What awaits at the end of this road is (10)
The ten men who had been riding fast on horseback slowed down.
A stone mountain shrouded in ominous air was right in front of them. This was the core of the Great Rift and the nest of the monsters.
Marquis Astrod dismounted silently and looked closely at the dark night sky.
'It won't stop snowing.'
Millenia had said that the snow would stop seven days after the first battle. There were still three days left, but it couldn't hurt to be careful.
A satisfied smile appeared briefly on his silently shut lips, then disappeared.
"From here on, we approach on foot."
Lightly armed and wearing black masks, the men each unloaded their loads from their horses and carried them on their backs.
Marquis Astrod locked eyes with the golden-eyed knight for a moment before taking the lead and walking.
As expected from a northern region, the weather is quite harsh.
The wind was howling and snow was obscuring visibility, but it was perfect weather for operations.
The wind will scatter their scent, and the snow will slow the movements of the monsters.
The ten members entered the rock mountain without letting go of their tension. A pungent stench wafted in on the strong wind.
"Ha..."
As the great crack opened, the terrain of the stone mountain itself changed completely.
Not only the ground but also the trees and grass were covered with a black, sticky liquid. A warm heat emanated from it. That was why the snow melted before it even touched the ground.
Marquis Astrod recalled the past as he looked at the familiar sight.
30 years ago, in the Great Rift, the Allied Forces were greatly defeated by the monsters.
At that time, it didn't snow like it does now, and there were no guardians. It was bound to be a war that was disadvantageous to the Allied Forces.
The desperate battle continued and the Allied forces became exhausted.
As the prospect of defeat grew darker, Chancellor Hallstail, who was the commander-in-chief at the time, came up with a strategy.
"We're installing explosives in the monsters' nests. We can surround the area and then attack them all at once after the explosion, turning the tide of the battle."
It was a pretty plausible strategy. There was no other way.
But no one supported him.
A small group of elite agents stealthily approach the nest, plant explosives, and escape.
Easier said than done, how will you avoid the monster's sense of smell and how will you escape?
It was a mission that virtually meant risking one's life. But it was also a mission that someone had to do.
Marquis Astrod volunteered for the operation.
Although they succeeded in planting the explosives with ten men, escape was a problem.
The cries of monsters echo from all directions, the screams of unit members telling them to run away, and instead, unit members falling after being attacked.
When he came to his senses, there was no one next to him. He also realized that his leg was injured only after he escaped.
Thanks to the sacrifice of the unit members, the operation was successful, and the Allied forces attacked the confused monsters and achieved a great victory.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Marquis Astrod led the Great Rift to victory.
But he couldn't be happy at all.
How could a commander who sacrificed all his men and barely survived enjoy victory?
Je lived for 30 years with a heavy sense of guilt in his heart.
But this time it will be different. He won't lose a single member.
Marquis Astrod looked ahead and prepared his fighting spirit.
After about 30 minutes of this silent march, something unusual appeared ahead.
Marquis Astrod, who was in the lead, immediately raised his fist.
At the signal, the unit members stopped walking and took advantage of the terrain to hide themselves.
Soon, everyone's eyes were focused on the monsters hanging upside down on the tree branches like bats.
Covering their bodies with huge wings, they were intermediate-level monsters that were not affected by snowstorms.
Although its strength itself is inferior to that of lower-level monsters, it has wings, is fast, and has fairly high intelligence. It is not an easy opponent to deal with.
As Marquis Astrod spread his hands, ten of his men attached long barrels to their crossbows.
A moment later, ten barrels rose high into the pitch-black night sky without a single star.
And the moment it reached its peak, the barrel split apart, sending dozens of needle-thin iron arrows flying in all directions.
It was a specially modified arrow for subduing flying monsters.
Although it may not be usable when mixed with friendly forces, it is a very effective weapon in an operation like the present.
"Kaaak! Kaaaak!"
The intermediate-level monsters that were hanging from the trees turned into hedgehogs and fell.
Their screams echoed from all directions. Soon the commotion was felt from the nest.
Normally, lower-level monsters would rush in, but now that it's snowing, mid-level monsters will respond to the surprise attack.
"Scatter."
At his command, the men dispersed in their respective directions.
Following this, Marquis Astrod also went to his position and unpacked his luggage.
In an instant, he threw a dozen or so small mines in all directions and then retreated an appropriate distance.
After a while, a monster came into view, screaming and running from the nest.
'As expected, it's a mid-level monster.'
The corners of Marquis Astrod's mouth went up.
Kalit planned a guerrilla war to confuse the demons, but Marquis Astrod was not satisfied with that.
Anyway, if you have anti-monster herbs, it's not difficult to deal with lower-level monsters.
The problem was that the monsters were intermediate or higher level and the anti-monster herbs didn't work on them.
So the goal of this operation was to target intermediate monsters. The more they could reduce the number of intermediate monsters, the more advantageous it would be for the Allied Forces.
“Kuwoan!”
Marquis Astrod drew his sword without taking his eyes off the intermediate-level monster that was getting closer.
'Five of them. There are more enemies than I think.'
Did they go to his subordinates?
But the distance between them and him was closing too quickly for him to look around. Now he was close enough to see their disgusting appearances in detail.
It was over 2m tall and had gray skin. Its entire body was covered in an unknown liquid that made it shine.
The thing that came within striking distance opened its mouth wide. The moment Marquis Astrod narrowed his eyes he saw the fangs protruding from both sides of its lips.
Puck!
With a sudden crash, the one running in front lost its balance and fell to the ground.
One of its legs had completely disappeared.
"Kwaaaaah!!!"
The four men who were running behind him were unable to avoid it and rolled around. There was a thud, thud sound of leather being torn here and there.
Three of them quickly lost their arms and legs after being tripped on landmines, and the remaining two were unlucky enough to have their heads blown off and die.
Marquis Astrod approached the screaming ones, avoiding the unactivated mines. After taking the life of every last one, he hung the iron barrel on his bow like water flowing.
Swish!
The flying monster that was secretly rushing towards him fell down with iron arrows embedded all over its body.
The monsters that noticed the mines on the ground stopped attacking. Even the flying monsters were just flapping their wings angrily in the distant sky.
'I thought you'd attack a little more, what a pity.'
As expected, mid-level monsters were smarter than low-level monsters.
However, the current standoff won't last long. They must quickly escape before the higher-level or top-level monsters awaken.
Marquis Astrod walked slowly backward without taking his eyes off the road ahead.
Then, when he put the bow on, the flying monster that was approaching him secretly flinched and retreated.
If it were a normal bow, it would ignore it and rush forward, but the one he uses is a specially modified bow. With each shot, dozens of iron arrows rain down.
Even the most intermediate-level monsters couldn't help but feel fear.
However, Marquis Astrod only had two special arrows.
This is because the manufacturing method is extremely difficult and because it is difficult to use for exhibition purposes, only small quantities were produced.
Marquis Astrod swallowed his laughter and returned to his original position.
Other members were also returning one after another. Some were injured, but not in critical condition.
The gaze of Marquis Astrod, who was observing the members, gradually changed.
Not everyone has gathered yet. However. It was strange that the agent who was expected to complete the mission first and return was not there.
"What about the Commander?"
That was the moment.
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