What Do You Wish For With Murky Eyes: Record of Highserk War - Chapter 49

Torn corpses, ravaged livestock, and overturned carriages were scattered here and there. Some blocked the road, and had to be cleared to proceed.

Among them, Walm focused on a group of corpses. They were Highserk soldiers, a unit that had been engaged in clearing monsters in platoons.

Numerous goblins and wolf-type creatures lay lifeless, but what had annihilated the platoon wasn’t a goblin or a wolf.

Walm rubbed the blood that overflowed from the corpses with his fingers.

“The blood hasn’t completely dried.”

That wasn’t the only trace. Giant footprints were left all over the place.

“Front three claws, rear one hook, what kind of monster is this?”

Walm had experience in subjugation, but he hadn’t faced large monsters before, only dealing with E and D-class monsters. He couldn’t identify it.

The overturned carriage had been crushed from top to bottom, and from the smashed cargo bed, a foul smell and what was likely the remains of a person were left.

It had lost its original form, and there was no semblance of a humanoid figure, unlike even the bodies ravaged by orcs or wolves, which still retained some features.

Walm dragged the corpses to the roadside from the path. Many of them had lost limbs or upper and lower bodies, making them significantly lighter than the war casualties he was accustomed to carrying.

Those killed on the battlefield usually bear more efficiently inflicted fatal wounds. No one bothers to intricately slash or crush them.

One of the cavalrymen threw severed limbs and heads into the forest. They likely chose efficiency over carrying them. The values and priorities of the cavalryman differed from Walm’s, but that didn’t necessarily make them wrong.

No matter how many he killed, Walm couldn’t bring himself to treat the corpses disrespectfully without a clear purpose. Yet, if ordered and if there were benefits surpassing the murky sense of remorse called conscience, he would even impale them on trees.

Walm continued the task methodically.

He tied a rope to the remains of the carriage and dragged it to the side of the road. He had no winch or pulley, relying only on manpower.

After finishing the towing, Walm had ventured into the forest. The trees suddenly shook. When Walm looked up, a dull explosion echoed, and a cavalryman danced in the air. Organs and fresh blood scattered into the void from the mouth of the rider and horse.

“It’s an ambush!”

The cavalrymen shouted in unison. The culprit behind the massacre of men and horses was the tail of a gigantic monster.

“It’s a rampaging crawler dragon!”

The cavalryman accurately identified the monster.

Dragon species were generally classified as A-class. It opened a huge maw, likely one-third the length of its overall length, exceeding 7 meters, and roared to the sky. Walm’s eardrums shook, and he wore a twisted smile.

“So, this is a dragon species!”

Its scales were dirty with moss and flesh, and its limbs were long and thick like a giant tree. While its shape resembled a reptile, its grotesqueness didn’t match.

“Don’t stop your legs, keep moving. It’s going to jump!”

The cavalrymen started moving in unison. Walm, attempting to flank and get into range for «Ignis Fatuus», felt a gust of wind as the giant body swayed.

It was exceptionally fast. Seizing the galloping horses with its large mouth, it mowed down trees and disappeared into the forest.

“Ah!? Mei got eaten!”

“Damn it, it’s too fast!”

The distant rumbling that had moved away was now approaching again. Walm understood the direction of the impending danger and, ignoring magical energy consumption, unleashed «Ignis Fatuus» at full power.

A hot wind blew, and the azure flames, swelling up to the height of the trees, turned the forest into a sea of fire. From within, a colossal figure leaped out, roaring.

Its terrifying speed was halted by the fire, and although its entire body was ablaze, it slammed its limbs onto the ground and continued swinging its massive tail.

“Don’t falter. Keep attacking!”

The cavalrymen attempted to counterattack using magic and skills, but they couldn’t penetrate the tough and thick outer scales. The rampaging dragon, abandoning hit-and-run tactics to leverage its colossal size and speed, stubbornly stayed in place, crushing any soldiers in its sight.

Continuing to burn with fire risked involving the soldiers, and the effectiveness was limited due to the dragon’s inherently resilient scales.

“I have no choice.”

Measuring the distance, Walm kept his halberd in the upper position and leaped using wind attribute magic.

«Burst»!

Riding the acceleration, Walm swung his halberd aiming for the abdomen with «Heavy Strike», but the blade stopped halfway, and it felt like hitting a metal pillar, causing his hand to numb.

“Ugh!?”

The crawler rotated in place, attempting to crush the small human. Walm, who had distanced himself, found the jaws closing in.

The massive body passed just above Walm as he bent low, breaking trees from their roots. With beads of sweat forming, Walm dived in and instantly released «Ignis Fatuus».

Azure flames spewed from both sides of the crawler. While the vegetation not directly exposed to the fire began to ignite, it only resulted in some discoloration of the scales.

“Gyaaa, Ggaaaaaaargh!”

Angry and charred, the crawler seemed to have made it a mission to bury Walm with full force, ignoring the cavalry.

A clump of soil was lifted and fell upon Walm.

Having escaped from the colossal body, Walm added acceleration in small increments using wind attribute magic, skillfully handling the fierce attacks. It all came down to the difference in their bodies. No matter how he strengthened his body with magical membrane, it could crumble with a single blow.

Walm’s mind continued to echo with vivid red alerts. The mere grazing of the colossal creature caused the core of his body to tremble, and he felt the immense air pressure from each swing.

While fleeing, Walm continued to unleash «Ignis Fatuus», a tactic that the crawler seemed to find displeasing. With each direct hit of the fire, the creature exhaled a putrid stench along with its breath.

Roars that were even headache-inducing drowned out Walm’s concentration.

Despite continuously landing direct hits with «Ignis Fatuus», Walm was being cornered. The scales all over the creature’s body continued to change color, yet they proved impervious to being burnt off. It has shown incredible durability against «Ignis Fatuus», which can melt even iron at its maximum firepower.

Even when trying to create distance, the lizard-like creature refused to move away from Walm.

“Gu, uuugh!”

The body came into contact with Walm’s arm, and it felt as if it would be torn off. Walm should have been prepared, but the shoulder nearly dislocated from just a grazing collision.

There was no room to protect the hurting joint. The crawler, which had adapted to Walm’s movements, had started to capture him.

Each strike became a delicate movement, and Walm moved as if dancing on the ground. Mobilizing not only his five senses but also his sixth sense, he swayed like a leaf, incorporating even intuition.

However, in the end, he was just a leaf; if the core was seized, it would crumble and collapse. The current situation was heading slowly towards imminent death.

“Stop its legs. Do it now!”

Walm’s wish for a breakthrough was abruptly granted. Among the ignored cavalry, magic users restrained one hind leg with an ice pillar and one front leg with an earthen wall.

Although the magic used to bind the colossal creature was too feeble, it was sufficient to momentarily halt its movements. One of the cavalry, equipped with the skill «Strong Arm», threw a short spear and crushed one of the crawler’s eyes.

Shaking itself and seeking out the culprit, the crawler shifted its gaze away from Walm. In an attempt to exact vengeance for the lost eye, it leaped towards the cavalry.

“Do you like it well-done?! Lizard bastard!”

Walm drew his sword from his waist, thrust it into the scar from the initial strike, and poured «Ignis Fatuus» into it. Blue flames overflowed from the wound.

Writhing, the crawler tried to shake off Walm, but he gripped the embedded sword and clung to it. Smashed into a tree, air was forced out of his lungs lungs, and his organs screamed in agony.

Still, Walm doesn’t release his grip. If he lets this opportunity slip away, there’s no telling when he’ll get another chance to finish it off. Failure could result in the cavalry and those in the cargo carriage being trampled. Not to mention, not only the escort squad but also the subsequent units would suffer losses.

“Gu, Gii, Guh…”

Dragging Walm across the ground as if polishing off a clinging pest, the crawler grinds him against the earth. The armor creaks as it grinds against the ground, violently wearing away, with flesh and skin subjected to the abrasion of the earthly file.

“For ᶂucƙs sake, just die already!”

As the azure flames burn through the crawler’s entrails, spreading internally, and the blue fire clinging to its exterior robs it of oxygen, exposing it to continuous high temperatures.

The frenzied movements of the crawler gradually slow down. Suddenly, the moment arrives. With convulsions and a final, faint movement of its limbs, the colossal creature collapses to the ground.

With its mouth half-open and limbs twitching slightly, the crawler ceases to move altogether. Nevertheless, Walm continues to burn its abdomen until it turns into charcoal without stopping.