315
Chapter 315
WHOOSH!
When her magnetic force was released, the steel plates attached to her armor separated, transforming her heavy armor into light armor.
The thick, sharp-edged steel plates circled around her.
Helen swung her Dragon Buster and let out a battle cry.
"HAAH!"
As she stretched out her hand, the steel plates flew on their own, piercing through the charging monsters.
The approaching monsters were shattered by her Dragon Buster.
The knights protected her back.
"I'll help too!"
The Tiger Beastkin assault captain also helped Helen hold back the monsters.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
While Helen and the assault captain were holding back the monsters, Song of the Crouching Flame guided the others inside.
After everyone entered through the door, Song of the Crouching Flame shouted to Helen.
"Hurry and come inside!"
Helen swung her sword at the monsters until the very end, then slid through the door last.
BOOM!
The charging monsters were crushed to death by the thick iron door.
* * *
While Helen's group headed for the main gate, Zeke went toward the west gate where monsters and magical beasts were gathered, along with the barbarians.
Zeke summoned Bucephalus and mounted him.
"Let's go, Bucephalus!"
NEIGH!
Hearing Bucephalus's powerful cry, Zeke charged toward the magical beasts together with the barbarians.
When he unleashed his Holy Light Banner, an enormous light rose into the air.
The light burst in all directions, attacking the magical beasts.
CRASH!
Dozens of light maces struck the magical beasts.
At the same time, lightning burst from Bucephalus's horns.
CRACKLE!
As the magical beasts tried to flee from the attacks of the Holy Light Banner and lightning, the barbarians seized the opportunity and caught the fleeing beasts, twisting their necks and tearing off their limbs to use as weapons.
ROAR!
The barbarians' battle cries echoed across the entire battlefield.
At that moment, the phoenix perched on Zeke's shoulder spread its wings and flew up, letting out its phoenix cry toward the magical beasts.
WOOOOO!
The mysterious phoenix cry filled the battlefield.
The charging magical beasts began to stagger, clutching their heads in agony.
'This fellow had such an ability?'
Zeke was freshly reminded that the phoenix was a divine beast.
He shot consecutive arrows of light at the faltering magical beasts.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
The magical beasts pierced by the light arrows collapsed with agonized screams.
Zeke rode Bucephalus straight toward the magical beasts trying to climb over the iron fence.
When Zeke activated the Holy Light Banner, Roland glowed white as light power concentrated.
WHOOSH!
In that state, he drove the light mace down toward the magical beasts.
CRASH! CRASH!
The magical beasts struck by the lightning of light turned to ash and vanished.
He could earn massive karma points each time he killed magical beasts with the Holy Light Banner.
'This is quite profitable.'
But just then.
WHISTLE!
New magical beasts appeared in the sky, flapping their wings.
CAAAAW!
These magical beasts flew over the autonomous district and spat something from their mouths.
WHOOSH!
What they spat out was none other than acid solution.
SIZZLE!
The iron fence and watchtowers that were hit by the acid solution began to melt.
The entire autonomous district went into emergency mode due to the large-scale attack by the magical beasts that suddenly appeared in the sky.
Zeke watched this with a frown, scanning the sky, and discovered more magical beasts flying in.
'They don't seem to be the ones taken from the ice. Are they monsters turned into magical beasts through the power of the Blood and Madness Flag by opening dimensional rifts?'
The Empire was excavating ancient monsters across the continent, brainwashing them, and using them in invasion wars.
They had also found a way to artificially open dimensional rifts using divine objects from fallen constellations to secure the power to control monsters.
Ghetto was the first test stage of that invasion war.
Zeke shouted to the barbarians.
"Just take care of the magical beasts while heading toward the west gate!"
After seeing the barbarians nod, Zeke immediately flew up into the sky riding Bucephalus.
Looking up in the sky, there were more magical beasts gathered than he thought.
Those magical beasts were heading toward the west gate where the fierce battle was taking place.
'I can't let that happen.'
Just then, several magical beasts flew toward Zeke.
CAAAAW!
Up close, they looked like harpy-like magical beasts. Zeke raised Roland toward the magical beasts charging at him.
Lightning of light poured from his sword.
CRACKLE!
The magical beasts hit by Zeke's lightning shrieked in agony.
GRRRR!
The magical beasts that turned to ash scattered in the air.
As Zeke scanned his surroundings again, he saw an army of monsters charging toward the main gate.
'They keep pouring in endlessly.'
It seemed they were mobilizing all their monsters as if determined to end it here.
Zeke flew toward the main gate again holding Roland.
The magical beasts destroyed the iron fence that had melted from the acid solution, jumped over the inside of the trench and clung to the earthen wall.
Bird tribe sentries could be seen swinging iron clubs and shooting arrows at the magical beasts from atop the earthen wall.
'I need to put out the urgent fires first.'
He raised Roland.
As the Holy Light Banner concentrated in the sword, an even brighter light than before spread in all directions.
"HAAH!"
Zeke swung Roland and unleashed the power of light toward the magical beasts.
Heaven's Thunder, the highest-level light magic that Arina had used, poured down on the magical beasts.
CRACKLE!
Reacting with Zeke's glowing sword, massive lightning bolts of light struck down from the sky.
CRASH! CRASH!
As dozens of spears of light rushed down from the sky, waves of light exploded where the monsters had been charging toward the main gate.
The bright light illuminating the darkness scattered in all directions, annihilating the magical beasts.
Seeing this, the bird tribe sentries pointed at Zeke floating in the sky and said.
"The, the divine messenger has come to save us!"
After dealing with the magical beasts at the main gate, Zeke rode Bucephalus toward the west gate.
* * *
"What in the world is that...?"
William Jiemens l gaped as he watched Heaven's Thunder that Zeke had struck down sweeping away the magical beasts from afar.
The Abyss mage next to him said through gritted teeth.
"It's the cursed magic of those Lubern bastards!"
William asked with a confused expression at the mage's words.
"Lubern's light is magic? Then that means that's Zeke Draker... Are you saying Zeke Draker wasn't injured?"
William Jiemens turned his head to glare at the man beside him.
The man in a suit wearing glasses was continuously breaking out in cold sweat.
"What exactly happened? I distinctly remember being told that Six was deployed and definitely injured Zeke."
Rahim, the leader of Six and an executive of the Nostra Family, waved his hands in panic.
"Well, that... Based on the information from the escaped Intelligence agents, and given those two people, they surely would have inflicted serious injuries even if they couldn't kill them..."
William shouted at Rahim's ambiguous answer.
"Do you know who Zeke Draker is to make such assumptions on your own!"
William glared at Rahim while grinding his teeth.
Though he wanted to behead him right away, it was impossible to kill him as he was one of the Nostra Family's main forces.
'If only he wasn't a special ability user with spatial movement powers, I'd just kill him.'
He suppressed his anger and assessed the situation again.
William spoke to the mage.
"Signal the snipers. We need to kill Zeke Draker first and foremost. Even if we sweep away the autonomous district, this plan is only half successful if we let him escape."
William felt a hint of fear toward Zeke Draker.
It felt like irreversible events would unfold if they didn't catch him here.
The mage sent signals to the special snipers deployed throughout the area.
However, too few people were sending responses back.
The mage looked at William with a pale face and said.
"Half of the snipers' signals have been cut off!"
"What?"
Cold sweat ran down William's back at the mage's words.
'No signal response... surely not...'
The Knight Killers whose positions had been exposed were already dead at the hands of the ghost warriors Zeke had deployed.
He had taken steps to eliminate the Knight Killers, who could be called the natural enemy of knights, first.
William urgently shouted at the mage beside him.
"Quickly find out what happened! We need to kill Zeke Draker as soon as possible..."
But at that moment, a massive lightning bolt struck down from the west gate.
William was startled by that lightning.
"That, that is?"
As another massive burst of light spread, the fear lodged in William's heart began creeping up.
William clenched his molars and steeled himself.
'But I can't back down here!
He said to the mage beside him.
"...Deploy them."
The mage's eyes wavered at those words.
"Are, are you sure? The adjustments aren't fully complete yet..."
"Damn it! If Zeke Draker isn't injured, this level won't be nearly enough! Deploy them and mobilize all remaining snipers!"
When William barked at him, the mage nodded with an anxious face.
"Y-yes. I'll deploy them right away."
* * *
CRASH! CRASH!
The west gate was filled with a mix of sounds - the roars of endlessly charging magical beasts and monsters, explosion sounds, and the knights' battle cries.
At a moment when letting their guard down could cost them their heads, something began charging at the thick stone wall Jason had created.
CRASH! CRASH!
The knights watching from behind were terrified.
"Are you crazy, what is that?"
At Clonne's exclamation, Felix shouted.
"Vice Captain! Those are barbarians! Nothing but an Aura Blade can wound them!"
Five barbarians brainwashed by the Empire were frantically ramming their bodies against the stone wall.
At Felix's words, Clonne swung her mace around.
"No matter if they're barbarians, they'll die if their heads are cracked. Let's see if this won't crack their skulls."
That's when it happened.
CRASH!
Unable to withstand the barbarians' brute strength, the stone wall crumbled.
Watching this, Zeros struck the barbarians charging through the stone wall with lightning magic.
At the same time, he shouted to Jason.
"Jason! Double the stone wall!"
At those words, Jason screamed with a desperate expression.
"AAGH! I'm not a monster like you, senior!"
Though complaining, Jason still cast the spell and created another stone barrier.
The five barbarians charged at Jason's stone barrier again to break it down.
During this time, Claire led the archer unit up onto the barrier and shot arrows at the barbarians.
SWOOSH!
The barbarians hit by the arrows looked up at the top of the stone barrier.
"ROAR!"
The barbarians let out battle cries.
The stone barrier couldn't withstand the strength of the barbarians who were wildly ramming their bodies while roaring battle cries.
The five barbarians charged toward the next stone barrier.
CRASH! CRASH!
This time Zeros poured fire magic at the charging barbarians.
But the barbarians' tough bodies easily deflected Zeros's magic as if it was nothing.
Then one of the barbarians, instead of breaking the wall, thrust his fist in and began climbing up.
Seeing this, the other barbarians also climbed up the stone wall.
Decker, who was commanding the Black Sword Knights, led his knights and said.
"Blue Knight ranks, step forward and stop the barbarians! Archers and mages, attack from above to prevent monsters from crossing the barrier!"
Decker also charged at the barbarians while raising his Aura Blade.
Advanced Dragon Slaying technique unfolded from his sword.
WHOOSH!
The Aura Blade flew toward the barbarian.
CLANG!
The barbarian's solid arm became a shield and blocked Decker's sword.
But Decker was no ordinary fighter either.
He struck the barbarian with the shield on his hand, then stepped back while cutting the barbarian's leg with his Aura Blade.
SLASH!
The barbarian wounded in the thigh fell to his knees.
But because the barbarians were under the influence of stimulants and brainwashing, they forgot even the pain and charged again.
That's when Clonne swung her mace imbued with light power at the barbarian's head from behind.
THWACK!
Even Clonne's powerful mace couldn't split the barbarian's head in one blow.
The barbarian immediately got up with his elastic muscles and threw a punch.
"UUUGH!"
Clonne tried to block the barbarian's fist with her mace.
CRASH!
But the barbarian's attack was heavy and solid.
Unable to withstand it, Clonne's body was lifted and thrown backward.
Felix ran toward Clonne while shouting.
"Vice Captain!"