Chapter 54 : Are you good at nighttime work?

The battle had begun on the coastline.

The sailors who had landed on the shore began to charge at the enemies.

To describe the situation at this point, it was like this.

The tidal wave created by Usher had swept away the coastline entirely.

The land had turned into an open field with no cover, as the fortifications and natural defenses they had prepared were all gone.

The merfolk, thanks to their species traits, had not suffered greatly, but many had been injured due to the shock of the tidal wave.

So, the situation was more favorable than expected.

“Kill them!!!”

“To the Goddess, the blood crusade!!!”

“Destroy all the fish bastards! Offer your blood!!!”

…There had been minor incidents where the sailors were driven into madness, but as long as the results were good, it didn’t matter, did it?

Usher’s embarrassment did not become an issue in this situation.

The frontlines advanced.

Usher, consciously ignoring the words he heard, swung his sword.

The cutlass combat style he used on the ship was also useful on land.

Moreover,

Cha-a-a-ng—!

With the added use of throwing daggers, his stealth skills allowed him to hold his position in the front lines effectively.

Of course, there were those who didn’t want him in such a dangerous position.

“Come behind me.”

It was Bersia.

Using Usher’s overwhelming physical specs, she was like a storm.

With her strategic use of long-range prayers for support and her precise swordsmanship,

the coastline they fought on was quickly secured, and reinforcements had arrived by then.

“Lycas!”

“Felik! It’s been a while!”

Lycas arrived, laughing loudly.

He began to make his mark at the frontlines.

Boom!

His sword strikes were almost like bombshells.

The overwhelming power from his massive body, combined with his mana release and experience, made it difficult for even the injured merfolk to handle him.

The victory seemed more assured.

But one should not rejoice too soon.

“Focus! It’s just beginning!”

The western archipelago was a large island that resembled a fortress.

This meant that, when considering the total military strength, the victory on the coastline wasn’t as significant as it appeared.

Usher raised his head.

His expression twisted.

It was clearer now that they had landed on the island.

‘Pagan.’

That horrendous, monstrous fortress. The energy that made him want to vomit.

It was a scent that went against nature.

Moreover, it was evil that Usher had sworn to tear apart in his lifetime.

The forces within it would definitely not be small.

He couldn’t use the same baiting tactics as in the tunnel.

It was a full-scale battle, and tension rose.

“Shall I clear the way?”

Judith spoke.

At the same time, a storm surged.

“Sorry for being late!!!”

“Lord Melvon!”

Melvon appeared and created a straight path to the distant fortress.

They just had to rush forward, but of course, they couldn’t afford to relax.

Craaack!

A strange sound rang out as merfolk appeared.

There were easily over a hundred of them.

There were not only pirates from within the archipelago.

Considering there would be forces within as well, this number could only have come from abducting people from the outside and transforming them into such monsters.

Judith spoke again.

“Run. I’ll block the small fry.”

“Yes! Please!”

Usher charged forward with the sailors.

Melvon began to sweep through the exterior of the archipelago with the force of a natural disaster.

Thus, Usher could run toward the fortress more easily than before.

“You bastards! Clear the way!!!”

“Yes!!!”

The soldiers entering with them were gradually reduced in number.

This was because the sailors were engaging with the enemies to clear the path for Usher.

Just as they reached the entrance of the fortress,

Boom!

“…!”

The black-haired ᅡja, the original master of the western archipelago, appeared.

Lycas and Felik’s expressions distorted.

Usher’s expression was also far from pleasant.

Was it simply because he was involved in evil deeds?

No.

‘…Are you entranced?’

A heavy aura could be felt in his gaze.

It was something Usher could feel more acutely because of his body imbued with divine power.

“Go ahead! We’ll take care of that bastard!”

At Lycas’ shout, Usher flinched.

However, Bersia gently patted him and whispered,

“He doesn’t seem to care about us.”

Indeed, the man named Gon was focused on Lycas and Felik, his attention drawn to them.

Usher clenched his teeth.

Though Lycas and Felik seemed to be in danger, he knew very well that in a battlefield like this, one must see the bigger picture, not just what was immediately in front of them.

“Please…!”

He turned his body and ran toward the interior of the fortress.

As he left, those who had once stood with him now faced each other.

For Lycas, this situation was a rather nostalgic one.

Felik stepping forward as the mediator, himself enjoying the thrill of the charge, and Gon, who was always concerned with profit.

But it was not a time for nostalgia because of the current situation.

Lycas sighed.

“How did it come to this?”

They had crossed a line.

He knew that Gon was greedy, but he never expected that he would abandon his humanity for it.

It felt like a cruel joke of fate.

“The daughter of Kyle has arrived. The one you just passed by.”

They could have become one again.

They could return to those days when they ran toward the same goal, laughing together.

He thought that way and spoke, but the response he received was cold.

No, it was filled with resentment.

“Stop it. Don’t talk nonsense.”

Gon’s eyes gleamed.

“The daughter of Kyle? What kind of ridiculous scheme is this! You called those bastards here to throw me in jail, didn’t you?!”

Boom!

He charged and swung his sword.

Lycas flinched and blocked it.

“Mus…”

“You shouted for freedom, but in the end, it was only your own ass that mattered, huh?! You bastard!!!”

Lycas was puzzled by the mention of the “cult.”

He hadn’t known about Usher’s true identity until now, so it made sense.

Though the situation was chaotic, Gon’s power exceeded what Lycas had anticipated.

He had to focus entirely on defense, and in the midst of that, supported him.

Pew!

A magical arrow flew and held Gon back.

Felik shouted.

“Lycas! We’ll talk later!”

Felik was a wizard. He knew that what Usher had used was divine power.

Though he, too, was confused, he understood that stopping Gon’s flight was a more urgent priority.

Above all, it was an undeniable fact that she, the daughter of Kyle, belonged to this group.

Lycas understood Felik’s words.

With gritted teeth, he began the battle with Gon.

At the same time, he tried one last attempt to persuade Gon.

But Gon had already crossed the river.

Perhaps, he had been like this from the beginning.

“It’s not too late! Gon!”

“Don’t make me laugh! I’ve hated all of you from the start!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gon’s offensive was radical and destructive.

“Romance? A man of the sea? You fools who were mesmerized by such nonsense could have made more money, but you were lazy! It was a game for idiots! Kyle ruined this archipelago!!!”

Kwaaang—!

After decades, Lycas and Felik could finally hear Gon’s true feelings.

“The archipelago should be a military force! It should be a king that dominates this sea with overwhelming fear! I could have had so much more! If it weren’t for you guys!!!”

Kwaaang—!

The two men instinctively understood.

To protect the legacy Kyle left behind, to protect the archipelago, Gon had to die.

“…So that’s how it was.”

A bitter taste lingered in Lycas’ mouth.

His hesitation was swallowed up and erased.

Kuuuuung—

Mana erupted from his body.

It was more violent and heavy mana than before.

Usher entered the fortress.

A foul stench filled the air.

However, it wasn’t because of the divine power clashing with the heretics’ divine power.

Physically, it was the smell of rotting flesh mixed with the stench of the sea, resonating throughout the space.

He pinched his nose with a grim expression.

As he progressed, he steadily cut down the heretics inside and made his way to the center.

Now, it was only Usher and Bersia left.

Melvon was stirring up outside, and reinforcements would arrive soon, but it was not an optimistic situation.

Usher murmured under his breath.

“On the other side of this….”

“Yes, I can feel it.”

Bersia’s expression had hardened.

With an uneasy look, she spoke.

“Don’t be too far away.”

It seemed as though she didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes as in the last tunnel. Her tension was even stronger than before.

Usher nodded, and Bersia kicked the door open.

Bang—!

With the sound, the interior was revealed.

There were dozens of armed heretics and a witch.

“Oh, you’re quite handsome?”

The witch giggled.

She looked as if she was facing an amusing situation.

The woman wore a tight-fitting dress, and yet, there was a strange energy that didn’t seem human filling her body.

Usher tightened his grip on his sword.

‘Physical? Or a prayer?’

She didn’t seem physically strong, but like in the last tunnel, he had to be cautious of any hidden ambushes.

Analyzing the opponent and waiting for an opening was the basic principle of battle.

As Bersia became the focus of attention, Usher tried to analyze the witch’s nature.

However,

“Hey, are you good at nighttime work?”

A chill ran down Usher’s spine.

“No, no. It doesn’t matter if I’m not good at it. Have you seen that widower outside? I’ve only been with guys like that, so I’m getting a bit impatient with a young man.”

Usher’s shoulder twitched.

The witch chuckled, scanning Bersia up and down.

Her eyes were full of lust.

Bersia looked at Usher.

The witch glanced at Usher and then sneered.

“What’s this? Are you two having some fun together? Don’t bother with him. Come to me. He looks like a stiff block of wood, only able to flounder around like an idiot.”

The words were out of place for the situation.

If there was one thing that could be considered fitting about the witch, it was her vulgarity.

That was all.

But for some reason,

Despite how cheap the provocation was, and how it wasn’t worth paying attention to,

Usher felt a surge of disgust.

Szzzz—

A vein popped out on his forehead.