East Road Quest

Chapter 76

“Whatever that is, it doesn’t seem safe at this distance. Let’s move further away,” Poe suggested, eyeing the looming threat. Size was an issue.

‘If we take down the Rhinodon first, the battle will get easier. But the bigger they are, the harder they fall,’ he thought.

A clean cut to the neck could be lethal, but Ruby lacked a weapon capable of slicing through the neck of a beast as large as the Rhinodon. If only he had something like the Umfaru Ton staff he used to wield, which was perfect for heavy blows, but now he had no such weapon at hand.

‘Is there anything heavy around? Ah, there it is!’

In this forest, the only thing as heavy as the Rhinodon was the Rhinodon itself. So, Ruby decided to use the beast’s own weight against it.

Launching the Rhinodon required some finesse. Sheer strength wouldn’t do with so many obstacles around.

Thus, Ruby tied a chain around the Rhinodon’s horn and began to swing it around. The chained Rhinodon dragged along, smashing trees, and the monsters between Ruby and the Rhinodon were swept away by the chain.

Ruby became a windmill blade, revolving around the Rhinodon, and with a sudden halt, she harnessed the momentum to hurl the beast into the sky.

The force of the fall dealt a massive blow to the Rhinodon’s body. It might not kill it, but it would certainly be out for a few days.

Ruby turned her gaze to the remnants of the demon army. Among the broken tree debris, numerous monsters lay groaning on the ground. Yet, an enormous number of movements could still be felt from the unseen other side of the forest.

‘We’ve taken down quite a few, but this is less than ten percent of their army. At this rate, it’s never-ending.’

Ruby walked towards the smaller rhinoceros, Rhinod.

The creature was split in two. Its lower half writhed in search of its upper half, which was pinned under a large tree and couldn’t move.

“Hmm, when did it get cut? I only threw it,” Ruby mused aloud.

Looking at the position of the sword embedded in the ground, it seemed that one of the weapons carried by the monsters had been flung out and, unluckily, had cleaved Rhinod’s body.

‘I relied on Saph’s luck and fought carelessly, but in a battle of this scale, I must pay more attention to the safety of my companions. Ending up with a severed arm instead of a beheaded neck thanks to luck is not a good outcome for me.’

Ruby reflected with a hint of regret.

‘Having done this much, it’s better to take the two of them to safety now. Considering their slow running, they wouldn’t have gotten far anyway…’

Ruby left the bisected Rhinod behind and turned away.

“Praise, praise, and praise again. For Cowking is eternal, and so is his army.”

Rhinod muttered in a tone that was hard to discern whether it was singing or ranting, even as it coughed.

Ruby glanced back at the small rhinoceros.

Black blood burst from Rhinod’s mouth, covering her face. The creature tried to wipe its face with its hand but failed. It seemed unable to move its hand at will. Yet, it didn’t stop singing.

“We are Heldra, apostles of Heldra, we march on, march on to glory.

The glory and power of Cowking, as hot as hellfire. The wrath and vengeance of Cowking, as hot as… ” Rhinod couldn’t finish the song as it vomited blood.

Thud!

Thud!

The song was nearing its end when footsteps that shook the ground were heard.

They must have been there all along, but Ruby hadn’t noticed them due to the fight. Each step broke several trees and sent vibrations through the ground.

“What is that?”

At first, Ruby’s gaze was directed towards its legs, but gradually she looked up. She craned her neck, but still, only the torso was visible, not the head.

The creature’s head was hidden high above, obscured by the trees that reached the sky, making it difficult to see how tall it actually was.

The footsteps were slow, but the creature’s stride was so vast that it moved at a speed akin to a full gallop on horseback. It was heading straight for Ruby.

“The cruel goddess Heldra!”

Rhinod resumed its song with a scream-like intensity.

Ruby peered through the trees and thought she saw the shape of the head changing. But on closer inspection, there were multiple heads.

“Our glory, Heldra. The flames of glory will burn through hell…

Rhinod strained to hit the high notes and vomited blood once more, dying.

“Heldra?”

From below the forest canopy, only the lower half of the creature was visible, obscured by leaves. Ruby leaped up the trees to get a full view of Heldra.

The trees of the Dark Forest were tall, the smallest reaching fifty paces, and the largest a hundred.

Ruby climbed the tallest tree like a monkey.

From this vantage point above the forest, she finally saw its head.

“Wow! What a sight! It’s huge.”

Heldra was essentially a four-legged beast with a scaly lower body like a lizard, and five heads attached to its torso. With the lower half hidden by trees and only the upper body protruding, it looked as if five different animals had merged together, swimming through a sea of leaves.

One head had the mane of a lion, another the curved horns of a goat, a third was an eagle’s head moving its sharp beak, a fourth was a skull, and the last was a snake’s head, coiling its long neck protectively around the others.

The snake head was the first to spot Ruby. With a hissing sound, it spat a yellow liquid from its fangs that flew nearly a hundred paces.

Ruby jumped to an adjacent tree to dodge.

The sticky yellow liquid touched the tree, emitting white smoke and withering the branches to a brown color.

‘Judging by the fangs, it’s poison, but not ordinary poison, is it?’

Ruby hung from another tree, surveying the direction of Heldra’s advance and the path Jade had taken to escape.

Coincidentally, they were headed in the same direction.

“Why of all things…”

Ruby murmured to herself before quickly realizing the truth.

Jade and Saph were merely fleeing in the opposite direction from which the enemy approached. It was inevitable that their paths would align.

“Then we must slightly alter our course. Such a large creature won’t be easily defeated. For now, I’ll ensure Jade and Saph are safe, and later we can return to ponder how to eliminate it.”

Ruby climbed back up to the highest point of the tallest tree, partially revealing herself within the creature’s line of sight.

“Hey, you five-headed brute! Are you five beasts merged into one, or one beast with five heads?”

The serpent’s head turned its gaze. Promptly, the other four heads simultaneously swiveled towards Ruby.

“Judging by your reaction, you’re one beast with five heads, aren’t you?”

As if responding to Ruby’s words, all five heads opened their mouths at Ruby simultaneously.

Jade pressed forward, uncertain of how much further they needed to go to be safe. His only thought was to distance himself from ‘that monstrously huge abomination.’

“Demons don’t die easily. Even for Ruby, facing such a vast number and size is an insurmountable task.”

Saph couldn’t shake off her concern for Ruby.

“Ruby must have a plan. She enjoys a fight but isn’t reckless.”

Jade spoke, hoping his words were true, yet he still didn’t fully understand Ruby’s true nature.

‘Saph is right. That monster isn’t just large; it’s a demon, making it difficult to kill. My light of annihilation will be necessary. But what can I do? If I use the light of annihilation on such a large foe, my wrist might shatter.’

Jade didn’t want to feel weak, so he refrained from further developing the thought.

Saph effortlessly leaped onto a rock about waist-high, then naturally turned back and extended her hand to Jade.

“Saph, what kind of exercise did you do at the convent?”

Jade asked as he took her hand and climbed onto the rock.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You’re running at an incredible speed. And you’re climbing heights as if they were mere steps.”

“Well… That’s probably because I’m still young. When you’re young, your body is lighter.”

Saph replied in an unsure voice.

“I’m five years older than you, but this isn’t a matter of age.”

“But even the orphans at the orphanage can jump well.”

“Can’t you distinguish the difference with your senses? No matter how well the children jump, they can’t climb like you just did.”

“Children can easily jump over fences half their height. I’m just jumping half my height too.”

Saph gestured to her waist as she spoke.

Jade had no further arguments about Saph’s athletic abilities.

“Never mind. It’s not important. As long as you move with such vigor, it’s good for me.”

“More importantly, how large is that giant monster? It seems bigger than the Saint Vesta Cathedral.”

Saph pointed towards the five heads peeking through the leaves as she spoke.

“No, it’s at least three times that size. Let’s keep moving. We need to get as far away as possible. Considering its size, we’re still too close.”

“If we get separated like this, will Ruby be able to find us?”

“We can only hope so. Perhaps your luck will aid us. Which direction do you want to go now?”

“I’m not sure. I’m too scared to think straight.”

Saph instinctively tried to cover her head with her hood, but it was torn, and she couldn’t hide her horns, letting it fall back.

“What should we do? I can’t hide my horns.”

Jade replied nonchalantly.

“It’s fine. We’re in the Elves’ forest, where horns on your head might not be such a big deal.”

“If it’s the Elves…”

Saph muttered as she walked ahead.

“Why would they allow such a demonic army to parade through their forest?”

“That’s a good point.”

Jade paused to think, then continued.

“Perhaps the Elves’ army is waiting at the end of where that army is headed. Then, we’re naturally moving towards the Elves.”

“But Ruby said this place is a battlefield. As if ‘now’ there’s an ongoing battle.”

“Right. That’s how it sounded to me too.”

Suddenly, the conversation between Ruby and Rhinod came to mind. Both Jade and Saph could understand it.

‘I never thought the ancient language I learned would be used like this. It’s not strange for demons in Rome to speak the language of Rome, just as demons in the Elves’ forest speak the language of the Elves.

But Jade was bothered that Daniel had taught him the Elves’ language with precise grammar and pronunciation.

‘Let’s assume it’s not an ancient language but the language of the Elves. It would have been a good excuse to teach it away from the eyes of the Vatican. But when and how did Father Daniel learn this language?’

A scream from the giant monster reverberated through the entire forest. It was unmistakably a cry of pain.

Saph turned back and shouted.

“It looks like Ruby is winning!”

“Do you see it?”

Jade turned her head but could only see the dense foliage.

“I’m not sure, but I think I saw one of the five heads fall,” she said.

“You mean that huge thing?”

“I don’t know about that…”

Saph stopped mid-sentence and looked over Jade’s shoulder.

Jade followed Saph’s gaze. There stood a rhinoceros, two heads taller than Jade, on two legs.

At first, Jade thought it was the same giant rhinoceros that had carried Ruby and had been praising the cawking while arguing with her.

But although it looked similar, its clothes and skin color were slightly different. It was another rhinoceros.

One by one, similar rhinoceroses began to emerge from the bushes.

“Saph, back away!”

Jade shouted, stepping back hastily, but the rhinoceros caught up in just two strides. It grabbed Jade by the scruff and pulled her face close, asking in Elvish, “What is this?”

“It’s a human.”

The other rhinoceroses, having spotted Jade and Saph, said, “What’s a human doing in the Dark Forest?”

“Who knows. Maybe they got lost and wandered in?” Jade pulled out a book from her belongings.

‘If this place is already in the midst of a battlefield, then there’s no rule saying that the Rhinods must be leading the army. I thought getting away from that giant monster would be enough, but it wasn’t. We’re still inside their camp.’

Hoping that they were demons of the dark element, Jade began to recite the Disintegration Verse.

The rhinoceros, seeing this, asked, “What’s this guy doing with a book?”

Another rhinoceros joked, “Maybe he’s praying before he dies. Humans always pray.”

“Then let him die as he wishes.”

As Jade read the Disintegration Verse, light emanated from the book and transferred to her hand.

Without hesitation, Jade touched the back of the rhinoceros’s hand that was holding her scruff.

“Argh!”

Startled by the light, the rhinoceros flung Jade away.

The light had already burned away the rhinoceros’s hand, and the flames quickly spread up its forearm.

“Ah, what is this fire? Put it out! Put it out!”

The creature tried to pat down the flames with its hands, but it was futile. The white light, like fire consuming oil, moved swiftly and soon engulfed the rhinoceros’s face. It fell to its knees and then collapsed.

After a moment, only the armor and spear it had been holding remained; its body had been burned to ash.

“He’s a mage!”

“It’s the light of annihilation!”

The other rhinoceroses quickly retreated.

Jade, lying on the ground, tried to rise slowly but groaned in pain. It felt as if a branding iron had been pressed against her entire abdomen. Looking down, she saw a sharp wooden root, thick as a coin, piercing through her back and side.

“Ah…”

Blood gushed from the wound in her side.

“Father!”

Saph screamed, running towards her.

Just then, something dark fell from the sky between Saph and Jade. Saph, running forward, collided with it and fell backward. But before she could hit the ground, she was lifted by the hand of a dark beast.

Compared to Saph’s slender waist, the hand that gripped her was like a hairy log.

It had the face of a black bull, with red eyes and short horns that seemed to pierce forward, and sharp teeth that filled its mouth, far from those of a herbivore.

Unlike the other monsters who awkwardly imitated humans, wearing ill-fitting clothes or clumsily holding weapons, this monster was dressed in perfectly fitted attire. Shoulder armor, wrist guards, leather armor, and a belt with various weapons—it was the perfect outfit and equipment of a hunter.

Though not even half the size of Lamatus, its presence was several times more intimidating.

The monster, shaped like a black bull, spoke in a deep voice, “A human who uses the light of annihilation and a human with horns…”

It examined Saph, who was half-gripped in its hand.

Saph struggled, kicking her legs and trying to push away the hand wrapped around her waist, but the black bull did not budge.

Jade, with a hand on the wooden root protruding from her side, spoke painfully in Elvish, “Let her go.”

The black bull looked intently at Jade, then cast a glance towards the rhinoceroses. The rhinoceroses, standing a little distance away, stopped and waited for an order.

“Kill them,” said the black bull.

“Yes, Lord Buffalord!”

The rhinoceroses responded in unison and approached Jade.

‘Buffalord? That’s clearly not a formal demon name. And it must be a high-ranking demon with a name.’

Jade removed her hand from the wound and grasped the bloodied book. The pages turned on their own, stopping at the section of dark element spells.

‘I might be able to annihilate one or two before I die. But what about Saph if I’m gone?’

Jade had no time for lengthy contemplation. After reading the verse of dissolution, he raised his hand, which glowed with a radiant light.

The rhinoceroses, despite holding their spears, could not advance further at the sight of the light of extinction.

“What do we do now?”

As one rhinoceros whispered, another beside it suggested, “Just throw the spear!”

The creature grasped the spear upside down, readying itself to throw.

“Damn, I showed the light too soon. I should have waited until I could intervene,” Jade thought, dropping his luminous hand.

Suddenly, a sharp whistling of the wind was heard. The rhinoceros about to throw the spear and those next to it fell almost simultaneously, as if struck by an invisible hammer. The others waiting behind them also collapsed to the ground at the same time.

“Argh!”

“Aaah!”

About ten monsters were writhing on the ground, each screaming in agony with their noses buried in the dirt. Upon closer inspection, arrows were lodged in their heads and backs.

“Could it be…?”

They were in the same plight as the tyrant who had been pierced by arrows. Except for the flames that once covered their bodies, they were immobilized as if bugs pinned to a board.

Buffalord was no longer there.

Looking up at the sound from above, Jade saw a black buffalo clutching a sapphire, perched atop a tree. The beast glanced down at Jade momentarily before leaping and vanishing into the dense foliage.

“Sapphire!” Jade cried out.

He tried to move, but the branch still lodged in his side prevented him. Even if he could free himself, he had no chance of pursuing the demon now bounding through the treetops.

“But what were those arrows just now? Could it be the forest guardian lending aid?” Jade wondered, scanning his surroundings urgently.

There was no need for a strenuous search.

The figure revealed itself before Jade.

His stature matched that of Buffalord. Yet, despite leaping from a high tree, he made almost no sound, and as he walked across the grass, the sound of his steps on the earth was barely audible.

Jade lifted his head towards the approaching figure, a painful groan escaping him. He had expected to see an elf-like being, known as the ‘forest guardian,’ appear before him. But instead, it was another monster.

“Is it not the guardian?”

The figure had dark skin, sunken eyes, protruding fangs beyond its lips, short ears on a large face, and unkempt green fur covering its head and shoulders. Its legs and arms were wrapped in layers of muscle.

“No, this is not a demon. I’ve seen it before.”

It was an orc, another non-human race that Daniel had taught him about.

There had been no talk of the forest guardian being an elf, and Jade had kept open the possibility of encountering a different being. However, he had never considered an orc.

Before Jade could voice his question, the figure asked first, “Who are you?”