Chapter 124: ⟨Level 1 Soul Guardian Repair Platform⟩
WHOOSH!!
A projectile burst out from the darkness behind it.
The Headless Soul Knight reacted almost instantly. Its hand moved toward the sword hanging at its waist.
Clang!
The azure-lit blade left its sheath in a smooth motion.
Sparks burst into the darkness as the incoming projectile was knocked away.
The projectile spun several times before embedding itself deep into the rocky ground.
"...An arrow?" Edgar’s expression immediately stiffened.
From the Guardian’s strange vision, he clearly saw the feathered shaft quivering against the stone.
It wasn’t made from bone or anything that looked unusual.
It was an ordinary arrow. "...Who fired that?"
Several possibilities flashed through Edgar’s mind.
’A powerful Nightmare... but why would they use a bow?’
That immediately brought another possibility.
’Humans?’
His brows furrowed. ’But how could humans survive inside the Norwood Mountains?’
Even Gordon had described the place as one of the deadliest regions nearby.
Not only were powerful Nightmares everywhere, but the Eternal Night had already begun.
No ordinary settlement could possibly exist here.
Before Edgar could think any further, more whistling sounds echoed.
WHOOSH!!
WHOOSH!!
A rain of arrows suddenly erupted from the darkness.
Dozens of black streaks tore through the air from several different directions.
The Headless Soul Knight instantly moved, ignoring its massive body.
Clang!
Clang!
Its sword became nothing more than a streak of azure light.
Arrow after arrow was deflected away.
Those coming from its blind angles or rather, the impossible angles that even its strange vision couldn’t react to in time struck directly against its body.
Crack!
Wood splintered as several arrows lodged themselves between its ribs.
Another pierced through one of its legs as the skeletal Commander staggered but refused to stop moving.
"...Damn."
Edgar’s expression gradually turned more serious.
Whoever these attackers were, they weren’t ordinary archers.
If they were operating as a group, then they had an unholy level of coordination.
Every volley arrived from a different direction.
They were intentionally limiting the Commander’s movements.
More arrows whistled through the darkness as Edgar racked his brain to find answers.
WHOOSH!!
The Headless Soul Knight barely twisted aside.
One shaft scraped across its black bones before disappearing into the cliff behind it.
Another shattered against its shoulder.
"...This isn’t worth it."
Edgar immediately reached a decision.
He hadn’t sent the Commander here to fight unknown enemies.
His objective had always been the flowers.
’Forget the attackers. Just collect as many flowers as possible and retreat.’
The order immediately reached the Commander.
Without hesitation, the Headless Soul Knight grabbed the small bronze bell hanging from its waist.
Ring!! Ring!!
The clear sound echoed throughout the mountains.
Only moments later, a mist began to appear below it, taking the shape of a horse.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Heavy hoofbeats shook the rocky ground.
Its skeletal Soul Steed moved swiftly.
Without slowing down, it charged directly toward the cliff alongside the Commander to reach the flowers.
The horse immediately positioned itself between the Commander and the incoming arrows.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Arrow after arrow buried itself into the Soul Steed’s skeletal frame.
Using those precious seconds, the Headless Soul Knight rapidly plucked every glowing flower within reach.
Its movements were unbelievably efficient.
The pale golden blossoms quickly disappeared into the pouch hanging from its waist.
Just then, another volley of arrows arrived toward them.
WHOOSH!!
Several arrows struck the Soul Steed once more.
Bone fragments scattered through the air.
Once the quota of flowers needed for the ritual was complete, Edgar immediately ordered,
’Leave.’
The Commander didn’t hesitate.
It planted one foot onto the horse before smoothly mounting its back.
BOOM!!
The skeletal horse exploded forward with terrifying speed.
The cliff rapidly disappeared behind them.
For several seconds, nothing followed, and the bombardment of arrows stopped.
Edgar quietly let out a breath.
’We made it--’
WHOOSH!!
A single arrow suddenly emerged from the darkness.
It was far faster than every arrow before it. Even Edgar barely caught sight of it. "...Too fast!"
The Headless Soul Knight instinctively twisted, but it wasn’t enough.
CRACK!!
The arrow buried itself deep into the Commander’s left shoulder.
"...?"
Before Edgar could understand what had happened, the engravings carved along the arrow shaft suddenly ignited.
Golden light erupted across its surface.
"...Runes?"
BOOOOM!!
A violent explosion engulfed the Commander’s upper body.
Black bone fragments scattered across the mountainside.
Its entire left arm disappeared.
Even the Soul Steed stumbled from the blast.
Yet the Headless Soul Knight never slowed down.
Still gripping the reins with its remaining hand, it continued galloping through the darkness as though nothing had happened.
Only after several kilometres did the arrows finally stop pursuing them.
...
Inside his house, Edgar abruptly opened his eyes.
"..."
For several long seconds, he simply sat there in silence.
His breathing had become noticeably heavier.
"...Runic arrows."
He rubbed his aching temples.
The headache from maintaining the Soul Network had returned, but compared to what he had just witnessed, the pain hardly mattered.
"There are intelligent enemies inside the Norwood Mountains..."
Enemies capable of crafting explosive runes.
Enemies skilled enough to nearly destroy a Commander Soul Guardian with a single arrow.
Edgar slowly leaned back.
"...That place is far more dangerous than I thought."
Still, his gaze drifted toward the system notification showing the collected flowers.
A small smile appeared despite everything. "...At least we got what we came for."
The Sornja Flowers were finally in his possession.
Now, only the damaged Commander remained.
Edgar immediately stood up. "I can’t leave it like that."
Without wasting another second, he walked outside.
The cool night air greeted him once again.
He continued toward the northern side of the Fortress until he found an empty stretch of land large enough for construction.
"...This should do."
A translucent system screen quietly appeared before him.
Edgar selected a new structure that he had obtained from the system.
---
⟨Level 1 Soul Guardian Repair Platform⟩
---
Without hesitation, he used twenty White Nightmare Stones for the structure.
Their pale white liquid immediately flowed onto the empty ground.
The liquid spread across the earth before rapidly taking shape.
Stone walls slowly rose upward.
Ancient runes lit up one after another across the newly forming structure.
Within only a few minutes, a completely new building stood quietly beneath the Eternal Night.
After finishing the work, Edgar checked the Soul Network to see how those who were close to the Han River were doing.