NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18 - Kapu
Chapter 18 – Kapu
“[The attack seems to have just begun.]”
“[Commencing reconnaissance maneuvers!]”
Simultaneously with Integra’s cry, the drone detached from Luther’s bracelet and flew out the window.
Luther, without even a moment to spare to look at the drone, grabbed his axe and left the room.
“Luther… sir!”
Karen and Max, in the living room, were already armed.
Lilia was holding a small dagger, but judging by the way she was trembling behind Karen, it seemed unlikely she would be able to use it even for self-defense.
Max spoke quickly,
“It seems the bandits have attacked. We need to decide whether to barricade ourselves inside or go outside.”
It was a valid point.
But Luther, instead of thinking or answering, closed his eyes.
“Integra.”
“[Sharing vision with the drone.]”
“[The barricade at the village entrance seems to have already fallen. Urban combat is taking place inside the village.]”
Just as Integra reported,
The barricades at the village entrance were all down, and fires were burning throughout the village.
“[The bandits are riding dragonkin.]”
“[Do you know their name?]”
“Kateradons. They must be Kateradons.”
A bipedal dragonkin almost the size of a horse, known for its speed, thanks to its powerful hind legs.
‘But their ferocity and combat ability are also considerable.’
While their speed was particularly noteworthy, their other aspects weren’t lacking.
Their scale-covered bodies were tough, and their sharp teeth and claws were incredibly dangerous.
Moreover, they were ferocious by nature, making them far more dangerous than ordinary warhorses.
“[There seem to be about twenty bandits.]”
“[All of them are riding Kateradons!]”
Luther swallowed hard at Integra’s report.
He now understood why several villages had been trampled by just twenty bandits.
‘Twenty Kateradons.’
Considering they were mounted, the combat power of twenty bandits would exceed that of a hundred ordinary soldiers.
“[The adventurers and vigilantes are attempting a counterattack.]”
“[Perhaps because their goal is to plunder valuables, the bandits are not actively setting fires.]”
That was it.
Luther, having ended the vision sharing and opened his eyes, quickly explained the situation to Karen and Max.
“There are about twenty bandits. But they’re all riding Kateradons. They’re not actively setting fires.”
“[Master, I will display the map and the enemies’ locations using augmented reality.]”
A mini-map and red and blue dots, just like in a game, appeared before Luther’s eyes.
Presumably, the red dots represented the bandits, and the blue dots represented the adventurers and vigilantes.
“[Since I can only display the enemies visible to the drone, it is impossible to accurately grasp the location of all enemies in real time. This is for reference only—]”
“[Master! Enemies approaching the lodging!]”
Two red dots arrived in front of the lodging.
Luther quickly shifted his axe to his left hand and raised his right arm.
*Bang!*
*Flash!*
Two distinct sounds overlapped.
The moment the bandit kicked down the door, an energy projectile fired from Luther’s right hand, and the bandit, with no time to react, was hit in the chest and sent flying backward.
But it wasn’t over.
One of the Kateradons, seeing its rider fall, screeched and charged into the house.
“Kya!”
The Kateradon, its gray feathers on its neck and back bristling, charged with explosive speed.
But Karen was faster.
The Kateradon, caught by Karen’s telekinesis, was lifted into the air, its legs flailing wildly, and Karen shouted, clenching her fist,
“Max!”
*Slash!*
Max’s sword sliced through the Kateradon’s neck like a guillotine blade.
It was a simple downward slash, but the perfect execution, textbook-worthy, generated power beyond imagination.
“Kyaa?”
The Kateradon’s head fell to the floor with a thud, letting out a wheezing sound, and its headless body collapsed.
*Thump!*
“Haa… haa…”
Karen, drenched in sweat from the sudden exertion, lowered her head, breathing heavily.
And at that moment, Integra shouted,
“[Master! The remaining one is trying to set fire to the entrance!]”
It seemed the bandit had changed plans after seeing his companion fall so quickly.
Luther rushed forward and threw himself out the door.
He saw the bandit about to throw a torch at the oil-soaked wall.
“Stop!”
*Flash!*
An energy projectile struck the bandit’s chest. He fell backward, dropping the torch, and Luther quickly stomped it out and pulled back his right arm.
“Integra!”
“[Equipping Nanosuit!]”
Luther’s right arm was instantly covered in white armor.
“Kya!”
“I know!”
Luther turned towards the Kateradon charging from behind, swinging his right arm like a hammer.
“Kee-ak!”
As the Kateradon, hit in the snout, stumbled backward, Luther gripped his axe with both hands, spun around, and swung.
*Boom!*
The monstrously powerful slash was more like a bludgeoning blow.
The Kateradon, its neck torn apart, collapsed on the spot, and Luther swung his axe again, crushing its head.
“[Master, the situation is turning into a chaotic melee.]”
“[The one who appears to be the leader of the bandit group is controlling the battle.]”
“[The leader is picking off the scattered adventurers and vigilantes one by one.]”
He could roughly understand the situation.
The twenty bandits weren’t the main force.
Their role was to act as the anvil.
They scattered and dispersed the adventurers and vigilantes, tying them down, while the leader, the hammer, went around the battlefield, crushing them one by one.
It wasn’t a sound strategy.
The scattering affected not only the adventurers but also the bandits themselves, so it was a flawed tactic that could backfire, leading to the bandits being picked off individually.
But they had managed to conquer five villages using this risky tactic.
How was that possible?
The answer was simple.
The leader picked off the adventurers before they could regroup.
In other words, the leader’s overwhelming combat power and mobility compensated for the weakness of the tactic.
“Luther… sir!”
Karen and Max ran out of the house.
Lilia was clinging to Karen’s back, trembling, and Max had a backpack on. It seemed they were prepared to flee the village if necessary.
“This way!”
Luther, without hesitation, pointed in the direction where there were no bandits.
Even if they had to fight, ensuring his and his companions’ safety was the top priority.
But at that very moment,
“[Master! The roof!]”
At Integra’s urgent cry, Luther reflexively looked up and saw a figure leaping from the roof.
A red Kateradon.
While other Kateradons had gray feathers on their necks and backs, this one’s feathers were red, and it was larger.
It was clearly the alpha male leading the pack.
Therefore, Luther was certain who was riding on its back.
The alpha male never allowed just anyone to ride it.
Moreover, the rider was someone Luther already knew.
‘Kapu, the Limb Ripper!’
Pale skin, a dark complexion, and abnormally long arms and legs.
It was undoubtedly Kapu, a named enemy appearing towards the end of the Western Arc, the first part of Dragon Hunter Origins.
The Kateradon landed, and Kapu, instead of looking at Luther, glanced down at the ground.
The bandits and Kateradons, presumably killed instantly, just like the ones he had dealt with.
Kapu’s gaze finally landed on Luther.
Instead of saying anything, he threw something at Luther’s feet.
It was Balian’s head, the leader of the adventurers.
“Kyaa!”
The moment Lilia screamed,
Luther, instead of focusing on Balian’s head, glared at Kapu and shouted,
“Invisibility Mode!”
“[5!]”
Integra responded immediately to Luther’s command.
Luther knew Kapu well.
Born with abnormal body proportions and monstrous strength, he was a master of human combat.
Fighting a giant dragonkin and fighting a swift and powerful human were completely different things. In a sense, Kapu was an even more formidable opponent than the Jogress.
‘So I’ll finish him in one blow!’
Before he could unleash his full power!
“[4!]”
Luther threw himself to Kapu’s left, tightening his grip on the axe.
He intended to activate the boosters and cleave both Kapu and the Kateradon in two.
But the moment Luther moved, Kapu’s eyes also moved.
From straight ahead to his left.
Invisibility Mode wasn’t perfect.
Since it worked by refracting light, rapid movements inevitably left a slight distortion, and Kapu, with his abnormal dynamic vision, could accurately detect that slight difference even in the dark.
*Boom!*
Luther’s axe slammed into the ground like lightning.
He missed.
Before the boosters could activate, Kapu and the Kateradon leaped to the right, completely dodging Luther’s attack by a hair’s breadth.
“[3!]”
“[2!]”
Luther shifted his gaze.
Kapu wasn’t on the Kateradon’s back.
The moment his attack hit the ground, Kapu had leaped from the Kateradon.
Where was he?
‘Right!’
Following the life signs, Luther reflexively raised his axe.
*Boom!*
Kapu’s fist struck the axe blade.
It seemed like a blind attack, thrown based on the distortion caused by Invisibility Mode.
“[1!]”
“[0!]”
“[Deactivating Invisibility Mode!]”
The moment Luther reappeared, Kapu moved again.
To the right again.
Lowering his stance almost to the ground, disappearing momentarily from Luther’s sight, he lashed out with a whip-like kick aimed at Luther’s waist.
*Boom!*
A loud boom erupted as Kapu’s foot collided with Luther’s arm.
It was a sound that defied belief, as if a human had kicked another human.
“Ugh!”
Luther, barely blocking the attack with the Nanosuit’s armor, was pushed back.
As he already knew, Kapu possessed abnormal strength.
In terms of pure strength, Kapu seemed to surpass him.
Moreover, the problem was Kapu’s fighting style.
Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat Lv1 wasn’t enough to properly counter Kapu’s battle-hardened fighting skills.
“[Master! Incoming combo!]”
Just as Integra warned,
Perhaps because he had seen the wounds on the dead bandit’s chest, Kapu didn’t give Luther any time.
His movements clearly showed he was wary of ranged attacks.
“Ugh!”
Sensing Kapu closing in, Luther chose to defend instead of attacking, and Kapu’s kick landed again.
*Boom!*
It was a push kick with the force of a battering ram.
Even though he blocked it with his guard, Luther felt a shock that seemed to shake his insides.
“[Administering painkillers.]”
“[Beginning self-repair.]”
Luther, sent flying more than ten meters, rolled on the ground, listening to Integra’s voice.
He needed a different approach than he used against the Jogress.
“Luther… sir!”
Karen shouted, but she couldn’t help him.
The alpha male, which had been carrying Kapu, was fiercely attacking Karen and Max.
*Flash!*
Luther jumped to his feet like a bolt of lightning and fired the Energy Gun.
But Kapu, as if anticipating it, twisted his body to avoid the attack and continued charging towards Luther.
“[Master! Just hold on a little longer!]”
“[I have a way—]”
That was it.
Kapu’s fierce assault resumed.
Luther hurriedly assumed a defensive stance, but he couldn’t block all the attacks forever.
With each blow, Luther’s stance crumbled a little more.
And at that very moment,
“[Hiyaaaaaaa!]”
With Integra’s valiant cry, the drone charged towards Kapu’s face.
It was a truly unexpected attack.
But the drone was too small and light to inflict any significant damage.
“An insect?”
Kapu was momentarily taken aback by the sudden attack, but only for a moment.
The drone, struck by his hand, crashed into the ground and exploded in a small burst.
It was an anticlimactic end, but Integra was satisfied.
The drone’s sacrifice had bought them a little time.
“[7 seconds remaining!]”
Luther now understood what Integra was doing.
He regained his composure and strengthened his defense.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Kapu’s barrage of attacks rained down.
Loud booms erupted, like blows from a sledgehammer, and they truly were monstrously powerful attacks.
Luther felt like his body was breaking apart with each hit.
But he endured.
He focused solely on defense, activating self-repair, and waited for Integra’s signal.
“[3!]”
Kapu threw another punch.
“[2!]”
Another combo. Luther gritted his teeth, blocking the storm of attacks.
“[1!]”
“[0!]”
Kapu pulled back his fist again.
And at that moment, Integra’s compressed voice echoed in Luther’s mind.
“[Combat pattern analysis complete.]”
“[Installing combat pattern of bandit leader, Kapu, into Master!]”
A flash.
A flash of light pierced Luther’s consciousness.
And he understood.
Instead of just blocking, as he had been doing, he shifted his weight slightly, moving his center of gravity.
*Whoosh!*
Kapu’s fist cut through the air.
A perfect dodge.
And at that moment, Kapu, meeting Luther’s eyes, realized.
He had changed.
He had transformed.
The man who had been desperately defending had now completely read his attacks.
How?
As Kapu’s eyes widened in bewilderment, Integra smiled and declared in a gentle voice,
“[Commencing… counterattack.]”
*Boom!*
With an earth-shattering roar, Luther’s fist struck.
–CROW–