Chapter 103 - The Return of the King 3 (2/2)
After experiencing the Primordial forest and adventurer's canyon, Gwak Seyoung knew the importance of having an outstanding leader.
Incompetent commanders inevitably endangered their own men, and unfortunately, Thompson also belonged in that category.
'I'll have to separate my squad and act independently.'
The activities he could do would get greatly restricted if he led 15 men only, but he didn’t care.
It didn’t matter whether the army would get annihilated or not. He just had to hone his skills and return safely to camp.
It would also be advantageous to capture and return with a few members of the Dane Kingdom’s Army.
As Gwak Seyoung was making plans, the procession in the front stopped their march.
“Squads, convert into search formation!”
Thompson exclaimed, pulling a long sword.
They were arriving at their destination and were about to start the mission in earnest.
‘Are those the Corcas Mountains?’
The mountain range that occupied about 70% of the border between the Rhine Kingdom and the Dane Kingdom.
Gwak Seyoung was not afraid at all, as Rick and Daryl, who were mercenary captains back then, had returned alive from this location.
As soon as they started climbing the mountain range, Gwak Seyoung secretly gave instructions to his men.
“Eat all of your ghost mushrooms. When enemies appear, you have to hide.”
His squad was in the rear.
It was possible for them to desert the army during the confusion of battle if a fight occurred.
“Lieutenant, we have a lot of men on our side, so is it really necessary?”
“I have a bad feeling.”
Gwak Seyoung's intuition was quite accurate, and he was impressed by it himself. So whenever a life-threatening crisis would occur, he would always follow his instincts and move according to his gut feeling.
'The air feels unpleasant.'
It was a completely different feeling compared to the one he got when he watched the mountains from a distance.
As he expressed his displeasure, a horse cried in front.
Neiiiighh!
The warhorse that Thompson was riding suddenly had a seizure and fell down while frothing in its mouth.
Thompson was slammed against the hard and cold ground.
“A-are you okay, Commander?”
The lieutenant, who was near the commander, ran to Thompson in astonishment.
It was an unexpected mishap.
As the soldiers began gossiping, a black fog suddenly emerged from all four directions and covered them.
“Wha, what is this?!”
“Is it dark magic?”
It was too atypical to be called a coincidence or a natural phenomenon.
‘Fuck... Now it’s harder to run away.’
It was difficult to discern their surroundings as the view was blocked.
Gwak Seyoung clenched his teeth and raised his senses as much as possible.
‘We have to get out of here, one way or another.’
Again, his intuition was right.
Although it may have been different in the past, the current Corcas Mountains was a very dangerous place.
It would be difficult to train and hone his skills, if not to survive.
As Gwak Seyoung was sweating, a creepy female cackling resounded from beyond the black fog.
“Hoho, these fresh new offerings came rolling at my feet. What a joy!”
“Who, who are you!”
The lieutenant who was trying to shake Thompson awake, to no avail, shouted as he desperately scanned his surroundings.
The woman laughed loudly as if his reaction was interesting.
”You want to know? Then I'll give you a hint. I am one of the seven deadly sins. Pride, lust, greed, gluttony, envy, sloth or wrath. Can you guess which one of these I am?”
One of the seven witches who assisted Lilith.
When the enemy revealed her identity, the lieutenant trembled with fear.
“A, a witch…”
“If it’s too difficult, should I tell you another hint? Envy was extinguished some time ago. Well, it wasn’t completely annihilated, but from a human’s point of view it has disappeared.”
”Envy...”
“Now it's time to answer the question. Go ahead and pick something quickly, before my patience runs out and I wreak havoc.”
The woman's voice gradually grew colder. The lieutenant swallowed and opened his mouth carefully.
“Gr-greed… .”
“Bzzzt! Wrong!”
A huge purple monster popped out of the black fog and grabbed the lieutenant.
When he got crushed alive by the monster’s grip, the soldiers turned pale like a sheet.
“O-oh my god!”
”Impossible!”
A mix of shock and fear.
However, no one dared to attack the enemy, as they knew that death would reap their souls like it did for the lieutenant if they caught the witch’s attention.
“Hohoho... Should I give everyone a chance too? Oh, but now that I think about it, it's too bothersome. I’ll just kill them all.”
Immediately, monsters jumped out from all directions and began grabbing and slaughtering the soldiers.
The men tried to resist, but bizarrely, they couldn’t muster any strength.
“Isn’t the whole world just bothersome? Just accept the sin of sloth quietly. Then the agony and torment will end quickly.”
The woman was called Priscilla, the Witch of Sloth.
The reason the soldiers became powerless was due to the manifestation of her power.
The power gap was so severe that the army was helpless in front of her.
'Fuck... .’
Gwak Seyoung stared through the black fog, struggling as much as he could.
‘If I don't do something, I’m dead.’
He took a moment to wrack his brain, when a good idea suddenly came to mind.
“Wi-witch of Sloth! I wish to make a suggestion!”
”Hm? Who do you think you are to negotiate with me?”
“I am a follower of Demon King Volak! So if you kill me like this, won’t it be troublesome for you?”
While he did ally himself with Woohyuk for a short while, few people knew about that truth.
Most of the people who had participated in the rebellion were either killed or captured already.
As Gwak Seyoung continued to shout out loud, a portal was created in the air and a woman with light purple hair appeared.
“Ho, Demon King Volak? How interesting. I didn’t expect to meet someone related to him here.”
Coincidentally, she had many things to ask about him.
Priscilla smirked as she looked down at Gwak Seyoung, who was spitting and breathing roughly after getting released by the monster that was holding him.