Chapter 52
The Reidrun quickly walk around the Black Giant Star.
‘Fortunately, it is not moving too fast.’
It seems that the intruders are moving slowly, perhaps to move stealthily.
It didn’t seem too difficult to catch up.
As a result of running for a few minutes,
Reidrun was able to block the path of the intruders.
What is visible are four human figures wearing black hooded cloaks.
The culprits hesitated at the sudden appearance of Reidrun.
“We’ve been exposed.”
“That fellow’s magic feels anything but ordinary. Everyone, be careful.”
The intruders distanced themselves while keeping a cautious attitude towards Reidrun.
At that moment, the one in the center stepped forward and removed his hood.
“That’s only natural, for he is the Red Nightmare.”
The one who stepped forward was Oseld Gefen.
His face was heavily flushed, seemingly out of anticipation for the battle.
“If he is the Red Nightmare… It won’t be easy.”
In contrast, the other figures had a more serious demeanor.
Reidrun, the Red Nightmare.
He was one of the most famous demons among humans.
Not only was his physical power outstanding,
But he was also known for his merciless slaughter, acting like a machine without a trace of emotion.
Being a martial artist rather than a mage, he engaged in even rawer and more brutal combat.
His relentless speed on the battlefield was more than enough to instill terror in many humans.
“Sir Oseld, is it possible?”
“Enough! Of course it is possible!”
Oseld, unable to hide his excitement, said.
“I thought it would be a boring mission without a monster, but such an opportunity has presented itself! This is just perfect!”
There was a glint of madness in his eyes as he gazed at them.
Reidrun could not help but frown at meeting that gaze.
‘That man… Is at least a division commander level.’
Oseld Gefen, drenched in madness.
Reidrun could feel the division commander-level magic power from him.
Even if he was just a hollow shell with strong magic, judging from the atmosphere, that possibility seemed low.
‘Their target is probably Abelson Mariette.’
Their original purpose was to rescue Abelson Mariette, so they had brought the best elite troops.
‘And the remaining three are also at least regimental commander level…’
Honestly, just Oseld Gefen alone would be a formidable opponent.
The chance of winning a one-on-one fight would be less than 30%.
And in the midst of that, the other humans were also absolutely not to be underestimated.
If they all joined forces, the odds would approach zero.
The situation was not good.
‘Of all times, why did this have to happen when Lady Hemis is not here…’
It was impossible for Reidrun alone to stop such powerful enemies.
If all the soldiers stationed on the Black Giant Star mobilized, it might be possible, but the culprits would surely escape with Abelson before that.
‘What should I do…’
As his worries deepened, Hyun-seok’s voice was heard from behind.
‘Hyun-seok… Has he come chasing after me?’
Even though I told him to wait there, it seems he followed.
‘I should be grateful for that now.’
Every bit of help is precious in this situation.
Of course, it’s not for combat.
Even if Hyun-seok was perfectly healthy, he had nothing that could stand up to such powerful adversaries.
What Hyun-seok should do now was something else.
“Reidrun… What’s going on?”
Sensing the serious atmosphere, Hyun-seok asked cautiously.
Reidrun, without looking back, kept his eyes on the enemy and spoke.
“Those are the ones who have snuck in to kidnap the next Holy Maiden.”
“So they’re after Abelson again…!”
“Hyun-seok. Listen carefully, I don’t have much time.”
Reidrun continued in a rapid-fire manner.
“Right now, take the next Holy Maiden and flee. And you must gather all the senior officers. The regular soldiers are not needed. Only find the division commander-level or higher ranking officers. They are the only ones who can stop those fellows.”
“Understood.”
Hyun-seok nodded without asking anything further.
There was no doubt that he had properly understood the order.
He was an intelligent man, after all.
“Go!”
With Reidrun’s shout, Hyun-seok started running.
Simultaneously, the humans also started moving.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
“Stop that man! If there’s a commotion, things will get complicated!”
Three men began chasing after Hyun-seok.
At that moment, Reidrun raised his fist and slammed it into the ground.
Reidrun’s Fighting Technique
Seventh Form – Quaking Tremor Wave
As his fist touched the ground, a thunderous noise erupted, and the ground flipped over, spewing forth soil and rocks.
BOOOOOMM!
“Ugh…!”
The pursuing intruders had no choice but to fall back.
The air was thick with a haze of dirt, obstructing their vision.
If they went in there, they might end up getting attacked.
Soon, the dirt haze cleared, and the revealed scene made the intruders’ eyes widen slightly.
Reidrun was standing there, his fist still planted on the ground.
‘A fist…? Did he just strike the ground with his bare fist?’
They had naturally assumed it was a magic spell, given the considerable explosion, but they were completely caught off guard.
“Without Lady Hemis’s permission, you cannot take the Holy Maiden.”
Reidrun rose from his position.
He glared at the intruders, his gaze fierce like a buffalo, unlike his usual docile ox-like eyes.
“Permission? We never intended to seek that witch’s approval in the first place.”
Oseld grinned slyly.
Reidrun’s face hardened even more.
“How disrespectful. The only one who need not seek Lady Hemis’s permission is the Demon King himself.”
“…”
“From now on, I shall teach you proper etiquette. So learn it well…”
Reidrun lightly stretched his body as he continued.
“And may you be reborn as a more courteous human in your next life.”
Reidrun was also an excellent teacher when it came to matters of propriety.
Hyun-seok immediately headed towards the room where Abelson was.
Tadadadadada!
Even though it was not a combat situation, he was sprinting at full speed, receiving a buff from Rachel.
At that moment.
[Hero Quest!
Wicked humans have come to kill Abelson Mariette!
As the hero, you have an obligation to protect the next Holy Maiden.
You must protect her at all costs!
And… Who knows.
As you overcome the adversity together, love may even start to blossom…!?
- Objective: Protect Abelson Mariette
- Reward: 1,000 Hero Points]
‘A hero quest at a time like this?’
Not only the timing, but the content was also rather absurd.
‘Love may start to blossom… What kind of nonsense is this! Who are they mocking?’
If only the quest could ensure the definite blossoming of love, that would be a small wish.
‘Forget it. The hero quests have always been spouting such nonsense.’
It was a regular occurrence for the hero quests to mock him.
The truly strange thing was the first sentence written in the quest.
‘What is this supposed to mean…?’
Hyun-seok read the quest content again.
Wicked humans have come to kill Abelson Mariette!
No matter how he looked at it, the sentence was odd.
‘Wicked humans? Kill Abelson Mariette?’
The ones chasing him now were probably the rescue squad sent from the Holy Empire of Gatren.
In other words, objectively speaking, they were on the side of justice.
But âwicked humansâ?
The content made it seem like the humans were the villains and the demon army was on the side of justice.
‘And the reward is too high.’
The reward was a whopping 1,000 hero points.
He had no idea what criteria were used to determine the rewards.
Hyun-seok shook his head to shake off his thoughts.
‘Now is not the time to ponder the quest content. I need to focus on rescuing Abelson first.’
Just then, he saw Abelson’s room.
There were a total of four guards guarding the entrance.
The head guard with a bull-head stepped forward.
He looked at the panting Hyun-seok, who had suddenly appeared at a late hour, with suspicion.
“What’s the matter?”
“Ugh… Humans… Humans have invaded.”
Hyun-seok said breathlessly.
“Humans?”
“Yes! Their target is Abelson. We have to quickly hide her in a safe place.”
At Hyun-seok’s words, the head guard shook his head.
“No can’t do. I haven’t heard a single word from Lord Reidrun.”
“I’m coming here directly on Lord Reidrun’s orders!”
“I can’t believe that. If what you say is true, Lord Reidrun would have told me himself.”
True to his rank and file, this bull-head guard captain had the same stubborn behavior as Reidrun.
Frustrated, Hyun-seok yelled.
“This is not the time for that! Step aside quickly!”
“You insolent…!”
Just as Hyun-seok was about to forcefully break through, commotion erupted from behind.
Looking back, he saw three men in black robes approaching.
‘They’ve already caught up!?’
Judging by the dripping red blood on their swords, they had already slain many demons on the way here.
“That’s…”
The guard captain’s eyes widened briefly, then quickly turned cold.
He opened the way.
“…Go inside.”
“Huh?”
“We’ll hold them off.”
The guard captain sensed that they would die here.
Yet, with an impassive expression, he drew his weapon.
“Take this with you. Show it to the other commanders, and they’ll believe your words.”
The guard captain handed him a plaque with a bull’s head engraved on it.
“…”
Hyun-seok nodded once and took the plaque.
He burst open the door to the room where Abelson was.
Abelson’s startled face came into view.
“Hyun-seok…?”
“Humans have invaded. We need to escape!”
It was a brief explanation, but she understood the situation.
Bam! Boom!
The sounds of battle could already be heard outside.
Hyun-seok grabbed Abelson and carried her.
“Kyaaa…!?”
“I’m sorry, but the situation is urgent!”
Time was of the essence.
To move as quickly as possible, he had to carry Abelson and run.
It was definitely not an act to satisfy any selfish desires. Absolutely not!
‘Where should I go next…?’
Hyun-seok’s mind raced.
‘The first ones I need to meet are the regimental commanders.’
Currently, there are two regimental commanders on the Black Giant Star.
And each regiment has five battalion commanders.
‘Two regimental commanders and nine, no, ten battalion commanders?’
“Originally there were a total of ten battalion commanders, but Doras died, so now there are only nine.
‘Anyway, I have to gather those bastards in one place!Â
Choi Hyun-seok continued running, organizing his thoughts.
At that moment, the sounds of battle that had been heard suddenly stopped.
‘Already…!?’
His heart grew urgent.
The cessation of the sounds meant that the fight had ended.
The escorts must all be dead.
Choi Hyun-seok gritted his teeth.
‘I have to run faster!’
He had managed to figure out the whereabouts of the regimental commander while staying in the Black Giant Star.
Just as he was heading towards the nearest regiment, a familiar sound reached his ears.
“Krwang!”
“Bobo!?”
For some reason, Bobo was running towards him.
“You rascal, you came to brother because you were worried about you!”
“Krwang!”
Sure enough, the noble bloodline.
He must have sensed something unusual and come looking for him.
“Miss. Abelson, get on top of Bobo.”
Choi Hyun-seok placed Abelson on top of Bobo.
Since he was such a huge body, there was no problem getting on.
Choi Hyun-seok himself also got on Bobo’s back.
Bobo was much faster than Choi Hyun-seok running.
“Good! Bobo, run!”
“Kyaaaaa-!”
Bobo started running at an incredible speed.
It was like riding a motorcycle at full speed!
Choi Hyun-seok felt a little relieved.
‘That’s enough. At this rate, they won’t catch up anytime soon.’
Up until then, Choi Hyun-seok had thought that as long as he reached the regimental commander, they would be able to survive, no matter how strong the enemy was.
But the expectations were shattered in no time.