword, having sliced through the monster’s wrinkled skin, cleaved the second heart.
– Kyaaaaaaak!
At the moment the second heart was severed, the monster’s body began to ignite, as if a greasy cloth had been set on fire.
“Perhaps because they were just released from the seal, they’ve become weaker than I remember.”
The knight, having vanquished the demon, offered a piece of advice without looking back.
“However, there is a reason these creatures are called the minions of hell. Do not let your guard down because they are weak. Even the weakest being from hell is far more powerful than you on the surface. They could easily tear apart a saint.”
Swish. Six rounds of ammunition poured softly into a palm.
“Such basic information—”
Veronica, carefully gripping them to keep them from rolling away, quickly loaded the revolver and snapped the cylinder shut.
“I know from experience!”
With the sacred engravings inscribed upon the barrel raised high, she aligned her aim and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang! The head of the hellhound leaping into the air vanished without a trace. The smoke rising from the muzzle and the spinning cylinder of the revolver were the only hints to deduce what had transpired.
The headless corpse fell, reduced to nothing but a grotesque lump of flesh.
Veronica stepped back just one step to avoid the body falling due to the laws of physics.
The fallen meat quickly turned as black as coal. Annoyed, she stomped on it and turned it to ash and dust, then tilted the revolver to eject the empties.
Three bullets were fired in quick succession, sending the hellhounds crawling up the wall back to their homeland immediately afterward.
Clap! Clap! Clap! In the blink of an eye, Akande started clapping for the saint who had taken down four hellhounds.
“Skill. Very excellent. Technique. Envy.”
“Fight too, you jerk!”
As I called out, Akande, who had been kicked in the rear, began to grin, flashing his teeth.
Then, clenching his fists, he announced, “I’ll just watch!”
Akande swung the raised fist without hesitation. The moment his fist collided with the body of a hellhound charging at him, tattoos from his shoulder to the back of his hand began to glow.
A dazzling flash burst forth with a deafening crack.
Strength exploded from his fist as it plowed into the hellhound’s rib cage, causing black flesh to splatter in every direction. Having shattered the creature’s bones, Akande began to unleash a flurry of fists and kicks at the hellhounds closing in.
“Hahaha!”
The sight of Akande casually smashing gruesome monsters resembled a madman who had escaped from a psychiatric ward. Considering that he actually walked around topless, he might very well be a madness personified.
As ashes and dust swirled through the air, Ramiel began slaughtering multiple monsters with her greatsword.
The heavy sword carved through flesh and bone like slicing fish straight from the mountains. With the monster’s body dissolving into ash and dust, the black blood that had drenched the massive blade took flight like embers.
As she stared at the disappearing hellhound, the angel adjusted her grip, pushing the greatsword’s handle as she altered her stance.
Holding the hilt with her right hand facing upwards, she prepared to swing the greatsword once more against the minions of hell.
Beside her stood another angel.
Nathaniel, wielding daggers.
“Don’t you dare come up.”
As he shifted his body, daggers hidden within his cloak scattered in all directions. All at once, the thrown daggers pierced the heads of the monsters.
As the creatures crawling up the wall were ruthlessly defeated, a spectacular sight unfolded as masses of flesh fell one after another.
Once the seal was released, monsters surged forth from the underground. To express it accurately, they were pouring up.
The released creatures from hell began to scale the walls using their claws and limbs, and in response, we started to stop their advance.
At a distance, it was me, Veronica, and Nathaniel.
In close range were Akande and Ramiel.
Bullets and daggers sent the advancing monsters crashing, and as beasts that broke through the lines reached the legs, greatswords and fists stomped them mercilessly. We were tackling the creatures in our own ways, smashing skulls and severing limbs.
Yet it seemed we had reached our limits.
“It’s overheating!”
The barrel of the rifle glowed a bright red. This was a clear sign of overheating.
The operating principle of a modern firearm is simple. Upon triggering, the breech hits the back of the cartridge, igniting the propellant, sending the bullet flying.
The high-temperature gas produced in this process rapidly raises the barrel’s temperature. Although overhearing isn’t usually a risk during ordinary shooting, the urgency of this battle made all the difference.
Having fired dozens or even hundreds of shots in rapid succession, the rifle was experiencing a sudden rise in temperature.
Consequently, excessive heat accelerated wear and tear, reducing its lifespan. It could also decrease bullet velocity and destabilize not just the bullet but the barrel speed as well. The problem is such heat can lead to functional failures, potentially resulting in burns and breakages.
“Damn it.”
Sure enough, upon touching the barrel cover, I felt oppressive heat. If I had come without my gloves, I would have burnt the palm of my hand.
Moreover, it seemed proper chambering had not been achieved either. After ejecting the magazine, I tugged the charging handle, but the firmly stuck ammunition between the hammer cluster and chamber wouldn’t budge.
I quickly discarded the rifle and pulled out the pistol, shouting, “I’m done with the rifle! Veronica, are you alright?!”
In the distance, Veronica, pressing her foot down on a demon’s head while aiming her revolver, replied, “No!”
To her, relying on the gun wasn’t a problem at all, against the monstrous enemy count.
The revolver and horizontally paired shotguns had not posed an issue thus far. As Akande said, she was quite skillful with shooting, even respected by demons.
However, no matter how excellent a sharpshooter one might be, facing overwhelming numbers presented a dilemma.
Against dozens of monsters, the revolver had served its purpose, but now its life was expended. The empties tumbled out of the revolver’s cylinder, crying like a kid for food towards its poor owner.
I shot down a few monsters aiming for Veronica with the pistol and yelled, “We’re firing the magic bullets!”
“If you load those now, you’ll die! When in the world would you load them one by one?!”
“Then what shall we do?!”
“A-ah! I don’t know!”
Veronica swung the revolver like a hammer.
As the handle struck the demon’s belly, the fallen creature screeched as it struggled to rise. Swiftly, she struck the agonizing monster’s face with a ferocious swing.
“The holy spirit won’t come out! Ugh, damn it! Did something go wrong when it was forcibly erased earlier?”
With the revolver held in a reverse grip, hitting the monster writhing on the ground, her eyes suddenly widened in horror.
“B-both sides are closing in on us!”
The only source of light, the fire, illuminated the darkness, revealing monsters advancing from the shadows.
The creatures, with mouths agape, were charging from all directions, aiming for the warmth of the living.
“Kwaaaa-!!”
Hearing her scream, Akande lunged forth.
Landing with a crash amid the chaotic swarm of monsters, he began to smash in heads with fists and legs.
As if his entire being were a weapon, Akande unleashed flurries of kicks and punches.
Enthralled in violent ecstasy, he appeared akin to a blood-soaked murderer, which made sense as he wore the debris of corpses.
“Step aside!”
Seeing this, Ramiel pushed Akande towards our side, effectively claiming her position. To say “pushed” wouldn’t suffice; it could be described as throwing him.
The knight, having relocated Akande, began brandishing her greatsword at the advancing monsters.
As the colossal blade traced crescent patterns, flesh and dark fluids sprayed all around, and the daggers slipped through the curtain of rising bits.
“You are still as rash as ever, charging the enemy front lines, Ramiel.”
“Nathaniel!”
Covered in challenging bits and black fluids, Ramiel turned to Nathaniel.
Once again, her voice radiated a hint of pleased surprise as she posed a question.
“Are you watching my back?”
“No.”
Nathaniel’s straightforward declaration caused Ramiel’s shoulders to droop. For some reason, her body language revealed a hint of disappointment.
After shoving a dagger into a monster’s neck and kicking it off, Nathaniel shifted his gaze towards Ramiel.
“You need to watch my back. Protect the humans you’ve brought. I’ll do my job.”
“What will you do?”
Veronica raised an eyebrow in response to the exchange between the two, but the angel simply remained silent, answering only through action.
“Cover me.”
As Nathaniel’s terse command was uttered, Ramiel responded instantly.
Planting her greatsword into the ground, she knelt silently. Nathaniel dashed toward her, stepping on her back, soaring into the air within moments.
The angel leapt, soaring dozens of meters high, ready to drop.
He began spinning like a tumbling body.
As Nathaniel, drawn by the force of gravity, flipped out his daggers to throw at the monsters, it was as if they were being unleashed like bullets from a machine gun.
In that instant, as the silver gleam flickered in the darkness, the fluttering cloak twisted in strange directions.
Like one polishing a gemstone with soft cloth, as the cloak swept through the air, a swirling black smoke began to create circles.
“Corruption is a part of the cycle.”
The angel muttered as he presided over the cycles.
“No one can escape.”
As the cloak swept over the edges of the circle, it gently bid farewell.
As the shimmering black smoke merged, the individual wraiths gathered into larger and smaller spheres.
Like the heartbeat of silence or the hammering of a blacksmith, they began to pulse at uniform intervals.
When that pulsing reached its climax.
– Boom.
In unison, the spheres exploded, casting black smoke in every direction.
The erupting smoke enveloped the monsters. Like a tidal wave rolling over the shore, like a storm sweeping across the prairies.
The smoke fiercely swept over the minions of hell, overwhelming the hellhounds.
They were swept away as if facing calamity.
– Kueeeeeeeek….
– Kaaaaaak….
Piercing howls of pain receded into the distance.
It was a signal that the creatures from hell were returning to their original place.
Nevertheless, quite a few monsters remained.
Veronica, exasperated, recoiled in horror. “Wow… what the heck was down there?”
A barrage of accusatory glares was cast upon the angel. Ramiel averted his gaze slightly, avoiding the confrontation.
“I may have sealed a little too much.”
“……”
“But everything turned out alright, so that’s a blessing, isn’t it?”
His unrepentant attitude only caused Veronica’s glare to grow colder.
In response, the knight stepped forth confidently.
“The design of the seal was Nathaniel’s work.”
“…Ah, is it a matter of design and engineering?”
The helm bobbed up and down. It meant to tell them to take it up with the construction company rather than himself.
With that brazen stance, Veronica seemed thoroughly infuriated. Gripping the revolver like a hammer, she began swinging it.
“Hey! Is that even a thing to say right now! You want to get killed so badly?!”
“Just hold on! Hold on….”
“Don’t move! You, you, if you keep messing with me, you’re dead! Get over here and get a smack!”
I desperately clung to Veronica as she became agitated. Akande, letting out a huff, looked at us with a confused expression.
At that moment, the head of the angel who was defiantly dodging responsibility was almost smashed by the saint. Just then, Nathaniel descended to the ground, chiding Ramiel with an expression of utter disappointment.
“You still have that obnoxious mouth. When will you stop making jokes that aren’t even funny?”
“Isn’t it amusing?”
“……”
“Or, get drunk.”
The angel shook his head as if to say he couldn’t stand him, before suddenly turning to look away, clearly irritated.
“How many of them are left?”
“About 60? Probably not reaching a hundred.”
“Tsk.”
Nathaniel clicked his tongue lightly.
“It’s a pity that in the past, we could have wiped them all out.”
Ramiel placed a hand on Nathaniel’s shoulder, offering words of comfort as she spoke.
“When you grow older, it’s normal that even using a restroom becomes challenging.”
“Please, just shut it. Before I carve that tongue out.”
“Hah!”
A burst of hearty laughter erupted. Ramiel was laughing at something amusing to her alone.
Nobody else joined in. It was clearly just a ludicrous joke, lacking humor.
All eyes turned towards Ramiel, who deflated the atmosphere with a single comment while Nathaniel remained unaffected.
Regardless, he sheathed his greatsword, preparing to deal with the remaining adversaries.
The greatsword melted into the air and transformed into a hammer.
Gripping the handle and pulling along forcefully, he began counting the monsters’ legs.
“To reestablish the seal, we’re running short on time. First, I’ll take down five legs and then finally the main pillar. That way, we can prevent them from emerging on the surface.”
Ramiel pointed to us three.
“You should hurry to the surface. I shall remain here with Nathaniel and make sure to ascend in time.”
“There’s no need for that.”
“…Huh?”
Nathaniel raised his head.
The angel’s gaze shifted upward, toward the high and dark ceiling.
“Someone is coming.”
Before the words could even fade.
– Whoosh~!!
Flames surged forth.
A tidal wave of fire flowed down the walls, spreading lively across the ground.
The remaining monsters had firmly grasped their last desperate efforts to scale upwards but found themselves overwhelmed and incinerated by the fire.
“Ah.”
Only upon laying eyes on the bright red flames did I finally relax.
As fiery sparks shot up into the air, someone appeared amid the flames.
“Tochaaak!”
Camila emerged dramatically from the flames, letting out a battle cry.
Spotting us from the lit pathway, she beamed.
“Looks like you made it just in time!”
“Hero? And your sister?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
From within the flames, Francesca waved at Veronica, who was clutching Camila’s hand.
The two of them landed gently on the ground, scanning their surroundings. Thanks to the collapsing threats of monsters, the gloom subsided, replaced by the acrid scent of burning flesh filling the air.
Francesca silently drew her rune blade. Threads of azure magic flit at her command, adorned with steel spikes at the end.
With a sharp flick, the threads unfurled, driving the spikes into the bridge and wall joints.
The alchemist examined the structure of the bridge, seeking weak points, then pulled out an identical spike from her pocket, preparing to hammer it down. Thundering resonated as all the spikes sang in unison, digging deeper into the structure.
Predictably, the bridge began to quake, signaling its collapse.
The structure issued a profound rumble, creating a dissonant symphony. With the tool retrieved, Francesca turned to everyone.
“It will fall soon. We need to evacuate quickly.”
“Hero?”
“Leave it to me.”
A small cube floated up from Camila’s pocket. The cube began to rotate, as if solving a puzzle. As its speed increased, it emitted a brighter light.
At last, when the cube was fully charged.
The feet standing on the collapsing bridge began to rise into the air.
Camila smiled.
“Let’s go! Don’t keep us waiting up there!”
The seven figures began to soar into the sky.
It was a moment of farewell to their long journey through the underground ruins.