Chapter 383: The Appearance of the Divine Bow (1)
This had clearly begun as a civil war within the Lillian Kingdom. No one had expected that it would, in the blink of an eye, escalate into something like a world war as nations across the globe joined the conflict.
Of course, no country would commit its full military force to something as trivial as a civil war. Still, it was highly unusual for armies from every nation to gather in a single country.
At first, everyone believed the war would drag on. In the end, Lillian’s economy would collapse, and regardless of whether Rukan or Rakan won, the kingdom itself would be finished.
Prices in Lillian skyrocketed without limit, and wealthy people desperate to flee flooded the borders, spending everything they had to emigrate. With both public sentiment and the economy shattered, the kingdom seemed to have no future.
Then, Crown Prince Rukan made his move. He unveiled the monsters of the Demon Capital. Rukan didn’t just control one or two, but an entire army of creatures humanity had fought against for generations. And that wasn’t all. Humans corrupted by the Demon Capital’s power, called monster-humans, began to appear as well, drawing the attention of the entire world.
At first, people were merely curious. They watched, wondering how Rukan had managed to tame such creatures. But the true problem was that his power far exceeded expectations. More than that, the mist of Liqueur also began spreading at an alarming rate.
Ten years—in that time, the mist of Liqueur covered the entirety of the Lillian Kingdom. It wasn’t as inescapable as before. Those of Master-level or higher could pass through it, but it was still devastating. The mist was so dense that sunlight could barely penetrate it. Without sunlight, crops failed to grow and became vulnerable to disease.
If that had been the extent of it, the world would never have united. After all, it was someone else’s problem. It was just a misfortune that could be exploited. However, the fog did not stop at Lillian’s borders; it began to spread outward into other nations.
Only then did the kings of other nations act, as if they had never hesitated at all. Overnight, they joined forces, declared Rukan the Demon King, and formed a global alliance army. The alliance had no intention of prolonging the war. Their goal was to defeat the Demon King within a year, so they dispatched their elite forces.
However, the war dragged on for nine long years. Even with the strongest Transcendentals and the kings, figures revered as gods in their own nations, joining the front lines, victory remained out of reach.
The reason was the existence of the malevolent gods that supported Rukan. These were beings that even powerful Transcendentals could not handle. They were entities that required kings themselves to confront, and there were four of them.
Faced with such opponents, the alliance army struggled endlessly. During this time, the public began to criticize the Samael Empire. Although it had joined the alliance, its response was lukewarm. While every other nation’s king had taken the field, the emperor alone remained absent.
Still, the long stalemate was finally approaching its climax. The capital of Lillian, the Demon King Rukan’s stronghold, was now within reach. This was because the Skull Mountain, which had blocked the path to the capital, had finally been conquered.
Of course, no one let their guard down. The enemy might be monstrous, but they were not mindless beasts relying on brute strength. They were more cunning and vicious than humans. This could easily be a trap, and yet, they had no choice but to advance.
Time was not on humanity’s side, but the monsters’. The mist of Liqueur continued to spread day by day, and the only way to stop it was to defeat the Demon King. No one had ever proven that for certain, but that was what everyone believed.
Strategists from nations and guilds agreed on one thing.
“There is a high probability that the enemy will strike our weakened rear now, when our main force is concentrated here.”
“But if we divert part of our main force to defend the rear, we risk falling into the Demon King’s trap.”
“I agree. We cannot afford mutual destruction. If the rear is attacked, we must avoid full engagement and buy as much time as possible.”
A minority argued for caution, but the majority favored a swift, decisive strike.
War was full of variables; overthinking would only paralyze them. So, the main force began its march to slay the Demon King. That was when the Demon King’s forces struck the rear, as they expected. However, it was not the small-scale incursion anyone had anticipated.
* * *
In Sefira’s operations control room, the communication crystals glowed an intense red, flashing wildly as they transmitted real-time reports.
The mages handling communications shouted at the top of their lungs. “Fort North Valley is under attack! They’re holding out behind the moat, but there are too many enemies! They say they won’t last a full day!”
“The cathedral at Lion Hill, where the severely wounded are recovering, is also in danger! It won’t last even half a day!”
“My lord! We’ve received an urgent request for reinforcements from Captain Taragon of the Crusaders! He reports a large number of monsters and monster-humans attacking!”
“We’re getting reports of multiple enemy sightings at the Hacose Fortress…”
Hissop had braced himself for this over the past few days, but even so, it felt like he was about to lose his mind. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say monsters had appeared in every region under Sefira’s control. The scale far exceeded anyone’s expectations.
Clenching his teeth, Hissop forced his shaking mind back under control and issued orders to the strategists.
“This is the enemy trying to sow confusion. Just from what we’re hearing, it sounds like over five thousand troops, but that makes no sense. Tell the soldiers to stay calm and confirm the enemy’s actual numbers!”
They had expected at most one hundred, maybe five hundred enemies. This was ten times that. It was impossible.
It doesn’t make any sense. How did he hide such a massive force without us noticing?
Even with the world covered by the mist of Liqueur, Sefira was known for having the sharpest intelligence network. Among all nations, they had suffered the fewest surprise attacks. For an army of five thousand to suddenly emerge and strike a city was absurd.
Even if a god had hidden them, there was no reason for them to deploy five thousand just to attack the rear. The main army of the world alliance had gone to attack the Demon King, so he should have been gathering all forces to defend against them.
Are you trying to destroy yourself, Rukan…?
If that were true, it was the worst-case scenario. If Rukan had released all his forces into the rear for mutual destruction, every nation would suffer catastrophic losses.
“We’ll send reinforcements. Assign guards and support roles to the wounded who can still move, as well as healthy children and the elderly. Mobilize every combat-capable soldier!”
“Yes, my lord!”
There was no time to weigh options. Even the main Sefira estate lacked sufficient troops.
Hissop frowned deeply, his clenched fists trembling. No matter how he calculated it, saving everyone was impossible.
Then the communication mages reported again. “My lord! The enemy forces are not disguised. They’re all real monsters!”
“Same on our side!”
It was the worst possible situation. On top of that, requests for reinforcements were now flooding in, not just from Sefira, but from other families as well. It wasn’t just Sefira under attack—the entire world was.
“We don’t have the capacity to support other families. Reject all requests!”
Without hesitation, Hissop refused them all. Sefira itself was in crisis; there was no room to save others.
Then, he roared, “Are the troops not assembled yet? Think that with every minute, our family is dying!”
But Hissop wasn’t just shouting orders. His mind raced, calculating where to send whom, and in what numbers.
“My lord! We can deploy seven hundred fifty troops immediately. Another one thousand can assemble within an hour, and another thousand within twelve hours!”
“…Damn it.”
The number was far too small.
Even if they sent all three thousand troops Sefira had to one location, it might not be enough to save it. Sefira’s soldiers were elite, each worth a hundred soldiers, but Rukan’s monsters were the same. Each one required aura-level power just to damage.
Grinding his teeth, Hissop finally said the words he didn’t want to.
“If we try to save everyone, we’ll lose everyone. Set priorities. Identify which locations can still hold, and which absolutely cannot be lost. You have one minute.”
The seven strategists felt the weight of it. Their decisions would determine who lived and who died, but the longer they hesitated, the more would perish. So even as tears fell, they began planning.
“If we split the forces, they risk being ambushed en route. The seven hundred fifty that can be mobilized immediately should be sent to the cathedral on Lion Hill to stabilize the situation. Then, with the additional one thousand arriving within the hour, we can secure it.”
“We don’t have the capacity to evacuate the wounded to the main base. Move them to nearby shelters prepared for this scenario, and have reinforcements proceed directly to Fort North Valley afterward…”
Only after hearing everything did Hissop speak.
“Did I not say we cannot save everyone? Then what is this route?”
The strategists had marked the reinforcement paths on the map. All were the shortest routes, except for one, which was conspicuously longer. Across the map were skull markings, which symbolized danger zones. Among them, one stood out in red.
Hissop pointed at it.
“This is an irrational decision. Exclude this route.”
The strategists understood why Hissop was trying to exclude that route. In fact, they knew all too well that that was the flaw in their plan. Still, they tried to protest.
“But my lord… Captain Taragon is there…”
“Do you think I don’t know that?!”
Hissop slammed his fist onto the table. Though his voice was furious, his eyes trembled uncontrollably.
“I want Taragon to live too, but that location is the most dangerous territory in all of Sefira and it has the fewest people to save. We exclude it.”
“My lord…”
“That’s enough! Don’t bring it up again. We proceed without that route.”
Taragon was abandoned, and yet it was the rational choice. The place he was in was the land of Liqueur, the source of the cursed mist. The mist was so dense it was difficult to breathe, and the land swarmed with monsters that even Master-level fighters struggled against. That was where Taragon was.
Of course, he wasn’t alone; he had the hundred members of the Crusaders with him. Five years ago, Taragon had taken them there of his own accord, saying he would find Keter.
—I’ll accept punishment after I bring Keter back, Hissop.
Even after leaving, Taragon hadn’t cut off contact. He regularly reported that he was looking for traces of Keter, searching for paths into the underground. There had been no results, but Hissop had still supported him. But in the end, Keter wasn’t found. And now, Hissop couldn’t even save Taragon.
At Hissop’s command, the reinforcements departed. After sending them off, Hissop stood alone and quietly wept.
* * *
Now in Liqueur, only the remnants of buildings remained. Everything was completely covered in slime. The substance was warm and pulsing, as if it were alive.
And in that vile, horrifying place, there was a living human. Leaning against a wall untouched by the slime, Taragon clutched his chest and gasped for breath.
“Ha… ha…”
Two others stood beside him. One of them pulled a vial from his coat and spoke.
“Captain, it’s an elixir. Please take it.”
“Heh… How can a man with all his limbs accept an elixir from someone who’s lost an arm?”
“All the more reason you should take it. I’m no longer of any use. I’ll buy time, so please, you must survive and return.”
“Useless? You can still fire a crossbow with one hand. Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Then are we all just going to die here together?”
“No. We can’t.”
Taragon, now a middle-aged man, removed his cloak. At its center was a large cross-shaped emblem resembling a crossbow—the symbol of the Crusaders.
The other two wore similar cloaks, but there was a difference. Beneath the cross, the number of bolts varied: Taragon had three, while the other men had two. Three were for the captain, and the deputy captains had two.
“Give me yours and wear this instead. The enemy will think I’m sacrificing my subordinate to escape. Use that moment to run.”
“Why me? Eren, who still has both arms, should…”
“I’m done for, Caesar.”
Eren revealed his chest beneath the cloak. A massive spike was embedded in it. He had been pretending to be fine, but it was clearly a fatal wound.
“Caesar, one more thing.”
Taragon removed a ring from his finger and handed it over. It was the level-five magic tool Keter had taken from Volos, the patriarch of the Bydent family. It was a ring imbued with powerful defensive magic.
Originally, Keter had given it to Hissop, who later passed it on to Taragon when he became the captain of the Cross Council.
“You need to wear this too. That way, they’ll be completely fooled.”
“Captain…”
As Caesar clenched the ring, on the verge of tears, Eren tapped his shoulder.
“Save it. Cry at my grave after you survive. They’re coming.”
Seven others had sacrificed themselves to buy them time. And yet, their position had been discovered in just ten minutes.
Taragon steadied his breathing and pushed himself up against the wall.
“Cover yourselves completely. When they appear, Eren and I will run left. Caesar, you go right.”
They concealed their faces and physiques beneath their cloaks and loaded their crossbows.
Soon, a figure emerged from the fog. It looked like an ordinary young man. He was calm, and his upright posture even made him look sophisticated. At a glance, he seemed harmless, but the blood staining him and the crossbow bolts embedded in him made him look like a monster.
“Do you know the phrase, ‘grasping at straws’?”
Tap, tap.
As if brushing off dust, he casually plucked the crossbow bolts from his body. Though they had been deeply embedded, not a single drop of blood fell. The three crossbowmen said nothing and instead fired their crossbows.
The notion that crossbows could only fire one bolt at a time had long been gone. Their weapons held ten bolts each, and all could be fired in a single second. Each bolt was infused with aura, and the tips were no ordinary steel. It was made of amantir and coated with greenstone. Even without aura, they could pierce iron; with aura, their power tripled.
Even a Master-level fighter wouldn’t survive a direct hit, but…
“Do you not learn?”
Thunk, thunk, thunk!
The monster-human didn’t dodge. He took every bolt head-on—the forehead, eyes, throat, heart, abdomen, flank… Every vital point was pierced, but he still smiled.
“Grasping at straws… in the end, it’s useless. Just like everything you’re doing.”
The monster-human extended his hand, and the three men moved as planned.
Whoosh!
Taragon and Eren dashed left, and Caesar to the right.
Thunk!
Even before the hand fully extended, the monster-human’s fingers stretched unnaturally, piercing Eren’s heart beside Taragon.
Just as Taragon had anticipated, the monster had targeted him, disguised as a subordinate.
Eren died instantly, but Taragon was lucky enough to only have his right shoulder pierced.
The monster-human turned calmly toward Caesar, who was fleeing.
“Trying to save just one person? I won’t need even a minute to kill you.”
“Hehehe… then I’ll last ten.”
“Try it.”
Taragon stood resolute, but the outcome was already decided. The monster-human’s finger-like tendrils didn’t just strike fast and hard. They injected poison. Taragon was already nearly paralyzed. Even breathing was difficult. Still, he did not give up. No matter how heavy his eyelids became, he refused to close them.
Then, he smiled. Something faint appeared in the distance.
Keter.
Of course, it couldn’t really be him. It had to be a hallucination before death. Like Taragon thought, the image disappeared right away. But at the same time, he suddenly felt lighter, as if someone were supporting him from behind.
Ah… Keter. Thank you.
Taragon believed that Keter was helping him. Otherwise, he couldn’t be moving like this. Abandoning the crossbow that had become like an extension of his limbs, he assumed the stance of a bow. Aura flowed naturally, forming a bow and arrow.
Zodiac Archery, Fifth Form: Leo Archery.
Guided by Keter’s illusion, Taragon fired. The monster-human scoffed and accepted the attack.
Boom!!!
That was the monster’s last moment. The creature that had never shed a drop of blood was erased, leaving only its ankles behind.
“…!”
Taragon couldn’t believe it. He blinked, wondering if this too was an illusion, but it was real. His strength gave out, and he collapsed to his knees. Tears streamed down his face.
“Keter, even in death, you’re still helping me.”
He was completely convinced that Keter, even dead, had lent him power.
“Muttering to yourself now?”
“Heh… If I’m hearing Keter’s voice, I must be dying too.”
Though he had defeated the monster, Taragon was fatally wounded. That final attack had drained everything he had left. He fell onto his back, and above him, Keter’s face appeared.
“You look exactly the same as ten years ago… Keter…”
His eyes began to close. Just as they were about to shut completely…
Smack!
Keter flicked his forehead. A pain so intense it transcended death itself shot through him, and Taragon’s eyes snapped wide open.
