Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

Chapter 249: Fortress of Evil (2)

From the Kingdom of Denian to the holy sanctuary of Kalosia, and even the Elven sanctuaries, they had always been on the defensive.

But now, they were on the offensive.

Something about this change was exciting.

"We've tried various methods to break through the fortress, but nothing has been successful. That wall is incredibly strong. Look for yourself."

The archbishop gestured with his eyes.

The magicians of the magic tower loaded the magical ballista.

It was a much more powerful weapon than the ballista Ketal had seen at sea before.

The ballista was loaded and fired.

It flew swiftly and collided with the wall.

Kwagagagagang!

A loud roar echoed.

As the dust settled, the wall's appearance became visible.

The mercenary king frowned.

"…It only left a mark."

The ballista hadn't inflicted any significant damage on the wall.

At best, it had created a moderately sized scar, but even that was slowly being repaired.

The archbishop spoke.

"Long-range attacks won't penetrate that wall."

They had to unleash power up close to break through the wall.

For that purpose, they had brought a magical battering ram.

But there was another problem.

"It's difficult to approach the wall."

Hundreds of defensive weapons, similar to cannons, were positioned on top of the wall.

They were weapons created by the Demon of Design to protect the fortress.

Among them, black magicians could be seen.

When they got within a certain range, a barrage of attacks from the defensive weapons and black magicians would rain down.

Even the archbishop found it hard to block the bombardment.

Even if they managed to get through all those attacks, there were countless monsters wandering below the wall.

There were over a hundred of them, and each one was of the highest caliber.

With their current forces, they couldn't possibly break through.

"We're struggling to exert much power in that area."

The archbishop smiled bitterly.

Normally, in this land, divine power held absolute superiority over evil.

This was because the middle realm was the domain of the gods.

Demons, being outsiders, were overwhelmed by the power of the gods.

But that fortress was different.

Karvaraks had swallowed up the holy sanctuary of the gods.

He had transformed its nature and tainted it with evil.

Now, that fortress was a sanctuary of evil.

It was no longer a divine domain, so divine power couldn't hold superiority there.

They were completely blocked.

"We were about to request reinforcements because we had no other options."

But now, those reinforcements were no longer necessary.

The most dependable ones had arrived.

"Thank you for the explanation, but I prefer action over a hundred words. Let's give it a try."

The mercenary king massaged his arm and stepped forward.

He glanced at Ketal.

"I'll go first. You'll follow."

Ketal's strength was invaluable.

Of course, no top-tier superhuman could hurt that body, but just in case, the mercenary king intended to check it out first.

Ketal smiled and nodded.

"Whew."

The mercenary king took a short breath and stepped forward.

Ta-at.

His body sprinted toward the stronghold of evil.

As he entered the domain, the defensive weapons activated.

Kwagagagagang!

Shells, rocks, and arrows rained down all at once.

Each one carried more power than the magical ballista the magicians had just fired.

Their speed was also incredibly fast.

But the mercenary king's response was very simple.

He just accelerated his body further using mystic power.

Kwagagagang!

His body left afterimages as it charged forward.

The weapons' attacks struck empty space. Cain exclaimed in admiration.

"Fast!"

It was a speed that even a superhuman like him had difficulty tracking with his eyes.

The black magicians also cast black magic.

Amidst the barrage of weapon attacks, black thunder and flames poured down.

The mercenary king evaded all the attacks as he approached the wall.

But due to the overwhelming density of the attacks, there were some he couldn't avoid.

Two shells flew directly toward the mercenary king's body.

Ka-ga-gak!

The mercenary king drew his sword.

He skillfully deflected the shells with his sword.

"Ooh!"

Ketal exclaimed.

The mercenary king had deflected the shells' trajectories with his sword.

It was incredibly impressive.

Ta-at.

The mercenary king had already reached the base of the wall.

There, obstacles awaited.

[Uoooh!]

[Kaaa!]

The monsters guarding the wall rose and charged at him.

Each one was a firt-rate monster, far from weak.

"Annoying."

But the mercenary king calmly spoke and accelerated even more.

His body brushed past the monsters.

At the same time, the monsters' bodies were sliced into dozens of pieces.

Flesh and blood scattered.

"…Amazing!"

The archbishop, who had been holding his breath while watching, let out an exclamation of admiration.

He was also a top-tier superhuman.

He possessed power that was among the strongest on the continent.

But even with all his efforts, he couldn't reach the base of the wall.

Yet the mercenary king had done it on his first attempt.

'That is the top-tier superhuman!'

It was a power on a different level from his own.

The mercenary king, now at the base of the wall, gathered strength into his sword.

He swung it forcefully, aiming to shatter the wall.

Ka-a-aang!

The wall dented from the collision with his sword.

But it didn't break.

He estimated it would take at least five more strikes to shatter it.

The mercenary king clicked his tongue and focused more power into his sword.

At that moment,

Kwaa-a-aang!

A shell was fired.

It was aimed directly at the mercenary king.

His expression changed.

This shell was incomparably faster than the others.

It contained the power that had killed the Saint of Lupeciana in one strike.

It was too late to dodge.

The mercenary king quickly raised his sword.

The shell collided with the sword.

Kwaa-a-aang!

"Ugh!"

The mercenary king's body slid back several meters.

Although he successfully blocked it, he was pushed back several meters.

The mercenary king clicked his tongue and looked up at the wall.

"The big gun has arrived."

A frail old man stood atop the fortress wall, gazing down at the Mercenary King.

"...The Mercenary King. A well-known existence on the surface."

The demon of design, Karvaraks, chuckled darkly.

"One of those troublesome humans from the surface. A being with enough power to interfere with us. He's one of our targets."

"So, my reputation has reached even the depths of Hell. I'm honored."

The Mercenary King spoke indifferently, narrowing his eyes as he glared at Karvaraks.

"What are you plotting?"

Why had they locked the doors here, and what were they waiting for?

Karvaraks laughed.

"There's no need for the likes of you to know. If you want, try breaking through with force."

At that moment, weapons began materializing above Karvaraks's head.

They all rained down upon the Mercenary King simultaneously.

The Mercenary King swung his sword.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

He deflected and blocked the attacks, but his body was pushed back.

The force from the blows transmitted through his sword was overwhelming.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Cannonballs poured down, and hundreds of arrows flew at him all at once.

Black light tore through the ground as it surged forward.

The Mercenary King swiftly dodged, but it wasn't easy.

Each projectile carried Karvaraks's power, and even one hit would be damaging.

The entire space was filled with these attacks.

There was no room to dodge, no time to counter.

'Troublesome.'

The Mercenary King clicked his tongue.

Although he was of the same superhuman level, this was Karvaraks's battlefield.

The situation was far too unfavorable for him.

In the end, the Mercenary King leaped out of the domain.

"Apologies. I wasn't able to achieve much."

"No, no. This is more than enough."

The archbishop hurriedly shook his head.

Making Karvaraks reveal himself had been a significant achievement for a first attempt.

"If someone of your caliber was forced to make Karvaraks appear directly, it seems he's the only one who can stop you."

"That seems to be the case. But... if that demon shows himself, I won't be able to break through either."

They had said that even a group of top-tier superhumans couldn't penetrate the fortress Karvaraks had fully prepared.

Now, the Mercenary King understood why.

The density and power of the attacks were beyond imagination.

But that also meant...

If someone stronger existed, they could break through.

"...Ketal, I'm counting on you."

"Is it finally my turn?"

Ketal bared his teeth, as if he'd been waiting for this moment.

* * *

Karvaraks watched them with a dark chuckle.

"You will not break through my fortress."

Of course, there were beings on the surface capable of breaking his fortress.

But all of them were currently too preoccupied to intervene here.

Karvaraks knew this thanks to the Demon King's prophecy.

"The only thing you can do is watch the flowers bloom. That's all. Do your best to break through if you wish."

Karvaraks mocked them.

Then, he noticed a barbarian stepping forward.

"A barbarian?"

Karvaraks tilted his head in confusion for a moment, but soon his eyes widened in shock.

For the first time, an expression of disbelief crossed his face.

"...No way!"

"Hmm."

Ketal stepped into the domain of evil.

Boom!

At that moment, the weapons activated.

They were designed to attack any enemy that entered a certain range automatically.

Cannonballs, rocks, and arrows all rained down on Ketal.

The Mercenary King leaped aside, avoiding them all.

But Ketal didn't dodge.

The attacks struck his body.

Boom!

And yet, Ketal's body didn't even flinch.

He wasn't pushed back, nor did he even stagger.

Unfazed, He continued to stride forward as he took the full brunt of the attacks.

[PR/N: AND HE STANDS THERE UNFAZED!!!!]

"W-what the...!"

"This is insane!"

The dark magicians panicked and unleashed their power.

Thunder, fire, and ice all battered Ketal.

But still, Ketal's steps never faltered.

None of their desperate attacks had any effect.

He walked leisurely towards the fortress wall, as if on a casual stroll.

"My god!"

"Such power!"

The observers outside were struck with awe and disbelief.

"Rise!"

Karvaraks, regaining his senses, urgently unleashed his power.

More weapons materialized.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Cannonballs and other weapons rained down on Ketal.

Their speed was so great that even the Mercenary King had to dodge.

He had successfully blocked the attacks earlier, but they had pushed him back several meters.

Now, dozens of such attacks were coming down simultaneously.

Ketal simply raised his hand.

As if flicking his finger, he struck the first cannonball.

Crunch.

The cannonball was crushed.

Hundreds of fragments scattered.

The fragments couldn't withstand the force of Ketal's finger and were flung in all directions.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Karvaraks's entire barrage was shattered with a simple flick.

The remnants of the attack flew wildly, smashing into the fortress wall.

Holes quickly appeared in the wall.

Karvaraks was stunned.

[Ugh, ugh!]

[Kaaah!]

Ketal had already reached the base of the fortress wall.

The monsters waiting there charged at him, but their faces were filled with fear.

Ketal didn't stop.

With a slightly faster stride, he swung his arms, tearing through the monsters as he moved forward.

And just like that, the monsters were shredded to pieces.

"...Uh."

"This is..."

The onlookers who had been gasping in awe gradually fell silent.

It wasn't that they had become accustomed to Ketal's power.

Quite the opposite.

"Is that... truly possible?"

A power that rendered them all meaningless.

They couldn't comprehend it.

The level of that power was beyond their understanding.

The Mercenary King was the only one who could accept it, though even he didn't have a calm expression.

He gave a bitter smile.

"As expected, the gap is enormous."

It seemed impossible even to reach.

Before they knew it, Ketal had reached the base of the fortress wall.

"It does look sturdy."

Now then, how sturdy was it really?

Ketal raised his fist with a look of anticipation.

Karvaraks panicked.

"Wait!"

"No."

Ketal swung his fist.

The force within his fist collided with the fortress wall.

A pitch-black wall.

The wall that Karvaraks had poured all his power into to protect the budding flower.

A wall so strong that even a legion of mages bombarding it would fail to break it.

A wall that even a group of top-tier superhumans couldn't easily penetrate.

Boom!

And that wall collapsed and crumbled.

The dark magicians on top screamed as they fell.

The weapons were buried under the debris of the collapsing wall.

"...Oh, oh."

The onlookers' jaws dropped.

They couldn't believe what they had just seen.

That wall that had tormented them for days.

That absolute defense they hadn't thought could ever be broken.

It had been destroyed in a single blow.

The fortress wall was now in ruins.

"It was fairly sturdy."

In the midst of the silence, Ketal cheerfully shook his fist.