Ch.69EP.18 – Ghoul vs. Ghoul? (7)

Ihan wasn’t simply being lazy or irresponsible by leaving things to his disciples.

‘Because they’re trustworthy.’

It wasn’t just that he had taught them well; his students were genuinely strong.

Though each individual might still be lacking, as a group they could demonstrate the best synergy.

That’s how he had taught them, and they were like his carefully crafted masterpiece.

Above all, there was a “Returner” who had experienced war.

Someone who knew how to handle people would be trustworthy enough to rely on.

So what Ihan needed to focus on now was that [monster] falling from the sky.

-It slowly descended toward the ground.

Whoosh!

The sight of hundreds of trolls falling earlier had been spectacular, but watching this enormous being descend now was like witnessing a meteor.

It was falling rapidly, and the outline of the magical beast grew clearer as it approached.

Enormous.

Almost as if a castle wall was crashing down upon him.

So Ihan…

“How many times am I supposed to do this in one day, seriously.”

“ARGHHHH!”

“Hold it steady.”

“You evil bastard…!”

“Stop exaggerating.”

Drip…

Odwal, whose blood vessels were bulging so much that his nose was bleeding and tears of blood were dripping from his eyes, once again lifted the log spear.

But unlike the first ballista he had fired, this one was enhanced with a different dimension of telekinetic force and magical rotational energy.

It would undoubtedly be a strike meant to finish the creature off for good.

Though secretly satisfied with this, instead of warm praise, Ihan said:

“I knew you were exaggerating. You should have done this from the start.”

“YOU MONSTERRR!”

He merely continued to crack the whip.

For a spellcaster, carrots were simply a luxury.

‘Well, I guess I can hit him one less time later if needed.’

…If he survives, that is.

With that resolution, Ihan rolled his left foot and kicked with all his might.

A full-power thrust to compensate for his unusable right leg.

KWAAAA!

The second giant spear was fired toward the falling giant.

Of course…

[[Grrrrr…!]]

KWANG!

Unlike the first shot, this one didn’t have much effect.

“He deflected it.”

The creature had deflected the giant spear.

As if saying it wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice.

However…

“Yes, fall right there.”

Unable to completely nullify the impact of the giant spear, the creature began falling toward a location directly opposite the Colosseum.

Specifically…

SPLASH!

Into a massive lake.

* * *

While an inhuman battle with impossible techniques was taking place on one side,

At the Colosseum, a relatively normal—no, a desperate and breathtaking—confrontation was unfolding between humans and magical beasts.

[Krrr!!]

The trolls, who had momentarily hesitated under the knight’s pressure, quickly regained their composure and howled loudly.

That’s how magical beasts are.

Even against opponents they cannot defeat, if those opponents are human, they feel humiliation, anger, and hatred rather than fear, and try to kill humans.

This is why occasionally, when animal lovers claim they can communicate with magical beasts and try to protect them, entire villages end up massacred.

Magical beasts shouldn’t be judged by human common sense.

That’s why magical beasts are humanity’s mortal enemies. Despite having no personal grudges, coexistence between them is simply impossible.

Magical beasts try to eat humans, and humans must prevent that.

Survival competition.

Yes, the fight against magical beasts was humanity’s struggle for survival.

“Form a phalanx formation!!”

-Form the formation!

-Raise spears and shields!

-Hoo! Hooo! Hoo…!

Levi Jeanne d’Arc quickly issued commands while coordinating relief efforts as soon as her master’s order came down.

Phalanx.

A formation where soldiers with spears and shields gather in a line, clustering like a hedgehog.

A traditional tactic used by humanity since the days of stone axes rather than iron, and a formation that any soldier of the kingdom would know.

However, if this phalanx seemed to have a hint of Shaolin flavor, that was no illusion.

The instructor who taught this tactic had been inspired by the combined formations found in martial arts novels.

“We must block the passages at all costs!”

But Levi Jeanne d’Arc went a step beyond the combined formation she had been taught, deploying her forces organically.

In an instant, she split her forces into three groups to block all three passages.

Though this created danger by reducing their numbers, fortunately, the forces weren’t limited to just the 18 disciples.

“Enter close combat! Draw your swords!”

Following Roen Dmitri de Lionel’s command, the noble cadets drew their swords.

Swordsmen trained in martial energy techniques covered the gaps the disciples couldn’t attend to, pointing their blades at the trolls.

[Kiaa….]

The trolls hesitated.

Not only were they suddenly surrounded, but all these prey were emitting quite powerful auras.

Martial energy techniques.

Methods created by ancient humans to hunt beasts and magical creatures.

If magical beasts are the creatures that have slaughtered the most humans in history, then warriors trained in martial energy techniques are the ones who have slaughtered the most magical beasts.

“……”

In this tense standoff, the first to move were…

“-Charge.”

BOOM!!

The swordsmen.

The moment Roen’s order fell, blades slashed toward the trolls, and the trolls also launched their attack.

KWANG!

PUEOK!

A powerful shockwave spread in concentric circles.

A fierce struggle erupted as martial energy-trained swordsmen clashed with bipedal, deformed magical beasts.

One mistake could mean death in this intense close combat.

But even if someone made a mistake…

SLASH!

‘He’ was there to protect them.

“Focus! Don’t let up your strength midway!”

“Th-thank you, young lord.”

“Thank me later, now eliminate the enemy…!”

“CHAAARGE!!!”

Roen’s spirited rebuke and commands.

Hearing this, Kain unconsciously saluted.

The young man before them appeared not as their peer, but as a ‘general’ who had survived countless battlefields.

And an experienced one at that.

“Cut and thrust! The techniques you’ve learned are not weak! The skills you’ve practiced and the teachings from your master remain in your bodies! You will not lose!”

-UWAAAAAH!!

Shouting like a battle cry.

Roen’s presence firmly supported their backs, and they fought forward as ordered.

Gradually, as the swordsmen became accustomed to facing the trolls, the creatures trying to escape the Colosseum hesitated.

[Krrrr…!]

The trolls were bewildered by the fierce resistance, but immediately sought other passages.

They spotted spearmen who appeared weaker than the swordsmen.

The swordsmen emitted a rough aura.

In other words, the trolls targeted those who seemed weaker—those without martial energy.

But this was…

“Thrust forward!!”

PWOOOK!

POOK!

PWOOK!

[!!?]

…a mistake.

The trolls had to learn the hard way that underestimating the spearmen was an error.

“AAAAH!!”

Following Levi’s command, the disciples thrust their spears, and each time, the creatures’ bodies were pierced.

BOOM!

[Ki-!]

[Kiaa!?]

The trolls’ thick hide, which could deflect even decent swords, was penetrated.

And by young men who hadn’t even learned martial energy techniques.

But this was to be expected.

Although they hadn’t learned martial energy techniques, what they had inherited was by no means trivial.

Rather, they had inherited the extraordinary internal energy techniques of a man who had spent his life fighting magicians and magical beasts.

Muscle Arts.

[Force]

Though not as powerful as martial energy techniques, this was undoubtedly a power capable of hunting magical beasts.

“Burst!”

-HNNGH!

With a powerful shout, force exploded outward!

As the force was released through the spear tips that had penetrated the hide, the trolls…

PWAK!

[Ki-!]

…thud.

Collapsed, unable to withstand the pain.

Though they couldn’t face them one-on-one, humans in groups were strong.

They had properly utilized the advantages of the phalanx formation.

…However.

“W-we won!”

“We defeated the trolls-.”

“-Don’t let your guard down!!”

“!!?”

SWOOSH!

In an instant, a troll they thought had fallen rose again, and Levi Jeanne d’Arc drew her bow and shot an arrow through its windpipe.

Yet still…

[k……i…!]

Many of them continued to move.

Their vitality was terrifying.

The trolls’ recovery speed was frightening, able to withstand even internal explosions.

Rather than merely stabbing their stomachs or chests, they needed to aim for the neck or heart.

As the trolls that had fallen rose again and charged due to their insufficient finishing blows, just as they panicked…

SWOONG!

“Little bears, letting your guard down is bad.”

A man reminiscent of a black panther.

Kunta sliced a troll in half with a single stroke of his kopis-like blade.

CRACK!

“When killing, aim for the heart or head. Like this.”

Garand, wielding a halberd that opened the troll’s skull, offered advice without hesitation.

SLASH!

“It’s better to target the arms and ankles first. That way you can take away their mobility.”

Arno de Ophen, who had devastated two trolls with dual swords, shook off the blood.

“W-we’re alive…”

Those who barely survived thanks to the three men expressed gratitude and relief.

But they shook their heads and…

“You’re not safe yet.”

“These creatures are intelligent.”

“Kunta, hate these things.”

…frowned with concern.

Why had trolls become representative of the most terrible magical beasts?

Because they always move in groups and, despite being magical beasts, use tactics.

Cunning magical beasts.

Trolls are terrifying because they not only act on instinct but also know how to ‘cooperate.’

It’s no wonder one of the continent’s worst insults is “troll-like bastard.”

There’s a reason for it.

“-We’re surrounded.”

[Kieee!!]

[Krrr!]

[KA-!]

Like hunters driving prey, the trolls gradually surrounded the humans.

They must have realized these humans were not to be taken lightly.

Trolls setting out to hunt humans with all their might.

No matter how high the students’ individual capabilities were for their age, it was still too much to defeat such a large group.

Just as all the students’ faces darkened with crisis…

“Charge!!”

“Save the children!”

Elderly knights and old veterans.

The most reliable reinforcements joined the battle.

They were visitors who had come as spectators, and as soon as the evacuation of the people was complete, they returned to the Colosseum with weapons.

Solely to help them.

And not just them…

“We can’t lose to our juniors!”

“I am Rachel of the Deren family!”

Their seniors.

Those they thought had fled had returned with armor and horses, charging toward the trolls.

Self-respect and courage that didn’t flee even when facing magical beasts.

This was the spirit of Pendragon—a nation founded by noble and brave knights respected by dragons.

“…They came!”

Levi felt relief.

Before the battle, she had asked the young ladies to request as much reinforcement as possible, and it had paid off.

“Ho ho, those young ladies begged so earnestly.”

“My face burned with shame—I couldn’t just stand by.”

It was unacceptable to refuse the girls’ pleas and flee like cowards.

Above all…

“If we don’t defeat these abominable creatures, who knows how much damage they’ll cause.”

A single troll entering a civilian area could wipe out an entire village.

If hundreds were released into the royal capital simultaneously, the damage would be unimaginable.

With the Colosseum and themselves serving as a cage, they had to annihilate the trolls.

With that determination, the elderly knight took a lance stance and was about to thrust at the troll—

KWAAAAA!!

SPLASH-SPLASH-SPLASH!

“…Ahem.”

Instead, he froze in bewilderment.

The lake right next to the Colosseum.

Water shot high into the sky as if exploding, then fell back down like raindrops.

The elderly knight, momentarily disbelieving reality, asked:

“This may be an inappropriate question given the situation, but may I ask one thing?”

“What would you like to know, sir?”

“…That knight over there, is he truly human?”

“Ah, well…”

Levi laughed awkwardly, feeling embarrassed.

But she understood the intent behind the question.

After all…

“We often wonder the same thing, but yes, he is human.”

However…

“He just occasionally does things that don’t seem very human.”

“…Ho ho.”

SPLASH!

No sooner had the girl finished speaking than another water column shot up.

The cause of the water column was simple.

None other than…

“Another harpoon.”

“URRRGH!”

“Bring it faster!”

A massive harpoon.

The knight, their master, was hurling enormous harpoons at the magical beast—weapons so large one would doubt a human could throw them.

‘Hmm…’

-Who’s the real magical beast here?

It was truly a scene that made one question species.