Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 224

224

The Einherjar quickly seized the harbor.

Perhaps due to the commotion within the World Tree, the harbor’s defenses were lax, making it easy to subdue the Deshar soldiers.

Bang-!

The Einherjar turned their heads toward the massive explosion.

Electricity sparked across the surface of the World Tree, and it began to burn.

“…W-What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, but it’s diverting their attention. Now’s our chance. We need to do what we have to do.”

Priest Egil spoke to his comrades.

“Now that we’ve secured the harbor, we’ll begin rescuing the territory’s citizens.”

“Won’t the mercenaries see the warships and head towards the harbor? Can we protect the hostages while holding them off with our current forces?”

With their current strength, it would be difficult to fight the Deshar soldiers while protecting thousands, even tens of thousands, of territory citizens.

Egil, who had been pondering with his hand on his chin, opened his mouth.

“Then we’ll set fire to buildings throughout the city.”

If the city is in chaos, the military forces will also be scattered.

***

“Wow!”

Karen, riding atop the Cyclops in the forest, stared wide-eyed at the Kaprik Territory.

From there, she could see the massive World Tree burning.

“Looks like something fun’s happening!”

「L-Leader Karen, we’re hungry.」

The Cyclops put their fingers in their mouths and looked at Karen.

Their hungry gazes were filled with hostility.

It was as if they were about to devour her.

At that sight, Karen narrowed her eyes and clenched her fist.

“Why? You gonna eat me?”

「N-No… No.」

The Cyclops shook their heads at Karen’s murderous aura.

Karen pondered.

He had received instructions from Loki.

‘Ronia’s army will be positioned near the Kaprik Territory. Send a signal, and attack the Kaprik Territory with them.’

“…But I couldn’t find that Ronia bastard.”

Karen had only just arrived.

But he couldn’t disobey what Loki had said.

“Let’s go. It’s an attack!”

「Can we eat humans?」

“Yeah, only the ones who attack us.”

The Cyclops’ eyes gleamed.

***

Beneath the roots of the World Tree, one side of the floor collapses.

Crackling-!

Electricity raced up the roots, blackening the surface of the World Tree.

「Kuaaaaaah!」

A scream is heard from the World Tree.

「What, what is it!?」

The Constellation of Wind turned his head and looked at a spot quite far away.

The land where the Deshar Kingdom army barracks had been built was collapsing, and the roots of the World Tree located there were burning.

From the collapsed land, jet-black warriors wearing beast helmets began to emerge en masse.

“Ooooooh!”

Crack-!

The Berserker Warriors.

They hunted the surrounding Deshar soldiers with overwhelming power.

Among them, Kudan swung Mjolnir [Thor’s hammer] and looked at Loki.

“Constellation of the End!”

“Kudan?”

“U-Uncle!?”

Loki and Cancun stared at Kudan.

They hadn’t expected him to crawl out of the ground.

“I, too, shall join the battlefield!”

“……”

He sent a letter asking to be rescued, but he intends to fight? Judging by Kudan, he seemed to be infected with the plague as well.

Nevertheless, unable to contain his overflowing power, he swung Mjolnir, repelling the surrounding Deshar soldiers.

「What are you doing!?」

The Constellation of Wind, Mekrius, said to the angels flying around the World Tree.

「Not stopping the intruders!」

The angels flew like a swarm of bees, scattering in all directions.

They flew towards Kudan and the Berserker Warriors.

Clang-!

The sound of weapons echoed from all directions.

Bang! Bang-!

Explosions occurred throughout the city, turning it into a sea of fire.

“What’s going on!?”

“It’s an attack! T-The enemy has infiltrated!”

“They’re taking the territory’s citizens towards the harbor!”

“Chase them!”

“W-Wait, everyone, reorganize first! The command structure is a mess!”

The Deshar soldiers were shaken.

They were mercenaries who prided themselves on being undefeated.

But that was only in battles relying on the plague.

Moreover, they had become lazy due to the World Tree’s sap and fruit.

It was too much for them to face determined enemy soldiers without regaining their senses.

“Is everyone gathered!”

Thousands of mercenaries gathered in the plaza.

Mercenary Captain Renik took command.

It was because he had worked for the Deshar Kingdom army the longest.

“There are no more than 100 intruders. Judging by the fact that they’ve seized the harbor, they intend to invade through the harbor! Sasha, you head towards the harbor.”

“Huh? W-What about the captain?”

“You idiot. There’s a limit to the number of troops at the harbor! The enemies will definitely attack the outer walls of the Kaprik Territory as well! I’m heading there!”

“A-Alright.”

Renik sneered.

‘…I need to get out of here now.’

He had earned enough money participating in this war.

He could live off it for a while, so he needed to escape.

He couldn’t participate in a god’s war and die in vain.

Following Renik’s orders, Vice-Captain Sasha led the mercenaries towards the harbor.

“Oh no! Warships have already arrived!”

Sasha and the mercenaries stared at the warships anchoring in the harbor.

Sasha looked around.

The Asgardian forces that had seized the harbor were nowhere to be seen.

At best, there were only a few people waving torches to guide the warships to the harbor.

“There’s no choice. Everyone, halt!”

The mercenaries stopped.

They lined up, blocking the entrance to the harbor.

“Prepare bows and crossbows!”

They aimed their bows and crossbows.

It would take a considerable amount of time for those guys to disembark from the warship.

Whether they lowered a gangplank or climbed down ropes.

They just needed to shoot them dead the moment they came down.

The warship anchored at the pier.

Thud-!

The mercenaries, looking up at the massive warship, were tense.

How many people could possibly be on board a warship of that size?

They tried to guess the number of people on board in their imaginations, but they couldn’t even estimate.

That’s when it happened.

Thud!

Crack-!

“…Huh?”

There were no ropes or gangplanks.

Something fell from the warship and collided with the ground.

The impact was so great that the floor cracked, and a gruesome corpse with a crushed head could be seen in the harbor.

The mercenaries stared wide-eyed at the sight.

“W-What is it?”

“…What just fell?”

Then something else fell from the warship.

Thud!

Crack-!

It must have been an instant death from the massive impact.

The mercenaries looked at each other. And a nervous laugh burst out from the tension.

They had been so tense that such stupid guys were attacking! They felt embarrassed for no reason.

They must have accidentally gotten caught on the railing while lowering ropes or ladders and fallen.

Thud!

Splat-!

Another soldier fell from the warship.

“…Again?”

Thud!

Crunch-!

The mercenaries’ pupils trembled.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Soldiers fell from the warship in droves, and blood, flesh, and bones splattered everywhere.

“What…?”

The corpses gradually piled up and lay scattered.

“What is it…!”

The mercenaries backed away.

Were the soldiers on that warship crazy?! Did they all go collectively insane and jump off the warship?! The mercenaries’ faces turned pale.

Twitch-….

The corpses began to move.

The mercenaries doubted their eyes.

“D-Didn’t it move just now?”

“Y-Yeah… Like it was alive….”

Wiggle!

The corpses that had fallen from the warship began to rise one by one.

They propped themselves up on the ground with their weapons, shuddering and creaking like broken wooden puppets, raising their upper bodies.

Soon, they raised their heads and their eyes gleamed.

The Deshar mercenaries froze at the sight, and Sasha, with wide eyes, muttered.

“…Undead.”

The dead.

No, the spirits of the underworld!

They turned their creaking heads and glared at the mercenaries.

They staggered forward.

They were constantly pouring out of the warship as if it were vomiting them out.

“E-Everyone, reload!”

The mercenaries focused all their nerves on the aimed arrows and bolts.

“Fire!”

Whirrrrr-!

The bolts rotated and pierced through the bodies of the wraiths.

The arrows drew parabolas and pierced their shoulders and heads.

But their advance did not stop.

They only staggered for a moment when hit by the arrows, and then glared at the living as if they had taken no damage.

Soon, they stopped and gripped their weapons in both hands.

The wraiths opened their mouths in unison.

The breath of souls poured out from their mouths, which were opened so wide that their cheeks tore.

「Charge-.」

The mercenaries were frightened by the sight and hesitated.

“Don’t be afraid!”

Sasha shouted.

But all but the veteran mercenaries were intimidated.

“D-Damn it! Spearmen, forward!”

The mercenaries pointed their spears forward.

「Hara-!」

The wraiths screamed.

A deafening roar that seemed to burst their throats.

The mercenaries covered their ears and grimaced at the painful sound.

Sasha closed her eyes and then gently opened them at the deafening roar.

And saw.

A wraith right in front of her, approaching without any sign or sound, wielding a weapon with its mouth wide open.

Swoosh-!

Sasha’s head was cut off and floated into the air.

「Kuaaaaaah!」

As the Demon King Kalib swung his sword, the surrounding mercenaries were cut by the blade and bounced away.

The wraiths surged forward.

They ran forward, ignoring the spears piercing them, and swung their weapons.

Their rough and strong bodies made one doubt whether they were truly dead.

They pushed the mercenaries back, destroying the harbor’s encirclement.

“…Good heavens.”

Egil, who was scouting with binoculars from the top of a building, revealed a surprised expression.

“Are those really undead?”

They were incomparable to the low-level zombies he had seen.

Were the spirits of the underworld that different!

‘No, maybe it’s because they’re subordinates of the Demon King Kalib.’

He was once the leader of the Hannes Empire, which had plunged the continent into terror.

Moreover, his subordinates must also possess extraordinary skills.

He had heard that they had continued the war in the underworld for over a hundred years, so they could be said to be masters of the battlefield.

“Egil, the outer walls are noisy?”

When a fellow Einherjar spoke, Egil turned his binoculars towards the outer walls of the Kaprik Territory.

There, too, the Deshar mercenaries were moving busily.

The Deshar mercenaries climbed the stairs and went up the outer walls.

“What?! What’s that sound? Why can’t we open the outer gate!?”

Mercenary Captain Renik shouted.

Another mercenary captain said with a pale face.

“M-Monsters.”

“What?”

“Monsters have invaded.”

“……?”

Renik frowned.

He looked outside the outer walls.

It was to check what kind of nonsense he was spouting.

At that moment, a huge boulder passed right next to him.

Crack-!

The mercenaries next to him were crushed by the boulder without a trace, and the boulder passed over the outer wall, smashing the buildings inside the territory.

‘A… catapult?’

Renik turned his head after looking at the collapsing buildings of the Kaprik Territory and the boulder that had crushed the buildings.

But what he saw was not a catapult.

Renik’s eyes widened.

Thump…! Thump…!

In the deep darkness, something huge was moving.

Something with red skin, a humanoid, and huge muscles.

Not just one or two.

More than ten.

Giants whose size alone exceeded 10m [33 feet].

“Fire!”

The ballista [large crossbow] installed on the outer wall spat out bolts.

Bang-! Bang-! Bang-!

Clang-! Clang-!

But the bolts only made metallic sounds against the red giants’ skin and bounced off.

The leather was not just tough.

It was like a lump of steel.

But it seemed to have an effect.

There were also those who staggered and knelt after being hit by the bolts.

“It’s working! Engineering unit! Increase the firepower even more!”

The mercenaries quickly carried the bolts and lit the catapults to fire them.

The red giants, the Cyclops, gleamed their large eyes in the darkness.

In an instant, the movements of the engineers who looked into those eyes in the darkness froze.

“Uh… uh…?”

They couldn’t do anything but breathe.

“What?! Why are you stopping!?”

The mercenaries on the outer wall shouted at those who were firing the ballista from the tower.

‘I can’t move!’

The mercenaries couldn’t move at all, staring into the eyes in the darkness.

Then, the Cyclops lifted everything they could grab around them and threw it towards the outer wall.

From large trees to boulders.

The projectiles that drew parabolas collided with the outer wall.

Bang-!

Parts of the outer wall were damaged with a roar.

The giant boulder also struck the engineering unit operating the siege weapons, and the siege weapon was destroyed and fell from the tower together.

“What… is this….”

Renik’s eyes widened.

Before he knew it, the Cyclops were at the outer wall.

They looked much bigger when seen up close.

The Cyclops reached out and placed their hands on the outer wall.

Bang-!

Crackling-!

The outer wall cracked as they gripped it.

The Cyclops climbed the outer wall using the strength of their grip.

“Aaaaaaah!”

“M-Monsters are coming up!”

A huge head and a hideous large eyeball were visible on the outer wall.

The mercenaries who made eye contact screamed but were tied up.

Their bodies froze like stone statues.

Renik sat down on the spot.

「Hungry.」

That one word meant one thing.

“Ugh… Aaaaaaah!”

The Cyclops reached out and grabbed the mercenaries on the outer wall.