Below the towering wooden spire stretched fortress walls of thornwood extending left and right. The wails of the wronged souls embroidered on the outer walls surged toward them like waves.
Aaaaaaah—!
Unintelligible whispers, low murmurs that resembled something like a tune layered above them, and piercing screams that cut through both sounds.
A chorus formed of evil spirits. The chorus of wronged souls wearing thorn shrouds made ears ring and hearts pound.
It was a harmony mixing despair and fear, sorrow and suffering.
Ominous. A chord that bestowed unease upon all listeners, making them want to either join those spirits or simply die rather than listen further.
Of course, that would be the case for ordinary people. It wasn't a story that applied to the Madman Knight Company.
"Damn, that's loud."
Rem had built his own domain through shamanic power. Even without that, there was no way he'd be affected by such trivial screams.
He picked at his ear with his pinky finger, pulled it out, and blew on it with his mouth. Then he threw out another remark.
"Could you be quiet?"
Shamanic power specialized in manifestation. Pulling out what was needed on the spot and using it customly was Rem's specialty.
The moment Rem's words ended, a black shadow surged up behind him.
No one present knew this, but it was imbued with the spirit of a tiger beast that had survived for over a hundred years in the Pen-Hanil mountain range.
An existence that had burned, chewed, and devoured souls—a natural predator of evil spirits.
Aaaaa— ah, ah.
The sounds from the thornwood walls gradually subsided.
The eyes of wronged souls carved from hollowed wood averted their gazes. Though the eyes were just round shapes carved into the wood without pupils or borders, that's what it looked like. The fortress walls seemed to have been frightened.
"Shh."
Rem said, raising his index finger to his nose.
As Enkrid gazed ahead impassively, Teresa opened her mouth slightly before closing it. She wasn't surprised. She had been about to step forward but stopped. Now that she looked, there was no need for her to intervene.
Though what Rem had done was a skill that would make anyone admire it, no one here was surprised by it.
That much was expected.
Naturally, everyone's gazes turned upward.
The towering wooden structure was no different from a human-made spire. Wide branches served as footholds, which was also why the dark-blue-skinned fairy could roll sideways to dodge the spear blade Enkrid had thrown.
The one wearing black armor lowered its shield loosely.
A shield bearing a shallow mark from blocking the javelin Enkrid had thrown with all his strength.
Woo-oong-woong.
A vibration emanated from within the visor. Some form of expression, though the words were unintelligible. The fairy who had fallen stood back up, pressing a hand to the ground.
The fairy's eyes turned toward Enkrid.
"You."
Not quite shock, but those surprised eyes glared at Enkrid.
"If you stare at me so intensely, I'll get embarrassed."
Enkrid shrugged in response, and Shinar assisted from the side in a low tone.
"Something rotted and decayed, unable even to become nutrients and holding only poison, dares to look at whom?"
Meanwhile, Luagarne stepped forward a few paces, skillfully manipulated her whip, and retrieved the fallen relic javelin, then tossed it to Enkrid.
With a thwack, Enkrid caught it, gripped the shaft, pressed down to fold it back into rod form, and secured it at his waist.
"We sure started with a bang."
Lawford muttered.
"Should I cut it?"
Pel asked, pointing ahead.
The will to cut down whatever it was—walls or otherwise—radiated intensely.
"An aged fairy and such."
Neither of them even regarded the Dark Fairy as they insulted Shinar.
"Fruit tastes best when ripened."
Shinar calmly retorted.
She even whispered to Enkrid that things aging well was the way of the world.
It was her nature to say what needed saying regardless of anger. That was Shinar's habit as Enkrid had observed thus far.
This was a Demonic Realm, and what lay before them was Thornwood Fortress, a rare structure even within Demonic Realms, but no one was frightened by it. They were beyond calm—downright leisurely.
An attitude mismatched with the situation and environment. In other words, discord.
"Look at these bastards."
It was then. Below the spire tree and atop the thornwood walls, a man appeared, staring blankly at them.
His skin was dusky but still within the range one could call human, and his appearance was ordinary enough to be seen anywhere.
Brown hair and brown eyes.
If there was a distinguishing feature, it would be that his build was somewhat large, though still smaller than Audin or Teresa.
Though he was up there making it impossible to measure his exact height, one could estimate well enough.
Enkrid's gaze turned that way. Their eyes met. The man also seemed to quickly realize who stood at the center of these visitors.
Since Enkrid didn't think there would be many humans living in the Demonic Realm, he asked.
"Demonic Realm Cult?"
He knew that the Demonic Realm Cult worshipped the Demonic Realm. It wouldn't be that surprising if some of them lived inside it.
It was easy to predict that aside from those active on the continent, some would remain here.
"Demonic Realm Cult? Why are those idiots' names coming up? I'm an apostle serving the Red Foot."
Enkrid couldn't understand a single thing the man was saying. What the hell was Red Foot?
A gap in information existed between the two.
The problem was that neither had any intention of resolving the other's questions.
And there was one more peculiar thing about the man. Though he spoke the Imperial language, his accent was strangely different.
"Man, he talks a lot."
Rem interjected.
"Should I cut it?"
Pel asked again. Luagarne and Lawford had been searching for an entrance to the thornwood walls since earlier.
While those two were talking, might as well do what needed doing.
But no entrance was visible anywhere. Did they climb the walls every time they needed to go up?
The Dark Fairy glared at Enkrid while holding a longbow, and Shinar gazed back at the Dark Fairy steadily.
"What is Red Foot?"
Enkrid threw out a question to the man, regardless of what his companions were doing. Instead of answering, the man looked around at the group and said.
"The one who will become a god."
I won't get a proper answer even if I ask more.
Intuition gave him that answer.
"Right. I see."
Enkrid answered half-heartedly, and the man standing atop the walls smirked at him and said.
"This is Thornwood Fortress. I am the lord of this place."
"Oh, I can see that."
Enkrid spoke while the man caught his breath. Both raised their voices, so their words echoed around them.
Then the man raised just one corner of his mouth and looked down at the entire group. His tone was calm and even, which made it particularly unpleasant.
The very fact of speaking so peacefully in this situation was what caused the displeasure.
"So what can you even do?"
Though the man's voice became quieter, it was heard even better than when his voice had been loud.
Or rather, one might say it pierced straight into the ears.
"...Kya."
For a moment the group had been at a loss for words, but Rem was the first to react and let out an exclamation. Look at this bastard, overflowing with confidence.
The man raised his foot and tapped it on the ground. It looked like a show of force—I have fortress walls, something like that.
Enkrid laughed. At times like this, how should he put it—was it excitement?
There had been times when he lacked the skill to protect people even when they stood behind him. Such moments had occurred more than once or twice.
'What's needed to achieve what I desire is strength.'
He had heard similar advice many times, and Enkrid himself had reached the same conclusion. That's why he had swung his sword.
In some moments, even swinging with all his might had achieved nothing.
Yes, there had been times like that. Times when he'd been pushed around due to lack of power. But not now.
That was why. Seeing someone stepping forward like this made him anticipate it.
Just what would happen when what that bastard believed in crumbled?
He didn't know what Red Foot was, but he understood it was something comparable to the Demonic Realm Cult.
And hadn't Zoroslav said before coming here?
"You must be careful of someone called the High Priest."
Well, that was all Zoroslav knew. Something about a bastard who had taken people from the village multiple times.
"You're the High Priest, aren't you?"
Enkrid asked. The man now raised both corners of his mouth smoothly. His mouth corners rose so high they seemed ready to touch his eye corners.
An abnormal smile. Clearly different from a human's.
Right, you wouldn't be an ordinary human either.
Looking only at the surface he seemed ordinary, which made him all the more someone who had departed from the category of ordinary.
From the start, someone who built such a fortress in a Demonic Realm and lived there couldn't be normal.
"You thought breaking through the Groomroot pack meant you were done, it seems."
The man cackled. Behind him, black soot rose and took form. Though it had no wings, it was a shadow made of tremendous muscle. Despite being a shadow like black soot, the bulging shapes showed clearly.
"That's wishful thinking. Markante burta han—"
The last words weren't directed at Enkrid's group.
"Bur."
The answer came from the Dark Fairy woman atop the spire. She lowered her longbow and spoke.
"Survive. Because I'll be the one to kill you."
Her words were directed at Enkrid.
By what skill, despite whispering from up there, the Dark Fairy's words were clearly audible. The spire tree was at a height requiring one to look straight up, yet that was the case.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you."
Shinar received those words.
"It seems like I've been protecting you the whole way here."
When Enkrid turned his head blankly and said that, Shinar showed a subtle smile.
"That's why I was happy."
It was such an honest expression of affection that there was nothing to say.
Aaaaaaaaah—
When the presumed High Priest's words ended, the walls wailed again.
The chorus of wronged souls wearing thorn shrouds became louder and deeper than before.
At this level, even knights would find it difficult not to be affected.
"Hmm."
Lawford snorted once. The grating sound rang sharply from ears to entire body.
"They're coming."
Jaxen's words. Even without being particularly sensitive, the presence wasn't hard to sense. Black masses tumbled toward them from the left, right, and rear of the walls like falling objects rolling along the ground. A horde of ghouls. Seeing their entire bodies stained black, the ghouls of the Demonic Realm seemed different in some way.
"Scream through the night. I'll use your screams as my lullaby."
The High Priest's curiosity was piqued. Right, let's see how long they rampage. Hadn't some interesting ones come after such a long time?
That's why he added those words.
Enkrid turned his head left and right once, looked at the walls, and thought.
What should I do now?
Kaaaawk!
In the midst of it, he saw three black birds circling in the air above, each large enough to easily carry off a person.
Feathers fell from their bodies.
The feathers that dropped with thud-thud sounds were each half the size of Audin's forearm. Beasts boasting considerable size. Precisely, modified beasts, though no one present could know that.
Enkrid looked at the monsters and beasts and knew one thing for certain.
'If we'd left this place alone, they would have all died.'
It was a thought that came to mind even amidst this, recalling the Demon-Men village.
They had already swept away all the monsters and small colonies outside. Thanks to that, they had protected one village of Demon-Men stained with demonic energy.
But placing meaning in having protected them was pointless against the sheer number of monsters crammed inside here.
The ghouls approached, and their appearance was also peculiar.
Above their necks, they were covered in stitched marks everywhere. Mouths sewn shut, skulls split and sewn back together. Clearly someone had tampered with the monsters.
Watching the approaching ghouls, Jaxen moved fastest. In an instant, he positioned himself behind one ghoul's back.
Then he stabbed its neck with a stiletto and kicked its ankle, breaking it.
After that, abandoning any pretense of stealth, he withdrew backward leaving afterimages. It looked like a long line made of Jaxens stretching out.
Above the stabbed ghoul's neck, black and yellow pus-like lumps swelled. The swollen pus lumps grew larger than the ghoul's head, then grew to the size of its body before bursting.
Pop!
With a noise, black and yellow pus scattered in all directions.
The moment Jaxen saw the ghouls with their irregular appearance, he felt an ominous feeling and tried to figure out their attack patterns.
It was appropriate and effective. Now they knew these things burst with pus when killed.
"The smell isn't pleasant."
Shinar said while drawing her leaf blade about a span. Centered on the sword, the scent of flowers and forest arose, but that alone was insufficient to block the horde of ghouls that burst their bodies.
When attacked, they scattered plague in all directions. Though one could resist to some degree, there were too many plague ghouls.
Kekeke.
From somewhere, that bastard's laughter seemed to echo.
Enkrid looked at the ghoul horde rushing at them, running not just on two legs but on all fours.
There's quite a lot.
"Audin."
"It's not my turn, brother."
"Ah, then Teresa?"
"Yes."
The hybrid giant calmly stepped forward at Enkrid's call, her eyes settled and composed.
She planted her shield into the ground just like that. Then she climbed atop the embedded shield. Using the shield as a small, narrow platform. Thus her own small stage was created.
[ * * * ]
Once, Count Molsen had commanded a chimera unit. He had also tried to modify quasi-knights to raise them to knight level.
And if one traced the origins of all those studies, one could meet this man.
'Would they make suitable test subjects for the plague ghouls?'
Since it seemed like all the renowned ones from the continent had gathered here, they should at least manage that much.
The High Priest had emptied ghouls' bodies and inserted into them refined evil spirits that spread plague.
Incantations and shamanic power, alchemy—it was work possible only by dabbling in all sorts of fields.
Besides that, he had also sent out modified crow beasts, and there were things like crystal armor knights.
'Endure longer and show me something interesting.'
The High Priest wished sincerely. They'd probably hold out considerably, right? Then time would be needed for them to ripen.
Thinking so, he entered his room and organized the research and ideas he'd been working on. When night came, it would be time for monsters to rampage more.
Inside the Demonic Realm, even sunlight turned ashen. Unless it was the Red Moon, moonlight couldn't easily penetrate either.
That's why nights in the Demonic Realm were pitch-black. In other words, a time when those humans outside would suffer more.
It was a while after that. When he was about to rise, thinking he might take a look.
Kuguung.
He felt vibrations. The tremor wasn't small.
Kiaaaaa.
At the same time, the song of Thornwood Fortress—the aaah sounds—changed into something resembling screams.
Kuguguguguung.
The vibration grew larger. It felt like the entire fortress was shaking. And that wasn't an illusion.