Ch.141Breakthrough

I held the reins tightly and swallowed hard.

Most of these rotting infected might split apart with a single strike, but with thousands of them, the pressure was considerable.

Soldiers who never tire or feel fear.

If my feet get caught, breakthrough might be impossible.

No matter how much I swing my sword, attacks will come from somewhere, and after allowing a few injuries, I’ll eventually collapse from exhaustion.

No, I shouldn’t think such ominous thoughts. I need to believe in myself.

Against a few powerful opponents I might struggle, but when facing numerous weaker enemies, there’s no Master who could match me.

“Wait a moment, let me prepare too.”

Seeing my eagerness to charge forward immediately, Asha hurriedly stopped me after dismounting from her bike.

Come to think of it, what about her?

The jetpack on her back and the lance mounted on her bike wouldn’t be enough for a breakthrough…

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

“Don’t worry. I have my methods.”

Asha began dismantling parts of the bike with skilled hands.

So it was designed to be taken apart from the beginning.

The frames forming the bike’s exterior were detached one by one.

Asha started attaching these frames to her jetpack and various parts of her body, like putting on armor.

Moments later, all that remained was a bike stripped down to its basic frame and a knight wearing heavy full-body armor.

She had grown to human height, and her bulk had increased so much that she looked more massive than knights in medium armor.

…More monster than human in build.

“How do I look?”

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

“This isn’t just simple armor. It has the Lightvagen’s engine and drive system transplanted into it, so I’m actually stronger and faster!”

I suppose it’s like powered exoskeleton armor.

It’s strange that with this level of technology, they’re still considered a minor nation compared to the Empire.

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

A heavy engine sound resonated from the back of the armor.

The roar was several times stronger than before, combining the jetpack’s built-in engine with the bike’s engine.

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

“Shall we go then? I’m looking forward to seeing the Were Eater’s skills I’ve heard so much about!”

“Whatever. Don’t blame me if you fall behind!”

I charged forward, whipping the reins.

A blue afterglow flowing from my blade drew a long line in the air.

If I had known I’d be making a mounted charge, I would have brought a spear too.

A spear would be much more useful for charging head-on.

A heavy engine sound followed from behind.

Right, there is a spear after all. A smile crossed my lips.

The monsters rapidly came into view.

Close enough to clearly see their half-rotted faces turning to notice us.

“Asha! Break through!”

“Boost CHARGE!”

Asha shouted as she accelerated rapidly.

Fierce flames erupted from her back, with several times the mass as before.

The red lance plunged into the monster horde.

—-

Asha’s charge impaled three monsters simultaneously.

The skewered monsters were pushed several meters forward, while others caught in the momentum tumbled in all directions.

“Graaah…”

A rotting infected that took the hit head-on groaned while looking down at its pierced abdomen.

A cavalry lance as thick as a human forearm. The massive, heat-glowing spike was searing through the creature’s stomach.

For a human, it would be a fatal wound.

Even without immediate death, the pain of burning internal organs would have them screaming before perishing shortly after.

However, this creature was already dead.

A weapon without holy power, a stomach wound that didn’t significantly impair movement.

Effectively, it had taken no real damage.

The rotting infected raised the spear clutched in its right hand,

as if to split Asha’s head with the spearhead.

Asha twisted her wrist.

Spiral blades emerged from the lance’s surface and began spinning ferociously, like a drill.

The monster’s body was literally ground apart, spraying bits of flesh.

Even if undead are semi-immortal, once the body is split in two, the upper half could only fall to the ground.

The creature’s spear missed harmlessly.

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

The blade of true silver that cuts through the dead, spirits, and even mana.

My descending blade dug into the monster’s flesh.

A sword path that twisted sideways as I flexed my wrist.

Like being mauled by a massive beast, the creature’s body was carved away entirely.

That should kill it.

I seized its spear with my left hand, gripping the shaft in the middle.

Charging straight ahead would just get me stuck like Asha… I’ll use this to create openings.

I tilted my body sharply to the side, so low I nearly scraped the ground.

Supporting my body with only the firmly held reins and one foot hooked in the saddle.

My vision shook violently; the slightest loss of balance would plant my head into the ground.

But instinctively I knew: as long as the horse lived, I wouldn’t fall.

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

“Haaaah!”

The thrown spear, launched from below knee height while hanging off the horse’s flank.

The flash shot out like a bullet, skewering a line of rotting infected.

Monsters with their ankles torn away staggered.

They would regenerate eventually, but this created enough of a gap in their formation.

I remounted the horse and charged into their midst.

The rotten stench and acrid dark mana, now as familiar as hometown friends. Partially decayed monsters filled every direction.

This was just the beginning.

—-

My sword, tinged with a faint blue light, drew endless arcs.

Riding through the monsters, I cut down only those close enough to touch my blade.

A single strike was enough for these rotting infected.

Some wore armor, perhaps made from soldiers’ corpses, but it was merely steel or less.

With each swing of my sword, they were torn apart like paper amid showers of sparks.

Looking back, the path was filled with monsters twitching in diagonal pieces.

And many whose lives were extinguished in a single blow.

“Graaaah!”

I locked eyes with a monster lunging at me.

About 2m tall with a horse’s skull emitting blue light from its eye sockets.

Intestinal whips hanging like tentacles from both shoulders.

A Mixed Corpse.

The monster that Demian struggled desperately against during the VR lecture.

But I’m not Demian.

I rode toward it.

Perhaps from being splashed with dark mana-infused blood so many times, my horse was in poor condition.

Its running speed had noticeably slowed, and bloody foam dripped from its mouth as it breathed heavily.

Blood streamed from two spears embedded in its blackened flank.

It won’t last much longer.

Still, we seem to have broken through about half the encirclement… it lasted longer than expected.

You did well.

I placed both feet on the horse’s back and leapt upward.

Blood and flesh exploded beneath my feet. A sorrowful whinnying cry.

Leaving my dying mount behind, I shot like an arrow toward the Mixed Corpse.

Intestinal whips lashed toward me.

Not difficult to react to.

I cut the tentacle flying from the right with my sword, and grabbed and ripped out the one coming from the left.

The monster staggered, suddenly losing both arms.

The following slash.

Durandal’s blade fell like a guillotine, vertically splitting the Mixed Corpse.

Over my shoulder, I heard a horse with its waist completely gone tumbling across the ground.

Farewell.

You were a good horse. Though our time together was brief.

Better a quick death than being butchered by monsters or suffering from dark mana poisoning.

“Are you alright, Haschal?!”

Having seen my horse collapse, Asha flew urgently toward me.

Her armor was completely blackened, evidence of how many monsters she had ground through.

“So far. How about you?”

“My propellant is starting to…”

Asha gestured slightly toward her back.

Indeed, the jetpack’s flames were noticeably weaker than before.

“Then… from now on we’ll have to run.”

I cut apart the rotting infected that couldn’t wait and rushed at us.

With each flash of Durandal, dismembered bodies scattered.

It would drain more stamina, but this would be more convenient for dealing with enemies.

Mounted, it was difficult to swing my sword freely.

Good. Halfway there.

At this rate, breakthrough seemed possible.

—-

I continued forward without stopping for a moment.

Leaving my back to Asha, I simply ran while cutting down every enemy in sight.

Waves of monsters crashed toward us.

I deflected a spear aimed at my shoulder with my armor, and struck down a rusted blade targeting my neck.

Durandal’s blade, swung without pause, carved away everything it touched with equal indifference.

Arms. Legs. Tentacles. Torsos. Armor. Bones. Flesh.

Blood whirlwinds rose endlessly.

After advancing like this for about twenty minutes.

My body, soaked as if bathed in rotten blood, steamed from the heat of battle.

My breath reached the edge of my chin, and my limbs felt as if heavy weights were attached.

My stamina was depleting faster than expected.

Well, I had to keep swinging my sword in all directions without a moment’s pause while running.

Still, wounds from blind spears and swords were etched across my body.

A sword was even lodged in my left arm.

I could handle Mixed Corpses, but had to avoid anything stronger.

If I got caught even briefly, I’d be trapped among the swarming monsters.

Still, the walls were getting closer.

“Huff… huff… Asha, can you still hold on?”

“I’m dying here…”

“We’re almost there, just a little more…!”

Even while speaking, my sword never stops.

After cutting down ten more, we’re just dozens of meters away.

With a full-power leap, we could arrive in two or three jumps, but that would mean abandoning Asha in the middle of this.

Near the wall, the soldiers’ cheers and screams mixed so loudly it could burst eardrums.

Dozens of knights and Paladins stood blocking the gap where the wall had collapsed, facing the incoming monsters, while soldiers on the wall continuously rained down arrows.

Several knights were knocked down by a Mixed Corpse’s tentacle strike, and knights from the rear line stepped forward to fill the gap.

Beyond that, battles were even taking place inside the fortress.

Masters appeared to be fighting isolated Grave Eaters.

Did they deliberately let them in to isolate them?

If those creatures had rampaged at the front, the defense line would have collapsed long ago.

“Hey, look there! Monsters fighting each other!”

“Monsters…? No, they’re clearly people! Knights!”

Having finally noticed us, several soldiers pointed in our direction, creating a commotion.

“Could they be reinforcements?”

“What reinforcements! There’s only two of them!”

“Idiot! They broke through that area with just two people! They must be Masters…!”

We haven’t broken through yet… but yes, we are Masters.

I cut down another charging monster while catching my breath.

Between the two of us, we must have killed about four hundred, but it hardly made a difference.

“That armor, from somewhere…”

“Black hair, scaled armor…! Yes, that’s it! The Ka’har Master, the Aishan-Gioro princess!”

“The Were Eater?! Why is she here…!”

Some soldiers seemed to recognize me, with shouts of “Were Eater” coming from various directions.

Come on, if you recognize me, don’t just be surprised—help us!

“Priests! Support them!”

Leopold shouted urgently.

Pure holy light poured down upon Asha and me.

Wounds slowly closed, and vitality gradually filled my tired body.

My slowed sword regained its speed.

That wasn’t all.

Until now, my sword was the only way to neutralize these creatures, but with the priests’ blessing, I could now use my arms and legs as well.

“Alright, we’re breaking through, Asha!”

“I’m counting on you!”

Our forward speed tripled.

My swinging left hand tore monsters apart, and kicked monsters exploded away.

It took less than forty seconds to reach the wall.