Ch.21Chapter 21

Monsters, beasts, and humans—enemies made of combinations that could never possibly mix.

It was no wonder that the sight of such enemies charging forward with horrific screams sent chills down one’s spine. It was something that defied common sense.

Yet the warriors neither retreated nor showed fear. Geron raised his weapon high and shouted with vigor.

“If we retreat, our families will suffer eternally. If you don’t want to watch that happen and live with regret, fight with your lives! Fight to protect your families!”

The warriors roared in response, their fighting spirit ignited. What was their purpose for being here?

Was it not to honor the valiant warriors and to protect their families?

As the warriors’ fighting spirit burned hot, Wendigo looked at Geron with surprised eyes.

Geron has such talent?

“You have a talent for commanding people.”

“Heh heh. Isn’t it all learned from you, Lord Wendigo?”

At Geron’s humble response, Wendigo cleared his throat. He wanted to object, but his own method of gathering warriors had been somewhat… demagogic.

‘No. I didn’t expect it would work so well.’

He had thought that dealing with Gicas would become more troublesome as time passed, so he had chosen that method to persuade them quickly…

It seemed that honor and family held greater value to the people of this world than he had anticipated. Who would have thought the warriors would be so captivated by those words?

When Geron looked at him with an expression that said “I knew it all along,” Wendigo sighed and pulled his greatsword from the ground.

‘From now on, even if I tell Skadi I never taught her how to incite people, she won’t believe me.’

Shaking off unnecessary thoughts, Wendigo focused on what lay ahead. The enemies were rushing in like a wave.

“Kieeeeek!!!”

“Kill them! Kill them and offer them as sacrifices to our master!!!”

The creatures were charging forward, spewing blood. It would be good if they died on their own, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

‘This is like what I saw in the parasite village. They’re quite fast.’

It was certain that the enraged Gicas had employed some trick. At this rate, the warriors would be pushed back upon collision.

Wendigo thrust his sword into the ground. His mystical power surged through the earth, exerting his will.

Crack!

Roots and branches shot up like spears from the trees imbued with his mystical power. Of course, it wasn’t just one tree.

Roots and branches extended suddenly from more than ten trees, impaling the enemies. It was quite effective, but Wendigo clicked his tongue.

“The monsters and beasts are quite good at dodging.”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t very effective against the beasts and monsters. They threw themselves through small gaps and quickly escaped between the trees.

‘Should I try again? No. They’ll just dodge anyway, so there’s not much to gain.’

Trying more would only reduce the space for the warriors to move. Wendigo withdrew his mystical power and drew his ice sword.

As he took a step forward, the beasts scattered with howls. Though they were of different species, it was clear they intended to attack together.

As the enemies’ momentum grew fierce, Wendigo felt the need to break their spirit. He took his stance and drew a deep breath.

Just as the enemies reached striking distance, a mystical roar erupted from Wendigo’s mouth.

《 ■■■■■■■!!!!!! 》

The roar, carrying a chill, swept through the surroundings like a cutting wind.

The beasts at the forefront had their eardrums and eyes burst, and parts of their skin froze.

The rest escaped death, but the blood that had been boiling within them moments ago now ran cold.

A primal fear, incomparable to any stimulus sent by the parasites, struck their minds.

‘What? I could do this too?’

Wendigo was surprised by what he had just done. Who would have thought that his voice, which had seemed uselessly sinister until now, possessed such power?

Wendigo swung his greatsword. Even the agile beasts and monsters, now frozen in place, couldn’t dodge his strikes.

After five or six were torn apart, Wendigo lunged forward. As his sword swung, another five or six became corpses tumbling in the snow.

Among those watching this slaughter, Geron was the first to regain his senses.

Geron slapped his own cheek and moved his stiffened legs. How could he just stand there like a fool?

“Everyone move! Follow the Djin!!”

“!”

At Geron’s command, the warriors snapped out of their daze and began to move.

The roar still echoed in their ears, but fortunately, they hadn’t been directly hit, so they could still move.

The warriors followed Wendigo, cutting down enemies as they went. Wendigo watched them while crushing a goblin’s head with one hand.

‘If the warriors handle the flanks, I can break through the front.’

He threw the dead goblin like a shot put, and with a sound like an explosion, several enemies were smashed against trees.

The enemies were beginning to break free from the effects of the roar, but that didn’t turn the tide. They had lost even their advantage in numbers.

Wendigo charged forward, swinging his ice sword violently without concern for his surroundings. The parasites tried to move their puppets to somehow block Wendigo, but…

“R-run away! Dodge!”

“Master… Master!!!”

It seemed the survival instinct of living beings was stronger than the parasites’ commands. The puppets began to ignore the parasites’ orders.

Wendigo’s violence was too overwhelming for them to muster any courage.

Not long after the battle began, over fifty puppets of various species had already been reduced to pieces by Wendigo’s ice sword.

It would have been better if their attacks had at least been effective.

Even those who managed to approach realized that neither teeth nor blades were of any use, and they lost their will to fight.

And beings with broken spirits tend to make similar choices.

They all turned their backs and…

“Master! Please help us!!!”

“To the nest, retreat to the nest!!”

The puppets and parasites lost control and began running toward the nest.

Even seasoned warriors and mindless monsters alike want to flee to the comfort of home when danger strikes.

They moved so nimbly that Wendigo stopped mid-swing, dumbfounded.

“Hmph. Where’s the spirit they showed in the village? How pathetic.”

“It must be because of your roar, Lord Djin. It was chilling even from behind—imagine how it felt head-on.”

Geron, who had somehow made it to his side, caught his breath as he answered. Wendigo thought it was a reasonable explanation.

‘Even in modern times, shamans and exorcists would shout when driving away ghosts.’

Considering that they did so in modern times when the existence of ghosts was uncertain, there must indeed be strong power in the voice.

Still, to be so frightened as to flee to the nest…

“Honestly, they had reason to run.”

“Did you see how the Djin swings his sword? He doesn’t cut—he tears them apart.”

“If a being like the Djin were my enemy, I’d pray first. I’d give up everything else and just ask for a painless death.”

‘…Perhaps running away was the normal response.’

The warriors spoke quietly, but Wendigo’s sharp senses caught even their whispers.

If even allies feared him, enemies must have been terrified. Even parasites were living beings, so it wasn’t strange that they would struggle to survive.

Wendigo headed toward the nest, caught in mixed feelings—unsure whether to be glad that things had become easier or sad that his allies feared him.

* * *

Wendigo ordered the warriors to guard the perimeter of the nest and entered alone.

Unlike the outside, he didn’t know what dangers might lurk within.

‘If he’s not a fool, he would be using his parasitic nature to his advantage.’

The word “parasite” alone brought numerous dangers to mind.

Implanting parasites in powerful creatures to control them. Pretending not to be infected to lower guards. Secretly infecting allies to cause discord…

In such a dangerous place, it was better to be alone. How troublesome would it be if allies became infected?

‘From what he said, he’s clearly lived for a long time. He must have prepared something.’

Why is the typical image of a sage an old man? Because time becomes wisdom and knowledge.

Of course, Gicas showed more arrogance than wisdom, and he wasn’t without flaws…

Wendigo remained vigilant. He moved slowly deeper into the nest, his guard up.

Sure enough, enemies appeared from inside. But their condition was strange.

“S-save me!!!”

“?”

A human with one arm missing jumped out, begging for his life. Following him, three or four humans ran toward Wendigo in terror.

Wendigo couldn’t make an immediate judgment. He recognized the face of the one in the lead.

‘Isn’t this the one who ran away first?’

They were enemies, but he couldn’t understand why they were charging without weapons.

How could humans hope to harm a body that even beast fangs couldn’t scratch?

As they drew closer, Wendigo raised his ice sword. There was no time to determine whether they were infected or not.

‘Whether infected or not, I’ll cut them down!’

Wendigo had no intention of falling for Gicas’s tricks. As he gripped his sword, screams erupted.

…Not because they feared his sword, but because something flew from behind them.

『Where do you think you’re going, my slaves?』

From the darkness, with the sound of a whip, a thorny tentacle shot out.

The tentacle pierced through the back of one of the humans. After penetration, the tentacle split and firmly secured the human.

“Aaaaargh!!!”

Then it dragged him into the darkness. Wendigo heard something being crushed and torn apart in the distance.

The tentacles continued to fly out, capturing the humans. Desperate screams and bloody sounds echoed throughout the nest.

The last remaining one-armed human fell right in front of Wendigo. He reached out toward Wendigo.

“S-save me! The master, the master has gone mad!”

“…Poor creature.”

Wendigo bent down and extended his claw toward the one-armed human. The man shed tears, hoping he might live.

Of course, Wendigo had no intention of saving him. When his claw touched the man’s head, the cold gathered on his claw froze the entire body, starting from the head.

The last mercy Wendigo could offer was a painless death.

When another tentacle flew in to grab the one-armed man’s corpse, Wendigo’s sword cut it down.

『Disrespectful creature. How dare you interrupt my meal!』

“…Living all these years only to be lectured on table manners by a worm. Stop the nonsense and bring out what you’ve prepared.”

Wendigo growled, his mystical power boiling. Gicas flinched at the unusual energy but didn’t back down.

『Very well. Come inside. I’ll face you myself!』

“…?”

Wendigo sensed something strange.

A parasite saying it would face him directly? What did that mean?

‘Does he mean he’ll directly control a puppet?’

That would make some sense. Such creatures tend to become more precise as the number of control targets decreases.

Wendigo maintained his vigilance until the end.

In the deepest part of the nest.

Wendigo confronted Gicas. With his massive body, Gicas could easily be called a Wyrm from legends.

However, unlike a Wyrm, he didn’t have a majestic appearance but rather resembled a hideous worm.

Wendigo scanned the surroundings with his spiritual sense, searching for hidden enemies.

But the only presence he could feel was Gicas.

“…Are you alone?”

『Foolish creature. With such great power, you worry about underlings! True strength is being complete on one’s own!』

Unaware that Wendigo was looking at him with contempt, Gicas began to sing his philosophy.

Wendigo ignored the nonsense and thought to himself.

‘I didn’t expect to find someone acting like a muscle wizard in reality.’

This moment, when the creature was lost in his delusions, was the perfect opportunity. Wendigo swung his ice sword forcefully, intending to cut him down in one strike.

Crack!

“!”

『Hahaha! Now is different from when you caught me off guard. No matter how strong you are, do you think you can cut through my body, tempered for three hundred years?』

Gicas’s shell was hard. A scratch appeared on the shell, but that alone wasn’t enough to kill Gicas.

Wendigo couldn’t help but be surprised.

‘No way. Was there actually some reason behind his philosophy?’

He had thought the creature was just a fool who had wasted his years…

Wendigo realized that even addicts have their own logic.

『I’ve never eaten a Djin before, but I’d like to if I can!』

Gicas’s massive mouth opened, and dozens of tentacles poured toward Wendigo.