Chapter 145
Zeke immediately woke Boris up.
“Are they enemies?”
“Yes.”
Zeke and Boris quietly left the cave and moved towards where the dragon warrior signaled.
They carefully moved along the top of the ravine.
After moving some distance, Zeke gave Boris a hand signal to stop.
Then he looked ahead with his dragon eyes.
He saw figures within his field of vision.
The sun was dimly rising, allowing him to clearly identify the strangers.
Zeke noted their unique attire.
‘Green coats.’
All five members wore dark green coats that seemed to be in fashion 300 years ago and green triangular hats like old soldiers would wear.
Zeke recalled what he heard while interrogating the Scorpion Clan mage.
‘They said the ones dispatched from the Abyss always wear green clothes.’
Even from afar, the aura emanating from them felt unusual.
Zeke said to Boris.
“Boris, wait here and detonate the magic bombs we set up if I get disadvantaged. If you see Holy Kingdom forces, fire a signal flare.”
“Understood, boss.”
Zeke left Boris and followed the green-clothed figures.
The green-clothed members moved like soldiers, matching their attire.
They moved in perfect formation as they delved into Death Valley’s ravine.
Zeke confirmed through the map that there was a suitable ambush spot inside the ravine.
He quickly pulled back and swiftly entered the valley.
Having understood the surrounding terrain through the map, Zeke planned to lure them to a spot advantageous for combat.
Zeke entered the pre-scouted ravine and secured a higher position.
Then he summoned the dragon warriors.
“Everyone to positions.”
Twenty dragon warriors spread throughout the ravine, taking positions and aiming their bows.
Zeke equipped Hersion in advance.
Thorough preparation was needed since he didn’t know what abilities the green-clothed members possessed.
He sent one dragon warrior to lure the green-clothed members.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
From above the valley, a dragon warrior shot arrows to draw the green members’ attention.
PING!
The green members deflected all the dragon warrior’s arrows with their shields.
The green members tracked the dragon warrior’s movement and began to chase.
Zeke monitored their movements through the dragon warrior’s vision.
The green-clothed members caught up quickly.
Surprisingly, they were chasing the dragon warrior by running directly rather than using magic.
‘They’re not mages?’
They were different from the Abyss mages he’d seen so far.
Soon the green-clothed members entered the ravine where Zeke had lured them.
It was disadvantageous terrain for mages, being surrounded by cliffs on all sides with an open space inside.
Zeke hid behind rocks to observe the green figures.
‘They’re entering head-on too confidently?’
If it were Zeke, he would have split half the force to go around the back of the ravine, but they boldly moved forward.
Their behavior pattern was more like knights than mages.
Then the green-clothed members stretched out their hands and created something.
‘What’s that?’
Wooden swords rose from their hands.
Then one of them turned their head and looked exactly where Zeke was.
‘Did they deliberately fall into the trap?’
As Zeke had that thought, the one in the middle stepped forward.
“Zeke Draker, I am a loyal servant and green warrior who serves ‘The Clear Green Wish’.”
Surprisingly, they spoke their worshipped demon’s constellation name without hesitation.
‘What are these guys? They’re unusual.’
He shouted towards Zeke.
“I heard Draker is a knight among knights. As a green warrior, I request an honorable duel.”
It was a completely unexpected proposal.
Zeke checked the surroundings through the dragon warriors.
He was suspicious of potential traps.
However, neither through dragon warrior vision nor dragon eyes could he detect any such signs.
‘If it’s not a trap, they really want to fight head-on.’
They were clearly different from the Abyss mages he’d seen so far.
Zeke slowly stood up and shouted towards the green members.
“Green warrior! I wish to accept your honorable proposal. However, the servants of ‘The Herald of Blood and Madness’ and ‘The Lord of the Lowest Place’ I’ve faced never showed me honor. Can you swear you are different from them?”
Zeke mimicked their archaic speech while throwing out the topic.
The green warrior captain nodded and said.
“You’re right that those servants know no honor. However, we green warriors are different. I swear we will engage in battle as honorable warriors.”
Zeke grinned.
As he expected, they were closer to knights or warriors rather than mages.
‘Good. Such stubborn ones are the easiest to deal with.’
Zeke was trying to deceive the demon’s subordinates.
He leapt down from the ravine.
Up close, the green warriors had a strange appearance.
Not only did they hold swords that looked like tree branches with bark still attached, but they also had tree bark on their faces that looked like masks.
Zeke said to them.
“Warriors of green. What is this confrontation for?”
Then one of those behind spoke up.
“If you lose, tell us the location of the sacred relic and die with honor.”
“What if I win?”
“We will grant whatever you wish.”
“Whatever I wish…”
Zeke slowly raised his sword.
The green warriors also pointed their swords at Zeke.
Zeke spoke to them.
“Didn’t you say this would be a fair fight? One knight fighting five warriors doesn’t seem honorable.”
Suddenly, the green warriors spoke simultaneously.
“We are separate yet one being.”
Zeke inwardly smirked.
Though they spoke of honor, in the end they too were servants of demons.
It was a great misconception to think of them in terms of ordinary knightly honor.
The five green warriors charged at Zeke as if they had nothing more to say.
SWOOSH!
Their movements were not much different from the blue knights.
As the green warriors charged, their wooden swords began to extend forward.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Five long wooden spears stretched toward Zeke.
Zeke deflected the wooden spears with Bahamut.
CRACK!
Though he not only deflected but cut through the wooden spears with Bahamut’s strong power, Zeke’s expression was not good. The heavy feeling was nothing like ordinary wood.
‘It feels like cutting through iron.’
Even when cut, the wooden spears were fine.
The green warriors created different weapons in their other hands.
Some created axes, others created curved weapons.
Then they charged at Zeke as if they were one body.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Zeke leaped to dodge the spears, swords, and axes flying from all directions.
THUD!
A wooden spear that he failed to dodge pierced Zeke’s body.
But Hersion blocked the wooden spear while activating a shield that repelled the warrior with its reactive force.
“UGH!”
The repelled warrior regained his stance and created another wooden spear.
When the warrior in front swung his spear, the warrior with the axe circled behind Zeke to target his blind spot.
The attacks poured down ceaselessly, organically connected as if flowing like water, as though they could read each other’s thoughts.
CLANG!
Zeke swung his sword to deflect both the spear and axe at once and stepped back.
There, a warrior with a thorned wooden sword was waiting for the retreating Zeke.
SLASH!
While dodging, the thorns on the wooden sword slightly grazed his cheek that wasn’t covered by a helmet.
[Deadly poison from the thorny vines inhabiting the demon realm detected.]
[Poison immunity neutralizes the poison.]
The poison immunity constitution gained after devouring Hydra neutralized even demon realm poison.
‘These ones are tricky to deal with.’
Zeke analyzed the green warriors’ movements while dodging their attacks.
The green warriors gathered as one and pointed their weapons at Zeke.
It takes tremendous training for five people to move as one body.
Executing combination attacks was much harder than one might think.
That’s why Zeke couldn’t help but find their coordination strange. Zeke spoke while watching the green warriors.
“Hey, how are you able to move like this?”
In his previous life when Zeke was in the North, he had attempted to use these combination attacks to face knights while training the relatively weak northern mercenaries.
The result was half successful.
Combination attacks alone were not enough for mercenaries to face knights.
But training in combination attacks did help increase their survival rate.
And the movements the green warriors were showing now were the ideal form of combination attacks that Zeke had hoped for.
The green warriors spoke.
“We are many.”
“Yet one.”
“Through the power of the ‘Clear Green Wish’.”
“We have transcended human limits.”
“Fear our master’s authority.”
They spoke as if many were one person.
Zeke realized their combination attacks were the power of subordinates.
‘So demon power can be used this way, not just dark magic.’
The fact that demon power could be used like this meant knights could also receive corrupt power freely.
Zeke recalled Cain whom he had devoured.
‘Did Cain also make a contract with demons?’
It was clear many knights would find it hard to resist the temptation if they could become stronger by borrowing demon power.
Zeke gripped Bahamut tightly and glared at the green warriors.
‘If I capture them, I should be able to learn more about the abyss.’
As soon as he finished that thought, Zeke sprang forward.
SWOOSH!
Even with perfect combination attacks, they couldn’t completely bridge the gap in power.
Each of them had the power of blue knights, so considering the power of their combination attacks, they could sufficiently subdue a red knight.
But Zeke was no ordinary red knight.
“Will of the Strong.”
Zeke, who had equipped his helmet and covered his whole body with Hersion, strengthened his body with soul technique and boldly charged forward.
CLANG!
Hersion imbued with the Will of the Strong deflected all the weapons the green warriors swung.
The green warriors were flustered when their attacks didn’t work.
Zeke did not miss that gap.
Having grasped the flow of the qualified group to some extent, Zeke began to face the green warriors in earnest.
WHOOSH!
As Zeke swung Bahamut widely, the green warriors lost their balance from the wind pressure.
Zeke raised a field of Aura to add weight to his sword.
RUMBLE!
Zeke swung his sword toward the warrior at the front.
CRACK!
The wooden weapon shattered completely.
“KUHUK!”
Not only did the weapon shatter, but the warrior also staggered backward from the impact of the sword strike.
“HAAAAAH!”
The field of Aura grew heavier with each added sword strike. Because of this, Zeke didn’t stop and delivered even stronger sword strikes.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The warrior who took the amplified sword strike head-on also had his axe completely shattered.
RUMBLE!
One warrior was completely blown away and embedded into the ravine wall.
As they were pushed back by Zeke’s attacks, the green warriors’ eyes changed.
Unlike earlier when they were calm and emotionally restrained, their green eyes now flickered with light.
“We are many.”
“And we are one.”
Like fanatics, they mumbled incantations, and all five rushed at Zeke simultaneously.
“Come.”
Zeke transformed Bahamut’s form to extend the blade’s length.
SWOOSH!
Zeke waited for the right moment and swung Bahamut, now over 3 meters long, in a wide horizontal arc.
WHOOSH!
As the blade lengthened, the golden force power contained within it also grew stronger.
CRASH! CRASH! BOOM!
All the warriors hit by Bahamut flew into the ravine walls.
Zeke shouted at them as they were embedded in the wall.
“Honorable green warriors! Is this all you’ve got?!”
Then the green warriors embedded in the wall slowly crawled out.
Green light flickered in their eyes visible through their wooden masks.
Simultaneously, an eerie incantation flowed from their mouths.
[????????????????????????????????…….]
Chapters cost 15 coins to unlock each.
Hi guys, please check out the new novel I am translating, "There’s a Monster Inside Me"
