<Chapter 35. The Call of Death - 4>

[You are facing an irrational number of opponents with only a small handful of allies. Through the Rebellion skill, all stats have increased by 16%. All effects are shared with your partner.]

"Wow, the hell is all that?"

"He's called the Beast General, right? As expected..."

The Beast General was a Werewolf, a level 7 elite, and led a force of beasts. Thus, his undead troops possessed a characteristic that differentiated them from any of the 12 generals' troops he'd seen thus far, which was...

"They're huge...!"

"Bears, tigers, wolves... Why are animals part of the Empire? It looks like a monster army rather than an Imperial Army."

"They have the bodies of beasts but the minds of humans. Don't be reckless or you'll be dead before you know it."

To think the Beast General's force was only about 10,000 strong. You couldn't convince anyone that that force was large. However, they all radiated danger. It was surprising, as they weren't normal soldiers and all of them were elites, each and every one of them trained to the very limit.

"They're all at least level 4 . That's ridiculous."

"We won't lose. We can do this."

"Leave the rear to me. I'll protect Llo... everyone."

The heroes surveyed the undead with unease and then raised their weapons. Lee Shin Woo did the same. The sight of sparks crackling from his Breath of the Lightning God surprised all the heroes.

"Lightning element...!?"

"That's the first weapon I've seen emitting such intense lightning. Did you get it from God's garden?"

"I'll be going first!"

Lee Shin Woo yelled out and charged atop Jin. Ethan Cruz had already formulated a strategy and a battle formation, but if Lee Shin Woo did exactly as Ethan Cruz said, then wouldn't he just be playing in the palm of his hand? After all, Lee Shin Woo would 'have to hide' his abilities in this battle.

"O-Oh no! Lee Shin Woo! Wait, why is that horse so fast!?"

"That idiot...! Let's go too!"

"Erian, back him up before he's overwhelmed by the undead!"

"Understood!"

The other heroes acted in a hurry. Of them, Seira Von Retadane's weapon was most striking; it was a flail, an iron mace covered in sharp spikes attached to a handle by a chain.

"Huaaaaaahp!"

The sight of a slender woman swinging an iron mace connected by a chain even caused the other heroes to pause.

"R-Retadane, that's your weapon...?"

"I was sure she was a light element magician."

The beasts, with their good eyesight, were soon able to see the heroes. The sound of a horn resounded throughout the battlefield, and the giant undead beasts in the forefront rushed forward.

[You hero scum, how dare you so fearlessly challenge the Beast General's forces!]

[We'll turn you all into undead and have you join our army!]

[Get ready... Keok!]

Lee Shin Woo quickly charged into the vanguard and crushed them with the Breath of the Lightning God. His dash to the enemy troops looked like exploding lightning itself! He sat atop his horse and provoked his enemies with a bold declaration.

"I'm the hero, Lee Shin Woo! I'll burn you all to a crisp, so come try me if you dare!"

"That guy, was he always so impetuous...!?"

"Follow him! It'll become dangerous if we face off against Jilun Pelta face to face!"

The other heroes followed behind him and clashed with the beasts. Lloyd H.K. and Mentes Orun both wielded a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. They differed in that Lloyd was skilled with his sword, while Mentes used his shield better. A shield wasn't good at penetrating an enemy's defense, but it enabled them to take on a portion of the swarming enemies and fight safely while Lee Shin Woo did his thing.

"Heuryaaaap!"

[Keheok!]

[Kahk!]

[S-Stop them! We're being pushed back!]

Meanwhile, Seira Von Retadane swung her flail around, crushing a portion of the enemy troops with the attached iron mace.

She pulled back the attachment without difficulty and spun the mace once more. The beasts were shocked at the sight of her and attempted to set up their defenses, but it wasn't very effective. She swung her flail again, and the mace killed dozens of beasts.

"I'm here too!"

"If you're going to support me, do it right!"

The archer, Erian Ruparte, and the magician, Ethan Cruz supported the heroes from the rear. Although she was still level 6, she not only shot out a ton of arrows, but the force behind said arrows was extremely powerful. Meanwhile, Ethan Cruz shot out his incredibly powerful darkness magic, inflicting damage upon the Beast General's forces.

[Kuoooooooooooooh! Those who look down upon the Empire... Kneel!]

By the time the heroes had broken through the enemy lines, the Beast General, Jilun Pelta’s voice resounded through the battlefield.

Befitting his name, the Beast General's lion roar was wild and bloodthirsty. So much so that the heroes whose stats were lower than his flinched and stiffened.

'Is that it?'

Not only had Lee Shin Woo experienced screams before and had gotten used to them, but he was also the 'authority' on the subject, so much so that he could write a one hundred page thesis on screams. Thus, Lee Shin Woo was able to shrug off the scream.

But he was unsure over whether he could defeat Jilun Pelta one on one. It was the same with Metafel, but this guy was definitely on the cusp of level 8. There was some worth in staking his life in the battle in order to advance his skills, but it wasn't the right time for that.

'Moreover, there's something I need to do.'

Killing the beasts and cutting down their numbers? No, his job wasn't so trivial. What was Lee Shin Woo's original objective? It was to protect the heroes and kill Ethan Cruz! So, what he needed to do right now was...

'Kill all of Ethan Cruz's troops that are hidden amongst the beasts.'

Hiding something so small amidst the huge beasts was the optimum strategy. However, Lee Shin Woo already knew that the undead heroes were hidden amidst the beasts and could spot them easily.

'Moreover, this mana... Ethan Cruz's mana is making it easier to find them.'

Ethan Cruz had probably intended for his mana to help his subordinates find the heroes more easily amidst the chaotic battlefield. However, Lee Shin Woo was using it for the reverse. He analyzed Ethan Cruz's mana and followed it, enabling Rem to see where the undead heroes were, as they were connected to Ethan Cruz's mana!

'Rem?'

[I have almost found all of them. You can come into contact with four of the six undead heroes, as the other two are by Jilun Pelta. I will begin to guide you to them, Master.]

'Good. What a nice GPS.'

The battle had only just begun, and none of the heroes had died thus far. Ethan Cruz planned to order his subordinates to strike when the heroes were fatigued, but...

'But my time is now!'

'I'm going!'

The moment Rem shared the route with him, Jin ran explosively! No matter who stood before him, charged at him, attempted to catch him from behind, or dropped from the sky, none could stop Jin as all the beasts were flung away.

In an instant, all eyes were on him, but because the battle was filled with so many giant monsters, his allies couldn't really find him.

"Lee Shin Woo, that idiot. Where is he!? Umph!"

"We don't have any other choice right now. We have to calmly kill the monsters in our immediate vicinity. Don't break rank. If you go too far out, they won't be able to support us, and it'll become dangerous for us too... Ah, Retadane!"

"Huooooooooooooooh!"

Lee Shin Woo wasn't the only one who didn't follow Ethan Cruz's orders. Retadane was extremely excited, as she ran around swinging her flail.

She was skilled with a flail, and the iron mace, which contained a blinding light, cleaved through the air without any impediment. Whenever she struck an undead, the undead wouldn't be able to even utter a word before disappearing without a trace.

"What... I guess we don't have to worry about her."

"But she's human, so she'll get tired soon. Hoo, there're a lot of people we have to look over. Moreover, how far did Miss Kratia take Prince?"

"Don't you think they're preparing a huge attack of some sort?"

Lloyd and Mentes Orun synchronized their movements and pushed the undead back; while doing so, Mentes secretly smacked his lips. Kratia and Prince hadn't been buffed, so he would have to work extra hard to procure them, let alone Retadane.

'I was most wary of Lee Shin Woo, but I should be able to subdue him. It's good that that matter has been resolved, but what should I do about those two magicians?'

At this rate, Mentes Orun would have no choice but to leave those two to Ethan Cruz's reinforcements. In any case, he would focus on taking down Lloyd for now.

If they were able to procure Lee Shin Woo and Lloyd, then next, all they would need to do was wait until Retadane was fatigued. With the help of Ethan's curse and the strength of one of the 12 generals, they should be able to take her down without much difficulty.

'...I'm sorry, juniors. I wanted to see the Empire purified too. But life doesn't always go the way you want it to.'

But at that moment...

"Wait! You’re (undead seniors) working alongside one of the 12 generals!?"

A booming voice resounded throughout the battlefield. It was none other than Lee Shin Woo.

"To think you'd hide amidst the general's troops and aim for your juniors. How sad. But don't worry. As your junior, I will correct your mistakes and put you to rest!"

"...Seniors?

"..."

Lloyd tilted his head at Lee Shin Woo's proclamation, and Mentes stiffened, as their plans were going awry. On the other hand, Retadane stopped swinging her flail and broke into laughter. If they couldn't understand the meaning behind his warning, then they had no right to be here.

"No matter who it was, or why they used you, I'll get revenge in your stead! Huaaaahp!"

'Hey, you can act more naturally, can't you!?'

Lee Shin Woo completely ignored Jin's retort, found the first undead hero with Rem's help, and attacked. The undead hero wielded a greatsword and responded to his attack, but there was no way he'd be pushed back by a similarly leveled undead hero. It was the same story even if he didn't use his darkness magic.

[Kyahak!]

"Ah, I see you can't even speak...! Please have a taste of this lightning!"

No matter how much stronger it had gotten under Ethan Cruz's command, it couldn't overcome Lee Shin Woo's Rebellion and Rule of Bone skills. He killed the nearby attacking beasts with ease and then attacked. Right after Jin's back feet touched the ground, they rushed forward!

"Heup!"

[Keuk!]

Lee Shin Woo added Shadow Horn to his thrust and broke through the undead hero's greatsword with a single blow. Then, he flung the split greatsword into the air with his Breath of the Lightning God and split the heads of the attacking monsters!

"Don't interrupt my final conversation with my senior!"

[Kuaaaaaaahk!]

Lee Shin Woo’s rage caused the undead to flinch. The moment they retreated, he pushed the undead hero back and burrowed his sword into its head within a few seconds. Only the remaining lightning in the sky bore witness to how his sword moved and how he had subdued his opponent.

[You have acquired 2 secret shop permits and 28,115,470 Perium.]

[You have given peace to a comrade who walked a path they could not return from. You have partially cleared the quest objectives, and have acquired 1 secret shop permit. The maximum level of the Invisible Heart skill has increased by 1.]

"Kuheuk... I won't forget your sacrifice, Senior!"

Good. Now there were only five left. Lee Shin Woo picked up the level 7 bone and immediately used Bone Reinforcement. He then straightened himself out and his eyes shined with light. At that moment, Rem, who was flying in the sky, reported.

[The Beast General is coming your way, Master!]