Chapter 142: The Start of a Bloody Battle

Chapter 142: The Start of a Bloody Battle

After a few days, the heroes are now within a mile of Kogen’s base of operations.

“It’s up this high hill,” Kurt says. “When it was built, the Light Goddess worshipers wanted to be closer to heaven and believed putting their place of worship on a high hill would make them closer.”

“Sounds like a bad place for an evil guy to be though,” Zeth replies.

“Not necessarily,” Kurt refutes.

They begin climbing the grassy hill. Large trees line the slope, their thick trunks and foliage concealing the fortress from view at a distance. As they reach the top, the structure finally comes into sight. The fortress is massive, constructed from gray brick, with two turret cannons positioned at the front.

The turrets immediately lock onto the heroes and begin charging their beams.

“Take cover!!” Zeth shouts.

They retreat partway down the hill as the turrets fire. The beams slam into the ground, detonating in explosions roughly one meter wide.

“We have to split up!” RAG calls out.

The five heroes separate, moving to opposite sides. As they do, the true scale of the fortress becomes apparent. Its size far exceeds what the original structure used to, making it clear that Kogen expanded it after taking control.

Zeth leaps toward one of the turrets before it fully tracks him. He drives a magic-powered punch into it, only for the blow to be stopped cold by a magic barrier.

“A barrier?”

The turret fires back, but Zeth narrowly dodges the beam.

Sasha moves in to assist. She throws a Dark Spear, and Zeth propels it forward with a Star Shine Blast. The combined attack pierces through the barrier and destroys the turret.

On the opposite side, RAG unleashes a barrage of small energy blasts from his arm, shattering the barrier protecting the second turret.

Kurt follows up with a Flame Aura Punch, obliterating the turret.

With both turrets destroyed, the heroes regroup at the fortress’s front entrance.

“Everyone ready?” Zeth asks.

“Yes!” Sasha answers.

“Let’s do this!” Keith adds.

“You bet I am!” RAG says enthusiastically. “It’s been quite a number of years since I have been in a true life-or-death battle.”

“I couldn’t be more ready!” Kurt declares.

Zeth glares at the entrance door. “Alright, we’re going in!”

***

Meanwhile, in the throne room of the fortress.

“Looks like they found our fortress and destroyed our light defenses,” Udana says.

“We need to crush them!” Goro growls.

“Let’s entertain our guests then,” Kogen says. “I’m sure Bethro is bored as well.”

Gen leaves the room with a slick smile. He thinks, “I’m so glad I will get to see you again, daughter of the Dark Goddess.”

***

Back with the heroes.

Inside the first room of the fortress, which is a rectangular room with a red rug laid out across the middle on top of checkered ceramic tiles, a line of Enigmuses stands waiting, already charging ranged magic attacks.

“They were ready for us!” Zeth shouts.

The Enigmuses release their attacks, mostly beams of magic energy. The heroes attempt to dodge, but the beams curve downward, blasting through the floor.

Sasha, Keith, and RAG fall through the collapsing floor into the first basement level below.

“No!!” Zeth cries out.

“Zeth, they will be fine!” Kurt says urgently. “It’s just the basement floor! We need to continue up here, and besides, this will allow us to cover more ground.”

“Yeah…” Zeth admits. “You’re right.”

He turns back toward the remaining Enigmuses and crosses his arms over his chest. His body begins to glow gold as he charges forward.

“Saykomera!”

When he strikes, a golden wave erupts outward, completely annihilating the Enigmuses. Nothing remains of them.

“I haven’t seen that attack before,” Kurt says.

“I have used it before, but have had little reason to use it most of the time,” Zeth replies. “It takes up a lot of magic energy.”

They continue onward until they reach a hallway that splits into two separate paths.

“We need to split up here,” Kurt says.

Zeth nods. “Okay.”

“Right or left?” Kurt asks.

“I prefer the left so I’m going that way!”

“Alright! I will go right then!”

They head their separate ways, Zeth taking the left path and Kurt taking the right.

***

Zeth enters a large room filled with numerous paintings. As he walks forward, he barely notices three darts speeding toward him from above. He reacts at the last second, jumping aside as they narrowly miss and pierce the floor.

A man dressed in a black ninja uniform drops from the ceiling. It is the same ninja Sasha annihilated back at the mansion, though Zeth does not recognize him. The edges of the ninja’s eyes glow with a vivid blue tint, marking him as an Enigmus under Kogen’s control.

Gido steps into the room as well, smiling like a creep as he usually does.

“Hehehe. Hello Zeth, son of the Light Goddess,” Gido says. “I would love to add you, a divine being, to our Enigmus army. Hehehe.”

“You bastard,” Zeth growls. “You will pay for what you all have done!”

***

Meanwhile with Kurt.

Kurt finds himself in a long hallway, three large windows lining the left side.

“Come out, Emily,” he says. “I know you are there.”

Emily walks out from a corner, stepping into view from the far end of the hall.

“Tisk, tisk. Since you know this place, you ruined my surprise,” she says. “Of course, you are a traitor.”

“Emily…” Kurt says. “Zeth freed me from the darkness, and now in turn, I will free you!!”

Both Zeth and Kurt encounter their first opponents in this battle. And so, it begins.

Chapter 142 END
To be Continued in Chapter 143: Kurt vs Emily. The Life of the Second Friend at Stake!