BXBX NOVEL Chapter 93: Thank you and farewell
As the lights faded, I opened my eyes and saw my surroundings for the first time. Unlike the first six, the area I landed on was properly lit and the floor was not just dirt, but paved stones.
I turned around and saw that I was in the middle of a large group of about fifty people.
I stood up and tried to figure out what was going on, only to be confronted with a surprising sight. Hundreds of zombies surrounded us, but the fifty people around me fended them off.
Further observation revealed that the place I was summoned to was in the middle of a coliseum. Like the one for gladiators in ancient Rome.
In the area for the spectators, a large number of archers were raining arrows down on the undead around me. Their aim was not perfect, but they were hitting at an impressive rate.
The scale of the battle was unlike anything I had ever seen before. From the looks of it, they had everything under control. Why was I called to this place?
Then a loud voice roared with an overwhelming fighting spirit. "YUDDHA RAKSHAA! DATEY RAHO! ATIRIKT SENA AA GAYI HAIN!"
"What the fuck? Am I still in America? Have I been called to another continent?" I tried to find the source of the voice but could not figure out who the commander of this force was.
"Aira! Aira! Stop sulking and give me a sit-rep!"
[I am not sulking, my lord. Welcome to zone 1081-1. I detect the presence of 5 Phantoms and 105 Wraiths. Over twenty Wraiths have also fallen.]
[This force is registered as "Yuddha Rakshas", Hindi for War demons. The registered defender is Krishna Sangan. The enemy forces consist of 842 Rank F Undead, 25 Rank E Imps, and 1 Rank D Corpse Eaters].
Before I could ask Aira to connect me to the defender network, something landed near me with a loud bang. Smoke rose as the sand and dust from the area was blown away by its momentum. I covered my eyes as I waited for the dust to settle.
Then the same voice that had shouted earlier reached out to me.
"Hmm. An American? I never thought one of you would come to my domain. Not after last time. Tell me, Death Seeker, has your king changed his mind?"
What the hell did this guy mean? By king did he mean David? Was I breaking some kind of unspoken rule? Before I could get my answers, a man stepped out of the dust and showed himself to me.
He was dressed like a medieval knight but looked somewhat middle eastern. The man had brown skin and a broad nose. Two scimitars were in his hands and a turban helmet with chainmail was on his head.
"Krishna Sangan, I presume? My name is John Smith, and I responded to this dirge siren simply because of the reward. I know David, but I have no idea why you think I shouldn't be here."
Krishna's face visibly brightened upon hearing my answer. He then sheathed his swords and offered me a handshake.
I took his hand and shook it firmly.
This man exuded the splendor of an experienced warrior. The situation of this battle was completely different from the other zones.
For one, the defense had yet to show any signs of collapse. Probably seeing my confusion, Krishna smiled and pointed to the sky.
"You must be wondering why we summoned you. Ignore the common undead, the Yuddha Rakshas can take care of them without help.
"What we lack is the ability to take down aerial targets. Our bows lack the range to snipe them. I made the request expecting to summon an archer or mage for aerial combat."
From the information I got from Aira, my targets should be anything but the Normies. 25 E Rank imps and 1 D Rank corpse eater. I then called {Mage} and scanned the skies.
I found small gremlin-like demons with scorpion stings sticking out of their butts. They were flying around a large, overweight, flappy bird-like zombie.
The Corpse Eater looked like a cartoon caricature with an oversized head. It had tiny wings on the sides of its head and a beak half the size of its skull.
To be honest, it looked more like a giant, ugly-looking fish than a bird. The imps swatted the arrows that barely reached the Corpse Eater.
"Well, I can assure you that I can hit much harder than an arrow. {Draw} M24. {Reveal}"
Surprised, Krishna frowned noticeably as I drew my weapon.
"Not to be rude, Smith John, but a normal weapon would hardly damage the Rank E Imps, let alone the Rank D Corpse Eater. I will not pay if you cannot help my forces."
This was somehow expected? Knowing that actions spoke louder than words, I got down on one knee and aimed upward. I stabilized the buttstock on my shoulder and picked a target.
The lack of sunlight was a blessing in this scenario because if it was present, aiming skyward would have been a bitch.
I calmed my breathing and began to track a particular Imp. It was lazily scratching its ass as it guarded the large, ugly-looking fishbird next to it.
For some reason, {Reveal} was pointing me at their tails instead of their heads. Against my better judgment, I followed my {Kismet} and aimed at the base of the Imp's tail.
I squeezed the trigger and a loud bang sent my bullet hurtling toward my target. The bullet landed at the base of the creature's 5th appendage, severing it completely.
The demonkin then began to flail its arms as if it were drowning. The E-class then lost its ability to fly and quickly plummeted to the ground.
Less than a second later. A comet came crashing down, leaving a small crater. I smugly faced Krishna as I asked in the most condescending tone I could muster.
"Is that enough for you? I assure you, I am worth every single penny."
[Confirming the death of the Rank E Imp].
Krishna apologized. His smile widened into an extremely broad grin.
"The weapon may have been simple, but your sheer number of {Fates} on that bullet was mesmerizing. Forgive me, I was wrong. I leave the airborne enemies to you, Smith John."
The defender didn't bother to wait and jumped around the battlefield. His speed was almost so fast that I could barely make out his position. Then Krishna roared out again in a deafening voice.
"YUDDHA RAKSHAS! Hear me! Our ally has proven to be more capable than expected. Knights! Form around Smith John.
"See that no corpse touches him! Archers! Distract the Imps so Smith John can take them out. I expect everyone to survive!
"YUDDHA RAKSHAS! WHO ARE YOU?!"
The ground suddenly shook as every reaper in the zone invoked death resonance while roaring at the top of their lungs.
"WE ARE DEMONS! DEMONS OF THE BATTLEFIELD! FOR LORD KRISHNA! WAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"
My body felt like a huge electric current was running through it.
Despite being outnumbered 7 to 1, the reapers of Yuddha Rakshas burned with such ferocity that it was contagious. Their loyalty and courage also spoke volumes about their faith in their leader, Krishna.
Inwardly, I couldn't help but be impressed.
'Now that was a defender worth following. Amazing! Truly amazing!'
"I will not be left behind. My goal is not with you, Krishna but above. I will become a Revenant and close the Hellsgate!"
When I tried to acquire my next target, I saw a radically different scene than before. Whereas previously the Imps had been floating around in a leisurely manner, after I had dropped the first one, their eyes had all turned feral.
From their original slow pace to a march-like rhythm, the imps patrolled the area around the Corpse Eater like bodyguards for a celebrity.
"As if it makes a difference what you do," I muttered.
One by one, I shot and killed three flying imps in quick succession. Even though the demonkin was flying over 500 feet in the air or 167 yards, they probably weren't expecting to suddenly be taken out.
Most compound bows have a range of only 135 yards, and a range of 1 km if fired in an arc. If shot straight up, it would barely reach 110 yards. The manifested bows, despite their power, cannot go higher than 120 yards from what I could see.
[Confirming the death of the Rank E Imp]
[Confirming the death of the Rank E Imp]
[Confirming the death of the Rank E Imp]
Unfortunately for them, I didn't have a bow. I had a powerful 7.62×51mm NATO sniper rifle. Forget 200 yards. My bullets can hit up to 250 without {Mage}. So even if they tried, they would not be able to stop my bullets from sending them to their deaths.
[Confirms the death of the E-class Imp].
At that point, all the Imps suddenly descended at the same time. Along with the giant bird-fish whatever. What the hell were those bastards doing from such a high place anyway? Did they strike below?
According to Aira's information, I recalled that there were 20 dead. Loud crashes were heard all around me. The line of warriors protecting me split into two groups and continued their defense.
One group had a scimitar and a buckler, the other had two scimitars like Krishna. As the hundred zombies rushed forward, those with shields and those without moved in pairs. One defended, the other attacked.
The effectiveness of their combination killed dozens of corpses every time they changed positions. In addition, arrows suddenly began to fly overhead. Their targets were the imps accompanying the D-class bastard.
Suddenly, a loud peal of thunder echoed in the sky. In the same moment, I was pushed from the side, causing me to miss my shot. I was about to curse the one who pushed me, only to see a burnt corpse instead.
Quickly adding two and two, I was about to pull out a {Heal} tablet when Krishna scolded me harshly.
"Stop your foolishness, Smith John! That man is already dead! He traded his life so that you could keep yours! Your job is not to guard the Rajput, it is to kill the ones in the air! The sooner you do that, the fewer of my men have to die!"
I clenched my fist so hard that it began to bled. This was the first time someone had died to protect me from a blow.
Guilt and shame filled my heart as I raised my sniper rifle toward the Imps
"Thank you and farewell, Reaper. I will not waste the chance you sacrificed your life for."
With renewed hatred for these fuckers, I felt my body heating up with adrenaline. I would send all these bitches to their graves, or I would die trying.
My soulgem heated up so much that I thought my neck was burning from the inside. No matter what happened, none of these flying bastards would see the light of day, I calmed my mind as I squeezed the trigger.