Chapter 166 – Struggle for Dominance (5)
Slash—
Lochter mercilessly decapitated the shamans who had clung to his pants, begging for mercy.
These were the ones who had used humans as sacrifices to study dark sorcery in their hidden nest.
Even if they confessed everything, there had never been any intention to let them live.
"Elton!"
At my call, he, who had been harassing the cursed puppets with his flame sword, approached with his group.
I glanced at the Van Dyke puppets, either burning or flailing around having lost their controllers.
It was a grotesque sight, but with their shamans dead, the Vandyke were no longer a serious threat.
I tasked Elton’s group with searching the base.
These bastards had abandoned their nest and moved to a secret outpost in preparation for an attack. There was no way they’d come empty-handed.
As Elton’s group disappeared down into the pit that seemed to lead to the base, I stripped the robes from the dead shamans and searched their bodies.
“Nothing.”
I’d hoped for something special, but there was nothing of note.
They must have escaped the base hastily, unable to pack due to Lily’s spell.
A witch’s breath—what kind of principle made it so effective?
"Woof!"
“No, Keros!”
Looking over, I saw the witch and her pup playing tug-of-war with one of the Vandyke puppets.
Keros trying to bite into the puppet, Lily gripping its neck to pull it back.
As I approached, Lily pointed to the puppet and spoke.
“These puppets feel strangely familiar.”
“Do they remind you of the Guardians?”
“Similar, but different. Cruder... Hm? Do you know the Forest of Ghosts?”
“I don’t know the details, but I know the Guardians there are spirits.”
I pulled out my dagger and stabbed the Vandyke in front of me.
Golden divine power burst forth, and the cloth puppet melted away with a scream.
Though invisible to me, Lily clearly saw something else.
She scowled and muttered,
“They’re corrupted beings formed by attaching specific spirits. But the scent... it’s similar to the Guardians that protect the forest. Is this the shamans’ work?”
“They’re called Van Dyke.”
“Van Dyke?”
Cursed puppets, Van Dyke.
One of Kamel’s key cards for conquering the Forest of Ghosts—
but also something I could use to persuade the witches.
The problem was: how to take them with us?
“Could you perhaps swallow them?”
“Huh? Wait a sec...”
Lily put her fist to her mouth as if to try—then shook her head.
No, not you.
“I meant him.”
“Keros? He probably can.”
I already knew that one of Cerberus Keros’ abilities was his pocket dimension.
That tiny snout contained a massive storage space.
After some whispering between the witch and her dog, Lily came back with an offer.
“He wants half as snacks.”
“You mean... Van Dyke puppets as snacks?”
“Doggy’s omnivorous. He eats this kind of stuff just fine.”
So he hadn’t been trying to attack the puppet, but to eat it.
Knowing that soul consumption was part of Cerberus’ evolution, I accepted the deal without hesitation.
After all, we really only needed one puppet.
Chomp!
Keros’ tiny jaws bit into a Vandyke’s head.
With a violent shake, the puppet’s flaming body quickly lost its fire.
Gulp—
A bizarre sight unfolded as the giant puppet was swallowed whole by the tiny pup’s mouth.
It reminded me of an anaconda devouring a boar whole.
“…Wasn’t it just a normal animal?”
Judging by Lochter’s groan, he hadn’t realized Keros’ true nature either.
If Karl had seen this, he would’ve fainted from laughter.
The Vandyke puppets disappeared into Keros’ mouth in an instant.
BUURRP—
A loud belch came from the tiny dog.
“Eat lots and grow up strong!”
“Woof!”
While Lily praised him and patted his head, Elton’s group emerged from the pit.
He carried a large bag slung over his shoulder, packed with all the valuable items from the secret outpost.
Reaching inside, he pulled out a large crystal orb.
“Found this.”
“A comm orb.”
“There were some scribbled notes next to it…”
“Let’s see.”
After scanning the notes quickly, I nodded.
The content matched what we’d already extracted through torture.
Instructions from their master, Rengua, outlining the next steps for the shamans who had relocated to the secret base.
Comparing this with previous intel strengthened the reliability of our information.
So they really knew nothing about Kamel’s movements…
This comm orb appeared to connect directly to Rengua.
Inside the bag were numerous arcane tools and papers covered in shamanic script—too complex to analyze right away, but with Lily, we could take our time.
For now, I gathered the intact blood-red robes.
“What are you taking those for?”
“Might come in handy.”
I gave a simple answer to Lochter’s question as we exited the pit.
Outside, the world had completely changed.
Only raging flames remained.
The heat was intense enough to burn a normal person alive, but none of us were normal.
We moved forward, brushing off the stench of burning corpses.
I noticed Lochter’s expression growing heavier.
A faint smile on his lips—one that looked both bitter and sorrowful.
“Farewell.”
He muttered softly.
His gaze lingered on the burning mounds of corpses—perhaps saying goodbye to friends, comrades, or someone dear buried here.
Then he looked at me.
Blood stained me from head to toe—he must’ve fought just as fiercely.
He asked,
“I heard from Karl that the rumors spreading through the territory… are your doing.”
“You heard?”
“Why?”
Word had spread like wildfire.
Normally one might take pride in such fame, but Lochter seemed different.
“It’s all true, isn’t it?”
“True?”
“You wiped out the hunters, rescued the enslaved, and shared the spoils. Is any part of that a lie?”
“If I hadn’t fled to the Kenline River, none of them would’ve been captured in the first place.”
“Kamel is the one who paid a million gold to summon the hunters. Not you.”
“I didn’t do it alone.”
“Hunt did it. And you’re the leader of Hunt. Using your name was my decision as the commander.”
“What are you planning?”
There was no reproach or complaint in his eyes—only genuine curiosity.
It meant he trusted me.
“I’m weighing the angles.”
“Angles?”
I hadn’t explained my full plan to anyone yet—because I wasn’t sure of it myself.
But discovering the secret outpost thanks to Lily and the information we’d gathered there had begun to crystallize my thoughts.
“Wasn’t the plan to shake the territory and then pull out?”
“Yes. Burn Wailing Hill, ravage the lord’s castle, raise your reputation, and leave.”
“Changed your mind?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Kamel’s taken Etor.”
“…!”
Lochter, who’d been running through the flames, froze.
The rest of the group stopped with him.
Realizing his slip, Lochter resumed moving and caught up to me.
His eyes were filled with doubt.
“Etor fell? Baron Tomzael’s incompetent, sure, but he had Knight Wiley. It shouldn’t have gone down so easily…”
“This intel came from the Black Rose. It’s no lie. All of Etor is in Kamel’s hands.”
Silence.
The others, including Elton, had been listening closely.
The fall of Etor clearly shocked them.
I briefly explained the situation as reported by the Black Rose: The disappearance of Baron Tomzael and his knights, Kamel rising as Etor’s hero.
Lochter groaned and asked quickly,
“What now?”
“If Blyer and Etor’s forces unite, Beneta will be overwhelmed in every way.
Kamel will gain full control of Tobaron.”
“What should I do?”
He asked immediately.
Maybe spending time with Karl had helped him adapt to changing circumstances.
He didn’t seem like the same old stubborn Lochter.
“We need to flip this place.”
“Blyer?”
“We have one or two days at most. In that time, we must split Blyer.”
“So by ‘angles’…”
I nodded.
“I’m assessing the odds—whether we can split Blyer from within.”
“Do you have your answer?”
“We need them. Have you found them?”
What I’d asked of Lochter was to find the fallen nobles—those who once supported the former lord and his heir.
They’d been the first targets of Kamel’s purge, but many had survived.
According to the story, they’d been lying low near Blyer, and when Lochter Felice emerged, they’d quickly rally to him.
We needed their help to flip Blyer immediately.
“I found them. No, they found me first.”
“They found you?”
“They heard the rumors spreading and came looking for me. It was easy to meet them.”
From Lily’s accidental discovery of the outpost, to the nobles seeking out Lochter—
It was as if the heavens were guiding his hand.
Perhaps it was a divine sign.
“Where are they?”
“Wailing Hill.”
“…What?”
“Many of those hauling carts were with us. They knew the symbolism of the hill and came to help.”
I thought back to the ones who had set the fires below the hill.
I had told the old man to throw the torches in—but they’d moved quickly. Too quickly.
I remembered how the old man had suspiciously questioned me, asking if I was from the castle.
Could he have been one of the former vassals?
“How many are there?”
“They’re a scattered network, so I’ll have the exact number by tonight. But I’m sure we’ll gather at least 500.”
“And those gathered here?”
“Around 100.
They’re the toughest survivors within Blyer—far stronger than average.”
“Bingo.”
I grinned at Lochter.
All the pieces were in place.
To flip Blyer, I needed three things:
Lochter, the central figure.
A strong faction to support him.
An escape route.
We already had #1 and #3.
Until now, we were missing #2.
But now...
“I’ve got my answer.”
“What is it?”
All eyes turned to me.
Everything would change based on my answer.
“Let’s flip it.”
If this plan succeeded, we would seize the initiative.
The plan was simple: Create the anti-Kamel Blazer alliance right here in Blyer, then escape with the core intact.
An insane plan, sure—But for someone who knew the story, it was possible.
The key was when the Butcher’s troops would arrive.
How many could we extract before then?
At that moment—
Beeeeeeep
Karl’s signal came.
From the beacon, it looked like troops had finally emerged from Blyer Castle.
I summoned the Ring of Blood and looked around at the team.
“How about a warm-up before we flip the board?”
“I thought we already did.”
“This won’t even count as a warm-up. But after that… it’s going to be rough.”
I’d already roughly estimated the incoming force based on intel from the Black Rose and the secret base.
The first wave would arrive soon.
At my words, Lochter and Elton’s group smirked and readied their weapons.
“Count on us.”
Lochter unsheathed his sword and charged down the hill, murmuring softly—
“Captain.”
He had acknowledged me completely as his leader.