Ending Maker

Chapter 30: Witch's Forest (3)

Terms used in this chapter:

Owlbear – a fictional creature originally created for the?Dungeons & Dragons?fantasy?role-playing game. It is depicted as a cross between a bear and an owl, which “hugs” like a bear and attacks with its beak.

Wereboar – a fictional creature capable of polymorphing into a boar-humanoid hybrid or into a boar, or back into its true form, which is humanoid.

When moving in groups, it was very important to have a proper line and formation.

Jude spoke, looking at Lucas and Cordelia.

“I’ll take the lead, Lady Cordelia will be in the middle, and last will be Lord Lucas.”

At Jude’s words that he would be at the front line, Cordelia exclaimed an ‘Oooh’ in admiration, but Lucas had a slightly dissatisfied look.

“Mr. Bayer, me too…”

“It’s not because I see Lord Lucas as someone to protect. I entrusted the rear to you as it is as important as the front.”

“The rear?”

“Yes, we are in a place where we don’t know where the enemy will come from. The rear is as important as the front. Please protect Lady Cordelia by keeping an eye on the back.”

“Okay, leave it to me.”

Lucas nodded with a serious face.

Although he was excited that it was a real adventure, Lucas realized the seriousness of the situation after listening to Jude’s explanation.

“Maybe the other knights are also wandering inside the barrier. The best way to overcome the current situation…is to free the witch’s soul.”

“The witch’s soul dispels the barrier?”

“Probably.”

Because of the emergency situation, Cordelia’s usual way of speaking reemerged.

Jude briefly responded and then spoke to Lucas again.

“First of all, we’re going to keep moving in the same direction. We may have entered the barrier, but it’s possible that the way itself remains the same.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Lucas energetically answered and immediately drew his sword and prepared to enter into battle.

After swallowing his breath at the sight of Lucas, Jude approached close to Cordelia and said.

“Frankly, I don’t know the way or where to go. I’ll trust in you.”

“I know. Are you talking about the witch’s voice?”

Cordelia likewise kept their faces close and whispered.

The voice of the witch was what helped Cordelia in the original story. While she was wandering through the forest, she heard the witch’s voice who guided her on the correct direction.

“Keep your ears open.”

“Okay, I’ll keep it wide open. Though about the battle formation, can you change my position?”

“I’ll let you do other things sooner or later.”

“Hmph, I’ll look forward to it.”

After they wrapped up and ended their conversation, Cordelia increased her distance from him. Jude put the Sun’s Necklace inside his specialized knuckles and looked through the fog.

“Let’s get started.”

Jude slowly proceeded, being wary of his surroundings, and Cordelia and Lucas followed Jude’s footsteps with three steps apart between each of them.

How far have they gone?

They took a short break when Jude stopped under a large tree. For some reason, despite being in the middle of the forest, the gap between the trees was very far.

“I’ll take a look at the surrounding environment for a moment.”

Jude spoke in a low voice as he began to carefully observe the soil on the ground or the trees nearby.

And Cordelia thought at that time.

‘What did you do?’

His observation of the surrounding environment was strange.

Frankly, Cordelia couldn’t figure out how Jude did it.

‘It was the same when he said the soil has changed.’

In other words, when they first entered the forest, he was already observing the soil, which was unthinkable for Cordelia.

‘What did you really do in the past?’

Not to mention the fact that he noticed that the soil has changed while walking.

Even if he was number one in the server rankings, his actions were already impossible to explain in words.

‘Something, there is something about him.’

It was not an exaggeration to say that his memory had exceeded the normal limits.

He thought differently than ordinary people and had excellent acting skills.

In addition to this, he even had great observation skills.

‘It smells suspicious.’

It was when Cordelia sniffed once for no reason.

“Lady Cordelia.”

“Huh? Ah, yes?”

A startled Cordelia turned her head and saw Lucas.

But somehow, she felt unpleasant with his smile.

“Lord…Lucas?”

“Ah, sorry. Lady Cordelia’s gaze on Mr. Bayer was so touching…it was such a profound love. I wanted to experience that kind of love too.”

When Lucas’ face turned slightly red as if he was really envious, Cordelia thought.

‘What is this crazy bastard saying?’

Fortunately, the situation was not as urgent as it was in the fight against Minos, so it was possible to prevent the words from coming out of her mouth.

“Fu-…. hohoho…I-is that so.”

Cordelia barely stopped the swear word from coming out and laughed gracefully, while Lucas wiped his nose in embarrassment.

It was at that moment.

Cordelia, who was laughing awkwardly, suddenly stood up. Lucas looked around sharply too, though he was slow by one beat.

The air has changed.

To be exact, they felt piercing sharp gazes directed towards them.

“Lady Cordelia.”

Instead of responding to Lucas’ call, Cordelia grabbed the Moonlight with both hands and shouted.

“Jude!”

The piercing gazes were in front of him.

There was a rattling sound that could be heard from the thick fog. It was not one, but many.

‘Let me think, let’s remember.’

In the original story, there were quite a few monsters that Cordelia met when she wandered through the witch’s forest.

In the forest outskirts, it was mainly forest goblins. Deep in the forest, it was savage beasts like the Owlbear and Wereboar, which one must consider fleeing unconditionally when facing them. And in the vicinity of the seal…

‘Skeleton!’

The power of the seal holding the witch’s soul was not weak.

Containing the power of Asmodeus, the monarch of lust, it affected not only the witch’s soul but also the surrounding area. Because of this, death was no longer an eternal rest in the depths of the witch’s forest.

Those who have died here were reborn as undead monsters.

“Lucas! Sheathe your sword! Hitting is more effective on skeletons!”

As Cordelia quickly shouted, Lucas hastily returned his sword to the scabbard despite his surprise.

The skeletons finally appeared.

‘Eight.’

It wasn’t a small number.

The tottering skeletons were wearing worn-out white clothes that were strangely familiar.

‘What? Was it like this in the original?’

Cordelia clenched her teeth in worry.

“The Guardians.”

Jude suddenly came to her side and said.

The Guardians of the Holy Cross.

They were a group of humans who fought against the demons and were influential across the whole Legend of Heroes series.

If one thought of the past broadly, the Paladin Gallus and Solari’s priests, who sealed the great demon Leisegang, were also Guardian members.

Considering the situation, it was highly likely that they entered the forest to destroy Asmodeus’ subordinate, died and became undead.

“The Guardians? Then?!”

“There should be one more.”

The Guardians of the Holy Cross moved as a group of nine people.

And as if answering Jude and Cordelia, a new skeleton appeared behind the back of the scattered skeletons.

Likewise, it was wearing worn-out clothes, but the skeleton was also wearing a distinctive robe with the Guardians of the Holy Cross’ emblem.

It was probably the leader of the group.

“Mr. Bayer! They are-!”

Lucas fully shouted in a tense voice.

This is because the skeletons that appeared began to form a battle formation.

“The Guardian Extermination Formation.”

It was the Guardians’ most basic battle formation created for the purpose of all-out battle.

Moreover, as if it couldn’t get any worse, a red battle aura began to emerge in their hands.

They may have become undead monsters, but it seemed that they could still use the Guardian’s skills.

“F*ck.”

Cordelia finally let out a curse and swallowed deeply, and Jude quickly said.

“Their pattern is simple. Tie them down with Lucas. I’ll deal with the boss.”

In the Guardian Extermination Formation, eight would take the form of a defensive fortress, and the leader would strike the enemy by moving inside and outside the battle formation.

Therefore, in order to break down the battle formation, they had to tear apart the leader from the Guardian Extermination Formation.

Cordelia was convinced by Jude’s explanation.

It was a theoretically perfect plan.

However, there was always a gap between theory and reality.

“Hey, wait a second!”

Cordelia shouted in a hurry, but Jude had already kicked the ground.

The skeletons in the Guardian Extermination Formation slowly marched forward, and the leader went out of the formation as if chasing Jude and kicked the ground in the same way.

“You evil bastard! Am I you? I’m not you!”

The pattern is simple.

If they knew the pattern, they could easily break it.

‘I’m not you who memorized everything!’

There were numerous monsters in Legend of Heroes 2, so their patterns that naturally appeared numbered in the hundreds to the ridiculous thousand mark.

Who else but Outboxer can memorize all those patterns?

“La-lady Cordelia?!”

“Here it comes! Stay where you are!”

Cordelia shouted reflexively as she stamped on the floor with Moonlight while invoking the spell. She first spread magic in a wide area to prevent the enemies from directly approaching, and then shouted to Lucas again.

“Start from the right! Up, up, down!”

“Yes?!”

Lucas shouted in confusion, but he wasn’t a sword genius for nothing.

As if avoiding the magic that Cordelia had spread, he completely evaded the pressing attacks of the skeletons.

‘Seriously!’

Up, up, down.

Front, front, rear.

The three skeletons attacked one after another just as what Cordelia said.

“Lady Cordelia!”

“This time, it’s on my side! Middle, middle, down!”

Cordelia cast magic on herself and then quickly moved to widen her distance from Lucas. It was to avoid being surrounded.

‘Ho-how did I memorize this?’

Cordelia soon realized it.

Her head doesn’t know, but her body knows.

It was hard to say that her body knew because she had reincarnated, but somehow, the subconscious of Cordelia, who had gone through hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of hunting as Yellow Storm, remembered the pattern of the Guardian Extermination Formation.

“Lady Cordelia!”

“Middle! Up, down, up, down, middle! At the same time!”

Cordelia, who shouted reflexively, did not try to use her memory. She left her body to her hunting instincts as she said the words out of her mouth.

“Up, up, down!”

Thump!

As if piercing through Cordelia’s loud voice, Jude struck the ground hard. Looking at the leader skeleton rushing from the front, he thought with his head instead of his instinct.

‘Monk. Guardian leader. The grade is low in terms of color. Maybe 7th grade. If so, it can use God’s Fist!’

The Monk martial arts belonged to the immediate higher level of the basic guardian skills that one must learn to be officially recognized as a monk of the Guardian Corps.

Just as Thirty-Six World Steps can reach Nine Celestial Steps after several rank-ups, monks start from the basics too as they improve and reach higher levels of martial art skills such as God’s Fist.

‘Because it had become an undead, its sacred battle aura has weakened.’

Mana, Inner Qi, Sacred Battle Aura.

All of them were similar concepts in the end, but there was a slight difference.

Sacred Battle Aura is the addition of the Life Force to the inner Qi.

Therefore, it was not a power that undead monsters could properly handle. The monk had forcibly used fighting spirit as a substitute for life force, but it was clear that it would not be as powerful when compared to using life force.

Moreover, the monk had no blood or flesh now.

The movement of its sacred battle aura could be seen over its pale bones.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Jude’s footsteps hit the ground in succession.

There wasn’t a set pattern like the Guardian Extermination Formation, but Jude could completely evade as if he knew all of its attack patterns.

‘Because I can see it.’

He could see the flow of the sacred battle aura moving along the skeleton’s body. That’s why he could predict what kind of attack would unfold next.

Of course, it was a skill that an ordinary person couldn’t pull off whether they saw the flow or not, but it was possible for Outboxer.

What’s more, he as Jude had something now that he didn’t have before.

‘Cheonmujiche!’

The skeleton leader was not weak.

Although it was poorly using its sacred battle aura compared to when it was alive, the God’s Fist was still quick and accurate.

But Jude was also quick.

His levels surpassed 20 when they defeated Minos, and his overall physical abilities were also greatly improved.

And there was one more added to it.

Jude didn’t simply stop at avoiding attacks.

He also didn’t stop in thinking of the next attack naturally.

Cheonmujiche.

A heavenly talent for martial arts!

Tsu-hwaak!

The flames of a pure white sacred battle aura rose from Jude’s fist.

Sacred battle aura.

It was the addition of the life force that everyone has to the inner Qi.

He figured it out from watching the movement of the sacred battle aura.

At some point, how to use the sacred battle aura naturally came to his mind.

And the result was…

Jude held his breath.

He could see the sacred battle aura of the skeleton rushing from his front.

He moved the center of his body as he felt the trajectory of the skeleton’s attack.

Cheuhwak!

The skeleton’s fist pierced the air. The sound of the strike was heard, and Jude, who dodged the attack, clenched his fist.

He drew a picture on his head.

The attacks the skeleton leader unfolded several times.

The unhidden flow of sacred battle aura that he saw several times.

All of it became one, as everything naturally connected in his mind.

And that’s why Jude was able to unfold his next attack.

‘God’s Fist.’

The Holy Cross Punch.

On Jude’s fist, a pure white sacred battle aura took the form of a cross.

With a violent hitting sound, the skeleton leader’s chest was crushed.