Chapter 255: Without Any Cost (19)

I stood there for a long time, feeling hollow. Slowly, I looked around. The barracks, the battlefield where I had soaked my feet in blood, felt strangely unfamiliar. Now that Isaac was gone, it felt like a completely different place, even though nothing had changed.

Why am I even here?

Just as the thought crossed my mind, I sensed a familiar presence rapidly approaching.

Flap!

A tall, muscular shadow threw open the entrance to the barracks.

Now in his human form, Brody said, "Returned from reconnaissance.”

When I didn’t respond, he stared at me and asked, "Something wrong?"

I told him not to worry. Brody furrowed his brows slightly, then relaxed and reported what he’d seen.

"I encountered a few familiars. No doubt about it, the mages are advancing from the north."

I didn’t care. He shared a few more things I barely registered.

As the conversation was wrapping up, Brody scratched his cheek awkwardly. "So... the front line’s reached this point. As promised... will you share what you know about Lumen?"

I nodded without hesitation. "Fine."

I had dragged a werewolf this far without even knowing anything for certain. Blood stained my hands, heavy and dark. Of course, Brody Valdorf seemed to accept killing humans as a sort of destiny, but still.

"Lumen Valdorf. He’s probably in Ember."

It was nothing more than a guess, not even a confident one.

Yet, Brody’s face brightened. "Embermere?"

"Yeah. He’s living as a member of the Red Flake, the assassin cult. Try tracking them down."

I simply told him to go looking for a group of assassins, which was a vague and hopeless suggestion.

Where is he supposed to start?

Besides, Embermere was swarming with imperial elites, making it an extremely dangerous place.

However, Brody Valdorf’s expression remained calm. "Thank you."

His gratitude caught me off guard. "Thank... you?"

"I always sensed a bit of bravado from you."

"..."

"For people like us, we don’t just smell what’s tangible. We can pick up on feelings, skills, and even memories through scent. For example..."

As he continued to ramble, I turned my skull slightly to avoid listening.

"Still, I figured there was at least a sliver of truth in your words. And that one sliver... turned out to be worthwhile. Thanks."

It felt like a giant werewolf had crept into a corner of my heart. I was strangely moved. With this small, pitiful bit of information, Brody accepted how thoroughly he’d been used without complaint.

"Well then, I’ll be going." He turned to glance at me one last time. "It wasn’t so bad, being with you. Let’s meet again someday."

Like he was trying to memorize my scent, the werewolf sniffed the air in my direction a few times.

"..."

Whoosh!

And then he left. Once he was gone, the temperature inside the barracks dropped sharply.

I thought about Isaac.

Was I used without getting anything in return?

Yet, even after Isaac disappeared, I still retained the Demon King’s power. Malphas had, without a doubt, given me something in exchange for all I’d offered him.

"..."

I looked at the key Karin had left on the table.

I might find a use for it later.

First, I had to confirm whether Rubia was still alive.

I’m done trusting people’s words without proof.

Quietly, I slipped into the prisoner camp. I already had a general idea of who was held where. I headed deeper inside, looking for someone who might know something like Renaud Ridbaren, an inquisitor, and one of Botis’ underlings.

My targets were his subordinates. Using Stealth, I bypassed the guards easily and reached the prisoners inside.

I interrogated them by using the Fear skill to push their hearts to the brink of failure, and then released them. Then I pushed again and again.

I asked about Rubia. Some of them remembered. It must have been truly trivial to them. They confessed without even a moment’s hesitation. Apparently, Rubia stood out because she was exceptionally beautiful, even among humans.

The beautiful were meant to be trampled and stripped apart, piece by piece. Charged with devil worship, she had attracted those eager to indulge in their sadism.

Unfortunately for them, Rubia had died during her transfer.

"It’s true! On the way to the Tower of Azure..."

I verified it multiple times. Without a doubt, Rubia was dead. I left the prisoners who were now so terrified they’d pissed themselves. At this point, I figured I might as well take part in the siege of the capital.

It’s ridiculous, really.

In the end, I was just doing what Isaac had told me from the very beginning.

Of course, I couldn’t do it with Karin. I had no strategy to command an army of 110,000, so moving alone made more sense. The plan was simple: hide, and when the allied army charged in, absorb the fallen mages. I didn’t care if I died. The days of easily growing stronger were long gone. Even leveling up had become painfully slow.

More than anything, I had no desire to continue this life where I failed to protect anything.

***

I kept to the side of the advancing army, one hundred and ten thousand strong, concealing myself as I slowly walked with them. Rubia was dead. Isaac was gone, and so was Brody Valdorf.

I was truly alone now. Then again, I’d always been alone. Those days of noise and company... maybe they were the anomaly. I tried to convince myself of that, but the emptiness wouldn’t go away. I deliberately turned my gaze toward the marching soldiers.

After that day in the barracks, I didn’t show myself to Karin again. It seemed she had people out looking for me, but evading them wasn’t hard. She handled the situation with surprising composure for someone who’d lost her shadow tactician. The structure of her forces seemed slightly reorganized. The allied army advanced with massive ballistae and crossbow units at the front.

Are they planning to open fire on any mages who appear?

Whether that would be enough, even I couldn’t say. Probably not even Karin herself knew. We passed through the Red Fox Plains, said to be under the goddess’ influence. Then, ahead of the vast army, twenty small figures appeared.

"Halt!"

"Stop! Stop! Stop!"

Even from a distance, their billowing robes and oversized staffs clearly marked them as mages. There were twenty of them, and this side had too many soldiers to count. Still, some of the allied commanders were sweating, tension evident on their faces.

"Fire!"

"Release!"

Th-th-th-th-thwack!

Thudududududududu!

Thousands of arrows rained down in waves, targeting the twenty figures. These were no ordinary projectiles; they were powered by tightly wound mechanical gears, not the strength of human arms. Each deadly shot flew straight and sharp.

Fweeeee!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Even siege weapons joined in, hurling stones with the force to obliterate the entire area where the mages stood.

Boom! Kwa-kwang!

Bababababam!

However, all the attacks passed through. Thousands of arrows and boulders hit nothing, embedding themselves uselessly into the ground.

"Illusions?"

Even without magical knowledge, anyone sharp enough would’ve sensed something was wrong by now.

Fwoooosh!

From the army’s left flank, a sudden whirlwind surged. Ten mages appeared out of nowhere, hidden under some kind of concealment spell that evaded all Detection skills.

"Flame frenzy."

Five mages extended their staffs. The other five summoned powerful gusts of wind. Together, they launched waves of fire that surged toward the army. Massive fireballs spread out, engulfing the troops in flames. These weren’t ordinary fires that could be snuffed out or scattered easily. They were like spirits, feeding on the pain and screams of the living to grow even larger.

Soldiers caught in the blaze melted like wax. In other places, they burst open from the inside, violently erupting.

"Bring the water carts! Now!"

SHHHHHHH!

Water cannons blasted jets toward the burning soldiers. They knew flame-type spells were the most powerful offensive magic, so they were well-prepared and brought countermeasures.

However, in the end, just ten mages had already set more than a thousand soldiers on fire. Not to mention, over triple that number had their formation in complete disarray. Seeing the twisted, screaming soldiers, I wondered how Isaac would’ve handled this.

Would he have prevented it somehow? Or would even Isaac have been helpless against a mage ambush like this?

I forced the thought of him out of my head. The assault wasn’t over.

The ten mages simultaneously discharged lightning from their staffs, summoning a blinding yellow bolt that split the air. It raced across the water-soaked ground, crackling madly in all directions.

Boom! Boom!

The two iron men who had charged in first were electrocuted and collapsed on the spot. Without delay, hundreds of soldiers followed, dropping like dominoes. Even the troops operating the water carts were no exception. Though they wore proper flame-resistant gear, what they really needed was lightning insulation.

All across the battlefield, similar scenes played out. Tornadoes erupted, followed by pillars of fire.

"Evia Lumio Illem. Rune Flash! Lava Whip!"

Zzzzzap!

Chunks of molten flame exploded outward. Those hit had massive holes blown through their bodies. Before I realized it, two mages near me were also swinging their staffs, firing spells. Each one had power that wasn’t far off from the imperial court mages Isaac had killed, like Gith-Za-Rai the necromancer. One mage focused on attack, while the other deployed a full-power shield.

Thunk! Tang!

Stray arrows bounced harmlessly off the barrier, unable to harm the casters. Each time their flaming or lightning-infused staffs pointed somewhere, the screams of at least a dozen soldiers overlapped in an agonizing chorus. The allied army was still being torn apart by the ambush, unable to respond.

I could easily imagine Karin, normally a puppet master, now reeling in confusion. I quietly crept behind the shield mage. The two worked in tandem, scattered across the battlefield.

Two should be manageable, especially if I took them out before drawing attention. Just as I hadn’t noticed them at first, they likely hadn’t noticed me either.

Let’s give it a try.

I gathered all my aura, careful not to let it leak. I calmly channeled it directly into the blade.

[Perk: Darkness activated.]

[Attack Power increased by 35%.]

[Defense increased by 50%.]

Thud!

The moment a ballista bolt slammed into the mage’s shield, I struck from behind, cutting diagonally across.

The distraction was just enough. The strike landed as a critical blow. He neither screamed nor staggered. The shield shattered instantly, and he was split cleanly in two. The mage beside him widened his eyes in shock, but I had already swung sideways.

A sharp, dark flash followed. He had no time to react. My blade sliced him perfectly in half at the waist. The upper half slipped off and dropped to the ground. The unfinished fire spell burst uselessly from his staff. Its damage was negligible.

[Flame Resistance activated!]

[Wisdom is extremely high.]

[Flame Resistance significantly enhanced!]

I casually shook off the mage’s blood and the leftover flames.

"

Waaahhhhhhh

!"

"He’s here! He’s really here!"

The nearby allied soldiers erupted into cheers, as if my presence had helped them overcome the fear of death. Apparently, seeing me boosted their morale.

I didn't expect that.

I must’ve stood out too much during the last battle after taking down two enemy commanders by myself. Of course, they’d remember.

If I drew too much attention, I might become a target of the mages’ concentrated attacks. That would be a problem.

As I absorbed the faint green glow with one hand, I stepped up onto the fallen iron man beside me and glanced across the battlefield.