Crusader

Chapter 39: Crusader

Fortunately, the danger had been foreseen.

Han Dong stopped halfway through the passage... and had Cas investigate alone.

Otherwise, if he had reached the end, he wouldn't have been able to escape with Han Dong's current physique.

Although judging by the sounds, Cas was still a hundred meters away from Han Dong, the situation was still critical.

Chen Li immediately appeared, helped Han Dong, and accelerated their escape from the secret passage…

"Judging by the overlapping sounds of claws, there are at least three ghouls chasing us… As long as we can get back to the previous basement, there will be a way."

With Chen Li's help, Han Dong, running at an ordinary person's speed, was the first to escape back to the basement.

"Miss Chen Li, you should hide quickly… I'll let you help if necessary."

"Okay."

Han Dong stood alone at the entrance of the secret passage, waiting for Cas to arrive.

A moment later.

Cas appeared in sight, holding a torch.

Clearly visible, Cas, wearing goggles, had faint dark patterns around his eye sockets… This was a visual manifestation of "Visual Pollution."

And behind Cas, there were at least five ghouls of different forms.

By the light of the torch, Han Dong saw the true appearance of the ghouls for the first time.

They were humanoid creatures with leathery, elastic, dark green skin.

Their kneecaps protruded, and their fangs, capable of easily crushing bone, were exposed.

Their spinal columns were curved, with some parts protruding from their bodies, and the muscle tissue covering their entire bodies was dense and strong.

Whether it was their skin, teeth, or terrifying sharp claws, their surfaces were covered with dense black fungi.

Once they tore through human skin, they would instantly cause infectious damage.

If the wounds were not treated promptly, they would immediately fester and rot… even leading to gangrene in a short period, requiring amputation even if they survived.

Upon closer inspection, a dangerous and easily overlooked 'detail' could be noticed.

There were several inconspicuous natural wounds on the surface of these ghouls' bodies.

Short tentacles would occasionally emerge from the surfaces of these wounds, which was extremely bizarre.

The ghouls' movement speed was comparable to Cas, who had invested three Destiny Points.

Especially one ghoul that was half a size larger than the others, with its spinal column completely protruding from its body, moved even faster.

Its sharp claws could easily leave scratches on the stone walls.

It was faster, even gradually widening the distance between itself and the ghouls behind it during the chase… It was about to catch up to the young Cas.

Just as its sharp claws grazed the surface of Cas's armor on his back.

He rushed out of the passage.

Momentarily, Cas lost his balance and fell forward onto the ground as he emerged.

Han Dong timed it perfectly, reached out to touch the switch, and the secret door closed.

Click!

Precisely timed.

The closing of the secret door allowed the leading ghoul to escape, while the ghouls behind were trapped inside the secret passage.

With a stone secret door nearly two meters thick, these ordinary ghouls couldn't break through it yet…

This particularly huge ghoul, reaching two meters in length and still adorned with scraps of linen on its body, seemed to be the mastermind of this incident.

The culprit who killed the mistress.

Without regard for whether its companions had kept up, its black, spherical eyes were fixed on the young knight Cas… It had to kill him and conceal the matter of its lair.

With sharp claws and fangs.

It lunged directly at Cas's head.

Clang!

A loud metallic impact echoed in the basement.

Although Cas had fallen to the ground, he was always in a combat-ready state… he swung his shield with his backhand.

A perfectly timed block, forming a "Perfect Block."

It not only completely blocked the attack but also repelled the ghoul a certain distance, giving Knight Cas time to adjust his stance.

"Yaa~a!" Just as the ghoul let out a strange roar and prepared to launch its next attack.

A dangerous green energy projectile shot directly towards the back of the ghoul's head.

A highly corrosive Plague immediately spread across the back of its head.

Hiss hiss hiss! A sound like acid eating through metal echoed.

In a short time, the Plague energy had actually corroded a small hole in the skull, and then began to erode the internal brain tissue... the effect was even stronger than expected.

This Plague Ray was, of course, released by Han Dong.

When activating the "Plague Doctor's Short Blade," Han Dong clearly felt a portion of the energy in his brain being drawn out... Based on the remaining energy, he could use this attack about five more times.

If it were a nascent Ghoul, it would probably have collapsed already.

However... the current situation was not that simple.

Just as the Plague was about to affect its brain, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Short, thin, dark tendrils appeared at the Ghoul's fractured skull opening.

The tendrils writhed and intertwined, neutralizing the Plague while also repairing the skull.

"Tendrils!? Self-repair!"

At this, the Ghoul's 'target' shifted even further.

It turned its ugly head to face the frail Han Dong... viscous saliva mixed with fungal matter continuously dripped from between its teeth.

Sizzle~ sizzle~ sizzle! (Electromagnetic interference sound)

As the Ghoul's black eyes met Han Dong's, a noise akin to electromagnetic interference echoed in his mind... He vaguely saw something flash within the Ghoul's pupils.

However...

Under such close-range eye contact, Han Dong was completely fine.

Unlike Cas, whose Destiny Points were only slightly higher than his.

Han Dong didn't suffer any so-called 'Visual Pollution,' nor any sensory discomfort, nor headaches or hallucinations, and no dark streaks appeared near his eye sockets.

It wasn't the effect of the goggles.

Han Dong had a vague feeling that even without the goggles, he wouldn't be in any danger.

Of course, Visual Pollution was secondary... How to deal with this Ghoul was the key.

Just then.

Bang!

A spherical holy water bomb was hurled at the Ghoul (the spherical container holding the holy water).

Sizzle sizzle sizzle! A large amount of white steam rose.

The Ghoul writhed frantically on the ground in pain, but because its claws flailed wildly, it was difficult to get close for a finishing blow.

"Friend Andvar, stand behind me... we can still handle a mature Ghoul."

Taking advantage of the opportunity created by the holy water bomb.

Han Dong immediately positioned himself behind Cas to avoid being isolated.

"You just need to find an opening and attack from a distance, just like before!

For low-level monsters like the Ghoul, their physical structure still falls within the human range. As an Occultist, you should know this better than I do... aim for their heads and hearts."

"Understood."

With that said!

Cas assumed a fighting stance.

His left hand held a shield, positioned in front of him.

His right hand held a sword, kept behind the shield.

This stance seemed to hold special significance...

Crusader's Power

Instantly, Cas, clad in golden hair and silver armor, was enveloped in a faint silver glow.

A shallow cross mark even appeared on his forehead.

It was like a temporary amplification skill.

The Ghoul, corroded by the holy water, recovered in a short period... and was now in a state of rage, with wisps of black smoke emanating from its black eyes.

It lunged.

Determined to tear Cas to shreds.

"Hoo..."

Taking a deep breath.

Lowering his center of gravity.

The moment the Ghoul lunged, Cas's forehead veins bulged, and he forcefully stomped his hind leg against the ground, channeling all his strength into his left arm holding the shield.

"Shield Bash"

Clang! (A dull thud of metal on metal)

The ghoul, over two meters tall, was sent flying by Cas's shield bash.

"So heavy... that took some effort."

Cas endured and suppressed the trembling sensation in his arm.

He retracted his shield and charged forward.

The moment the ghoul landed, he swung his silver sword.

"Cross Slash"

Wherever the silver light struck, the ghoul's flesh was cleanly severed.

Its black heart, hidden beneath its ribs, was clearly visible!