Chapter 134: Ruins (2)
TL: Potato-tan
Proofreader: Asianpotato
━Damn it!
At that moment, Deckers’s angry voice echoed through the hallway, even though the golem’s head had been crushed. Russell realized that the voices were not just from the golem under his feet but from all the other golems.
━I won’t let you die; I’ll make you beg for death!
“Anything is possible with just words.”
Just then, Russell twisted his body to the side. At the same time, the golem’s black blade flashed across where Russell’s head, neck, and chest had been. The blow was faster and more powerful than before, cleaving the air with a sharp sound.
━Die!
Just as Russell had crushed its head, golems that had grown larger, with four or five arms or elongated legs, swarmed over him.
Russell’s purple eyes scanned the combined golems in an instant. Despite the eyes that had sometimes caused him trouble and pain since he was born, he had never doubted their performance.
Russell possessed the capacity to perceive moments in fractions of a second, less than a decimal point. In a landscape that seemed to stand still, as if time had stopped, Russell observed the interior of the golem while his body could only flinch, trailing behind his eyes.
The one with its body lowered attacked from below, while the one that trampled the floor clung to the ceiling and aimed for the top of his head. From the left and right, the ones with four arms each created eerie claws.
Russell’s two arms moved nimbly.
The one that was trying to rise from below was crushed to the ground with an axe embedded in its head. The chill that spread instantly from the axe blade froze the golem solid.
The golems’ elongated blades were next, slashing sideways from left and right. Russell dodged one blade by tilting his body diagonally, and then pierced the chest of the other golem with his longsword.
At the same time, Russell’s magic that flowed through the hilt and the blade exploded inside the golem’s body. The power of the explosion also engulfed the golem on the left, sending it flying backward.
Bam!
However, there was another one above, and the blade was less than a centimeter from Russell’s head.
Just then, Russell’s head lifted, and purple light burst from his eyes.
The golem’s body, which had been hit head-on, was frozen in the air for a moment. And Nahilnir swept past the fixed upper body.
The golem, whose core split, fell apart in two and stopped working.
The remaining golems were finished off without further ado.
After silencing the golem’s body, which had been blown away by the explosion, with a longsword, he finished off the one that was still frozen in the cold of Final Frost by projecting magical power into its core, just like before. When he twisted the axe to pull it out, the frozen golem crumbled like sand.
The four-armed golem was thus reduced to rubble in an instant.
The golems were no match for Russell’s precision in targeting the core and his swordsmanship, which was as delicate as a rapier, despite the heavy and massive longsword.
━T, This…!
Deckers’s voice echoed, sounding surprised, bewildered, angry, and slightly fearful, from the expressionless eyes of the remaining golems.
Just then, Irrucil approached, examining the golem.
“It’s a type of magic that can only be used for a very short time. Are golems nowadays operated this way? It’s peculiar.”
━. . . . . . .
“A wizard who manipulates golems. A golemist. He’s certainly not a promising golemist. Unless you’re desperate, neither elemental mages nor wizards favor this major. It takes quite a bit of talent to create and manipulate golems, and their use is mainly demanded in construction and civil engineering fields. Their perception is just okay.”
━. . . . . .Kkk.
Before the remaining golems could move under Deckers’s command, Russell’s figure moved like a ghost. Irrucil followed.
“Are you sure you can handle this?”
“You’re gonna get punched when this is over.”
Irrucil and Russell split left and right, ending their frivolous conversation.
As Russell approached, the upper body of the one that instinctively tried to swing its crescent-shaped blade from top to bottom was split diagonally and its core shattered.
With chains wrapped around her arms, Irrucil kicked off the floor, jumped high, and spread her arms, spinning with menacing force. The chains wrapped around her arms were released, and the enormous radius was scorched as if it had been torn apart by a whirlwind.
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
While the golems were cut and severed by the force of the chains, some of the golems merged with others, as before, to enhance their strength and magical output and withstand the attack.
Just then, two of them, who had joined their two arms to create a long spear, bent their knees and shot out like an arrow at Irrucil, as if they were a single arrow.
The cracked floor tiles and stone debris scattered in a circle due to the air’s whirlwind. At the moment when the two spearheads pierced Irrucil’s chest and abdomen.
Her figure dissipated like a mirage. She had dodged the spears by leaning backward so far that her waist almost touched the ground.
She had been supporting her body with only the strength of her waist, watching the blade and shaft of the spear that had just passed over her, until she suddenly jumped up.
Just as she was about to spread her chains, Russell’s Nahilnir swept from below and upward, leaving the two golems flailing their remaining arms and legs.
Irrucil’s eyes widened as Russell’s left fist shot out twice like a cannonball towards the chest of the golems. With a thud, the golems with holes in their chests fell backward and collapsed.
Russell, who had been rolling a magic stone in his left hand like an air bubble, applied force. The hard magic stone became distorted and shattered with a crack. Irrucil muttered.
“I could have done that.”
“Don’t let your competitive spirit flare up in the middle of this. Let’s finish this quickly.”
Russell glared at the retreating golems, catching his breath. The purple eyes were left with a trail of light like a comet’s tail, receiving magical power.
The sunlight that had not been able to enter the fortress’s interior slanted through the broken window. The places where the sunlight could not reach seemed even darker in proportion to the brightness.
Russell stood at the boundary between the shadow and the light, receiving half of the sunlight with his body, and looked at the approaching golems.
Those who could transform the ends of their limbs into blades had the ability to temporarily alter not only specific parts of their bodies, but also their entire body.
Some of them swelled up, while others became thinner. As they did so, the attacks they launched were filled with murderous intent, as if they wanted to kill Russell on the spot.
In the face of these diverse and rapid attacks, Russell’s movements became even more concise.
“Whew.”
‘The important thing is to know the gap between me and my opponent. It’s crucial to understand the distinction between my own strength and my opponent’s strength.’
An axe caught four descending blades. The blades, which could easily cut through rocks, stopped short of blocking Russell’s single axe. His muscles trembled, blood rushed through his veins, and adrenaline surged through his head.
In the midst of multiple enemies, multiple attacks, and a series of murderous intents that tried to push him to his death, Is it strange to feel alive?
He slashed horizontally at the ones that had blocked his axe. The golem’s elongated arms were all cut off at the elbows and fell to the ground. The light in his eyes shone brighter, and Russell could hear the faint sound of the golem’s core sucking in and exhaling magical power at the same time.
The moment the arms of the fallen golems tried to float up and attach themselves, Russell’s longsword swung. His movements were aided by smooth muscles and magical power.
Russell’s axe glowed white with magical power, spreading frost and chill in all directions at the same time. The affected golems’ joints froze, making their movements sluggish. The axe that flew in without fail crushed the joints, severed the limbs, and then separated the upper and lower bodies.
Crack!
The core, which had been trapped in the upper body and had not escaped in time, was crushed by Russell’s kick. With a whoosh, the pent-up magical power spread out, pushing away the golem’s remains that had been piled up on the floor of the fortress hallway.
His knees bent, and soon he was shot out like a spear. Nahilnir’s sword flew out longer than the spear and charged forward, pushing and knocking down the golems facing him.
Even in the midst of all this, he used the dozens of blades at the ends of his arms to try to scratch Russell’s skin, but he did not have enough strength to swing them with balance.
Russell, who had dug in deep, charged around like a tiger among wolves.
Irrucil, on the other hand, flew freely like a hawk between the arrows that flew like rain, using the sharp ends of her chains like the claws of an eagle to knock down the golems.
A silent battlefield where blood, sweat, and flesh did not splash.
Russell and Irrucil, surrounded by dozens of combined golems, looked very dangerous at first glance, and it seemed as if their heads, chests, stomachs, and legs would soon be pierced and turned into porcupines.
Farrells and Aellasis, who had taken care of the golems they had been assigned to and came out into the center of the hallway, were momentarily under the illusion that they had already become so.
His speed was getting faster and faster. The light wind became a whirlwind; the whirlwind became a whirlpool; and the whirlpool soon became a storm.
Axes and greatswords were flying everywhere he could see. The golems, upon colliding with his body, were unable to launch a proper combined attack.
Even if they moved as if they were trying to coordinate their attacks, Russell’s body would be there first, cutting off their waists and legs and smashing their heads.
At the moment when his axe-wielding skills, possessed by a spirit, severed the waists of six golems and his greatsword’s swordsmanship, which dominated the front, shattered all the cores.
The black, shiny killing machines crumbled like mere trash, rolling around the floor in pieces.
Russell stood tall, gazing in one direction as he stepped on the scattered remains of the golem. The only surviving golem stared at him with red eyes.
━. . . . . . .
Deckers did not utter any murderous words or curses, like before. He just stared at him silently and then withdrew his consciousness from the golem.
Whether he had taken the magic stone’s magical power with him as he withdrew his consciousness, the light in the last remaining golem’s eyes went out. Crash: the golem shattered.
Russell nodded at his unharmed companions.
“Go downstairs. Gellerd, the lord of the castle, is there.”
Even though it was the first time he had seen the structure of the inner fortress, it was nothing to Russell’s magic eyes. When Farrells, who had been confidently trying to guide the way, wandered around in front of the path that had changed over the years due to additions and renovations, Russell took the lead.
They went down and down, defeating the golems that attacked them between the paths, between the rooms, and between alleys.
A round wall was sealed with seamless bricks. The gray bricks were occasionally splattered with a dark red liquid. Russell guessed without difficulty that the liquid was dried bloodstains.
Had there been a fight here? Or had there been a one-sided massacre that was not even a fight?
The seemingly endless spiral staircase ended. At the end of the stairs, Russell and his party were met with a dark passage.
“Shall I light a fire?”
Aellasis spoke while simultaneously clapping her hands. Her small hands hit each other with a snap, and fire flared up on the torch holders on the left and right walls. It was a scene that highlighted her enhanced magic.
Russell patted her white hair and walked down the passage. He passed a room with windows barred, resembling a prison. He stopped in front of the innermost room.
“Farrells.”
“. . . . . . .”
Farrells took one torch from the torch stand and approached the bars. There was a man, looking like a beggar, with a thick growth of hair and beard.
A man is sitting against the wall facing the front of the room. His head was bowed, so his face could not be seen.
“. . . . . .Who is it?”
The man raised his head, sensing his presence. He was still not within the torchlight’s radius, so his face was hidden in the shadows.
However, Farrell recognized who it was from his voice.
“. . . . . . . . . Brother.”
Farrells’s voice made the man tremble. His head, which had been lowered, rose higher, and soon his eyes met Farrells’s blue eyes.
“. . . . . .It can’t be. This is, this is a hallucination? Deckers, that bastard, he created this, to torment me. . .”
“Brother. It’s me. It’s Farrells.”
“Don’t come near me! Don’t come near me!”
As Farrells approached, the man suddenly trembled as if he were having a seizure.
Farrell gasped and looked at the trembling man. When he kept his head bowed and remained still, Russell stepped forward.
“Russell?”
“There’s no time.”
Creak!
Russell bent the iron bars with a single blow and stepped inside. As he entered the prison, the man curled up like a shrimp.
The closer he got to the man, the more he smelled the stench peculiar to those who had not washed in a long time. Russell ignored it and approached, grabbing the man by the back of the neck and lifting him up.
“Lord Gellerd, is it?”
“It’s a dream, a dream, an illusion. A fantasy. A fantasy. . .”
Russell, who had lowered his head, raised his hand and slapped the man twice in the face. The sound of the slap echoed loudly through the prison, and only then did the man’s trembling stop.
“. . . . . . . . . Who are you?”
“Russell. I’m here to save you. We’re not illusions or fantasies. I have a lot to explain to you.”
“Brother.”
Farrells approached and grabbed the man’s arm. The man, who had been hanging on only by Russell’s strength, finally looked straight at Farrells.
“Farrells? Is this really you?”
“Yes, brother. It’s me.”
The man’s trembling arm grabbed Farrell’s arm. The man had sunken cheeks, protruding cheekbones, slender arms, and bony fingers.
The man looked at Farrell like that and then fainted. Farrell hurriedly held the man in his arms.
“Brother!”
“Let’s get out of here first.”
Russell said, and Farrells carried the man on his back.
Boom━
Just then, a large vibration shook the inner fortress.
The total number of combined golems was six. That meant that six cores, or magic stones, were arranged at a constant distance and resonating.
The magical power emitted by the resonating magic stones amplified the power they possessed along the lines that connected them to each other, complemented each other, and formed a single magic circle.
The magic stones glowing in the center of their chests, acting as a power source, drew out even more powerful energy than before, and based on that energy, the combined golems became golems with six times, or more, the power and speed.
However, the limit was also clear. The fact that they could only operate for a short time was that limit. Even if Russell didn’t attack and just evaded, after 3 minutes, they would run out of all their magic and stop operating on their own.
However, Deckers would not have used this trick if his opponent had not been Russell. Even though they could only operate for three minutes, this type of rampage could have a ripple effect that could completely change the flow of the battlefield if used properly.
And Russell had never heard of golems being used in the war against humans.
Even if a wizard like Deckers specialized in golems, the performance of these golems was extraordinary just to temporarily tie down Russell and his party.
Was this also related to the secret of the relic that this city possessed?
The thought was long, but in reality, less than a second had passed. Russell stopped thinking and re-entered the battle.
His body, which had begun to boil, still had a lot of magical power left, waiting for its master’s will.
As time began to flow again, the golems’ movements, which had seemed to stop, began to appear at a normal speed.
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