A Core Ship From The Start Chapter 1008

Chapter 1008: Chapter 695 Scouting Chapter 1008: Chapter 695 Scouting The rain kept getting heavier.

Klay crept around the fortress, hunched over, fortunate that, perhaps due to the recent Giant Dragon's appearance, the fortress was now in chaos. Goblins shivered and fled, and the state of the others wasn't much better. They called out loudly, then ran desperately in every direction. The scene was chaotic, even bordering on comical.

As a seasoned Ranger, Klay's proficiency in stealth was commendable. Although not as adept as Ben the Wanderer, he easily took advantage of the confusion and snuck inside the fortress, reaching an abandoned tower. He carefully avoided the shouting Goblins Patrol Team and crouched in the shadows, peering down below.

There, in the square, lay a Red Dragon, with a strange humanoid creature standing atop it. The creature's skin was yellow with black spots like a toad's, without a nose, just two nostrils facing the sky.

Geassian Yankees.

Klay immediately recalled the information received during his Blade of Judgment training, which was used to differentiate between Humans and Alien Species. Elves, Dwarfs, Taiflins, and Asmodes were classified as Subhuman Race, while Geassian Yankees were considered an Alien Species. This was because their skulls were slightly more elongated than a human's, and their teeth were structured differently… Yes, the Tribunal's criteria for distinguishing between Humans and others were this crude: anything with a cranial morphology fitting that of Humans or Subhumans was classified as such; all others were Aliens.

There stood the Geassian Yankee on the Red Dragon's head, loudly arguing with the Mountain Giant leader, seemingly about something. But due to the heavy rain, Klay couldn't make out what they were saying. He hesitated, then stealthily lingered in the darkness, moving to the edge of the other side of the area.

Clearly, the argument between the two was escalating in volume. Despite the torrential rain, as Klay got closer, he could make out pieces of their conversation.

“The True God is very dissatisfied with your tribute! You foolish bastard! He demands more sacrifices!”

“This isn't my fault!”

The Mountain Giant leader was just as angry in response to the Geassian Yankee's accusation.

“Here, there are no stinking Humans left! All that should have been taken have been captured! The vicinity has been emptied!”

“You must show your loyalty to the True God! Or do you wish to become a walking corpse like your predecessor?”

“This isn't our fault!”

Facing the Geassian Yankee envoy's accusations, the Mountain Giant roared, and were it not for his fear of the Red Dragon below him, he would have loved to snatch up this nostril-flaring (literally) little creature and bite it to shreds.

“No more, there simply is no more!”

Even Klay could hear the Mountain Giant teetering on the edge of hysterical rage; he didn't doubt that in the next moment, the latter would clutch his club and smash it upon the arrogant Geassian Yankee.

“Do you want us to attack the cities of the Humans?!”

“That's actually a good idea.”

Upon hearing the Mountain Giant's roar, the Geassian Yankee suddenly became calm. He stared at the Mountain Giant with a smile, as if he had just heard some pleasing news.

“Yes, you will attack Baldur's Gate, completely destroy that city, and then capture all the Humans as offerings…”

“Impossible!”

The Mountain Giant leader suddenly swung his club, thick as an ancient tree, over the head of the Geassian Yankee. The giant club whooshed through the air but the Geassian Yankee didn't flinch. It was unclear whether the Mountain Giant leader had held back, or if the Geassian Yankee had anticipated that he wouldn't dare to hit him.

“Humans, cities are vast and difficult to conquer!”

“Don't worry, I will grant you strength.”

The voice of the Geassian Yankee suddenly grew tender.

“The Supreme True God has decided to bestow upon you an extraordinary honor. You will fight tirelessly, fearlessly, for the True God until death… This is a privilege…”

“You!!”

Hearing this, the Mountain Giant leader seemed to realize something, and his normally powerful voice started to tremble. At the same time, Klay noticed that the situation seemed to be changing. The cold air grew heavier, which he initially thought was due to the rain. However, Klay soon realized that this chill surpassed the normal bounds of rainy weather. Then, to his astonishment, a scene unfolded before his eyes.

In the shadows of the pitch-black ground of the square, countless dark, icy tentacles suddenly sprouted, tightly entwining the Goblins, Mountain Giants, and Half-Beastmen in the square. These creatures began to scream in agony, struggling desperately, shivering as they tried to break free from the tentacles' grasp to no avail. Even the Mountain Giant leader roared and swung his club, having apparently decided not to tolerate anymore–he took a swing at the Geassian Yankee and its Red Dragon pet.

The Mountain Giant leader's furious blow weakened mid-swing, falling powerlessly to the ground. His burly arm hung limply by his side, not only his but all creatures in the square too. They stood there blankly, their eyes void of life, as if their struggles and resistance had all been an illusion.

What in the world was happening?

Witnessing this, Klay felt dizzy, even doubting his own eyes. It was clear to him that just a moment ago, these creatures had been screaming, jumping around, taking up arms, ready to fight to the death against the Geassian Yankee under the leadership of the Mountain Giant–yet in the next moment, they stood perfectly aligned, heads bowed, motionless as well-trained guards, as if the chaotic spectacle had never occurred.

Could it be that he was seeing things?

Something was terribly wrong.

A chill ran up Klay's spine, fear taking hold of him. In that moment, he truly felt a sense of dread and realized he probably shouldn't have been there; he should leave as quickly as possible. In fact, the intelligence he had gathered was enough. Suddenly, he thought Ben was right; a soldier should do what a soldier is supposed to do. He was no longer a lone ranger but had the Tribunal and the Blade of Judgment behind him. He could simply report this matter to his superiors and let them send someone…

Carefully, Klay began to back away, but his luck had run out. It seemed the storm had pushed the dilapidated tower to its limit. With a “crash,” the next moment the floor beneath Klay's feet collapsed, and he fell with a shriek, crashing down heavily.

Fortunately, his mind was still clear. Almost the instant he hit the ground, he rolled to his feet. However, he quickly realized he was in the most desperate situation.

“I never expected to find a little mouse here.”

The Geassian Yankee glared coldly at Klay, and the Red Dragon beneath him had already opened its jaws wide, viciously locking onto its prey.

“I don't know who you are, but… this is the end,”
With the Geassian Yankee's words, the Red Dragon opened its mouth and a jet of flame gushed forth towards Klay.

In that moment, Klay felt a sense of utter defeat. He could feel the wave of heat, capable of charring him to charcoal, rushing straight at him, but he was powerless to do anything except stand there, watching the fire surge towards him.

But just then, a golden light suddenly appeared, and a gleaming shield materialized in front of Klay, blocking the Red Dragon's fiery breath. At the same time, Ben's voice rang in Klay's ears.

“Run, kid!!”

Klay's body responded faster than his mind. By the time he came to his senses, he was already sprinting into the forest, his clothes and skin ripped by the harsh brambles. But the stinging pain only made him more alert.

He opened his eyes to look ahead and soon saw Ben and the rest of his team.

“You guys, why would you… ”
“Idiot, do you think you're the only one who wants to achieve something? Move it! If we don't go now, we'll really end up as roasted meat!”

As if to confirm Ben's words, the enraged roar of the Geassian Yankee came from the sky.

“You damned bastards! Don't even think about leaving! Catch them———-!!!”

Following the Geassian Yankee's command, the Mountain Giants and Goblins, who had previously been idling in the square, sprang into action, charging into the forest.

Running headlong, Klay's party was in dire straits. The Red Dragon circled ominously over their heads, belching fire that scorched the forest. And behind them, the Mountain Giants and Goblins, utterly unconcerned about the flames, chased them down relentlessly like suicide squads.

“Damn it, what's the deal with these Goblins?”

Another warrior struck down an oncoming Goblin with his sword, complaining as he did so.

“Usually in this kind of situation, they'd be scared off long ago. How come they're so brave now?”

“I don't know either, but I saw it. They… they seem to have transformed into something else… I don't know what has been done to them…”

Klay too turned and fired an arrow, piercing a Mountain Giant's eye, but the Giant kept his steady stride, not even bothering to pull the arrow from his eye, as if it didn't exist.

“Well, at least you truly got a hold of something, not letting us take risks for nothing,”
Ben grumbled while shoving the Mage in front of him.

“Shoot the signal, send the signal!”

The Mage raised his Magic Wand, and quickly, a firework shot from the wand into the sky, exploding into a brilliant skull symbol. They quickly moved away from the position where the firework was launched because the next moment, flame cascaded from the sky, turning the ground where they had stood into a sea of fire.

“We're several days away from Arkham City, they can't possibly see this, right?”

“I've already submitted the report, and reinforcements should already be on their way, if all went according to plan…”

As he said this, Ben looked up instinctively into the sky, then his expression suddenly brightened.

“Hey, they're here!!!”

Hearing Ben's shout, Klay looked up too, and then he saw through the gaps in the tree leaves a figure shining with a blazing red light, like a meteor streaking across the night sky, before colliding head-on with the Red Dragon!

Chapter end

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