Chapter 166 : Chapter 166

Chapter 166 - A True Clan Member

The black cloud that the Youngest Son saw first and the Gatekeeper saw afterward approached without stopping.

When he squinted his bloodshot eyes, the black cloud was a flock of crows.

Their beaks were large enough to pierce through any shield or armor in an instant, and their claws and size were monstrous.

The winged beasts, turned into monsters by the combination of the East's innate yin energy and violent environment, had come to fill their hungry stomachs.

Soon after, the driver also spotted the clearly strange cloud.

“Damn it…!!”

Ding-ding-ding-ding─

The bell connected to the driver’s cabin rang fiercely.

As the sound of the bell filled the train from its head to its tail, the soldiers moved in perfect unison.

For now, they paid no mind to the Youngest Son and found their places inside the train.

Even though the driver had essentially only rung the bell, all the hundreds of soldiers here had grasped the situation.

The Youngest Son nodded with a smile.

“Impressive. Their unity is so good it's hard to believe most of them are death row inmates or exiles.”

“They are suppressing the violence of their egos under the heavy name of Millesdusk.”

“The auras they subtly exude are not to be taken lightly either.”

Of course, as a clan member, he could more than look down on them, but it was absolutely not the case for an ordinary person.

Each and every one of them here was worthy of being recognized as a warrior anywhere on the continent.

It meant their skills were enough to make a living with a sword.

The Gatekeeper, who was watching their prepared stance, answered in a low voice.

“Those with talents not permitted in society usually choose this place as their final destination.”

“Because those who chose other places became dew on the execution ground?”

“That’s the biggest reason. There are many who want a stage to show off their talents, and just as many who are crazy.”

He understood that well even now.

Fear could be felt from the soldiers, but there were also many who were addicted to the elation and ecstasy that came just before death.

“Those that cannot be controlled unless killed or exiled have all gathered here.”

As soon as the Gatekeeper finished speaking, the driver’s hoarse voice echoed through the cars via a horn.

-You bastards. Keep your wits about you.

Jumbled mechanical noises were mixed in with his voice, but there was no one who couldn’t understand.

If they didn’t want to die, they had to.

-Anyone who lets their guard down just because we’re near the supply depot will be torn to death by my claws, not those crow’s.

Yes─!! Understood─!!

The soldiers answered thunderously.

Soon after, in addition to the driver’s voice, another noise began to enter their ears.

It was the sound of large wings moving simultaneously, and also the sound of beaks clashing.

The driver no longer shouted.

-Anti-aircraft fixed cannons. Open.

Clank─ Thuuuud─

From a car behind where the Youngest Son was sitting, the sound of a lump of iron moving echoed heavily.

“Hoo. How interesting.”

Watching it from outside a monitor wasn’t much different from other games, so he wasn’t very impressed.

But watching the train roof open and the anti-aircraft guns reveal themselves right before his eyes was quite a sight.

It was exactly to his taste.

“Those aren't cannons for fireworks. It’s going to get loud enough to tear your eardrums, so please step away from the window.”

“Don't worry about me. Worry about your own old ears.”

“I’m as used to it as I can be.”

The Gatekeeper’s hands, without him knowing, bent one finger at a time.

5.2.3.2.1.

By the time all his fingers from thumb to pinky were folded into a fist, a shell as blunt as that fist was fired.

──!!

───!!

A deafening roar that made the train’s thick glass vibrate greatly shook the railway.

The cannon fire was huge enough to be recognized even from here. The shell mercilessly erased whatever it touched.

“The firepower is incredible, but close-quarters combat is indispensable against monsters that always swarm in such large numbers.”

“That’s right. And that’s when people die.”

The Gatekeeper also calmly acknowledged it.

The soldiers, knowing that fact as well, continued to load and fire at maximum speed.

And yet, the winged beasts chirped as if to mock them and came within not only the cannon's range but also the guns' range.

“Shoot! You bastards! Shoot!”

Not only the artillerymen but also other soldiers busily pulled their triggers.

However, the creatures were swift. And at the same time, they were tough.

It was a common sight for them to use the corpses of their comrades shot by guns as shields, holding them with their feet and beaks.

The Gatekeeper sneered as if it wasn't surprising at all.

“Those crows are much more intelligent than they look. So if the situation escalates to close combat, the battle becomes even dirtier.”

The Youngest Son watched, resting his chin on his hand.

Now that they were close enough for his bloodshot eyes to count their feathers, the driver shouted once more.

-Prepare for close combat! Close the anti-aircraft gun roof and grab your long spears!

The soldiers moved skillfully, as if they had expected this.

Whether it was a clan member or these people, struggling to survive was the same.

He could guess what kind of future would unfold, but surviving it was another matter.

The soldiers each gripped their long spears, connected another pole, and brought it to the outer wall of the train.

“I wondered why there were these round grooves, but it was in preparation for times like this.”

“That’s right. They are usually blocked, but when we have to engage in close combat from the train, we start by inserting the long spears for a diversion.”

“It must have taken a lot of manpower to develop this basic strategy to this point.”

“Manpower doesn’t matter. The problem is that lives are lost.”

-Stab them! Tonight’s dinner is crow skewers!

A flock of crows that had begun to surround the train.

The soldiers gripped their long spears with both hands and repeatedly thrust and pulled.

Each time, the pole was painted red, giving a feel similar to harpooning.

The Youngest Son, still sitting with his legs crossed, said nonchalantly.

“They’re all doing well.”

“…You came here to hunt, yet is it alright for you to just sit there like this?”

“What’s the matter? Even though you left, it's still your hometown, so you must be worried about your juniors.”

“I was just afraid that your business, Young Master, would be unnecessarily delayed.”

The Gatekeeper, as the Youngest Son’s lapdog, recited a verse.

His smoothly moving tongue was as if it had been oiled.

“At a time when it’s clear that time is gold, can we afford to be held back by mere crows? I know full well that you, Young Master, use even a minute preciously.”

The Youngest Son let out a hollow laugh.

“Who taught you to speak like that? It certainly wasn't me.”

“It was you, Young Master.”

“I said it wasn’t.”

“It was definitely you, Young Master.”

“It must have been the Head Maid. The Head Maid made you like this.”

The Youngest Son clicked his tongue lightly and stood up from his seat.

“As you said, I’ve seen the potential of the border well. My ambition has also grown larger than before.”

“…Ambition?”

The Youngest Son floated the Bloodstone he had taken out from his coat.

Now that it was filled with a considerable amount of blood, he could float the Bloodstone as if moving magic power.

It was a red cannonball to be shot at the crows, just as the soldiers had shot their shells.

“Driver.”

“Y-Young Master? It’s dangerous for you to be here!”

Meeting him in the nearby driver’s cabin, he was checking his surroundings for any additional individuals.

Inside the train, the driver here was the one in command, and at this point, he wanted to ask.

“What’s your name?”

“Wa-Walter. Eddie Walter. But that’s not what’s important right now─”

“The exit must be here. I’m going to get some fresh air.”

“Ex-Excuse me? There are hundreds of monster crows swarming outside right now! If you go out now─!”

Clank─

He closed the train door before he could finish his sentence.

The Youngest Son jumped up onto the train roof, and from there, he could see much more.

The soldiers' long spears, extending like the spines of a hedgehog from the ceiling and outer walls.

The crows impaled on the spear blades, and other crows trying to break the poles to avoid them.

[It’s a complete mess.]

“That’s what the front line is.”

But they had always taken care of themselves, and the border of Millesdusk had not fallen.

Now that it was close combat, the soldiers were firing their curses indiscriminately, making the situation even more of a melee.

“We can get rid of the crows like this, but there’s no meaning in that.”

Clap─!

A clear clap of hands awakened the crows that were drunk on the scent of their own kind’s blood.

“You guys, play with me.”

The man with dark purple hair, who had a red stone floating around him like a satellite.

“Let’s make the fee for playing your blood.”

Grinddddd─

For a moment, red veins bulged all over his body, then following the clap, he snapped his fingers.

Snap─

The Bloodstone, flicked like a marble, aimed first at a crow, then a second crow.

The difference between the first and second was whether their heads had exploded or were about to.

The Bloodstone burst the crows’ heads and simultaneously absorbed the blood from their bodies.

It sucked it up greedily, as if to drink even the marrow, leaving not a single drop behind.

Corpses with not a trace of moisture rolled on the ground.

[Bloodstone Charge: 21.9%]

….

[Bloodstone Charge: 22.3%]

[Bloodstone Charge: 25.8%]

….

….

[Bloodstone Charge: 27.1%]

The Bloodstone gradually approached the color of blood.

“They must have grown up breathing only good air. The charge rate is going up steadily.”

It was a truly satisfying speed, but it had also drawn the attention of all the crows.

Of course, the Youngest Son also made a variation as the situation changed.

“They say even dust can become a mountain when gathered. Let’s see if that’s true.”

His hand moved.

If the Bloodstone was blood, then the handful of bloodstains on the long spears or on the ground was also blood.

They all moved under the direct line of the Queen and revealed their presence.

As if drawn by a magnet, all the blood droplets, big and small, gathered on his pale hand.

The crows, too, lost all interest in the train and the long spears and rushed only towards the pale prey.

As if to fan that interest, a captivating blood-colored magic circle bloomed like a lotus flower.

“You survived the explosion just now quite well. Let’s see if you can do it this time too.”

The condensed blood spread out just as it had come.

The blood droplets, which spread in a fan shape like buckshot, had completely different contents.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang─!!

The blood that had been in this pale hand and left had become an explosive in the form of blood.

The Curse of Explosion, one of the main ingredients of Exploding Bone, was the most used and most confident curse among all curses.

If Kapus had chosen the Curse of Slowing and the Curse of Slashing as his main events, this side was the Curse of Explosion.

Such blood explosions occurred in all directions, but if you looked at them one by one, the scale was not large.

An explosion that was too large would only hinder the absorption of blood.

‘I have to leave a corpse to suck the blood from.’

The blood droplets only burst the threatening wings or beaks, rendering the monsters incapable of fighting.

Other soldiers didn’t see it, but the driver saw it clearly.

“The last rumor I heard about a clan member was that the Fifth Son was a loser who dropped out of the competition….”

How far had the rumor been distorted, and how slowly had it spread?

The one standing on the train right now was no loser.

With both hands, he conducted a torrent of blood, and in between, a red stone passed like a comet.

Anything in its path or grazed by it was completely destroyed.

The clan member, who stood firm without shaking even in the continuous explosions, was indeed worthy of the name ‘ruler of the East.’

“Walter.”

“Yes…!!”

When he came to his senses, the situation was over.

His ears, which had been ringing with the sound of crows cawing, had found peace, and the surroundings were chillingly quiet.

Soon, Eddie Walter met the clan member’s eyes, which were colder than the air.

“May I ask you one thing?”

“As-Ask as much as you wish, Your Highness!”

James knelt on one knee, showing a level of respect that was on a different dimension from before.

Normally, this would have been a situation where one of the train cars was breached and at least twenty people would have died.

However, the clan member had climbed onto the roof himself, lured the attacks, and even finished them off.

For the sake of the soldiers who guarded the front line, but were judged to be a gathering of human trash.

Eddie Walter held his breath and waited for the clan member’s next words.

The Youngest Son of the family said.

“It’s been a while since I killed all the monsters. When are we departing?”

“Ye-Yes?”

“I understand that post-battle train maintenance is done while moving. But the train has cooled down quite a bit. What is the meaning of this?”

“I-I will get it started right away!”

The driver ran off in a hurry and started the train.

Even then, the clan member showed no sign of coming down from the roof.

Silently, on the moving train. He held his position with the floating stone.

Is that what a clan member is?

He felt so incredibly reassured, and that feeling was spreading to all the soldiers.

They were gradually relying on the Youngest Son.

The Gatekeeper, who had unknowingly blended into that atmosphere, clicked his tongue lightly.

‘These guys. They’ve already fallen for it.’

He didn’t know what it was, but they had fallen hard into the Young Master’s trap.

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