Episode 12 : The Battle of Nosferus (1) - Part 4

"Whoa!"

 Terrible screams poured from the mouths of the heroes of Mongol.

"That was--!"

"The Id! There's a horde of Ids coming this way!"

"Polack!"

 The blood drained from Astorias' face.

"It's not safe-- run. Run!"

 It's been many years since they've been at Alvon Castle on the frontier. The horror of the Nospherus id, the threat of that immortal monster that no sword or crossbow can cut, has sunk deep into the bones of these Frontier Guards.

"Run!"

 After one more rant, Asturias turned his head and began to run back in the direction he had come from, without shame or embarrassment. If the opponent was a human, he would rarely be delayed, but if the opponent was a monster of Nosferus, it was a different story.

 It is a disgrace to be crushed to death by an Id, and there is no such horrible way to die.

 And I have never heard of such a swarm of Ids hitting me head on.

 Indeed, what a horde it was--the vast desert of Nosferus was filled as far as the eye could see with the white, bubbling jelly of death.

 And never before had the Id run wild with such madness. It was as if a terrible tsunami of death had come with the rumbling of the earth, or rather, as if Mother Nature, which should have been their last refuge, had suddenly turned on her children in madness and blind rage, and had bared her white, poisonous fangs in full force against them. It was as if it had bared all its fangs and came at them, luring the soldiers into a frenzied despair and panic.

 Now, the 15,000 well-trained elites of Mongol had turned into nothing but a frightened, fear-crazed, fleeing crowd.

"Id!"

"The Id is coming for you!"

"Id!"

 As soon as they heard the meaning of the screams, those who were behind them turned their horses' heads and began to flee in the direction from which they had come.

 By now, every Mongol soldier could see the swarm of Ids coming at them like a tidal wave with great speed.

"Ahhh! It's catching up!"

 A horrible scream pierces the dust, and then there is a tremendous shout.

 Asturias stopped his hand, which had been whipping the horse, and turned around - and saw the most horrible sight in the world.

"Help me!"

 One by one, the Red Knights of Regan's squad are being swallowed by the tidal wave of the Id!

 Regan's men failed to hear Garance's cry for advice. By the time they became aware of the change in the desert and rushed back to the direction from which they had come in dismay, the white monster, coming at them with tremendous speed, was so close that they could no longer hold it back.

 It was as if an avalanche were engulfing the people. First, a horse is snatched off its feet by a squirming jelly, and then it falls down, whimpering sadly.

 The red knight who rode it was also thrown to the side, and before he could desperately try to get back up, a persistent, sticky, swirling death swept over horse and the knight.

 The muffled screams and the horrible moans of the crushing sacrifice quickly entered his throat, and he was engulfed by the weird living jelly that clung to his face. And again, even those who were able to grasp the hand to help their friend were themselves drawn in by the overwhelming power of the id and sucked into its white hell as if they were falling into a bottomless swamp.

 Astorias, who had been staring in horror at Regan's troop as they were being hounded by the id, suddenly shouted out from his saddle.

"Riggan! Riggan's down!"

 It was the face of Count Regan, frozen in despair and fear, that was about to be swallowed by the Ido, as he struggled desperately and futilely in the air.

"Save it!"

 Asturias screamed and recklessly returned the horse and tried to run into the middle of the crowd of Id.

 Polack suddenly stood in front of him, spinning a horse.

"Move, Pollack. Riggan's in danger."

"No, sir!

"Move!"

 Asturias stretched out his hand to push Pollack away. The XO held his hand as if he were clinging to it. Pollack's eyes met Astrias' bloodshot ones.

 Both of them looked pale and drawn, as if they were uncomfortable.

"No, sir.

 Pollack gasped. He started to cry.

"Please give up."

"Regan--Regan is!"

"We're not safe here. We have to get out of here.

 Polack removed his hand and struck Asturias in the buttocks of his horse with the belly of his sword.

 The horse starts to run very fast. Clinging to his neck,

"Riggan! Regan--!"

 Sob, Asturias rasped. The cries were muffled by the voices of the knights calling for their allies, the screams of the victims and the roars of the horses, and the horrible sound of the bones of the human body being crushed by the id.

 The id was no longer white or even translucent. The color of the armor of the red knights and black knights that had been swallowed here and there shone through, and the blood of the humans and horses that had been crushed and lost their original forms stained many places red and lustrous. Here and there in the sea of Id were swollen and heaving like the belly of an eel that had swallowed its prey, and were repeating a violent peristaltic movement. They are being digested with great speed. In the face of this indefinite monster, which could penetrate even the tiniest piece of armor or a helmet, the pride of Mongol's cavalry would be nothing more than a few rare, horrible, massive, and delicious morsels.

 It was an awful sight. The soldiers, who had been fleeing in a frenzied manner, did not stop even when they found that at last the spirit of the id had abated and they were safe for the time being. They were completely mad with fear and had lost all self-control.

"Stop--stop!"

"Blue Knights, halt!"

"How dare the four great knights of Mongol flee in fear of something as primitive as the id of Nosferus!"

 The captain and his men finally regained their composure and began to berate each other.

"It's a shame for all of us. Stop the horse and straighten up the line. Can't you hear me say "stop"?

 The captains ran around and tried to intercept the horses with their whips. It was the horses themselves, rather than the soldiers, who became frightened and refused to stop, and some of them were thrown off by the horses because they could not stop the runaway horses even though they desperately squeezed the reins.

"Stop. Don't stop."

 But the agitation of the soldiers did not abate. A horde of Ids spread out behind them, and they could clearly hear the sound of them devouring their allies.

"Oh, my God--!"

 The captains fumbled and looked for the form of the princess, as if they were asking for orders. They were not in the least afraid of the dragon and tiger knights of Cheironia, nor of the scythes of the Miroks, but in the wilderness of Nosferus, where there was nothing to hide, they would not have known how to fight against such a brazen monster.

Master Amneris would...

The princess would never give the wrong orders.

 The soldiers looked up at the commander as if they were children begging for a loving mother.

 Amneris, however, stood still on his white horse, paler than the white skin armor that encircled him.

"Oh--wow ... what a horrible ..."

 Even though she was a general, she was still a girl of eighteen. Although she had managed to maintain her famous restraint, there was a secret fear and anxiety in her eyes as she looked at those around her who were protecting her.

"Id--oh, what a horrible ... malus, malus--!"

"is."

"What was that? I haven't seen or imagined anything like that since I was born... is that Shem's plan too? Or is Nosferus crawling with monsters like that?"

"Thank you for--"

 Count Mars, who had left the troop and had been guarding the duchess closely, replied gravely.

"If only we had known about this sooner... I am sorry."

"What the hell is that? Isn't there some way to get rid of it? I've never seen anything like it before. but you're supposed to be guarding the frontier close to Nosferus and have some knowledge of this inhospitable land... will it not die even if you shoot it with a crossbow or cut it down with a sword?"

"Is--"

"So we are blocked by that thing no matter what, and we have no choice but to make a great detour to get there?"

"Is--"

 Count Mars's face was somber.

 Amneris looked around. All around him, the major generals were gathering for a special strategy meeting.

 Count Mars, the mage Gayus, Kal-Mor, the white knight Vron, Rindt, Feldrick - every face is a face.

 Whenever Amneris looked at them as if seeking an answer, the one being looked at would lower his eyes and groan at his own helplessness.

 At that time, Asturias, who had finally gathered his troops, caught up with the main force and came riding over with Pollack to report.

"Your Highness."

 As soon as the young captain saw the princess surrounded by the white knights, he nodded deeply.

"I hope you're okay.

"The damage!"

 Suddenly, Amneris regains the dignity of the Lady of the Ice and raises her voice. Astorias is powerless,

"Regan's Corps is very badly hit-- my Corps is pretty badly hit, but not too badly. But Regan's troops--"

"Where's Regan?"

 Amneris asked. Asturias nodded more and more profusely and bit back a sob.

"--to id: ..."

"Has Little Earl Regan been beaten?"

 Count Malus shouted in distress. Then,

"Fire."

 Kal-Mor whispered.

"What--?"

 They all looked at the Kitai mage who had crossed the desert. Kal-Mor's shabby face was completely hidden by his hood, but his hand reached out and pointed toward Ido.

"The id is vulnerable to fire, Your Highness. It is the only thing that kills the id. It's a useless monster to poke and cut, but if it catches fire--"

"Oh yeah!"

 Immediately, the command center perked up.

 When they heard of young Regan's disappearance, their gloomy faces regained their vitality.

"Fire!"

"Thank you for remembering, Kal-Mor!"

 Amneris had regained his composure. In the midst of the unknown and terrifying wilderness of Nosferus, she had been on the verge of losing her self-confidence and becoming nothing more than a frightened and bewildered young woman of eighteen, but the radiance of the haughty Lady of Mongol had returned to her eyes and face. Whether this was because Kal-Mor had remembered Ido's weakness, or because the beautiful young Astorias, who was clearly a goddess and whom she worshipped endlessly, was standing timidly beside her, she did not know.

"Feldrick!"

"Ha!"

"Message!"

"Ha!"

"The id is weak against fire. All troops, remove torches from your sacks, gather as many sparks as you can, and prepare to exterminate the Id swarm with fire immediately."

"Ha!"

"Go!"

 Feldrick's running for his horse.

"Mars."

"is."

"Return to your squadrons and unite the blue knights."

"I understand."

"And Asturias."

 Asturias looked up, startled.

 There were the mystic emerald eyes of the lady, and the black, brilliant eyes of Asturias. The lady gazed coolly into the face of the weeping youth, and for a moment was lost. But what came out of her mouth were words of such starkness that Vron and Lint shrank from her side.

"Not a good look, Asturias! Now you've blundered twice. So this is the man they call the Red Lion of Arvon?"

"... is"

 Asturias shuddered and slumped as if a whip had been applied to his shoulder. Amneris continued,

"If it happens again, you will not have your captain's badge. Good."

"-- is ...."

"Now, now, retreat. Gather the rest of Regan's troops and combine them with yours and retreat to the rear."

"Please wait."

 Asturias waggled his lips.

"Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please..."

"Don't make me say it twice!

 Amneris' eyes well up.

"Ha!"

 Lint and Vron looked at each other in secret pity as Astorias walked back, accompanied by Polack, sullenly.

 The army of Mongol had begun to move rapidly.

"It's the Battle of Tomurai!"

"Oh, kill the id monster that killed my friends!"

"Fire, fire!

 The infantrymen put down their spears, the knights put down their horses, the crossbowmen put down their crossbows, and everyone gathered things that could burn by themselves, took oil in jars, made huge bonfires first, and then took torches to light them.

 In the meantime, the sun was finally beginning to set. A violet mist began to flow over the land, like the swell of a wave, staining the unchanging wilderness like death. Ahead of them, at a distance of half a tad, the horde of the Iddo, having consumed all their sacrifices, became still, and the presence of that monster, as flat as the calm sea, and as far away from them as they could not see, became more and more keenly felt. It will come.

"If we don't get rid of Idome before the sun goes down, we're in trouble."

 Someone muttered to himself. That anxiety must have been lurking in all the soldiers of Mongol.

 And one more thing--

"It's Shem!"

 Suddenly, a scream pierced the air!

"There it is!"

"You're here!"

 Count Malus taps his saddle and bites his lips.

"I thought so. You've got some nerve, you little monkey!"

 From the sand dunes on either side, which had finally begun to fade into the dusk, came a multitude of nightmarish figures, clad in strange dyes, splitting into two!

"Aye, aye, aye!"

"Hyaaaah!"

"Eeeee, eee!"

"They have been waiting for us to be distracted by the id."

 Count Mars ranted.

"Come on, lads! Don't let that monkey slow you down!"

"Mongol, Mongol!"

 The blue knights shouted.

 But then--

"The Id! Ido is coming again!"

 There was a horrible scream coming from the front of the line!

 And then a thud, thud, thud ..., like a distant rumbling of the earth or an approaching tidal wave!

 Shem and his men poured Arica's juice on Iddo three times when it had subsided, and then let it run wild again, hurling it at Mongol's army.

 The smell of blood and arica permeated the air, and the idols became extremely agitated and violent.

 Shem from the left and right - and a horde of Ids from the front!

"You--you little bastard!"

 The old warrior gnashed his teeth and raved. Then he pulled down his helmeted cheeks with a clatter, tilted his sash, and, blocking the rain and the poisonous arrows of Shem, he suddenly took up his sword and plunged into the enemy soldiers from the left.

"Lord of the castle!"

"The Count is in danger!"

 Immediately, the two thousand blue knights of the Two Reed under the command of Count Mars turned their horses and followed the leader. In the blink of an eye, three fierce battles had begun.

"Ido-- help me, Ido!"

"Fire. Light it."

 All hell has broken loose in Ilum and Tanguard.

 They had just taken the fire to confront the Id. But the Ids were too many, and even as they held up their torches, the poisonous arrows of Shem rained down upon them.

 With torches held aloft, they became targets in the darkness, and one by one they were shot by the poisoned arrows that pierced their faces, and they fell and fell into the id.

"Fire--fire. Mars--Mars!"

 Amneris was panting.

"Your Highness. It's not safe here. The Id is coming. This way-- this way!

 He is held back by Gayus and the captains Vron and Rindt, and is protected by his bannermen, who are retreating for the time being,

"Oh, my--oh, my--oh, my!"

 She grunts through clenched teeth.

"To use an id-- cowardly! Beastly, cowardly thing--you ..."

 Her lips are trembling.

"You--Guin!"

 At that moment, Gayus, who was standing close to her on the left, tugged on her sleeve to call her attention.

 She looked over at you and--

 And I saw it.

 The setting sun - a huge orange disk, with the sun just about to touch the horizon behind it, and the figure of a warrior standing on the dune, as if it were the god of war himself, Lure, emerging from the midst of it.

 With the elite of Shem, the leopard's head is a striking black silhouette, looking down on the battlefield of Shura unfolding beneath its eyes.

"Guin ...!"

 Amneris's voice broke on his lips in a hot, burning breath.

 His eyes glow blue and stare unblinkingly at the statuesque silhouette.

 That's when Guin's right hand went up.

 When it is put down without saying a word,

"Liard--Liard!"

"Liard!"

 An outpouring of cheers erupted from the mouths of all the warriors of Shem.

"Liard!"

 The leopard-headed god of war, accompanied by five hundred of his most elite warriors, swept down the dunes like a hurricane and plunged into the midst of the great battle that was being waged by the armies of Mars and Shem.

 Immediately, the sword begins to act as if it were an asura, to the left and right, horizontally and vertically.

"Vron! Save Malus. I'm coming with you!"

 Amneris shouted. At the same time, the 1,000 white knights of the bannermen's corps, who had been holding their own until now, all took their horses and launched a counterattack against the Leopard-headed warrior.

 The battle had now reached its climax. Mongol's army--Sem's joint army, and the raging and writhing Id. In the hands of Mongol's army, Ido's fire blazes brightly.

 Screams, yells, screams, sword fights, and bloodshed, screams, and carnage are endlessly repeated in the vast desert of Nosferus.

 Above all of them, the huge sun, which is about to set as if it were enveloping them all, is burning crimson as if it were dyeing the whole world the color of blood.