Chapter 8 — Attack on Golem - Part 1

On the other side, Tatsuya and Aria were carrying out a mission set by Yagami, who had just given them new instructions to locate the Sect of Ordo by rebelling. They were to disrupt the soldiers of Solandis who were forcibly conducting military recruitment.

Thus, the soldiers could conclude that Tatsuya and Aria's attack was ordered by the Sect of Ordo, considering their attire resembled the robes of the Sect of Ordo.

A cold, silent night. The wind swirled aimlessly, and the sound of whistling echoed from the tall buildings. Accompanied by heavy snow falling, perhaps it was exactly midday.

Tatsuya continued to follow Aria from behind. Both of them ran quickly across the rooftops, heading toward a location suspected by Yagami— a place inhabited by hybrid beings, specifically half-wolves.

Located across Aurenvale, in a dense forest north of the Solandis castle. According to the information Yagami gathered, there was a forced military recruitment happening, and they were likely establishing a camp there, as the mission had just been issued.

In the dense, dark forest, they continued running past towering trees surrounding them. There was no sound of humans—only the continuous chirping of crickets.

Aria had yet to draw her scythe, and Tatsuya kept his sword sheathed in its wrappings on his back.

"Tatsuya, you're from here, right? Do you understand what this mission is for? Honestly, I have no idea what we're supposed to do right now."

Tatsuya, balancing his older body to avoid falling, tried to answer as best he could, "Yes, I know. This place is home to powerful beings. For example, hybrid wolves. They have strong, agile physiques, even though they don't possess the powerful magic like humans. They have managed to survive to this day without any interference from Solandis. —Our mission is to stir things up there."

"Haha? This is interesting, isn't it? Finally, I understand... My Lord seems to be giving me a gift to have some fun by fighting them..."

"…"

Hearing that, Tatsuya didn't continue the conversation. He appeared colder than usual since taking on the previous mission.

From a distance, Aria spotted a campfire illuminating the forest. There were many soldiers guarding it, all wearing iron armor and holding various weapons. The tents bore the emblem of the Solandis kingdom.

Perhaps there were about 20 soldiers on duty in the camp. Several were resting near the campfire, warming their bodies against the cold air.

However, in a dark corner near a large tree, there were a few—no, these were the hybrid wolves referred to earlier. It seemed they were merely young women tied to trees. There were about 5 of them, bound together, shivering. They wore simple clothing covering only their chests and shorts.

Their wolf ears, which should have stood upright, drooped, and their faces showed clear suffering and trauma. (Most appeared to be around 19 years old, in human terms.)

Aria, impatient to rebel, had already drawn her scythe, ready to cut down the soldiers and those intoxicated, teasing the half-wolf girls.

However, Tatsuya stopped her from acting recklessly.

In fact, inside the tent was a figure—a leader, possibly a reincarnated hero leading their operation. He sat leisurely, analyzing a map spread on a table, surrounded by his subordinates.

"Aria, let me be the bait, and you free the half-wolf girls. At least I can hold them off for a while—"

"Ha? You underestimate me? —don't forget my position! If I weren't ordered to obey... I would've already wiped them all out."—muttering that, Aria leapt down from the tree, leaving Tatsuya to slowly unravel his wrapped sword while activating his magic.

As she jumped, Aria didn't land on the ground immediately. Instead, she landed just beneath the camp, effortlessly slicing through three guards who were on duty. The aftermath was horrific—their bodies were split in two, leaving behind blackened wounds due to Aria's scythe.

The remaining soldiers began to scream and prepare to attack Aria, who stood in the middle of them. Aria herself laughed heartily, amused by the sight of soldiers encircling her with their weapons drawn.

"You can't be serious? Fighting me with weapons like these? I could slice you all with a single move. —Hey... Can you hear me?"—As Aria murmured, there was no response. Only fear showed on their faces, their hands trembling.

At that moment, Aria, thirsting for suffering, charged with a single, swift movement. In an instant, they all—ten soldiers surrounding her—fell in half, leaving only blackened, lifeless bodies behind.

Of the ten soldiers surrounding her, only one remained untouched, wanting to inflict pain slowly.

Meanwhile, Tatsuya charged into the camp where the leader and his subordinates were. There were about 4 individuals, including the leader.

He attacked mercilessly, facing 1 vs. 4. Though slightly overwhelmed, since the leader had healing abilities, allowing his subordinates to be healed repeatedly, making them difficult to defeat.

The sound of clashing swords echoed through the forest. Nothing could stop them.

In fact, the leader was not a sword knight like Tatsuya had hoped, but merely a mage. Thus, Tatsuya struggled to match him. Physically, he was strong, but his magic couldn't compete.

"Cih... Is this the feared Sect of Ordo? So weak!"—the leader scoffed, casting a spell toward Tatsuya while continuing to engage his subordinates in battle.

Tatsuya couldn't hear him over the continuous clashing of swords. Whether it was attacks from the leader's subordinates or magical blasts fired at him, Tatsuya managed to deflect them all.

Tatsuya stepped back briefly, leaping onto a large tree behind him. He scanned the situation, slightly fatigued, with his torn cloak.

The leader began stepping out of the camp, revealing a handsome face, holding a small magic staff, dressed like a jester with a striking black hat. He smiled triumphantly, observing Tatsuya's state of exhaustion. He didn't command his subordinates to attack further.

"Oyah? Is that all? —Isn't this too easy? ... Boring... After spending so long becoming strong, from reincarnation as a child to this point? Tch... So what is my purpose in being reincarnated here? And why are my opponents so weak?"

As he said that, the leader fired a radiant green magic, which accidentally struck a tree where Tatsuya was analyzing weaknesses. The magic had some kind of burning effect—any being hit would slowly disintegrate into ash.

"Oh come on... Can you show more than that? ... Hmph... Don't play around... This isn't funny—"

At that moment, while the leader rambled, Tatsuya swiftly manipulated his movements and appeared behind the leader. With a bright, glowing sword, he swiftly slashed downward.

The result was the leader getting hit on his right arm, and his staff was thrown away. He dodged backward, jumping three steps away, avoiding Tatsuya's attack. However, his subordinates stood still as the staff flew past them, collapsing lifelessly without uttering a word or reacting.

Then, the leader stripped off his clothing, preparing to read a spell. Smoke began to rise around him, and lightning crackled. The aimless wind was suddenly drawn into a swirling magic circle around him, moving erratically.

"Pha-ha-ha-ha-! You think that will work? You think I depend on that staff so much!? Hey—! Look at this! I will crush you with this body!"—his voice shifted, slowly transforming into a monstrous tone.

In an instant, his form morphed into a grotesque figure, resembling a giant transparent golem. Standing around 3 meters tall, the figure radiated a burning heat, able to consume anything around it.