Chapter 81
In the shafts of light illuminating the darkness, what they saw were terrifying figures.
Clang!
Despite their aching bodies, they drew their weapons. The sound of swallowing echoed in the still darkness.
“Sir Binaeril, the light again, please.”
Binaeril floated another orb of light above their heads. The place they stood in was a square chamber about 20 meters on each side. Beyond the neat, rectangular space, there was a precipice with no visible bottom. And at each corner of the room, monstrous silhouettes stood.
A figure wielding a giant hammer, seemingly screaming; another clutching a spear nearly two meters long, glaring with wide eyes; a statue holding a greatsword; another with a flail.
With the light secured, the knights took a closer look at the figures and sighed in relief.
“They’re just statues! We got scared for nothing.”
At first glance, it had seemed they were standing menacingly. But now it was clear they were very lifelike sculptures. All of the statues depicted short, bearded figures.
“Dwarven statues?”
“Seems like it.”
The Duke had mentioned that the Toin were the most massacred race in Rotfallen. Were these statues erected to commemorate their sacrifice?
While the others relaxed and sighed, Binaeril remained vigilant.
“No, everyone, stay ready.”
Lifelike statues encountered at the end of a dark maze—Binaeril recalled a similar experience during the Scala exam.
“These aren’t just statues. I can sense magic from them.”
“What do you mean?”
The answer came not from Binaeril but from the statues themselves.
They began to move.
Creaking and groaning, the statues came to life.
“They’re gargoyles imbued with magic! They’re going to attack. Get ready!”
Ominous black magic, reminiscent of Balram’s power, emanated from the statues. The knights snapped out of their momentary relaxation and readied themselves for battle again.
A strange, humanly impossible sound escaped from the gargoyles’ mouths. It was a shrill scream, like a warning that they would not forgive the intruders.
“They’re coming from all sides. Take one each! I’ll handle this one!” the Duke commanded.
The knights each chose a target and prepared to engage. Binaeril positioned himself in the center to provide support.
“I’ll cover you!”
“Good!”
The gargoyles launched the first attack. Despite their stone forms, they moved with alarming speed, striking down on the knights’ shields and weapons.
“What… strength!”
Even a single blow was enough to make their arms go numb. Their shoulders screamed in pain as they parried the attacks—all except one man.
“Die, wretched specters of the past!”
Only Duke Dux, with his overwhelming power, hammered back at the gargoyle’s assault relentlessly. The gargoyle seemed genuinely shocked—could such a being be human?
“What are you staring at, you dumb statue!” Duke Dux swung his flail, smashing the gargoyle’s head. The sound of metal striking stone reverberated through the chamber.
‘It seems the Duke doesn’t need any help,’ Binaeril thought as he watched the Duke’s ferocious attack. The other knights, inspired by the Duke’s prowess, launched themselves into the fray with renewed vigor. The clashing of spears, swords, and flails filled the air, amplifying the intensity of the battle.
Binaeril stood in the center, observing the situation. ‘The most pressured area is… Sir Gustav!’ While the other knights were holding their ground, Sir Gustav was being pushed back by the gargoyle wielding a greatsword.
“Ugh!” Each clash left Sir Gustav feeling as though his insides were being battered. Having injured his shoulder during the fall, even lifting his sword was a struggle. Despite using all his strength to drive his sword into the gargoyle’s neck, it was futile. The gargoyle’s body was as solid as the weapons it wielded, and Sir Gustav’s sword simply bounced off, leaving him exposed to a counterattack.
The gargoyle swung its sword mightily, and Gustav, unable to fully retract his own weapon, found himself in a dire situation. ‘Is this how I die?’ he wondered, resigning himself to his fate.
“Don’t give up, Sir Gustav!” a clear, youthful voice called from behind him.
“Pierce through!” Binaeril, having anticipated the gargoyle’s toughness, enhanced his magic bullet’s penetration and fired at the gargoyle confronting Gustav. The gargoyle hastily drew back its sword to intercept the magical projectile. The impact lifted its arm, but Binaeril had not prepared just one shot.
“Fire continuously!” Binaeril chanted, sending two more magic bullets that pierced the gargoyle’s neck and chest.
“Grr…grrrk…” Despite the damage, the gargoyle did not fall. Unless its core was destroyed, it remained nearly invincible.
Realizing it couldn’t continue this way, the gargoyle switched its greatsword to one hand and extended its left hand. Black magic began to seep from its palm— the same sinister power used by Balram.
The other gargoyles also began emanating the same black magic. Countering dark magic with spells was foolish. Binaeril quickly thought of a better plan.
[Summon Spirit!]
Eden, having rested and regained his strength, emerged from the ring.
“Block the black magic!”
[Leave it to me, Binaeril!]
The black magic shot toward Sir Gustav’s neck with snake-like fluidity. Unable to effectively resist, Gustav was on the brink of being strangled by the magical force.
[Get back!]
Eden circled around Gustav, driving the black magic away. The dark energies hesitated and retreated as they lost their momentum near Eden’s presence.
“Die, specter!”
Duke Dux’s flail cut through the air with a terrifying sound. The gargoyle opposing him was already battered and torn. When the flail finally struck the exposed core between the broken pieces of its body, the gargoyle’s knees buckled.
“It’s over!”
The remaining knights, facing their own gargoyle three to one, drove their weapons into its core.
“We did it!”
“Yes, good job!”
“How on earth did you handle that gargoyle alone, Your Grace?”
The three knights, exhausted, collapsed to the ground.
“Youngsters these days, your stamina is embarrassing. Look at Sir Binaeril! He helped you and still took care of those undead!”
“But Sir Binaeril is a mage…”
Each of them caught their breath, sharing a moment of modest celebration. Binaeril also sat down, taking a moment to calm his ragged breathing. However, their respite was short-lived.
Veritas began to sound a warning.
– It’s coming. It’s coming.
‘Who is?’
– The page is coming this way, you fool. Get up and prepare!
Binaeril stood up and watched the entrance of the corridor from where the undead had poured in. One minute after Veritas’s warning, he could feel it too—Balram’s dark magic.
Another minute later, even the Duke and the knights, having taken a brief rest, stood alert, staring at the entrance. The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the inner chamber of the cemetery.
“Something is coming. Prepare yourselves.”
Despite aching shoulders, sore backs, and arms that felt too weak to hold their swords, they stood up. They would not falter because their lord was preparing for battle.
Finally, a figure emerged from the corridor’s entrance. Balram had discarded his damaged body and now appeared as a polished, shiny skeleton. But the sinister magic he exuded was unchanged. Spotting the intruders, Balram halted. In his hand, he held a sword emanating a red aura.
– Binaeril, that’s the page! That sword is the page!
‘I can see that. Anyone can tell it’s not an ordinary weapon.’
The black aura emitted by Balram and the red aura from the magic sword were eerily similar. However, the sword’s aura was far more intense and potent.
Binaeril stared at Balram and spoke, “Where are you rushing off to, Balram?”