I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 54

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[054] The Descent of the Archdevil #6
As the final confrontation drew near, an ominous tension settled over the Stone Plaza.
“Everyone, hurry! We need to reinforce the eastern wall further!”
“Mage Corps, maximize barrier output!”
“You there, earth-attribute mage! Dig the trenches deeper!”
Adventurers and Knights moved with urgent purpose, constructing fortifications.
The barren plaza of mere days ago had transformed into a formidable fortress, now ringed with sandbags, wooden palisades, and trenches.
Yet as I watched the Adventurers kindle their fighting spirit, a bitter smile crossed my lips.
‘How many of them will survive…’
A demon’s assault was far more than mere hordes of monsters rushing forward.
It transcended physical terror—a catastrophic calamity that shattered and annihilated the mind and reason itself.
If things continued as they were, true to the epithet “Duke of Discord” that Andras bore, they would expose their hideous true nature and bring about their own destruction.
Those trenches would become the graves of countless warriors.
But I had already laid countermeasures to prevent that.
I gazed beyond the Rocky Mountain at the blood-red sunset fading into dusk and spoke softly.
“It’s beginning soon. Prepare yourself, Malton. Don’t forget what I told you.”
“Of course. It’s been a long time since I’ve faced a demon.”
Ding—!
「The sun has set! The Night of Madness begins!
「The Dimensional Rift is expanding. Current erosion progress: 80%!」
「Erosion level has reached Stage 5! When the level reaches maximum, Andras will descend! Protect the Portal from the demon’s forces!」
「Current Portal magic progress: 78%」
“They’re coming!!”
With someone’s cry, monsters poured forth from all directions.
Waves of mutant creatures—twisted and bloated by the Dimensional Rift’s influence.
“Fire! Don’t let them reach the Gate under any circumstances!!”
Boom—! As the Mages’ fireballs erupted across the earth, brilliant scarlet sparks scattered in all directions, painting the night sky crimson.
Through the chaos, arrows from the Archers rained down like a deluge, while boulders launched from catapults hurtled forward at terrifying speed.
Under the overwhelming barrage, the monster horde fell without even a scream, swept away like autumn leaves before the wind.
Some creatures attempted ranged attacks, spewing spines and filth, but the Fortified Terrain made defense effortless.
“What are you all doing! Those with nothing to do, repair the walls!!”
“We must buy time until Belmont completes the Gate magic!”
Warriors at the front locked shields, forming an iron wall.
Above them, the claws and fangs of monsters rained down without cessation.
Clang! Clang! Sparks flew with each dull metallic ring, yet the warriors gritted their teeth and held on desperately.
“Now! Strike the flank!!”
At the commander’s order, Knights who had been waiting in reserve charged forth in unison.
They drove through the taut battle line and ruthlessly carved through the monsters’ exposed sides.
Severed limbs flew through the air, and crimson blood erupted like fountains.
It was a display of overwhelming martial prowess, remarkable even considering the substantial forces dedicated to Belmont’s protection.
And in response, a cascade of spells from the diverse Mages poured forth.
The Adventurers, having grown accustomed to handling mutations while gathering materials, appeared far more composed than expected.
“If, if we keep this up, we might actually make it through safely…?”
The moment those hopeful words burst from somewhere in the ranks.
─Kiiiieeeeek―!!
A bone-chilling shriek tore through the air as pitch-black forms erupted from the Sky Rift.
｢Lower-tier demons are appearing through the Dimensional Rift!｣
｢Current erosion progress: 83%!｣
“The, the sky!! Defend above!”
Gargoyles and imps plummeted from the heavens, snatching Adventurers and soaring skyward with their prey.
Before anyone could even scream their death cries, watching comrades torn asunder, the rear—which we’d believed secure—erupted in screams.
Thwack!
“Kgh…?”
The Archer, mid-shot, stared down at his abdomen in disbelief.
A sharp blade protruded from his belly.
The Archer collapsed, but his assailant had already vanished into the crowd.
Ding―!
｢???: Th, they said they’d let me live if I just stopped the Portal from completing…! Th, they promised gold too!｣
｢A Traitor dominated by Andras has revealed their true colors!｣
｢The Traitor destroyed the catapult! Enemies hidden inside are striking from behind our lines!｣
“Wh, what!? A defector!!”
“Everyone be careful!! Watch the ones beside you!”
“Th, that’s him! That bastard hurt my comrade!!”
Across the Battlefield, people began falling without warning.
As the once-solid front line crumbled under the Traitors’ assault, soldiers turned on each other, blades drawn in mutual suspicion.
Paranoia spread like plague, racing through the Trenches in an instant.
Seizing the chaos, colossal Ogres burst from clouds of dust, trampling palisades and obliterating the Defense Line.
Tentacles erupted from fissures in the earth, dragging people down into the depths, while creatures scaling the Cliff harassed our rear.
As the Traitors grew bold, cascading corpse explosions and demon attacks reversed the tide of battle in moments.
Sowing discord and reveling in strife—a method befitting the Duke of Discord.
｢Real-time Portal completion: 87%｣
｢Current erosion progress: 89%!｣
｢Mid-tier demon, Gargantua of Steel, tears through the Dimensional Rift and manifests in this world!!｣
Boom―! Boom―!
As if misfortune piled upon misfortune, heavy footfalls echoed from beyond the Darkness, and a colossal shadow crashed into the center of the Battlefield.
A mid-tier demon emerged, eyes blazing like hellfire—Gargantua.
Its entire body was covered in twisted steel and grotesque horns, a massive black maul gripped in its claws.
─Grrrrr… the scent of humans.
As Gargantua swung its maul, the Adventurers nearby scattered like paper dolls.
“Krraaaagh―!!”
“The Gate!! It’s heading for the Gate!!”
“Stop it!! If we can’t contain that thing, we’re finished!!”
The Adventurers stacked their shields to form a wall, but it proved woefully inadequate.
A single swing of the iron mace crumpled the massive shield, and the warriors behind it collapsed, coughing blood.
Truly, overwhelming destructive power.
“Mages!! Provide covering fire!!”
The Mages in the rear chanted their incantations in unison.
Fireballs and ice spears rained down, but Gargantua snorted derisively and took the barrage head-on.
True to its nature as a demon with a body of steel, the spells left not even a scratch before dissipating uselessly.
“It’s useless!! Its skin is far too thick!!”
“Damn it! If magic won’t work, what are we supposed to do!!”
Gargantua charged toward the Mages with contemptuous disdain.
Then, a single flash of light cut across the Battlefield.
Brilliant—!
“How dare you cause such havoc in this place!!”
Elite Royal Court Knights drew their blades and moved to intercept.
Dazzling auras blazed from the tips of their swords.
“Die, demon!!”
With a sharp sound, a Knight charged forward and severed Gargantua’s left arm, tearing through the steel flesh and releasing a torrent of crimson blood.
Gargantua shrieked in agony and staggered backward.
Against an ordinary demon, this would have significantly diminished its power….
─Kihihit, foolish human insects.
Boom—!!!
｢Steel Gargantua has activated Andras’s Flesh Explosion using its left arm as a medium!!｣
｢Two Knights have been instantly killed!!｣
As iron shrapnel scattered like shrapnel from a grenade, the front lines collapsed in an instant.
Seizing the opportunity, Gargantua swung its remaining arm’s iron mace wildly and charged toward the Gate.
Warriors and Knights moved to block its path, but when they were drenched in the surging demonic blood, they fell into a frenzy and began attacking their own allies.
─Krahaha!! Pathetic insects!!
The moment Gargantua breached the Defense Line and reached near the Gate—.
“What are you all doing.”
A sharp blade’s whistle cleaved across the Battlefield.
Belmont’s Guard Captain stepped forward personally and bisected the creature in a single stroke.
Gargantua was split in two and expired, but the demon’s forces showed no signs of relenting.
｢Andras manifests its power from beyond the Dimensional Rift!!｣
｢The Guard Captain drives a dagger into his own thigh and resists the curse of delusion through sheer mental fortitude!!｣
｢Andras has sealed the Guard Captain’s abilities!!｣
｢Current erosion progress: 92%!｣
｢Portal completion: 91%｣
“Ugh…!”
As the Guard Captain dropped to one knee, the Knights rallied their resolve.
Losing such a valuable combatant stung deeply, yet hope remained alive.
“We’ve already felled a mid-tier demon! If we can just hold on a little longer…!”
Watching the mana coalesce ever more densely around the Portal, the Adventurers prayed in unison.
Just a bit longer, and escape from this place might become reality.
That was when it happened.
“Wait—what in the hells is that?!”
At the very moment hope swelled in everyone’s hearts, the Man in Black Robe crawled from the Trench and crept stealthily toward the Portal.
｢Complete your role!!｣
“A traitor! Unmistakably!”
A Knight in full armor bellowed with a resonant clang, and all eyes snapped toward the Man in Black Robe.
As Doran burst forward with armor clattering, shouts erupted from every direction.
“He’s heading for the Gate! Stop him!!”
Whether Knight, Mage, or anyone else—no one could be permitted to approach the Gate.
If one tainted by the demon’s breath reached it, there was no telling what calamity might unfold.
Dozens of spear points surged toward the man.
A perfect encirclement with no escape.
Yet the man showed no panic.
Clang! He deflected an incoming spear with the back of his hand, twisting its trajectory, then used the recoil to spin his body.
Sweeping a Knight aside with a kick while dispersing smoke pellets hidden within his robe, the man drove straight through the Defense Line.
“Got him!”
A massive warrior brought his axe crashing down, but the man nimbly arched his back and evaded.
He planted his hands on the ground, tumbled forward, used the warrior’s shoulder as a springboard to launch himself upward, and kicked out to sever the pursuing Mage’s incantation mid-spell.
“Ugh!”
While the Mage faltered, the man somersaulted through the air, dodged a spear tip, and upon landing, rolled low to the ground.
Whoosh!
A longsword whistled past overhead; the man swept the Knight’s hamstring to topple him, then used the falling body as a shield against arrows streaking from behind.
Another Knight immediately counterattacked with a sweeping blade, but the man did not evade.
He simply drew a dagger from his breast, deflected the sword’s edge, and altered its trajectory ever so slightly.
The dagger cracked under the impact, but the man seized that instant to drive into the Knight’s guard and strike his solar plexus.
“Gahhh…!”
Every movement seemed to anticipate the attacks.
Like an elf who had lived countless ages, his skill was flawless.
“That’s enough!”
Just as he was breaking through the Defense Line, a Knight forcefully pinned him down—yet strangely, the man raised both hands and submitted without resistance.
When the hood was torn away, a golden-haired elf grinned wickedly beneath.
“This should have drawn enough attention, wouldn’t you say, Doran?”
｢Your ally Malievertone’s Hidden Skill duration has expired!｣
Malton laughed and withdrew Radi’s custom flash bomb from his breast.
Boom—!
A blinding flash erupted, obscuring the Knights’ vision, and in that instant, I had already reached the Gate—disguised as the very Knight who had been beaten down and trampled by Malton at the very beginning.
The same Knight I had impersonated from the start.
‘Well done, Malton.’
“There! There’s someone in front of the Gate!!”
The moment all eyes converged upon the Altar—
I deliberately pulled out the corpse’s arm that I had brought along and hurled it down.
「Andras cackles wildly and casts Flesh Explosion!」
Kabooooom—!
Before everyone’s eyes, the Gate crumbled to ruin.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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