The Magic Empress (3)
“Here it is! Here is the road!”
“Found it! Ragnar… … Whew!”
“Oh, oh my! The passage is too narrow!”
The entrance to the underground tomb.
I thought I had found a place that was difficult to see because it was blocked by rocks.
There, organizations under the old Kyo-Ryong-Hoe were attempting to enter.
However, the passage was so narrow and low that it was difficult to enter all at once, and as we entered, we were being defeated individually, which made entry slower.
“Get in quick, you little punks! Can’t you see that we’re blocked off because of you guys?”
“Fuck! Then you go in! If you push in head first, you’ll end up dying first. What do you want me to do?”
“That’s your business! Or else you’ll get beaten by those human thugs behind you!”
“Damn it!”
The mercenaries of the Red and White Mercenaries cried helplessly at the front.
They were assigned to the most dangerous jobs simply because their leader was out of favor with the Bonggong.
The leader of the band promised that if they performed well, he would forgive them and even consider promoting them to the family.
I couldn’t help but tremble as I set foot on the path where death was clearly visible.
But outside the cave, the band was watching them with lights in their eyes.
If the advance continues like this, we’ll be killed by the Blue House.
Either way, death is the same.
then……!
“I don’t knowhhhhhhh!”
The mercenaries closed their eyes tightly and attempted to rush in.
The idea was that if we jumped in as a group, maybe one or two of them would be lucky enough to survive.
Originally, they were all one of the best mercenary groups in the empire, but they were not names worthy of being put forward before Ragnar’s icy blade.
Squeak! Squeak!
In the end, all of them were killed by the swords flying towards them as soon as they ran.
“What are you doing, why don’t you go in?”
“Rose Family, advance!”
The Rose Family’s shield bearers, who had built up their tower shields like a castle wall, swallowed dry saliva and slowly attempted to enter.
The spearmen deployed in the second and third rows forcibly maintained the phalanx formation in order to thrust their pikes at any opening they saw.
‘With this shield… …!’
‘We can block any number of swords! We just overwhelm them with numbers!’
The soldiers of the House of Roses had no doubt that they would be victorious.
Unlike the mercenaries who stupidly jumped in without any plan, they were fully prepared.
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Besides, the number of fighters the enemy had heard of was only four.
Since they had overwhelmingly more people, they could trample on them as much as they wanted.
Okay, okay-
So they moved very slowly, as if they were turtles, and the black sword crashed helplessly against the tower shield with the rose pattern on it.
Occasionally, some people would vomit blood and collapse due to the shock wave, but the advance did not stop.
Srrrr-
Then, white frost settled on the ground and an ice rink was formed.
The ranks were slightly disrupted as some slipped.
A change that doesn’t seem to be very noticeable on the outside.
“What are you doing! Get back to your seat… …!”
But Ragnar didn’t miss that opportunity.
The child who was hanging from the cave ceiling fell down with a thud.
Shield units are a type of unit that is specialized for long-range combat.
If infiltration actually took place, it would be absolutely disadvantageous.
Chomp chomp chomp!
In an instant, dark blood lines were drawn on the necks of the shield bearers, and the spearmen screamed as their wrists were cut off.
“Ahhh! My sooooooooo!”
“Ghost! It’s a ghost!”
Arin first aimed for the torches the intruders were holding.
It was to take advantage of the cave’s poor visibility.
Eventually, as the leader collapsed, the black energy poured down again, and the Rose Family’s legions were annihilated.
The floor was soaked with the blood of the dead.
“Push it harder!”
“Look behind you! They’ve been pushing in from the entrance for quite some time! It’s proof that they’re getting tired! Keep pressing!”
“Ilgyeomhoe maintains its battle lines, and Heukyeonggeomdan forms a team and thoroughly searches the surrounding area!”
“The Wandering Knights’ Union, prepare for a surprise attack!”
No matter how skilled Ragnar is and how well he uses the terrain, it would be difficult for him to handle a wheeled battle without even being able to rest properly.
The old Kyo-Ryong-Hoe was gradually seeing victory.
“Well, I think I can somehow find a way.”
“Hahaha. But the damage is only increasing. This is unacceptable. Just to catch four, we’ve already killed dozens of our elite soldiers.”
At the deep sigh of the first-class knight of the Wandering Knights’ Union, ‘Kingslayer’ Kant, the leader of the Ilgumhoe, ‘Brownbeard’ Barosa, who was standing next to him, burst into laughter.
Every time he laughed, the cigarette in his mouth shook and white smoke spread out.
“I don’t think that’s something to laugh about.”
“No! Are you serious? I was just laughing at myself because I was annoyed at the fact that I had no choice but to be in this situation.”
One corner of Barossa’s mouth twisted.
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“If you had just stayed still, you would have raked in the money on your own, but you stood in the wrong line just to try to make another killing! Tsk!”
Contrary to its name, which suggests that it is a sword-following organization, Ilgeomhoe is actually closer to an underworld organization.
In the north, where the environment was harsh and the population density was low, there was a lot of abandoned land, and Ilgeomhoe rented these places to grow narcotic crops such as marijuana and poppies.
Especially recently, as the political system of the empire has been shaken and public security has become unstable, business has also been prospering day by day.
So, Barossa thought that now was the best time to expand Ilgyeomhoe.
But this was a failure.
Because I lined up with Ed.
A huge route running from the north to the east.
They tried to get their hands on that market and ended up going downhill.
‘If you act greedily without knowing the subject, something will definitely go wrong. Ugh!’
But they made a condition that they would give him a promotion if he brought the girl they were holding captive.
‘Isn’t that something that can only be done if you survive?’
Barossa opened his mouth again.
“Anyway, let’s open the way and talk again. We don’t have much of a choice anyway, do we?”
Kant frowned as if he was not pleased with those words, but he could not help but nod.
Because what he said was true.
Srrrrung!
Finally, Kant slowly pulled out the sword that was tied to his waist.
“We should live and see for ourselves first.”
Boom!
Kant threw his body forward violently.
At that moment, Arin’s sword, which was about to swing at the Wandering Knights’ Union, was blocked in the middle.
Chaeaaaaaang!
“Captain!”
“Everyone, spread out! If we stay together, we’ll just become targets for them! Find those who are hiding like rats somehow!”
“Jeonmyeong!”
“Jeonmyeong!”
The Wandering Knights’ Union was a guild of wandering knights who wandered the world without any particular master, uniting for vested interests.
Those who have outstanding skills and court etiquette, but have not shown much loyalty.
Because of this, wealthy merchants usually treated them as expensive mercenaries, and high-ranking nobles usually distrusted them, viewing them as seeds of treachery.
As a result, they naturally had no choice but to settle in the north.
The pride of the wandering knights was too high to be exploited by lowly merchants, and there was no better place to survive and survive against the rejection of nobles than the north.
In fact, Ragnar didn’t ask about their past.
The North was a barren land, too barren to ask about such things in detail.
It only required strength.
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He even promised that if they succeeded in developing the land through their own power, he would grant them the land as a fief.
Thanks to this, the Wandering Knights’ Union was able to fully establish itself and achieve its current prosperity.
But he was not satisfied with that, and it was a mistake to join hands with Ed to expand his influence, just like Ilgyeomhoe.
They are called masterless wandering knights, but they are knights after all.
They were beings who pursued noble honor and high reputation.
-We will create our own knightly nation on this land. Ragnar did it in the past, so why can’t we do it too?
-Isn’t there a law that says a knight can’t sit in the master’s seat?
– Let us show our masters who have abandoned us! How sharp our swords are!
Just as in the legend, Ragnar’s predecessor was a group called the Knights of the Dragon.
The Alliance of Wandering Knights also had ambitions of establishing their own nation and conquering the North.
In addition, because he was weak, because he stopped his master who was trying to do something to his serfs, because he fought with his colleagues who were trying to plunder a slash-and-burn village, because he shared his food with a starving child,
These people, who had left their hometowns for different reasons, wanted to show the natives that they were alive right here.
But the result was a crushing defeat.
After going through repeated downfalls, I finally ended up here.
Even if we talk about the current power, it is only 30% of what it was during its prime.
However, the only reason they did not disperse was because of their faith in their leader, Kant.
Just as the light guided them when they couldn’t see ahead.
A firm belief that we will somehow overcome this situation.
“this……!”
Arin was startled and tried to turn around, but Kant blocked her way.
“Where are you going?”
“Get out of the way!”
“I’m sorry, but this will be difficult. If we don’t kill you, we will die.”
Kant laughed bitterly and continued to strike with his sword.
<Seven Gusts>.
He continued to pursue Arin, who tried to run away, as the vision he boasted about flashed.
‘I was going too far. I should’ve just taken care of the shield guards and left right away.’
Because there were so many enemies trying to enter the tomb, my greed to kill as many as possible ended up holding me back.
Moreover, the being in front of her right now is the leader of the Wandering Knights Association.
Since it was difficult to easily guarantee victory, we had to give our best in battle.
Leaving apologies to Shelford and Ray –
Hwaaaaak!
Arin unleashed her latent magical power.
At that moment, a hot wind blew and dyed my hair and eyebrows bright red.
As if I had turned over a bloody knife.
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“Hmm… …! This is <Breath of the Fire Dragon>? But weren’t all of Ragnar’s vassals who learned this vision annihilated during the last rebellion?”
“If you’re curious, go to the afterlife and ask.”
Arin moved quickly, as she had no reason to tell anyone about her background.
Kant nodded and struck his sword hard.
Chaaaaang!
* * *
“No, didn’t you clearly say that this was a forbidden area that the enemies could never know about!”
Shelford looked around as he slashed down two of the Ilgumhoe’s inspectors who were aiming for the blind spot.
Odd shouted as he pushed away the sword that was aiming at Jeong Su-ri with a displeased expression.
“How would I know that! I wonder which of us has the squeaky-mouthed mouth!”
Odd looked very annoyed.
“Hey! Don’t step on that! Do those crazy guys know where this is… …!”
In the underground tomb, even the smallest object had precious meaning.
As a self-proclaimed gravedigger, it was maddening and dazzling to see her land being destroyed in real time.
So I picked up the sword again, which I had decided never to pick up again after 30 years.
The feel of the handle could not have been more awkward.
‘Dengryong, if that damn old man sees that, he’ll tease me for a long time. Damn it!’
But what can we do?
She treasured this tomb more than her appearance.
“What about an escape route? Isn’t there one?”
“Where is that! The entrance is the exit! There’s only one over there!”
“So you’re saying that we have to fight to the death here. Arin has to be safe. Somehow, until Theo arrives.”
“Theo? Are you talking about the little kid who went to the central sanctuary?”
Odd didn’t miss Shelford’s monologue.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“What would change if that little brat came?”
“It changes, a lot.”
Shelford chuckled as he remembered Theo’s handsome face.
“He’s a lucky charm.”
A talisman that has never failed in all this time.
As Odd’s expression changed strangely, Shelford suddenly noticed white smoke covering his lower body and struck down Auror.
Kwaaaaang!
“Oh, man. I was trying to sneak up behind him. Ragnar is not easy after all.”
The scattered smoke gathered together in the air and took the shape of a human being with only the upper body exposed.
Barossa smiled coldly, the cigarette in his mouth.
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His vision of <Smoke Strike> was to mix his body with the smoke from the cigarette he held in his mouth.
“Do you know that in all the battlefields I’ve fought in, there have been more than a few rats like you?”
“You little rat. It really hurts when you treat me like that.”
Cheeeeeee!
White smoke was sprayed like gas, quickly filling the room.
“Guinea pig experiments are actually my specialty.”
<Smoke Strike – Poison Fog>
Shelford quickly covered his mouth with his sleeve as a terrible headache shook his entire vision.
It was clear that the cigarette smoke was laced with narcotic substances.
Here, breathing was a shortcut to death.
“It’s hard for people to live long without breathing. The toxicity will only get stronger as time goes by. What are you going to do?”
Shelford hesitated for a moment.
Whether or not you should reveal your vision here.
I had kept it hidden for so long because I didn’t want to be reminded of the family I had left behind, but it wasn’t to the point where I would throw my life away.
So I tried to turn my body,
“Gardner’s teeth are famous for their strong jaws that allow them to bite their enemies until their life is cut off. But what if they cut off the windpipe before they bite?”
‘assassin!’
Shelford felt a shiver run down his spine at the sudden voice behind him.
And a being that appears momentarily, tearing through space.
The man whose face and body were covered with black cloth was an assassin from the famous assassination group, the Black Shadow Swords.
Shelford tried to push himself in, willing himself to give up at least one arm, thinking it was too late to avoid it.
Ray also tried to move urgently, but the assassin was much faster.
At that very moment,
Kwarrrrung!
Suddenly, the cave ceiling flashed and lightning struck, violently knocking the assassin back.
“Ugh!”
The place where the assassin was thrown, blacker than the clothes he was wearing.
Drake’s blade was stuck in the ground, shaking violently.
Woof! Woof!
“Theo!”
How the bastard of the Return Sword Family lives
