By Zephyria 
Bait. To be bait to lure Devouring Ghouls.
The mere thought of it made one’s knees tremble, but Tae-muk showed neither fear nor dread. His face held only boredom, tedium, and a faint sense of anticipation.
“…….”
Watching Tae-muk, Ho-eun gripped the rough, earthen wall as if pinching it.
He had never once seen Tae-muk be afraid of a Devouring Ghoul. Since he possessed the strength to kill one with a single punch, there was no reason to be afraid; however, even so, one might have ordered a subordinate to do it out of sheer annoyance, but Tae-muk had never once done such a thing.
Tae-muk would have volunteered as bait even if he hadn’t been as strong as he was now. Because he was a general, a commander. Because he had to save the Crimson Rain Brigade and the people of this country.
As his subordinate, Ho-eun felt proud of and respected that sense of responsibility, but as his Bondmate, he found it quite resentful. There were times when he wished Tae-muk would hide in the back, withdraw, or pretend not to know.
“Haa…”
Ho-eun let out a sigh and slid down the wall, collapsing into a sitting position. At that, Seong-im spread the Crimson Rain Brigade cloak wide to wrap around him. Ho-eun gave a thin smile and whispered, “Thank you.”
To be protected by a woman. As a man, it was truly embarrassing and shameful, but since Seong-im was indeed stronger and healthier than he was, and knowing that it would be a great burden if he caught a Gobul, he could not refuse.
Ho-eun curled himself up, wrapping the cloak up to the tip of his nose. And so, time passed.
It was a silent time. The only sounds were the bleakly howling wind or the occasional fluttering of a bird’s wings. In the characteristic cold of dawn, the blood flowing along the tiled house had solidified. No, perhaps it had frozen.
A few soldiers nodded off. Then other soldiers shook them awake. In this cold, if they fell asleep, they might not wake up. It was just as everyone was yawning, rubbing their frozen cheeks, and sniffing their runny noses.
Suddenly, Seong-im shook Gil-sang’s arm violently. Then she pointed toward the mountain pass beyond the village. Startled, Gil-sang sprang up and looked toward the distance.
“Sergeant? What is it?”
Ho-eun asked in a small voice. Gil-sang, staring at the densely wooded mountainside, replied.
“The flag has gone up.”
“The flag…?”
Ho-eun’s eyes widened. The other soldiers nearby snapped alert.
“What—what kind of flag is it?”
Ho-eun asked with a tense face, straightening his back. Gil-sang craned his neck to examine the flag, and soon a smile appeared on his face.
“It’s the Crimson Rain Brigade flag.”
At those words, relief and joy filled the faces of Ho-eun and the soldiers. If it was the Crimson Rain Brigade flag, it was the signal they had been waiting for.
A few soldiers, including Byeonguk, had climbed the mountainside. This was to observe in advance what kind of Devouring Ghoul was approaching. If the red flag of the Crimson Rain Brigade went up, it meant a Leaf Type or Sprout Type Devouring Ghoul had appeared; a black flag made by tearing a piece of tent meant a Devouring Ghoul beyond those types; and if a white cloth went up, it meant the leader could not be identified or did not exist.
And it was the Crimson Rain Brigade flag. It meant a Leaf Type or Sprout Type had appeared.
Ho-eun quickly looked over the wall at Tae-muk. He, too, seemed to have spotted the flag and was staring at the mountainside. Sensing Ho-eun’s gaze, he soon turned his head toward him. As their eyes met, Ho-eun mouthed the words.
‘Thank goodness.’
At that, Tae-muk curled the corners of his lips into a smile. Ho-eun smiled as well. However, that smile did not last long. Though it was the type of Devouring Ghoul they had hoped for, a Devouring Ghoul had appeared nonetheless. They had to be tense. There was no knowing what would happen or how.
“…….”
Ho-eun drew the pistol from his waist.
“…….”
“…….”
Gil-sang and Seong-im also drew their swords, and the other soldiers quietly prepared for battle, drawing their respective weapons. A sharp light flickered in the eyes of those who had been idling.
And before long, the ground began to vibrate faintly.
The vibration was subtle at first, but soon it grew violent enough to make one’s hair quiver. Snow piled on collapsed houses, debris, and trees fell in clumps, and the cracks in the walls deepened. Thump, thud, rumble—the heavy footsteps of something massive could be heard.
“Whew…”
Ho-eun closed his eyes tight and then opened them, taking a deep breath. Even though this wasn’t his first or second time facing a Devouring Ghoul, he was still scared and terrified.
Kieeeeeek!
Kak, kagaak, kaak!
Kkeureuk, kak, kaaaaaak!
As the cries of the Devouring Ghouls echoed from afar, Ho-eun pressed his eye to a gap in the wall.
Through the dense trees, he saw a swarm of Devouring Ghouls with jet-black, glossy skin rushing in. Driven mad by the scent of blood, they didn’t even avoid the trees, charging forward by smashing through them with their Helmet Bones or bodies. With heavy roars of thud and crash, trees fell and the ground shook.
“…….”
Ho-eun counted the number of Devouring Ghouls with his eyes. Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty. Fifty of them. It was a large number, but it was a great relief that it wasn’t hundreds.
Kaaaaaak!
The ones charging fiercely plunged their faces straight into the blood spread on the ground. Some licked the blood-soaked snow with their tongues, while others scooped up handfuls of snow and dirt, or grabbed clumps with their hands to eat.
The ones in the lead reached the tiled house in an instant. They opened their mouths wide and—crunch!—bit into the blood-stained pillars of the house. Others chewed on the porch or the doors. The Devouring Ghouls that arrived afterward dug their claws into the walls and pillars, crawling up toward Tae-muk, who stood on the roof.
Every time the dozens of Devouring Ghouls tore off a piece of the tiled house, the building shook as if it would collapse at any moment.
“…….”
However, Tae-muk, standing on the roof, did not move. He observed the Devouring Ghouls swarming around him one by one. It was as if he were searching for something. Then, he spotted the one in the center of the pack, the one with a leaf-shaped tentacle on its head.
Standing defenseless, the creature was twitching its tentacle rapidly, tilting its head intermittently. Its bright red eyes were fixed on Tae-muk. It seemed to be pouring all its attention into eating the only prey available, completely unaware that the current situation was artificial.
By then, a few Devouring Ghouls had reached the roof of the tiled house. They bared their teeth at Tae-muk and reached out their hands. Just as their teeth were about to sink into Tae-muk’s calf—
Tae-muk leaped down swiftly. And the moment he landed on the ground.
“Now!”
Someone’s voice rang out loudly, and from between the walls, through the gaps of slightly open thatched-roof doors, and from behind the well, arrows that had been poised sharp flew out, slicing through the blue dawn with a shishik, shishik sound.
They pierced the heads of the Devouring Ghouls without a single error. Thud, thwack, thwack—sounds echoed from all over, and a dozen or so Devouring Ghouls collapsed and fell in disorder.
At that moment, Dong-ja, who had been crouching on the opposite side of Ho-eun, sprang up and shouted.
“Kill them! Kill them all except for the tentacle one!”
At her command, the hidden soldiers screamed and charged toward the Devouring Ghouls. The soldiers hiding behind the same wall as Ho-eun also rushed out with their weapons.
Kiek, ieeeeek!
Kak, keuk, kaaaak!
Dealing with the Devouring Ghouls was not difficult. Half of them had already been killed by arrows, and the number of Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers was several times greater. While one person drew the Devouring Ghoul’s attention, another sliced its limbs and took its head. Occasionally, there were soldiers who crushed the Devouring Ghoul’s head like Tae-muk did. It was no easy feat, but perhaps because it had been a while since they encountered Devouring Ghouls, everyone was brimming with energy.
Even amidst this, a few were still entranced by the tiled house. They trembled violently, stuffing things into their mouths that were nothing more than wood and stone, albeit soaked in blood. Thanks to this, the Crimson Rain Brigade was able to dispose of them easily.
Around then, the Tentacle Plant Monster, having belatedly realized the situation, opened its mouth wide and screamed.
Kieeeeek!
Just as it tried to shake its tentacle.
“No.”
A large hand grabbed the tentacle firmly. Tae-muk had reached the Tentacle Plant Monster’s nose before anyone knew it.
The Devouring Ghoul looked at Tae-muk with its red eyes. And at that same moment.
Crunch.
Tae-muk applied strength to the hand gripping the tentacle. The soft tentacle was crushed like a boiled potato, oozing through Tae-muk’s fingers. Simultaneously, the surrounding Devouring Ghouls stopped moving instantly. The noisy surroundings fell silent in a heartbeat. All that could be heard were the shouts of the soldiers cutting down the creatures’ necks.
The heads of the Devouring Ghouls fell to the ground with dull thuds. In an instant, the Devouring Ghouls were slaughtered, leaving only the leader.
Kaak, kak, kaaaaaak!
The Tentacle Plant Monster opened its mouth wide toward Tae-muk and screamed in frustration. Its breath blasted directly onto Tae-muk’s face. Tae-muk frowned in disgust, then—BAM!—smashed the Devouring Ghoul’s face with his fist.
With a heavy roar, the Devouring Ghoul flew backward. A house it collided with collapsed in a heap. Tae-muk walked toward it with long, leisurely strides. The Devouring Ghoul, its head half-crushed, lay sprawled without a flicker of movement.
Tae-muk’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t intended to crush its head to this extent. He had certainly hit it with less force than usual, yet it seemed to have broken even more.
“Did it die by any chance?”
He asked with a look of dismay.