My Demons

Chapter 46

The preparations were swiftly completed.

Luke and Arnal were astride a lengthy-maned yellow horse. Its legs were short, yet it was a sizable, robust-looking steed. It appeared unfazed even with two riders.

Grania opted for a petite gray horse with thick fur on its lower limbs. It was nearly the size of a pony but exhibited a very docile temperament.

There were also a few hunting horses with sleek builds, but no one selected them. While they might be speedy, they were quite aggressive and lacked the necessary strength, making them unsuitable for our needs.

Naturally, this wasnt my opinion but rather the assessment of Luke, who possessed a certain expertise in horse matters.

By shedding unnecessary items like shovels and axes, we lightened our load as much as possible and soon urged our horses out of the camp.

Then, we traversed the Salt River. Thankfully, the water level was quite low, allowing us to ford it while still mounted on our horses.

Speaking of which, I recall Daria mentioning that there hadnt been rain for a while. We were fortunate in this regard.

As we crossed the river, the brownish glow on my body had significantly dimmed. It was still discernible in the darkness, but compared to its initial brilliance, which resembled a spotlight, it was now more subdued.

On the other hand, the forest along the river featured a variety of trees, including sizable water oaks, decaying walnut trees, and small persimmon trees.

It wasnt overly dense, but it didnt provide an environment where our horses could run freely.

Whenever we lost our way, Luke, who was leading us, would gaze up at the night sky and decipher the constellations. Although we were heading north, the labyrinthine forest paths frequently led us astray. Consequently, our progress was sluggish.

A small silver lining amid our misfortune was that we had yet to encounter any bandits.

Its possible that by loading the bodies onto the remaining horses at the camp and setting them off in various directions, we had temporarily thwarted our pursuers.

Nonetheless, we couldnt afford to let our guard down, as we remained uncertain when the bandits might catch up.

Particularly disconcerting was the prospect of encountering the second boss in Chapter 2, Raid Chief Pageno. In the game, youd typically encounter him while en route to meet reinforcements.

Pageno aside, Id much prefer avoiding the horse archers under his command.

Given the substantial shift in our circumstances, it was conceivable that we might not encounter him at all.

Well Lets hope for the best but remain vigilant.

Despite our heightened alertness, there was no sign of the bandits even after an hour of wandering through the forest.

Finally, as we departed the forest and entered the open plains, our field of vision expanded significantly beneath the moonlight, eliciting a collective sigh of relief.

It was then.

Hmm?

Whats going on?

No, I just thought I heard something-

Just as I was about to respond to Ellens question

Peep! Eeeeeeek!

A sharp horn sound pierced the night sky.

A chilling sensation washed over us, and soon, there was a stir in the forest.

There!

Capture them! Dont let them escape! The furious shouts seemed to emanate from every direction except ahead of us, likely due to the echoes in the forest.

Shortly thereafter, torches were ignited in all directions, and the bandits emerged, crashing through the underbrush.

The echoing cries were no mere illusion or misunderstanding.

Looking back, we could see at least fifty of them.

Why were there suddenly so many? Where had they all come from?

And judging by the distant horns sound, this likely wasnt their entire force.

The speed and scale of the pursuit exceeded our expectations, causing us to abandon the plans we had formulated before crossing the river.

Everyone, flee!

My cry marked the commencement of a full-fledged chase.

Screeeak!

A sharp whistling sound.

Thankfully, the arrow missed, but the fact that pursuers were shooting arrows at us made my heart race. Horns and shouts reverberated incessantly, and arrows periodically whizzed in our direction.

Hyah, Hyah!

I urged my horse forward, shouting. Recognizing my urgency, the horse began to gallop.

Phoenix, to the left!

Huh?

Upon Ellens urgent command, I instinctively raised my shield. In the very next moment, a substantial bolt struck the shield with a resounding thud.

The pointed tip of the bolt embedded itself right in front of Ellens eyes.

Hu-

Startled, Ellen couldnt even let out a scream, so I urgently shouted at her.

Dont just sit there, fight back!

Ah, h-hold me.

With her arm entangled in the shields strap, I embraced Ellen.

Despite the surge of unease stemming from holding the reins with only my right hand, I skillfully controlled the horse.

Ellen began channeling magic, reciting incantations and deftly weaving hand signs.

Those who had been shooting arrows from a distance or hurling spears were met with flaming arrows in return, and those who dared to approach too closely were knocked back by gusts of wind aimed at their horses legs, causing both rider and steed to tumble.

Ugh!

Damn it, shes a wizard!

After dealing with the tumbling enemy riders, I scanned the path ahead.

In an all-out sprint, both man and horse quickly tire. Granias and Lukes horses were already showing signs of fatigue. However, the spotted horse still surged with energy, seeming to glide across the terrain. But, Damn it-

I clenched my teeth and slowed down.

Maintaining this pace would inevitably leave someone behind. Any comrade left trailing would be vulnerable to arrow fire and potential capture.

The moment I turned away from the one with the broken neck, whose eyes had rolled back

Bam!

A tremendous impact struck my chest, as if a giant hammer had slammed into me. Somehow, I had been hit by a charging brown horse.

Gah.

I gasped for air. My vision blurred.

I rolled violently on the ground and, struggling to my feet, desperately tried to catch my breath.

If I had stayed down, I would have been trampled.

As I managed to stand, eerie laughter echoed around me.

Oh, hes not dead.

Hehe, quite a sturdy one.

My mouth was filled with the taste of iron. Pain was spreading. Damn it, I had bitten my tongue.

Thanks to raising my shield in time, I seemed to have survived the collision.

The shield, which had borne the weight of several hundred kilograms, was shattered, with only the dragon leather hanging loose.

Damn, it cost me eight silver coins

Ptui.

Spitting out bloody saliva, I discarded the ruined shield and charged.

Hey, this bastard- Gack!

Perhaps he let his guard down because I staggered for a moment? The nearby bandit couldnt react in time and ended up stabbed in the side.

At the same time, I sensed something flying from behind and quickly rolled to evade it.

Rat-like bastard!

Whos the rat here, you thief?

Infuriated, the bandit retracted his missed lasso.

I surged forward, seized the lasso, and the bandit, unable to withstand the sudden force, tumbled from his horse.

Cough, this lunatic,

Before he could complete his sentence, my blood-soaked blade cleaved through his neck.

Damn it, whats with this guy?

Weve got the woman, just kill him!

What? Whom did they capture?

I was scanning the bandits around when I suddenly spotted her.

These bastards.

The exhausted Grania was being bound with ropes by the horsemen. Her helmet was nowhere in sight, and blood trickled down her bright red hair.

Ha, nothing is going well.

Even as I clenched my teeth, I drew an axe from the waist of a corpse with a split neck.

After twirling the axe a few times to adjust to its weight, I hurled it at the approaching horseman with all my might.

Kheuk!

The axe lodged itself in his thigh.

No, to be precise, it embedded itself in the horse after severing his thigh.

I had aimed for the chest, but it hardly mattered. Hed bleed out either way.

Alright, whos next?

As I glanced around, my fighting spirit ablaze, the horsemen whose eyes met mine hesitated for a moment, then gritted their teeth and bellowed.

That insolent bastard!

Kill him! Tear his throat out!

The battle raged on.

I grasped the belt of the charging horseman, pulled him down, and thrust a knife beneath his beard.

I was struck in the back of the head by an arrow from an unknown source. The helmet rang with a clang.

I seized the spear aimed at my neck, flipped it back, and thrust the tip into the eyes of the spearman.

After rolling and rising from a second collision with a horse, I was momentarily unable to control my body.

Then, an airborne axe exploded against my shoulder from somewhere.

Due to my twisted upper body, my face remained unscathed, but my shoulder armor crumpled under the impact of the iron ball from the galloping horse.

For a moment, I lost sensation in my left arm

A horseman, uttering an odd war cry, swung his curved blade at me.

I swung my sword to meet his, shattered his blade, and traced a line straight to the horses hind legs.

The dismounted horseman pleaded for his life before his throat was slit.

I dispatched five more horsemen and two horses.

In return, an arrow lodged in my thigh, a mace struck my head, and a spear pierced my left hand.

Pain persisted, and my strength began to wane. The once-boiling blood that fueled my fight started to cool as the situation turned against me.

Hoo, hoo-

Im gasping for breath. My head spins, and my entire body feels leaden.

The instinct that had driven the fight now whispered for me to flee.

Is this loathsome and cowardly nature Phoenixs, or is it Kim Seung-soos?

Damn it, Im not a berserker, why does this happen every time? Rational judgment vanishes, and I rampage like a dog in heat.

I raged to drown out my regrets. I wrung out the heat, the scream.

Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaa!