Ch.270Entry (1)

At the same time as the fierce battle was raging elsewhere, in a forest near Colland.

In a forest that my father-in-law had scouted in advance and deemed perfectly suitable, we were preparing for our final infiltration and assault operation.

Failure meant total annihilation. Not just my death alone, but the possibility of our entire group being wiped out. Faced with this harsh reality, I couldn’t help but feel my heart pounding with tension as I drew my weapon and prepared for the upcoming operation.

I was meticulously maintaining my weapons and preparing for the next engagement, not wanting a single mistake to cost anyone’s life.

And finally, the time had come.

“…I’m counting on you.”

“Yes. Please stay safe.”

As Droop, already mounted on the flying bombardment unit with all preparations complete, responded to me with a slightly trembling voice, I secured myself to the boarding and assault device installed on his back.

This device, attached where consumable rocket armaments would normally be mounted, was designed specifically for ground assault purposes—a mechanism that Lord Malakai Falten had created in just a single night.

Thanks to this relatively reassuring setup, Hannah and I secured ourselves while Corin, riding on a Chimera that wasn’t particularly fast, attached equipment to its back to increase its flight speed.

…Well, hastily made as it was, this equipment was essentially no different from strapping two rockets to one’s body—crude but effective.

Anyway, after being completely absorbed in flight preparations for quite some time, we had now finished and were just waiting for the signal.

And then—the moment arrived.

-Whoosh!!

‘Launch!’

A red signal flare—or rather, something similar—rose into the sky. The moment the magical flare was fired and red smoke soared upward, Droop’s preheated unit, responding to the signal I transmitted via telepathy, lifted into the air with thrusters blazing.

The mechanical device, already hovering slightly thanks to its flotation mechanisms, suddenly accelerated forward, followed shortly by Corin’s Chimera, “strapped” to rockets and taking flight.

The flying unit, much faster than expected, quickly approached the city of Colland, which wasn’t particularly far away. Naturally, ground forces fired barrages to intercept our loudly approaching craft.

But they couldn’t touch us.

For transport purposes, this unit was equipped with active magical barrier generators on both main weapon sections, and most of its secondary armaments had been replaced with small defensive weapons, except for a few self-defense armaments.

In short, this craft, modified solely for defense, advanced relentlessly while the laser magic cannons attached to its underside intercepted approaching flying demons.

-Pibibibibibibi!!!

The demons’ wings, inherently less durable, were torn apart by flashing laser attacks, causing them to fall to the ground one after another. This firepower also poured down on ground-based cannons, keeping the enemy at bay.

Thanks to this, we were safely advancing while drawing aggro to protect Corin behind us. However, around this time, a mid-level demon appeared, attempting to intercept us.

‘What is that…?’

‘…A demon!’

An entity with a much stronger aura than common mid-level demons, appearing like a bizarrely twisted fly overlaid on a bird.

[■■■ ■ ■■ ■■■─!!!]

As this demon flew toward us, roaring what sounded like a command in some evil language, I unhesitatingly launched six blade shields that I had prepared in advance, combining them in pairs.

These shields, whose control had improved since I acquired telepathic abilities after defeating the Legion Spider, flew in orbits from all directions, naturally slicing into the demon’s flesh, carving away at its body as if savoring it, forming a perfect formation.

The culmination of Kamiyu-style swordsmanship, perfected after long preparation. Each shield seemed to move independently yet ultimately danced as one, dismembering the mid-level demon in just a matter of seconds.

A trinity of cutting, slicing, and shredding executed simultaneously.

As the demon’s limbs were severed as if being devoured by beasts and fell to the ground, we finally reached the point where we were just 10 seconds away from our target.

’10 seconds until descent! 9! 8! 7!’

While counting down telepathically, I retrieved the blade shields and stored them in the descent equipment, while the others prepared to descend according to my timing.

‘—5! 4! 3! 2!’

The moment approached as the countdown raced toward zero—

‘—1! Descend!!’

Immediately after the countdown finished, Droop rotated 180° and detached the descent unit from his flying bombardment unit. We began falling directly toward the castle’s spire, now relying on this descent unit.

The descent unit—simply put, a solid chunk of metal consisting of a shield to block counterattacks from the ground and special metal layers designed to absorb impact during descent.

Since a mid-level being like myself wouldn’t die from falling from a height of barely 100 meters anyway, I adjusted our trajectory by releasing aura from the thrusters I had created in my armor—

-KWAAANG!!!

With a thunderous sound, the unit crashed into one of the many spires of the lord’s castle.

※ ※ ※

The lord’s castle in the city of Colland was a unique structure with seven thick spires irregularly positioned and connected by walls.

This structure remained outwardly similar even after its corruption, apart from its damaged state, so I thought the interior would also resemble its original design, but…

‘…What is this place?’

Having crashed down assault-style onto the top of the tallest spire, I was bewildered to find a strange room where I had expected to find the leadership.

A massive cavity, not remotely circular and about twice as large inside as it appeared from outside, invaded by flesh and eyeballs, presenting a grotesque appearance.

This scene was clearly not a normal space by any measure, and I frowned not only at the sight but also at the strange air entering my respiratory system.

The thick atmosphere that felt slightly detached from reality, characteristic of spaces with high magical concentration. The strange sense of incongruity I felt throughout my body went beyond what could be simply described as mere discomfort.

Something was coming. Something was approaching. As a strange tension licked the air and gradually tightened around us, I unhesitatingly channeled aura into the bludgeon at my waist to its limit, increasing its weight to the ton level—

“Hup!”

-KWAAANG!!!

After the explosive sound, the bludgeon, now weighing at least several tons, was swung with giant-like strength.

The shockwave emanating from the bludgeon completely crushed this space, and simultaneously, a strange space came into my view.

“—Damn it!”

Corridors and rooms that seemed to stretch infinitely, a different dimensional world that went beyond mere spatial expansion—it wouldn’t be strange to consider it a recreation of part of the demon realm in the material world.

Amid the “corruption” that seemed to have already crossed the critical point and begun to collapse, the best possible reinforcement for the current situation entered through the collapsed ceiling.

“Corin! Stay close!”

“—Yes!”

Corin, who had seemed momentarily panicked at the sight of the mind-boggling infinite space before us, reflexively approached and clung to my side as soon as the order was given.

And, at almost the same moment.

‘…Maloi.’

[Kupdijiruktipimaemtirihipichitgeun─!!!]

“””””■■■■■─!!!”””””

From all directions, hundreds of flesh monsters with faces similar to ones I had seen before lunged at me.

Abominations—the result of Maloi, trapping extra-dimensional beings in human bodies or bestowing powers in the name of blessings. These grotesque creatures, likely what remained of the humans who had vanished leaving only demons behind, charged forward… and all I could offer them was the peace of souls that hadn’t crossed over.

[[[■■■■■■■■─!!!]]]

-Whrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

In this situation, with sound waves and flames empowered by physical force spewing from the Chimera’s wide-open maw, most of the lower-level entities couldn’t maintain their physical forms and perished in the flames.

And as I was calmly slicing through the mid-level or higher entities that still managed to breathe and charge at us through the sound waves and flames—

‘…Huh?’

Suddenly sensing a strange feeling of danger, I hurriedly turned my head in the direction my instinct commanded, only to see at least ten visible black magic attacks pouring down.