Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 273

Weapon-Devouring Bastard – Episode 273

The wave of monsters that began with the primordial beast spread throughout the training grounds.

The onrushing horde of Earlisters was reminiscent of the locust plagues of ancient myths.

Only ruins and death remained where they passed.

And that wave of monsters relentlessly crashed into the other organizations participating in the trial.

* * *

Aerial Fortress Training Grounds, Western Plains.

The special task force from the U.S. Department of Defense, who had successfully boarded the aerial fortress as soon as the bridge lowered, felt a sense of bewilderment as they watched the approaching monster horde.

Having a relatively short history of training magic users, the special task force members, lacking in magical abilities, had infiltrated with all sorts of firearms and special equipment instead.

Perhaps, they were in a more comfortable situation than other forces relying on magic.

However… firearms ultimately require ammunition, and special equipment requires electricity, including batteries.

There were limits.

“Aaaaaaaagh!”

Rat-tat-tat-tat!

They pulled the triggers like madmen.

No tactical manual dictates firing a weapon on full auto and spraying bullets.

However, the enemy’s numbers were so great that every bullet hit a monster, even with such indiscriminate firing.

Clink!

Soon, the magazines were empty.

The amount of ammunition a person could carry was, after all, limited.

“Ah… sh, shit…”

The special task force members cursed and dropped their guns.

-Kieeeeeek!

Soon, the Earlisters swarmed them.

Aerial Fortress Highlands, Russell Family Camp.

Henry Russell narrowed his eyes, his gaze gleaming with murderous intent.

“Disgusting monster hordes… how dare you try to enter here.”

Henry Russell of the Russell Family… no, of the Starry Dawn Society.

He twisted his face into a demonic expression at the sight before him.

Monsters, monsters, monsters.

Truly alien and blasphemous beings that disturbed this world.

He could not tolerate them.

“Behold, son. Even in this distant past, those filthy things are defiling the land that God created.”

“…Yes, Father.”

Ron looked at his father.

Knowing the reason for his father’s rage towards the monsters, he couldn’t even advise him to calm down.

In the first place, Henry Russell was none other than a First-Class Knight. [A high-ranking knight, implying significant power and skill.]

No matter how much Ron had grown, even if his magic had disappeared, he was not someone he could easily advise.

“It is our mission to slaughter them.”

Henry raised his sword with an unprecedentedly distorted expression.

In response, the knights of the Dawn Society simultaneously raised their spears.

Full plate armor and all sorts of equipment were raised high.

Monsters were rushing towards the barricades and traps constructed in front.

“Take up your sword, son. For humanity alone.”

Kwaaaaaang!

Subsequently, the monsters charging into the traps collided with the Dawn Society.

Their battle seemed less about defense or survival and more about taking down as many monsters as possible.

The battle continued throughout the training grounds.

The Soongmoo Clan engaged in a full-scale battle with the monsters using pure force.

The Kabbalah met the monsters with their undead soldiers. [Kabbalah refers to a mystical Jewish tradition.]

The Nine Dragons Union, having prepared for the threat earlier, succeeded in annihilating the monsters by making them stagger around with some kind of ‘special power.’

And the Theocracy, which had fortunately established its camp in an area blocked on three sides, was able to manage the battle with the monsters without much difficulty due to the geographical advantage.

Unlike the U.S. special task force, which couldn’t even last an hour against the onrushing monsters, the large factions fought quite steadily.

However, there were places where no battle took place.

That was Behemoth.

* * *

Aerial Fortress Training Grounds, Northern Swampland.

Behemoth had set up camp there.

Compared to other ‘relatively’ normal organizations, they hadn’t even built a simple camp or hut.

They faced the monsters without any preparation.

Normally, they should have been mercilessly trampled by the Earlisters.

However, not a single Behemoth cultist was killed or injured.

“Oh, oooooh…”

“Aaaaah!”

“How beautiful this is.”

The three apostles who weren’t wearing masks.

They walked forward, making bizarre exclamations.

-…….

Numerous Earlisters stood still and silent before them.

The Earlisters were so docile that they couldn’t be seen as the monsters that had attacked other organizations.

No, rather than docile, something was strange.

The bodies seemed alive, but no instinct was felt in their eyes, as if their souls had left.

Were they freely manipulating the monsters, even without magic?

The three apostles touched the Earlisters, who had stopped moving, as if caressing lovers.

“Coming to this fortress was the right choice.”

“We can make good masks.”

“This was only the beginning. We have moved one step closer to the origin…”

What was the origin they were talking about?

In the first place, why did they come to the aerial fortress?

The apostles of Behemoth caressed each and every Earlister.

Kwagagang!

At that moment, an explosion echoed from a distant place.

The gazes of the Behemoth cultists and apostles turned simultaneously towards the direction of the echo.

The sound of an explosion that echoed in a world without magic.

It was from the direction of the Soongmoo Clan.

The apostles of Behemoth seemed to know who had caused it without having to check.

“The inheritor born with a cursed bloodline…”

“Just a foolish old-fashioned human who doesn’t even know his own origin…”

“Here, we will find our origin and retrieve the remains of the god from the inheritor.”

The apostles muttered with expressionless faces.

Thud! Thud!

Following those words, the Earlisters who had endangered each organization began to fall simultaneously.

Not even corpses remained.

The apostles of Behemoth stood blankly, staring at the Soongmoo Clan, where the explosion was still echoing.

* * *

Soongmoo Clan camp.

The sturdy outer walls had long since collapsed, and the surrounding bushes were all crushed.

Under the sky where the sun was beginning to set, the red blood flowing from the monsters’ corpses looked even redder.

In the midst of the blood-stained world, I extended my sword.

Thwack!

The sensation of the blade piercing through leather and muscle.

-Kiek! Kyaaaa….

And with that strike, the last Earlister, struggling with its injuries, had its life cut short.

“Hoo.”

How many monsters had I cut down?

I wouldn’t have been able to fight like this if Black Ki [A type of energy or power] hadn’t been activated, or if I hadn’t shed a layer of my physical limitations.

However, as always.

The Soongmoo Clan had won.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

“Kuaaaaaaaah!”

The warriors of the Soongmoo Clan struggled, won, and enjoyed the joy of victory.

They had succeeded in slaughtering such a large number of monsters in a situation without magic.

It was truly a great achievement.

I watched the warriors of the main family, who were raising their weapons and cheering, and slowly sat down on the ground.

“Ha… that was really close.”

Eventually, we were surrounded by monsters, and after breaking through that encirclement and reaching the front of the camp, we had to fight a grueling battle.

The corpses of the Earlisters were piled up like mountains around us.

Even the place where I sat was covered with corpses, and the ground couldn’t be seen.

Even the body that had undergone Rebirth seemed to be reaching its limit, my arms and legs throbbing and trembling.

Sssst!

At that moment, the weapons made of Black Ki that had been given to the warriors of the main family scattered into the air and began to be absorbed into me.

The weapons made of Black Ki that I held and wielded myself were maintained almost semi-permanently, but from the moment they were held by others, there was a limit to maintaining their form.

It was fortunate that they had lasted until the end of the battle.

“……”

I quietly watched the Black Ki that was gradually being absorbed into me.

And then, in an instant, I recalled the sight I had seen today in my mind.

Dugun!

As soon as I recalled it, I felt my heart beat loudly.

The source of Black Ki, the primordial beast.

No, should I even call it a beast?

It was crawling destruction itself.

It was indescribable chaos itself, it made me feel the inherent fear of living beings just by looking at it, and it felt like a part of an unreachable providence.

Thud!

At that moment, I heard the sound of a monster’s corpse falling nearby.

It was an Earlister in the form of a bear.

Come to think of it, this monster was also born from its flesh.

I glanced sideways and looked elsewhere.

The place where the primordial beast had been.

And the place where it had disappeared.

‘…I think I understand a little.’

The origin of the monsters, which all scholars are questioning.

I was convinced that the primordial beast was the origin.

Not only that.

The unexplored territories, the monsters’ attacks, Kabbalah, Behemoth, Soongmoo Clan… everything is rooted in it.

‘And the reason why there is no magic here, too.’

It’s it.

It has devoured all the magic.

There was no evidence, but I felt a certain conviction.

‘What is the aerial fortress anyway? Is this trial… really just a trial?’

Is the aerial fortress just an artificially constructed model garden for a trial?

If not… if it is a recreation of a distant past that actually happened?

What would have happened to this era?

‘It’s a leap. It’s more likely to be just a trial.’

There was no evidence that this actually happened.

But why?

I couldn’t shake the thought that this was actually what happened.

As I thought that far, a novel-like speculation flashed through my mind.

‘Could it be that the dwarves of the aerial fortress are making us experience these things because….’

What is this trial for?

Why does this trial show us the primordial beast?

In the first place, what is the meaning of the aerial fortress’s existence?

Why did they invite the organizations that build the order of the world to their fortress and make them experience this?

The purpose of the aerial fortress, could it be….

“Hey, you crazy bastard!”

Bang!

At that moment, I was hit by something and rolled on the ground.

“I knew you were crazy, but you’re really the craziest of the crazy!”

It was none other than the Caretaker who had body-checked me.

He approached me, panting.

“Hey, you crazy bastard. Where are you going! And what’s with the hero act? Why are you fighting in the back instead of coming back to the outer walls?”

“I came back safe and sound. That’s all that matters, right?”

“Hmph! There’s someone even worse than me. A fighter suits you better than me!”

“I was going to buy some time and go back, but you jumped down first!”

“I just followed that big guy!”

The Caretaker seemed to be worried about me, and he was quite seriously angry.

I felt strange at the sight of him being prickly but also checking my body for any injuries.

“Young Master!”

At that moment, I saw familiar faces running from afar again.

Choi Inha, Kim Han, and Kim Boseong.

My classmates from the cadet corps, and my reliable colleagues.

“Are you alright, Young Master!”

“That was so awesome!”

Kim Boseong and Kim Han.

Choi Inha, who followed behind, couldn’t say anything and hesitated.

It seemed like he felt guilty for leaving me alone with Jang Han.

“You guys worked hard. I think we were able to stop it thanks to you.”

“What are you talking about! You did it all, Young Master!”

“I still have a long way to go.”

I smiled and approached Choi Inha.

“Thank you for earlier. I was able to trust you and leave it to you thanks to you.”

“……!”

Choi Inha closed his mouth tightly and lowered his head.

I patted him on the shoulder.

Anyway, we couldn’t keep resting here.

I turned around and walked towards my second sister, who was taking follow-up measures.

“Second Sister. I’m a little late, but I’m reporting back. Are you alright?”

Even my second sister, who was the best in the family in terms of toughness, seemed to have had a hard time with this battle, as she was leaning against a giant rock embedded in the ground and receiving reports from the troop leaders.

“Oh, you’re here. You worked hard. Thanks to your subordinate’s early report, we were able to prepare quite quickly. And the weapon supply and rear disruption. Your role was big.”

My second sister waved her hand while clutching her side.

She seemed to be injured.

I would have suffered one or two serious injuries if Eunhan hadn’t been there.

I didn’t pretend to know. It was someone who would pretend to be okay and overdo it if I said anything. My second sister.

“Then… what is the number of casualties?”

At my words, my second sister closed her mouth for a moment.

No matter how much we won, there was no way that there would be no injured or dead in this kind of battle.

My second sister frowned and answered.

“Well, it’s not a very good story. Anyway, about one-eighth of them are dead for now. The number of injured hasn’t been confirmed yet.”

“……”

The damage is greater than I thought.

As I frowned for a moment, my second sister got up from her seat with a ‘Yeongcha! [A Korean expression of effort or exertion]’ sound.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. They went honorably.”

My second sister shrugged her shoulders.

“But well, maybe they didn’t really go.”

“What do you mean?”

“You were fighting almost isolated, so you didn’t know.”

My second sister looked towards the collapsed outer wall.

“When the warriors reached death, a strange phenomenon occurred. They died, but there were no corpses. All their belongings were gone too. They disappeared as if they were annihilated into light.”

“Could it be….”

“Well, you never know. Won’t the dwarves tell us something if they show up again?”

It was then.

Crack!

A sound like something collapsing in the air was heard.

Including me, all the troops who were enjoying the joy of victory and continuing the aftermath raised their tension again and looked up at the sky.

-Living children.

-It is time to see the results of the trial.

The sky shattered like a glass pane, and the dwarf of the aerial fortress slowly descended through it.

-Those who have reached death are not qualified to set foot in this fortress, so they have been banished.

-Those who have not realized the secret are not qualified to take the next trial, so they have been banished.

Banished, they said banished now.

As expected, what came to those who died here was not real death, but only something that was made to look like death.

-Mortal ones.

-Have you seen the erased records.

-Have you experienced it.

-Have you realized it.

-If so, it is now time to take the next trial.

Suddenly, I felt like a pair of yellow eyes floating in the pitch-black darkness visible under the robe were heading towards me.

And the next moment, everything in front of me, starting with the corpses of the monsters, began to distort.