Chương 53: When the Bell Breaks

Tyren threw himself into a backward roll, narrowly avoiding the greatshield crashing down toward him.

"Fuck! That bastard hits hard." He spat to the side, nocked an arrow, and drew the bowstring in one swift motion. The arrow tore through the air, flying straight toward the shield-bearing shadow's face. The shadow raised its greatshield and blocked the incoming arrow. Asar seized the opening and rushed forward. The two Bronze-rank guards exchanged a glance before following close behind him. Huck remained at the rear, waiting for them to clear a path into the clock room.

"Tyren! Watch for an opening!" As the shadow swung its greatshield toward him, Asar dropped low, slid beneath its grasping hand, and slipped between its legs. The shield-bearing shadow immediately began to turn, preparing to pursue Asar. Just as it was halfway around, the Bronze-rank guard with the spear stepped forward and drove the spearhead into the back of its knee. Fortunately, the shadow was not wearing Barton's heavy armor.

Otherwise, given the guard's current condition, it was doubtful whether he could have pierced it at all. Tyren seized the opportunity and loosed several arrows in quick succession. The first few struck before the shadow could recover, sinking into its body. It turned just in time to catch the remaining arrows on its greatshield. Even so, its movements faltered for an instant. Asar charged in from behind and brought his longsword down heavily across its back.

Attacked from every side, the shield-bearing shadow could not defend every angle. It had barely caught the spear thrust on its shield when Asar's blade cut into its body from behind once again. Black mist continued pouring from its wounds. Before long, the towering shadow could no longer support itself. It crashed heavily to the floor and rapidly dissolved into a cloud of pitch-black mist. Tyren wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The strain of drawing at full strength again and again left his already exhausted right hand trembling.

"Looks like it was just an ordinary replica after all." Tyren curled his lip.

"The real Barton isn't anywhere near that slow." Seeing the disgusted look on Tyren's face, Asar could not help laughing softly. He then turned toward Huck.

"The rest is up to you." Huck said nothing. He gave a solemn nod before stepping forward and pulling open the door. The moment he entered the room, he hurried over to the bronze clock. He ducked beneath the table and removed a panel from its underside. Inside, a wooden frame supported the bronze clock, while three metal clasps held its base in place. A thick bolt locked each clasp shut. Huck pulled a tool from his belt and began turning the first bolt, following the sequence he remembered.

However, the bolt had clearly remained untouched for far too long. Clenching his teeth, Huck put all his strength into the tool, but the bolt only turned a fraction at a time. At this rate, releasing all three locking clasps would take a while. The instant Huck began turning the bolt, a piercing shriek rang out in the distance.

"I'm counting on you!" Huck shouted as he fought to turn the bolt.

"It's too tight! I need more time!" Asar, Tyren, and Serin exchanged glances before turning toward the two guards.

"We can't let that damned thing get anywhere near this room." Asar tightened his grip on his longsword.

"We're going out there to stop it. Can the two of you still fight?" Neither guard hesitated. Both nodded at once. The spearman even gritted his teeth and struck the floor hard with the butt of his spear.

"We won't let it drive us back into the basement again." Asar led the way out of the room, then turned and closed the door behind them. Shrieks from the Bellringer's Scion echoed from the direction of the stairs they had climbed earlier. It seemed Rayne had already led it on a full circuit of the almshouse. Before long, Rayne came sprinting toward them at full speed. The Bellringer's Scion barreled after him, a surging tide of shadows swirling around it.

However, there were far fewer shadows around it than when they had first encountered it. Back then, the shadows had almost filled the entire corridor, making even the thought of fighting back seem impossible. Now, it looked more like a bloated monster wrapped in shadows as it bore down on them. It was still terrifying. But at least it no longer looked unbeatable.

"Asar! Watch the shadows clinging to it! They'll fall off and latch onto you!"

"Got it!" Rayne raced toward the group before suddenly veering to the left. At the same moment, Tyren released his bowstring. An armor-piercing arrow screamed toward the Bellringer's Scion. The creature saw the arrow flying straight at it and tried to raise an arm to block, but it was already too late. The arrow raked across its arm, spraying black blood through the air, then punched through the side of its neck at an angle.

"Gaaah!" Its piercing shriek echoed through the corridor, stabbing into everyone's eardrums. Tyren fought through the discomfort and dizziness, nocked another arrow, and loosed several shots in rapid succession, forcibly cutting the Bellringer's Scion's shriek short.

"Good shot!" Rayne shouted and seized the opportunity to rush forward. Rather than striking directly at the Bellringer's Scion's body, he swung his swords at the shadows clinging to it. Seeing what Rayne was doing, Asar pressed forward with the two guards. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Following Rayne's lead, he repeatedly hacked away at the shadows wrapped around the creature.

The spearman hung back and thrust at its chest, but the Bellringer's Scion slapped the spear aside before it could connect. The swordsman seized the opening and left a gash across one of its arms. As the others closed in around it, a red glow slowly kindled in the pitch-black eyes of its wrinkled, crone-like face. In the next instant, it began shaking violently. The shadows wrapped around its body flew outward like droplets of water, hurling themselves at everyone nearby.

Rayne and Asar reacted quickly, cutting apart the shadows flying toward them. With the reach of his spear and a stroke of luck, the spearman managed to impale the shadow lunging at him. The other guard was not nearly as lucky. A shadow slammed directly into him and knocked him to the ground. It opened its mouth and sank its teeth into his arm. His scream immediately echoed through the entire corridor. Serin's face went pale. She instinctively looked toward Tyren beside her.

However, two shadows had wrapped themselves tightly around him, leaving him no room to help. Serin clenched her teeth. She had originally intended to cast a blessing on the fallen guard. But when she saw the shadow already biting into his arm, she suddenly remembered Adeline at the entrance to the town. In the next instant, she gripped her oak staff, rushed forward, and brought the staff's head down hard on the shadow. The first blow only rocked it. It continued pinning the guard beneath it.

Serin gritted her teeth and struck it two or three more times before finally knocking it away. The moment the guard was free, he gripped his longsword with his uninjured hand and drove the blade through the shadow's body, pinning it firmly to the floor. Serin hurried over, hooked her arm under his and dragged him backward. Meanwhile, the battle ahead had already reached a fever pitch. Rayne was completely surrounded by the Bellringer's Scion and three or four shadows.

Even worse, those shadows appeared to have once been Graywood Town guards. They coordinated with one another and wielded a variety of weapons. Asar tried several times to rush forward and support Rayne, only for more shadows to block his path. Tyren wanted to provide covering fire, but Rayne was buried in the middle of the monsters. There was no safe angle from which he could shoot.

With no other choice, he turned his attention toward supporting Asar and the spearman, picking off any shadow that pulled back far enough to give him a clear shot. Rayne's twin swords rang again and again against the weapons of the shadows surrounding him. Every so often, one of the Bellringer's Scion's long, slender arms snaked through the gaps between them and clawed at him. The creature nearly caught him several times, and its long, sharp nails had already left bloody scratches across his body.

The shadows kept pressing in, steadily shrinking his room to maneuver. A longsword came down toward his head. Rayne raised one blade and knocked the attack aside, only for a spear to thrust toward his chest at the same moment. He twisted away. The spearhead scraped across his chest, carving a long, narrow tear through his leather armor. The Bellringer's Scion swiped at him with its claws immediately afterward. Still off balance from his dodge, Rayne barely avoided the full force of the strike.

Even so, the tips of its claws tore open his side. Blood instantly soaked through his clothes.

"Ugh..."

"Rayne!"

"Captain!" Rayne turned and cut apart two shadows closing in behind him, then staggered backward until his back struck the wall. He covered the wound at his waist and let out a muffled groan. At that moment, a layer of Pure White Ward flared to life around him. Rayne drew a shallow breath. He could not fall yet. Not now. He lowered his stance again and tightened his grip on both swords, preparing to face the Bellringer's Scion once more.

On the other side, Asar finally broke through the surrounding shadows and reached the Bellringer's Scion alongside the spearman. Just then, the Bellringer's Scion unleashed a deafening shriek. The shadows surrounding it began to grow unstable one after another. Even the shadows still clinging to its body slowly started to peel away. This shriek, however, was far more piercing than any that had come before. Pain stabbed through Rayne's eardrums, and his head rang.

Everyone else faltered for an instant as well, barely able to remain standing. Fortunately, the surrounding shadows were affected too. Their bodies twisted and swayed uncontrollably. Otherwise, that brief moment of disorientation alone would have been enough to bring several of them down. The instant its shriek ended, the Bellringer's Scion barreled into Asar and the spearman, knocking them out of its path before charging toward the clock room. The spearman was sent sprawling across the floor.

Asar was sent flying to the side. His back struck the wall heavily before he slid down and collapsed against it. Alarm flashed across Rayne's face. Ignoring the stabbing pain in his waist, he tightened his grip on both swords and gave chase. Rayne did not know why the Bellringer's Scion had suddenly gone berserk. But from the desperate way it was charging toward the clock room, he could more or less guess the reason. Huck was probably close to succeeding.

Seeing the Bellringer's Scion rushing straight toward him, Tyren's eyes widened, and he threw himself aside. Fortunately, all of its attention was fixed on the clock room. It did not turn to pursue him. But Tyren's expression did not improve. By moving aside, he had also cleared the path leading directly to the room. Serin and the others were farther back, safely outside the path of the Bellringer's Scion's charge.

The creature barreled up to the clock room, raised both arms, and brought them crashing down against the door. Wood splinters exploded in every direction, and a deep dent appeared in the center of the door.

"Don't let it get inside!" Huck's anxious roar came from within the room. Tyren clenched his teeth and reached toward the quiver on his back. His fingers closed on empty air. His face went deathly pale. He had used every arrow he possessed, both ordinary and armor-piercing. He hesitated for only a moment before bending down, grabbing the longsword dropped by the injured guard, and charging forward alongside Rayne.

By the time Rayne and Tyren reached the Bellringer's Scion from behind, it was already close to breaking through the wooden door. Rayne swung one of his longswords and hacked into its back. The blade tore through flesh and left a deep, bloody gash. The Bellringer's Scion screamed in pain. Even so, it continued throwing itself against the door without regard for its injuries, trying to force its way through the broken panels. Tyren hesitated briefly before swinging the longsword with all his strength.

His stance was wrong, and so was the way he put his weight behind the swing. The blade struck the Bellringer's Scion but left only a shallow wound. Worse, the momentum of his own swing pulled Tyren off balance and nearly sent him sprawling to the floor. He almost twisted his wrist in the process. Tyren clenched his teeth in frustration, threw the longsword aside, and drew the slender-bladed dagger from the small of his back. He dropped abruptly to one knee and slashed at the Bellringer's Scion's withered heel.

The dagger sliced through its shriveled flesh and severed the tendon at the back of its ankle. The Bellringer's Scion immediately lost its balance. Its body toppled to the left and crashed against the door. A triumphant grin had only just appeared on Tyren's face when its other foot, covered in sharp, hooked barbs, kicked straight toward him. He had no time to dodge. The kick landed solidly against his chest. The sharp barbs punched through his clothing and flesh, tearing several bloody holes across his chest.

The force of the blow sent Tyren flying backward. He crashed against the wall behind him. His body collapsed limply to the floor, his head lolling forward. For a moment, it was impossible to tell whether he was alive or dead.

"Fuck!" Rayne roared and drove both swords into the Bellringer's Scion's back before wrenching them free. Black blood sprayed from the two wounds. The Bellringer's Scion paid no attention to Rayne behind it. Dragging the leg with the severed tendon and leaving a long trail of blood across the floor, it forced its way through the broken door and crawled toward Huck beneath the table. Rayne could not catch up in time. The Bellringer's Scion seized Huck by the ankle and dragged him out from beneath the table.

"Ah! You damned monster!" Huck reached for the weapon at his waist, but his body had been dragged flat onto the floor, with his side pressed tightly against the table leg. He could not draw it properly. But Huck refused to lie there and wait for death. As the deeply wrinkled old face drew closer, Huck clenched his teeth, threw a punch, and struck the Bellringer's Scion squarely in the face. Its head snapped to the side, but the punch barely fazed it. Huck let out a desperate roar.

"The table! Kick it!" In the next instant, the Bellringer's Scion seized him. At the same time, the small hand on its back shook the bell, drawing thin streams of blue light from Huck's body. Rayne charged forward almost the instant he heard Huck's shout and kicked the table with all his strength. The moment his foot struck the tabletop, it felt as though he had kicked a solid stone wall. But the resistance lasted for only an instant. Click. The final bolt slipped free from the locking clasp and fell to the floor.

With its support gone, the table collapsed. The bronze clock resting on top was thrown into the air. The instant the bronze clock went flying, the Bellringer's Scion froze. The few shadows remaining on its body twisted one after another before bursting apart in dark clouds. Huck crashed onto the wooden floor. The moment he landed, he kicked off with his right foot and rolled clear of the monster. Rayne seized the opportunity and cut off the withered little hand on the Bellringer's Scion's back.

The severed hand and its bell crashed to the floor. Thud. Thud. Crack. Rayne's boot came down on the bell, crushing it beneath his sole. The instant the bell shattered, every shadow stopped moving. Even the Bellringer's Scion became rigid where it stood. Rayne thought it was finally over. He stepped forward with both swords raised, preparing to deliver the final blow. But the instant he approached the hunched figure, the Bellringer's Scion spun around, its claws blurring through the air.

Startled, Rayne crossed both swords to block and let the impact carry him into a backward roll. The Bellringer's Scion flailed its withered arms wildly as it advanced toward him. But with every step it took, the red light in its eyes grew dimmer. Its arms also moved more and more slowly. At last, its claws stopped just short of Rayne. The Bellringer's Scion disintegrated into a cloud of gray smoke that drifted away.

After confirming that the Bellringer's Scion had disappeared, Rayne's legs gave out beneath him, and he dropped onto the floor. Only then did the piercing pain in his waist surge through him. His vision began to blur. Before he lost consciousness, he saw Serin supporting Tyren, whose chest had already been bandaged. Asar also trudged into the room, exhaustion weighing down every step. It looked like everyone had done pretty well this time. Rayne's head drooped, and consciousness finally left him.