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Chapter 446: The Fall of the Usher House (6)

– The demon dies under this tree –

Vikir stood on the distant embankment.

[How dare these wretched creatures provoke me…!]]

At the moment the demon’s cry echoed from the center of the lake, Vikir immediately issued an order.

“Open the dam gate.”

Members of the Night Walkers and the knights of Donquixote each raised their spears, cut the ropes, and pierced the earthen wall.

Tudor and Bianca faced each other and unleashed their mana powerfully.

…Boom!

The embankment made of mud and wood collapsed, releasing the waters of Lake Lakedock that had been held back.

Even though the water level had dropped significantly due to drought and wildfires, Lake Lakedock still held a tremendous amount of water.

Roar—

The broken dam released a torrent of water, creating numerous whirlpools as it rushed towards the lake bed.

Down below, the demon could be seen floundering.

Madeline had broken through the life gate, view gate, and open gate according to the principles of the Eight Gates Formation, but no escape route was found.

She tried exiting through the wound gate, fear gate, and rest gate but met with the same result.

However, she didn’t attempt to enter the certain death routes of the Stop gate and death gate, indicating she had some knowledge of the Eight Gates Formation.

“…Indeed. This formation caused great damage to the Human Alliance during the Era of Destruction when Belial and Dantalian used it, so they must have some familiarity with it.”

Vikir was returning the torment that the Human Alliance had once suffered at the hands of the demons.

…But.

The Eight Gates Formation Vikir used was a slightly improved version compared to what Belial and Dantalian had employed.

The reason this was possible was…

“Fufufu—see, I told you it’d be better if you followed my advice?”

It was thanks to Marquis Sade, who was laughing beside Vikir.

He was a person who shouldn’t have been there according to his original fate.

He should have failed to escape Nouvellebag and become food for deep-sea monsters 10,000 meters below the sea.

But Vikir changed fate and rescued him from the depths.

As a result, Marquis Sade was able to fully display his talents as a strategist and tactician, which were not available to the Human Alliance during the Era of Destruction.

‘It’s an interesting formation, but I see a few gaps. If I incorporate the eight trigrams I used during the 47 person incident, I can create an even more malicious formation. Fufufu—’

Marquis Sade had a demonic, no, more than demonic talent for tormenting others and putting them in difficult situations.

‘‘Add the elements of Zhen (震), Xun (巽), Li (離), Kun (坤), Dui (兌), Qian (乾), Kan (坎), and Gen (艮). With the forces of thunder, wind, fire, earth, marsh, heaven, water, and mountain combined, no demon would be able to escape once they set foot on the ground. I can’t wait to see how the one trapped inside struggles in agony—’’

The formation he created was far more cunning and sinister than the one devised by the demons.

“Fufufu! Not even a demon can escape this. Look at her scurrying away like insects!”

“You’re still as twisted as ever.”

Marquis Sade, reveling in his delight, was rebuked by Major Orca standing next to him. They both looked at the crumbling embankment with mixed feelings of satisfaction and regret.

Vikir, too, had experience in building large-scale flood control projects to prevent the Red Death in the village of Ballak, so constructing the dam wasn’t difficult for him.

Once the released water began to surge uncontrollably, it swept over the ridgeline.

The unstable ground, already weakened by drought, crumbled, generating an enormous amount of soil and sediment. The resulting landslide caused the entire ridgeline to collapse.

Then, the massive floodwaters from Lake Lakedock surged down the mountain slope, pouring into the marshland where the Usher family mansion was located.

“Ah! The mansion!”

Bianca exclaimed in shock.

The waters had already surrounded the marshland around the Usher estate, swirling around it violently.

The whirlpool eroded the ground beneath the castle, carving it away in a circular motion.

The island in the middle of the marsh, where the Usher mansion stood, was gradually sinking.

“Father!”

Bianca screamed and rushed forward, but Tudor stopped her.

“Bianca! Get a grip! You saw the state of the mansion yourself!”

“…Ahhh!”

Bianca collapsed as if her legs had given out.

If Tudor hadn’t held her tightly, she might have fallen off the cliff and been swept away by the raging currents.

Dolores, Sinclaire, Sancho, and Piggy finally understood why Vikir had distinguished the colors of the fireworks.

‘Confirm the status of Roderick, the head of the Usher family. If he’s alive and can be rescued, set off the red firework. If he’s dead or alive but cannot be moved, set off the black firework.’

‘Why distinguish the colors? What do they signify…?’

‘It’s better you don’t know.’

It was just as he said.

If the red firework had gone off, other plans could have been considered, but with the black firework having been set off, the choice was clear.

Vikir made the decision the moment he saw the black firework.

To completely sweep away the Usher mansion, which had been fully eroded by the Red Death.

“…Father.”

Bianca looked down at the raging currents below the cliff.

The Fall of the House of Usher.

The mansion collapsing into the center of the marsh was reflected in Bianca’s tear-filled eyes.

The beloved home where she had lived her entire life, the proud family estate, was being buried in the shifting sands of history in real-time.

Just then.

[Aaaaah!]

Amidst the collapsing ground and swirling muddy waters, a piercing scream was heard.

Everyone, including Vikir, looked up to see several shadows emerging from the torrents, rushing onto solid ground.

A giant wing replacing a missing hand.

Sharp teeth protruding from a beak-like mouth.

Claws resembling a mix of blades and hooks and grotesquely swollen chest muscles.

Enormous humanoid birds crawled out of the currents onto the ground.

Among them, the largest and broadest-winged monstrous bird was immediately recognized by Bianca.

“Isotrope!”

How could she forget? The traitor who had betrayed the head of the family and sided with the demons.

The pursuer who had poisoned the marshlands, driven Roderick to ruin, and relentlessly hunted Bianca, clawing at her body and soul.

Transformed into a demon, Isotrope glared at Bianca with bloodshot eyes.

[How dare you devise such a scheme. I almost drowned while chasing you.]

“Die!”

Bianca immediately drew an arrow.

A lightning-fast shot!

Boom!

But the transformed Isotrope swung his enormous wing and deflected the arrow.

[Hehehe… You think you can fight a demon with your puny human strength? Still as delusional as ever.]

Any wounds would heal quickly.

Isotrope boasted, flaunting his now even larger and more muscular body.

At that moment.

“…It’s been a while.”

Vikir stepped forward.

Vikir had encountered Isotrope once before, during his transfer to Nouvellebag, where Isotrope had been a guard.

[……!]

—

Despite not flinching at Bianca’s rage, Isotrope shuddered at Vikir’s call.

This was because he had a past experience of being brutally defeated after instigating a mutiny on a ship.

However, soon a slow smile spread across Isotrope’s lips.

[Back then, I was alone, but not now! With my followers by my side, I have no reason to fear the likes of you!]

As Isotrope said, demons crawled out of the vortex, gathering behind him.

“What’s this? Why are there so many birds? They don’t look particularly strong, but they sure are annoying.”

“Don’t let your guard down, escapee. Those things self-destruct when cornered.”

The presence of the demons was enough to make even Marquis Sade and Commander Orca wary.

Camus, who was dismantling the steel frames inside the dam, clicked her tongue regretfully.

“Ah, it’s a shame the water level is low due to the drought. If it weren’t for that, we could have swept them all away cleanly.”

The prolonged drought and wildfires had reduced the water in Lake Lakedock, which was a critical variable.

Despite the powerful landslides and debris flow, a significant number of demons survived, and even the Usher family estate, which had been half-eroded, saw a reduction in its collapse.

Isotrope laughed darkly.

[Lady Madeline is different from a fool like Monte. While Monte was infatuated with some random seeds he happened to find, Lady Madeline trained the demon army properly. Behold the result!]

Among the Usher family’s knights, those who had willingly become demon servants roared fiercely, shaking off the water from their feathers.

[As long as we live, Lady Madeline is certainly safe! Now, your end has come!]

Even now, the number of demons crawling ashore continued to increase.

Isotrope’s confidence was not unfounded.

However.

“Well, I think we have the upper hand in numbers.”

At Vikir’s calm remark, Isotrope’s eyes widened.

[W-What nonsense is this…?]

No matter how much he looked around, he couldn’t see any additional forces.

Only a few Night Walkers and a handful of knights from the Donquixote Clan were present.

[Stop bluffing! Attack!]

At Isotrope’s shout, the demons behind him simultaneously spread their wings.

Bats, eagles, owls, hawks, and other birds of prey—all soared into the sky.

…However.

They soon understood what Vikir meant.

Shlrooorook—

Something had emerged from the water’s surface, grabbing the demons by their ankles.

No, it had been gripping their ankles since they came out of the water.

Vines. Long and tough.

As the demons took flight, they felt a powerful force pulling them back by their ankles.

[W-What is this?]

Isotrope also looked at the vine coiled around his ankle.

The vine radiated a formidable strength, rooted in obsession—no, hunger.

[…?]

Following the vine’s length, he saw water at the end of his gaze.

The vine extended into the water.

And soon, a massive face-like figure emerged from beneath the surface.

Shlaaaaak—

A huge, round face pushed through the swirling water.

Sluuurp!

A face devoid of eyes, nose, or ears, but filled with a gaping mouth and countless teeth.

The Bloodsoaked Jade flowers..

Countless seeds of this flower were sprouting below the water.