Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: Betrayal at the Fortress
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"Captain! Magic beasts!"
A rookie who had just entered the fortress came running up in a panic, shouting. Julian gazed at the horde of magic beasts swarming from the distance and said,
"I can see that."
The horizon was filled with magic beasts, their ranks stretching so far that no end was in sight. Just how many were there?
Even positioned on high ground favorable for raining down magic. Even with the layered embankments that could hold back their charge, if only for a while.
Overwhelming numbers were a weapon that could overturn any advantage.
Mana would eventually run dry, and once it did, breaching the fortress's sturdy walls would only be a matter of time.
Could they hold them off?
The endless numbers stirred anxiety and fear. That profound dread began to gnaw at Julian's chest. He turned to look at the barrier behind them.
And thought of his family inside the city beyond it.
Tap! Julian shook off the cigarette in his hand irritably and steadied his resolve.
Yes. No matter how many there were, they had to fight.
If the fortress fell and they failed to protect the barrier, there would be no future for the citizens left behind—or for his family.
"Prepare for battle! Mages, get ready to unleash area-of-effect spells! Melee fighters, hold your positions! Don't slack off—move!"
They had to hold out somehow until reinforcements arrived.
###
"Quite a crowd coming our way."
Yoon Kang-woo muttered as he watched the magic beasts charging in like weeds after rain. They were still far off, but it wouldn't be long before they entered firing range.
"How many do you think? Hard to even count."
His peer, Aselrika, asked from beside him. Yoon Kang-woo kept his eyes fixed forward and replied,
"Who knows. But why are you here? Melee fighters should be heading to their positions."
"There's still a little time before they arrive. This might be the last one, and I figured our uptight Yoon Kang-woo wouldn't come say hi first, so I came instead."
Last. Yoon Kang-woo knew exactly what she meant.
Even for seasoned veterans like Aselrika and Yoon Kang-woo, who had survived countless crises, this battle was on a scale where one of them dying wouldn't be surprising.
No, it went beyond that. It was a fight where the fortress could fall, and every hero in it might perish. That must have been why she, uncharacteristically sentimental, had come to see him.
Yoon Kang-woo, who had been staring ahead, turned his head and spoke.
"No. It won't be the last."
His gaze lingered on Aselrika for a moment before shifting past her to the barrier.
If the barrier broke, it would lead straight to Sector X. And there was Yoon Na-rin—his little sister.
And the citizens as well.
"I'll protect them. No matter what."
"Wow. Romantic."
Aselrika grinned broadly. Of course, it was a light smile because she knew his words weren't meant solely for her.
"Fighting. Burn 'em all. I'll slice up any that try climbing later."
"Got it."
Aselrika headed to her position after saying that. Yoon Kang-woo turned his eyes forward again.
The magic beasts had closed in to the edge of firing range. He drew up his mana, preparing his attack.
Soon, the beasts entered range. Yoon Kang-woo took a deep breath. Cold, fresh air filled his lungs.
"First squad! Fire!"
He bellowed, exhaling the air that had heated up circulating through his body,
and
Kwaaaaaang—!
a storm of magic rained down on the beasts' ranks.
#
"Not yet! Don't stop!"
"Flame magic! Pour on more flame magic!"
"Hit 'em with wind magic too!"
"Ranged weapon users, take down as many as you can!"
Flames erupted. Fire caught on the incoming magic beasts, the smell of burning flesh rising as wind swept the inferno along, spreading the stench far and wide.
Beasts aflame screamed in agony from the scorching pain and collapsed. The fallen were trampled by the endless followers charging from behind, their flesh pressed into the dirt.
"Damn! They're breaking through!"
"Hold! Gather your mana! When they hesitate at the first embankment, unload everything at once!"
"Archers and gunners, keep firing!"
Magic beasts resistant to fire broke through the flame storm first, slamming into the towering embankment. Others followed in their wake, crashing in late.
"Fire!"
Water magic doused them, followed by a torrent of ice spells. With cracking sounds, the beasts pounding the embankment froze solid.
"Pour it on! More!"
"Don't let them over!"
More spells layered on, freezing dozens, hundreds more. The front of the embankment was packed with immobile beasts like a forest of frostbite statues.
Beasts climbed over using frozen comrades as stepping stones. Occasionally, crack!—ice shattered, and a beast whose footing collapsed flailed before being trampled, becoming a stepping stone itself. The scene repeated endlessly.
"They're over!"
"More fire! More!"
The beasts surged like a tidal wave, crashing and foaming among themselves. The wave soon overflowed the first embankment.
"Reset! This time with flame magic... Hm?"
A man shouting loudly from the front lines froze upon spotting a shadow on the ground. The tiny dot grew, expanding rapidly. Puzzled, he looked up at the sky.
"Wh-what the hell!?"
Magic beasts were falling from the sky.
"Beasts dropping!"
"Fuck, what is that!?"
"Dodge!"
"You idiots! No! Prepare magic!"
The heroes scattered to evade the falling beasts.
Boom! Kwang!
Beasts plummeting with acceleration crashed onto the fortress walls one by one. Several heroes preparing spells were crushed flat beneath them.
—Krararaaaa!!
The fallen beasts roared, eyes glaring.
"Melee fighters, stick to the mages and take out the beasts! Protect the mages! Mages, focus only on the ones coming from outside!"
At Julian's urgent shout, melee heroes swiftly moved to slay the beasts. But the mages, who needed to fire at the external horde, couldn't concentrate as before.
Even protected by melee heroes belatedly, ignoring the eerie cries and charges right beside them to focus outward was no easy task.
And the ongoing terror of more beasts dropping anytime, liable to crush them. That fear eroded the mages' will.
"Focus!"
"Ignore the ones falling from above!"
"They're getting closer in the meantime! Prepare spells!"
"Block the beasts approaching the magic lines! Don't let them get close!"
"Fire!"
"Hold!"
The two groups, originally positioned apart, now clustered together, their shouts mingling.
Boom! Kwang! Beasts kept falling.
Julian glared at the sky. There, a white-haired girl covered in tattoos was dropping. The summon stones in her hand glowed purple, absorbing mana.
Julian fired magic at her. But it missed. The girl vanished in an instant, reappearing higher up to summon more beasts.
"Rat bastard...!"
No choice. They had to endure until the summon stones ran out or her mana depleted. Muttering a curse under his breath, Julian shifted his gaze outside the fortress.
Exploiting the chaos, the beasts had drawn nearer, now surmounting the second and third embankments to pound the final one.
Whoosh—!
Yoon Kang-woo's flames swept away the front ranks. Julian gritted his teeth and joined in with his own magic.
How much time passed? The falling beasts stopped. Whether she'd used all her summon stones or run out of mana, there was no time to wonder. At least it hadn't been an overwhelming number—small mercy.
"Last embankment breached!"
"They're right on us!"
"Shut up and fire magic!"
"I... I'm out of mana."
"Me too."
Beasts reaching the fortress began scaling the walls. Heroes squeezed out remaining mana to knock a few off, but the beasts climbed again over piled corpses.
"Mindless bastards."
The remaining beasts were still numerous. But now visible at a glance—their endless ranks now had an end discernible to the naked eye.
"Hold! Mana-depleted mages, fall back! Melee, kill the climbers too!"
Mages and melee mixed, knocking beasts down. Many died with heads bursting on impact, but plenty survived using corpse cushions.
Moreover, tough-skinned beasts rose soon after falling to climb again.
The numbers dwindled steadily. The corpse staircase grew taller. Beasts reached the walls faster.
'Still, if it's like this...!'
Most mages had exhausted mana and retreated, but melee were still good. Just stabbing climbers to dislodge them consumed less stamina than frontal clashes.
Beast numbers, though still high, were visibly tapering to a manageable end.
Julian, mana spent and fallen back, adjusted gaps and reformed lines from behind. Occasional newbie errors let one or two beasts summit, but they fell quickly.
Slash! Slash!
Two beasts slipping through a formation gap fell to Aselrika's sword. Without sparing them a glance, she returned to the front.
Julian assessed the battle.
They could hold. Barring a fatal mistake, at least two hours seemed feasible.
The word "victory" flashed through Julian's mind.
If they endured until reinforcements, it would be victory.
A spark of hope ignited in his chest.
And in that instant.
Puuk—!
A blade pierced Julian's back.
"Guhk...!"
Julian blankly stared at the blade protruding through his chest.
"Wh-what is..."
"An alarm suddenly blared, so I came to check just in case... Looks like my hunch was right. Good thing I wasn't late."
Thud. The blade withdrew, and Julian collapsed limply. Blood streamed from the gaping wound in his chest, staining the ground.
"Let's see. Boss is dead."
The long-haired man murmured lowly.
"C-Captain!"
The rookie who witnessed Julian's death screamed,
and
"Kwaaaak!"
once more, his sword pierced someone's back.
The shaken heroes' front line crumbled. Beasts wormed through the gaps.
"Get it together!"
Veterans shouted, trying to steady the formation, but the few beasts that had climbed atop the fortress sowed further chaos.
"U, uwaaaah!"
"My arm! My arm!"
In the end, screams echoed.
—Kraaaaaaa!!!
—Kaiiaaaaa!!!
The beasts began climbing in earnest.
The front line collapsed completely.
#
"Just killed two, and the dramatic effect is unreal. Is this what a joker card feels like?"
Han U-sol felt like the protagonist himself!