Toward the citadel 12(end)

(Author: today's chapter has more than 3000 words, this means that there will not be a new chapter on Saturday.)

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"Mark, a little help, huh?!"

"Can't you see the damn situation I'm in?!"

"Guhaaaa!"

"Die, damn monkey!"

With a thrust of his blade, Mark pierced the armored monkey's head, but it made little difference, as there was still a huge group of them.

After the mine incident, they traveled for another three days in the level 2 monster zone, a real hell according to Mark. As their strength increased, it became difficult to kill them quickly, and Vincent stood no chance against them, so Mark was forced to fend off the approaching monsters all day long constantly, and this had been going on for days.

Mark continued to fight the armored monkeys while Vincent did his best to move the carriage stuck in a crevice.

"Agata, try to keep the children safe!" -Vincent shouted, pushing with all his might.

Agata nodded, keeping the children close to her and trying to reassure them. Their faces were pale and terrified, but they were doing their best to stay calm.

Meanwhile, Mark was fighting with almost superhuman intensity. Every strike of his blade was precise and powerful, but despite his skill, the armored monkeys seemed endless. Every time he took one down, two more took its place.

"You want to play? Then let's play!"

He activated Overload and began his counterattack.

With the increase in ring formation, Mark could maintain his ability longer, especially if he focused on limiting it. He felt a surge of energy course through his body, increasing his strength and speed. His blade moved with impressive speed, slicing through the monkeys' armor like it was paper.

With a leap forward, Mark dodged an attack from above, rolling on the ground and getting back up in one fluid motion. He struck with an upward thrust, piercing the chest of a monkey about to pounce on him. With a swift move, he withdrew the blade and spun around, decapitating another monkey that had gotten too close.

Meanwhile, Vincent finally managed to free the carriage from the crevice.

"I did it!" -He exclaimed, sweat running down his face.

"Mark, we have to go, now!"

"I'll lead the way!"

Changing his grip on the claymore, he started running through the group of monsters, mowing them down like grass, creating a path for the carriage to pass through.

With the road clear, Vincent urged the horses on, managing to escape the monsters' encirclement, and Mark leaped onto the carriage, adjusting his breath.

The monsters tried to reach them, but as they saw the distance grow, they eventually gave up, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

'Guide...'

[Yes, Host?]

'I'm exhausted.' -Mark said honestly while lying on the carriage roof.

[It's understandable. You never sleep at night and during the day you fight and keep watch constantly, it's normal to feel tired.]

'Yeah...'

The journey had been a nightmare. If it wasn't monsters blocking the road, it was giant vulture-like monsters attacking them from above, and if it wasn't even them, the environment itself was a threat.

"Mark, how far to that zone?"

"Not much."

Climbing down from the roof, Mark sat next to Vincent. After dealing with that zone full of level 2 monsters, they were close to their destination. If all went well, they could reach Citadel 12 by the end of the day, but before that, there was the territory of the earth golems.

"We'll take a one-hour break and then move on. I want to get through that zone as soon as possible, so by sunset, we'll be at Citadel 12."

The news brought joy to everyone, knowing they wouldn't have to camp in that terrifying place any longer.

They found a well-protected area and set up a quick camp. Since they had to leave behind any extra weight, no one held back from eating and drinking to their fill, and Mark was no exception, considering any waste of food a sacrilege since his days as a castaway.

"How are the horses?"

"Weakened, but they can resist." -Vincent replied, patting the heads of the two horses, who responded with a happy snort.

"And the carriage?"

"The carriage is in worse shape, but it's natural given that it wasn't designed for terrains like these. But it can hold up a bit longer."

"Good job."

"Yes, by the way, I was looking at the map you gave me. Why don't we go this way? It would save us hours of travel." -Vincent suggested, pointing at the map.

Looking at where Vincent pointed, Mark understood because he had asked the same question to the Guide.

"That road is too risky. Somehow, a sort of rock ceiling has formed there, which keeps collapsing."

"I see... hey, can I ask you a question? How do you know all these things?" -Vincent asked, confused.

"...A friend."

[Are we friends?]

'You stay quiet.'

"You have friends?" -Vincent asked, strangely.

"Yes, why, is that strange?"

Vincent could see Mark smiling, but his eyes were not.

"No, no! Of course not!" -Vincent understood it was better to stay silent.

After looking at him one more time, Mark went to Agata and the children, who seemed more rested.

"Just a little more, the last effort." -Mark said.

"I never thought I'd be making such a journey at my age." -Agata said with a jovial smile.

"Brother Mark, brother Mark, is it true we'll be able to eat lots of meat there?" -One of the children asked.

"Hoho, not just meat, but every delicacy. From soft sweets to tender and succulent meat. There will be many people, many more things to see and explore, and we'll have a much bigger house where you can each have your room."

The children became even more excited, imagining the scene, and wanted Mark to tell them more, but it was time to leave. They abandoned everything that wasn't useful to travel even faster.

"Let's go."

With Mark's command, the carriage began to move, and soon they reached the end of the gorge, finding themselves in a vast open space surrounded by canyon walls and imposing rock columns, creating an almost surreal environment.

"It's much wider than expected." -Vincent commented uneasily.

"It is. I'll stay on top to see better. For now, maintain a steady speed, I'll tell you when it's worth accelerating."

Vincent nodded, and Mark climbed onto the roof to better observe their surroundings.

The carriage kept moving, and no one dared to utter a word due to the tension. The whole area was so silent that only the sound of the wind rushing through the various crevices could be heard, creating an eerie sound.

'I don't know whether to be happy or scared that we haven't encountered anything yet.'

[I'm not sure, the earth golems should be sensitive to vibrations. It's strange that they haven't detected anything yet. Moreover, the temperature in the area is too hot; something's wrong.]

Hearing the Guide's words didn't sit well with Mark, but then he heard Vincent's shout.

"Mark, there's a strange dog over there."

Looking where Vincent pointed, there was a massive black-coated dog not far from them. Initially, Mark had no idea what it was, but as soon as the Guide provided information about the new monster, he immediately shouted to Vincent.

"Move to the side!"

The sudden shout frightened Vincent, who obeyed without hesitation, and shortly after, a fireball shot from the dog's mouth hit exactly where the carriage had been.

"What the hell is that thing!" -Vincent shouted, trying to regain control of the horses that had been frightened by the explosion.

"It's a hellhound, accelerate immediately!"

The carriage picked up speed, but even so, the hellhound kept pace, launching several fireballs that fortunately missed their mark.

The hellhound, according to the information from the Guide, was a monster at the peak of level 1, possessing great speed, but its most dangerous feature was its ability to spit fire.

Seeing that the monster wasn't giving up, Mark jumped off the carriage and ran towards it. The monster tried to shoot several fireballs at him, but Mark was more agile and dodged each one, reaching the monster and killing it with a deadly thrust.

With the monster slain, Mark returned to the carriage, and they finally began to hear other sounds, but none were good. Explosions, growls, and tremors began to surround them.

"Hide there."

Pointing to a hidden spot, Vincent moved the carriage there, while Mark climbed one of the columns rising from the rocky plain, finally able to see the disastrous situation they were in.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Far ahead, where they needed to go, black smoke was rising as a war was raging. Huge earth beings were fighting hordes of hellhounds and a similar monster, but larger and with two heads.

[Those are orthros, monsters at the peak of level 2, capable of shooting much more powerful fireballs.]

Mark ran his hand through his hair as he thought. The situation had drastically worsened compared to what he had expected, but perhaps it was also a stroke of luck, as they seemed so focused on killing each other that they would be much less noticeable.

Climbing down, he reported the situation, and both Vincent and Agata paled, but then Mark explained his plan.

"Right now, if we pass through, we'll be less noticeable. Besides, I noticed that along the wall, there's less activity. Now that we're here, we can't turn back."

Vincent and Agata looked at each other worriedly but nodded.

"Alright, if it's the only chance, we have to try." -Vincent said.

Mark took position, ready to defend the group if necessary. The carriage advanced quickly along the wall, trying to avoid the center of the battlefield.

Occasionally, a hellhound got too close, but Mark was ready. With lethal precision, he took down every threat before it could raise an alarm. Each battle was quick and silent, allowing the carriage to keep moving.

They continued in tense silence, interrupted only by the distant sounds of combat. The explosions and growls masked the noise of their progress, but the risk of being discovered was always present.

At one point, the ground began to shake more intensely.

"What's happening now?" -Agata asked, her face pale with worry.

Mark looked ahead and saw an enormous earth golem detaching itself from one of the rocky columns. It seemed to be attracted by the vibrations of their movements.

"Go!"

Vincent whipped the horses, and the carriage began to gain speed, but the earth golem was quickly closing in with its enormous arms. Each step of the golem made the ground tremble beneath them, making it difficult to keep control of the carriage.

"Let's see if you can follow us there!"

Pulling the reins, Vincent abruptly changed direction towards an area full of rocky outcrops. The carriage swerved, but Vincent managed to keep control, guiding it through the rocks while the golem continued to chase them, demolishing everything in its path. This slowed it down drastically, and by the time they emerged from the area, the monster was still trying to find its way out.

"You were amazing!" -Mark patted Vincent on the shoulder.

"I think I just piss myself." -Vincent admitted, though he couldn't hide his excited smile.

With another obstacle behind them, they continued traveling at a steady pace without encountering any real danger, and after what felt like an endless journey, they were only a few hundred meters from leaving the area.

"We can finally-"

Neighing!

Before Vincent could finish his sentence, the horses reared up on their hind legs, neighing wildly and trying to change direction.

"What the heck is wrong with you?!"

Vincent did his best to control the horses, but they refused to obey, to the point of injuring themselves in their desperate attempt to go another way.

Mark watched the scene, confused. They were so close to their destination, and his tension was rising, especially as he saw the battlefield not far away. He was about to suggest they continue on foot when he felt it.

If there was one thing that had grown along with Mark's strength, it was his senses, which increased with the formation of his ring, including his sixth sense.

The hairs on his neck stood up, and his heart began to race as he felt the shadow of death drawing nearer.

"Turn back."

"But we're almost-"

"Turn back, I said!"

Seeing Mark so agitated for the first time, Vincent obeyed and no longer fought the horses, who quickly fled back.

"What the hell is going on?" -Vincent asked, but Mark was focused on the horizon.

In the distance, where they had been headed, he could see a gigantic, completely black figure with three heads, but because of the sun, it was hard to make out.

'Wait, sun? But the sun is in the opposite direction.'

That "sun" quickly descended to the ground, followed by a massive sonic wave that obliterated everything nearby. Even from their distance, they felt the impact, but it didn't end there. After the shockwave, came the turn of the incandescent flames, which like a tsunami, began to engulf everything in their path.

"Holy!"

"Hide over there!"

Vincent didn't need to be told twice, urging the horses to take cover in a small crevice in the walls, just in time to avoid the sea of flames.

Heavy breaths.

Everyone was breathing heavily, both from fear and the rising heat.

"W-What just happened?" -Vincent asked, shocked.

Agata and the children also seemed in shock.

"A cerberus, a level 5 monster." -Mark said, placing his hands on his face.

"Hah... a level 5... it's impossible, completely impossible. I didn't even see it and look at what a single attack did…"

Vincent distractedly watched the flames still dancing on the arid ground.

"Dear... I think it's better if we turn back." -Agata said after a long silence, trying to control the trembling in her hands.

"We have nothing left, maybe Vincent and I can hold on, but you can't."

Mark's words were harsh but they were the naked truth, making everyone understand their situation.

"Our last chance is there."

Mark pointed in the opposite direction, beyond the battlefield that had resumed as soon as the flames died down. It was the same route Vincent had suggested, but Mark had said it was too dangerous.

"Didn't you say there were landslides?"

"We have no other options." -Mark said, sighing resignedly.

With little choice, they could only nod, but Vincent raised a question that was everyone's main concern.

"Leaving aside that we'll have to cross a battlefield full of monsters, what do we do if that monster attacks again?"

"It won't."

Peering out from the crevice where they were hiding, Mark could see the cerberus fighting a monster taller than itself, completely covered in a metallic layer that reflected every ray of the sun.

[A silver golem, level 5.]

The others also leaned out, and even if they couldn't see as well as Mark from that distance, they could vaguely see what was happening.

"What would have happened if we had gotten closer?" -Agata thought terrified, holding the children tighter.

"Phew, alright, but the horses will get scared as soon as we approach that area."

"For that, I have a remedy."

He pulled out some herbs from his bag and fed them to the horses, who started breathing heavily after a few minutes, energetically scraping the ground.

"...Did you just drug them?" -Vincent asked, speechless.

"I like to call it an energy boost. Anyway, joking aside, the effect won't last long, and once it wears off, the horses will be so exhausted they won't be able to move. I intended to use these plants in case of an emergency, and I believe this is one."

There was a moment of silence before Vincent broke it.

"We're all going to die."

Even though he said this, Vincent climbed onto the carriage and prepared to drive the horses. Agata and the children got in the back while Mark positioned himself on top to provide additional protection.

"Go, maximum speed, and of course, don't get hit." -Mark joked to lighten the atmosphere.

"Yeah, right, it's not like I'm about to drive a carriage through a group of monsters that could destroy me in a mere second." -Vincent retorted.

Vincent urged the horses, and the carriage sped off at an incredible speed, zigzagging between debris and fallen monster bodies. The group advanced at full speed, trying to avoid the ongoing battles.

Mark was on top, his gaze fixed on the horizon, ready to intervene at the slightest sign of danger. The carriage wheels bounced on the uneven ground as Vincent skillfully maneuvered, maintaining the best possible trajectory.

The explosions and roars of the monsters were getting closer. A hellhound, sensing the movement, charged at them. Mark, with a quick movement, threw a stone that hit the monster in the middle of its fire breath, causing it to implode.

"Nice shot!" -Vincent shouted, trying to stay calm as the ground became more unstable.

"It's not over yet!"

Mark replied, noticing a group of stone golems waking up. These colossi moved slowly but with devastating force, blocking part of the path.

"Vincent, go left!" -Mark shouted.

Vincent sharply turned, barely avoiding a golem trying to hit the carriage with a massive fist.

The tension was palpable. Agata and the children held on tightly, trying not to lose their balance. Every moment seemed eternal, with the fear that any mistake could be fatal.

They managed to avoid the golems, but the ground remained a minefield of monsters and debris. Speed was their only salvation, but also their greatest risk. The carriage wheels bounced violently over rocks and cracks, threatening to break at any moment.

Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed ahead of them. Mark looked up and saw the cerberus and the silver golem fighting fiercely in an area separate from the main battlefield. The two colossal creatures battled mercilessly, completely ignoring the speeding carriage at a safe distance.

"Keep going, don't stop!" -Mark urged as Vincent drove the horses that seemed to have endless energy.

They crossed the main battlefield, miraculously avoiding getting caught in the clashes. But just when it seemed they were safe, a huge group of hellhounds and orthros noticed the carriage and started chasing them.

"Run!!"

They finally reached their destination, a long corridor in the canyon formed by rocks stacked on top of each other, creating imposing arches that alternated sunlight with shadow.

Boom! Boom!

Unfortunately, there was little time to admire the view as they were constantly bombarded by fireballs, which were becoming increasingly accurate. The second problem was that all those shockwaves could cause the tons of rock hanging above their heads to collapse, which would definitively mark their end.

'They need to disappear. Can't I hit one of these rocks and bring all this stuff down on them?'

[It's possible, but there's a higher chance you'll end up in the range as well. But if you follow my plan, it could work, though it'll be dangerous.]

Mark listened to what it had to say, and when he understood what needed to be done, he took a deep breath.

'Will it work?'

[It will.]

Without further hesitation, he turned to Vincent.

"Listen, keep this speed and never slow down. I have to stop those monsters before they blow us up or, worse, bury us alive."

"What the hell are you talking about?! You wouldn't stand a chance against all of them!" -Vincent burst out.

"Wait, dear, there must be another way." -Agata said, scared, holding Mark's hand.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine." -Mark said, gently moving Agata's hand away.

"Besides, I've already decided."

Without warning, Mark jumped off the carriage and started running toward the group of monsters.

"Noooo!"

He could hear Agata's and the children's screams growing fainter, but this didn't distract him from the horde of monsters.

"Come on, they're just angry dogs that spit flames and might have two heads, nothing too scary."

[Why are you doing all this for them?] -The Guide asked, not understanding Mark's irrational behavior.

"First, they deserve it. Second, I know I'll live. And third, I always keep my promises."

Drawing his claymore and activating overload, he greeted the monsters but didn't fight them. He agilely jumped over their bodies, always narrowly avoiding their jaws, bypassing them all, and continuing to run from where they had come.

The monsters he had passed turned back and started shooting fireballs at Mark. They looked like falling stars, but for Mark, it wasn't beautiful at all, as he had to dodge each one, which was impossible given the number.

"GHAA!"

A fireball hit him in the back, destabilizing him, but he managed not to fall. He could feel his back sizzling, but he kept running, reaching his first target.

"I'm here, furballs!"

Mark taunted the monsters, who bombarded him with another barrage of fireballs, which he dodged by hiding behind a stone pillar that crumbled under the explosions.

Tremors!

The area shook momentarily before calming down, but this was all part of the Guide's plan. As explained to him, to ensure a more controlled collapse, he needed to take down five crucial pillars in a specific order.

With the first target down, Mark climbed the rocky surface, jumping from one stone arch to another. Some monsters had reached him above, while others continued to follow him from below, relentlessly targeting him.

"Damn!"

The foothold he stepped on collapsed, nearly causing a dangerous fall, but thanks to his agility, he didn't fall and reached the second target, which he destroyed with the pommel of his claymore.

There were more tremors, and the area he was in became too unstable, so he quickly descended, but an orthros seized the opportunity to pounce on him.

The monster scratched his chest, and while pinning Mark under its weight, it tried to bite his head.

Crunch!

The unsettling sound of jaws snapping shut was heard, but with nothing inside, as Mark had used his sword to block it.

Seeing that it was blocked, the orthros used its other head to charge a fireball. Sensing the danger, Mark drew his dagger, and just before the monster could fire, he stabbed it in the neck, causing the flames to spiral out of control and engulf the monster, though it also injured Mark.

Cough.

Coughing up a mouthful of blood, Mark kept running, as those few seconds had allowed the other monsters to catch up.

This time, Mark was even more vigilant, preventing any monster from getting close to him, successfully taking down almost all the targets, and now he faced the last one.

He was breathing heavily, feeling how his energy was being drained by overload and how the various wounds he had sustained were weakening him, but it was finally the end.

"Game over, bastards."

Destroying the last pillar, the entire area began to tremble, while from the entrance of the path, the rocks started collapsing like dominoes, coming closer and closer to where Mark was. He didn't waste any time and made sure overload consumed much more energy, to gain more speed.

Mark ran like mad, while behind him, the rocks were collapsing one after another, taking out the monsters in their path. However, the collapse didn't stop, and was getting closer to him.

CRASH!

"!"

A stone fell right behind him, and the impact pushed him forward, but without losing momentum, he performed a roll and seamlessly resumed running, and in the distance, he could see the silhouette of the carriage.

He pushed the overload consumption even more, to the point where his body started feeling stabs of pain due to the uncontrolled power.

10%, and there were still about a hundred meters to go.

9%, ninety meters to go.

8%, 7%, 6%, the speed at which his energy was being consumed was alarming, and Mark's vision started to blur, but he ran with every ounce of energy left.

2%, only a few steps to the carriage.

1%, he reached out his hand to grab the carriage frame.

0%, in a final effort, he lunged forward, thinking he had managed to hang on, but due to a jolt from the carriage, he missed it by a hair.

In his blurry vision and with a body that felt ten times heavier, Mark could see in slow motion as his hand moved further away from the carriage, while the rockslide approached.

Grab!

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Mark's arm with force before he fell and with a yank, pulled him into the carriage.

"You are the luckiest person I know!" -Vincent laughed.

"V-Vincent, how do you control this thing?!" -Agata screamed in terror, holding the reins.

"I'm coming, take care of him!"

'Hah... I'm... in pieces.'

With the faint images of Agata saying something to him and them moving further away from the ongoing landslide, Mark laughed weakly.

After seven sleepless days filled with tension, fights, decisions, and worries, Mark passed out from the complete exhaustion of his energy.