"Hahahahaha!"
At this "flare of rage that lasted all of a second," someone in the ranks behind Gareth couldn't hold it together and snorted out a laugh. The sound rippled through the crowd and set off a wave of laughter no one could quite suppress.
"You... you people!!"
Mocked to his face like this by his opponents, Basram felt his cheeks burning, struck by an immense humiliation.
His gaunt, pale face flushed crimson.
But as his gaze swept over the black-robed figures behind him, a surge of confidence overrode his shame and fury. He'd remembered the brand-new "works" in his own hands.
"Hmph, I don't have time to trade words with you here."
Forcing down his anger, he twisted out a sinister, ghastly smile and stepped back, pushing the cluster of black-robed figures out in front of him and, at the same time, laying their forms fully bare before the lines.
"Hehehe... Today I'll let you barbarians get a good look at the great invention of mine, Basram!"
"Spirit Soldiers!"
"Grind them to dust!"
As the crozier in his hand slammed against the ground and his arm swept out, the hooded, cloaked figures threw back their coverings in unison, revealing their true appearance.
"What is this...?"
Gareth and the Loki Familia members stared in horror at those twisted, plainly unnatural creatures, too stunned to speak.
"Spirits? No... that's not it! Don't tell me you used some kind of technique to forcibly fuse humans and Spirits together?"
"You madman... what kind of monsters have you created?!"
Watching the violent shift in the faces of Gareth and the Loki members, Basram's smile grew all the more arrogant.
He spread his arms wide and let out a deranged laugh.
"Hehehe... heh hahahahahahaha! Every one of you who looked down on me, open your damn eyes wide and look. This is the ultimate masterpiece of mine, Lord Basram..."
"Spirit Soldiers! The Strongest Weapons Against Adventurers, and they obey me completely!"
"And these magnificent weapons! I've got a full twelve of them, and every single one has the combat power of a Lv.5 Adventurer!"
"Now then, what are you going to do?"
"Old man Gareth?"
The dwarf looked at the zombie-like Spirit Soldiers, his face sinking utterly.
"Damn it."
"Riveria, that insufferable elf, never once mentioned to me that these Evilus bastards had something like this!"
After grumbling that one line at his teammate under his breath, Gareth kept his eyes locked on the front.
"Boys, all of you pull yourselves together!"
"One look at these damn things tells you they're no pushovers!"
Behind him, the Loki Familia members answered as one, weapons gripped tight, formation tight and orderly.
"Yes sir!"
Seeing that the Loki Familia had finished their battle preparations, Basram gave a sinister little smile.
"Heh hahaha, done working out your countermeasures?"
Gareth grinned.
"You're pretty polite!"
Basram let out a cold laugh.
"Well, since you've said your last words, I suppose I'll get to it..."
"Go!"
His crozier swept through the air, and the magic crystal at its tip glinted with a faint streak of gray light.
The Spirit Soldiers standing motionless in place suddenly began to sway and step forward, their movements stiff and clumsy at first, like marionettes on strings.
One step, two steps, three steps...
But as they gradually picked up speed, their coordination improved at an astonishing rate. By the time they broke into a jog, their movements were no different from those of seasoned Adventurers.
Gareth shot a keen glance at the crozier in Basram's hand, a glint of understanding crossing his eyes.
That crozier... is the key to controlling these monsters? Like a beast-tamer's baton.
Even as his thoughts raced, his actions didn't stop. He gripped the axe haft with both hands, leapt up, and brought a heavy, ground-shaking downward cleave straight into the center of the Spirit Soldier formation.
The blow crashed into the street, sending shards of stone flying in every direction.
Earth Raid!
Where the battleaxe came down, the ground split like a spiderweb. Stone shards sprayed, shockwaves surged, and the entire stretch of street caved in from his landing point, forming a massive crater.
"Holy shit!"
"Get out of the way, fast!"
"It's the old man's magic, Earth Raid!"
The Loki Familia members fell back, steadying themselves amid the cries of alarm, their eyes full of trust in their own leader's strength.
But what happened next left them dumbstruck.
A flurry of nimble figures broke through the smoke, hurtling toward them without losing any speed.
Their bodies, torn ragged by the magic, were healing before everyone's eyes. Within moments, they were completely restored.
A loud clang rang out as the axe caught the heavy blow of six monsters at once, and Gareth's eyes went round as saucers, as though he'd witnessed something unbelievable.
"Hyper regeneration?"
Hearing his opponent's roar, Basram's smile turned all the more arrogant.
"This is bad!"
Glancing back at the rest of his unit, who had already engaged the remaining Spirit Soldiers, Gareth's expression hardened.
A quick, decisive fight was probably out of the question now. As for the venue... it would all have to come down to Finn and Riveria.
Don't let these bastards catch you off guard!
As Evilus launched its indiscriminate assault, every part of the city fell into chaos.
A string of explosions rolled through the streets.
"Aaaah! Help me!"
"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!"
"You Evilus lunatics! Get the hell out of here!"
"D-don't kill me!"
"Let go of me! You bastard! Lunatic! You son of a bitch!"
"Hehehehehe! Die with me, my dear Maria! This is the price for throwing me away back then!"
"You... who are you?"
"Heh! Still recognize this face?"
The zealot clenched the woman's slender wrist in a death grip, his blood-red eyes beneath the hood fixed on her.
"Look at these scars... they're all gifts you left me. Every time I touch them, that bone-deep longing churns up inside me all over again..."
"And now, I can finally take my revenge on you... and on your new lover!"
"You shameless pair, come down to hell with me!"
Staring at this face both familiar and strange before him, the pretty boy at Maria's side was stricken with terror.
"No! Jack! My good brother! I'm begging you! It was Maria back then! She drugged me and seduced me! I was forced into it!!"
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