Chapter 259: Siege of the Ice Wall
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 259: Siege of the Ice Wall
While some tried to climb the ladders, others hammered at the wall with the siege weapons they had brought. The hands of the mages below, who were continuously channeling their magic to maintain the wall, tightened with strain.
[I'm moving for a moment. Don't worry.]
[Don't push yourself too hard.]
Jang Ye Ri must have seen the same thing I did, as she sent me a short message. She had undoubtedly spotted the knights of the Saint Knights Order protecting the siege engines, maintaining a tight shield formation.
All the magic and arrows falling from above were blocked by their shields. It probably wasn't just happening on my side of the wall. They were still preparing, but if those large, magic-infused bludgeons kept striking the wall, it was only a matter of time before a hole was punched through.
Jang Ye Ri was moving to pick off the knights protecting the siege weapons.
It was still early in her pregnancy, but I was anxious about letting her fight with a child in her womb. If Park Han Cheol hadn't been by her side, I never would have allowed it.
Swiiiiiish.
With a sound like the air itself was being torn, the Reaper's Scythe announced its presence.
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
I could see men whose heads were severed before they even knew what happened. There were a few who only lost limbs, but because she swung with such a wide arc, the siege weapons they'd brought were also split in two.
With every swing of her scythe from above, dozens of heads flew. Any arrows or magic aimed at Jang Ye Ri were completely blocked by Park Han Cheol's shield. Her attacks were certainly effective against the Saint Knights Order. Still, I had no choice but to send her a message.
[Don't push yourself too hard.]
[I know, my love.]
It was still the beginning of the battle. Seeing as there were no other noteworthy powerhouses besides Jeong Ji-young, it was likely their intention was to exhaust our forces. Dealing damage to the Saint Knights Order was something others could handle just as well, not just Jang Ye Ri.
As if to prove my prediction correct, explosions began to sound from all over.
Then, the Sword Saint's voice rang out once more.
- Advance!
The next wave of troops was surging forward.
“Ha… Fuck, there are so many of them. There's no end in sight.”
Since Choi Seulgi muttered beside me, I spoke up as well.
“This probably isn't the main force yet. They'll likely come up with the Sword Saint.”
“After the wall is broken?”
I nodded, and Choi Seulgi nodded back. Even though not much time had passed since they reached the base of the wall, a tremendous number of corpses were already piled up outside. As time went on, the ladders might become meaningless. It seemed like enough bodies would pile up for them to climb over their own dead.
The wall was high, but it was also wide, so there were surely sections we couldn't see. Broadly speaking, the North Knight and Jang Ye Ri were in the center, an unnamed mage from the East was on my left, and the Queen of the North was on the right. Of course, various figures from the East and North were positioned in between, but that was the basic layout.
I could feel that the powerhouses representing the cities—the Greenbelt clan members, the master of the Frost Dragon Guild, and other figures from the East and North I hadn't identified—were holding back.
Of course, it wasn't at a worrying level yet. But if their stamina continued to drain, a hole would undoubtedly be punched through one of the sections. This applied not only to the powerhouses but to the soldiers as well.
Our soldiers were quite busy. They had to shoot down the enemies climbing the wall with grappling hooks, ladders, or their own unique abilities, while also firing arrows at the other units that had begun to charge again.
It must have felt like they were playing an endless defense game.
KABOOOOOM!
The sound of magic exploding could be heard from all over. Explosive magic fell among the humans from the South and West who were swarming like a pack of dogs, sending a few of them flying into the air, but they didn't stop their advance.
“Fuck, it's not like this is a factory production line… or are they loading and unloading packages for delivery?”
“Pfft.”
I couldn't help but let out a small laugh at Choi Seulgi's words. Her analogy felt quite fitting.
They were pushing their troops forward just like shoving items onto a conveyor belt. But it wasn't as if shoving more troops forward was actually getting them up the wall.
Before I knew it, the scene was transforming into a vision of hell.
“Help me!”
“Aaaaaaaargh! Mom! Mom!”
“Where's the priest! Priest!”
No one was crying out for their ideals. What enveloped the battlefield was, without a doubt, madness and fear. Watching them through Elia, I spoke without realizing it.
“Fools.”
Lee Wanyong was right. There is no such thing as a noble sacrifice or a glorious death. The man holding the banner, the man who had raised his sword at the Sword Saint's cry and shouted that he fought for ideals—they were all screaming and bleeding.
“Hold them back!!”
“Don't let them up.”
Even after a little more time passed, the situation hadn't changed. They were still holding on. The warriors of the East and North were also fighting desperately to defend the wall. Their expressions came into view. From the perspective of the North and East, the West and South were invaders—nothing more, nothing less. No matter what ideals the enemy claimed to fight for, these defenders didn't care. If they came, they would fight. That was all.
The pure will to protect was what sustained them and kept them safe.
- Advance!
- Advance! Fight for the continent!
The Sword Saint Ha Yuri's voice continued to ring out. Once again, they poured forth in droves. And yet, they still couldn't get up. To stand by and do nothing in a situation like this was incredibly hard to bear.
As if they were as tormented as I was, the eyes of every member of the Blood Dagger Clan were growing redder. It was the same for the elite Orc swordsmen who had chosen to suppress their wild nature. In their eyes, the humans of the East and North must have looked like true warriors. It must have been incredibly difficult to restrain their fighting spirit.
“Defend it!”
“Aaaaaargh! Help me!”
“Damn it!”
“You fucking bastards!!”
Amidst all that, it was impressive how the siege rams were still relentlessly approaching the wall. I figured they must have realized they wouldn't be able to climb it. The enemy had changed their approach. The magic hammering the top of the wall had started to burn the corpses, and as if they'd given up on climbing, they began to repeatedly strike the wall with their siege rams.
Thud.
Thud!
THUD!!
With each continuous blow to the wall, the mages of the North strained even harder. The enemy archers and mages did their best to suppress the defenders raining down attacks from above. While maintaining their protective magic, they were sinking arrows into the heads of the archers aiming at them.
The King of the South and his son were continuously pouring magic onto the forces on the wall. They didn't seem to care that their own allies were caught in the range; they knew that the more magic we used to protect our troops on the wall, the faster the wall itself would crumble.
The Queen of the North raised her spear.
Jang Ye Ri was also swinging her scythe.
The North Knight was shouting, and Park Han Cheol was still bashing anyone trying to climb the wall with his shield.
Seo Yeonju had given up on defensive magic and was pouring all her mana into maintaining the wall.
- All forces, advance!
Once again, the Sword Saint's voice rang out.
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!!
The sound of the siege rams striking the wall continued. As the heavy, massive bludgeons repeatedly struck the wall, I could feel a section of it begin to shake.
THUD!
DOOM!
DOOM!
The funny thing was, a rather pleasant sound could be heard in time with the enemy's ramming.
It was an Orc from the Goff Clan, beating a drum.
“Puhahahat.”
I didn't know if he was doing it on purpose, but his drumming was definitely in sync with the sound of the enemy striking the wall.
THUD!
DOOM!
It probably wasn't a beat meant to rally the forces of the North and East. Listening to the sound, I looked at Choi Seulgi, and she moved closer to me. Given the nature of her unique ability, Choi Seulgi hadn't been able to move until now, either. She was probably more anxious than any of us.
DOOM!!
DOOM!!
The drumming continued. Listening to the pleasant sound, I spoke to the mage in front of me who was endlessly pouring mana into the wall to protect it.
“Step back.”
“Y-Yes?”
The mage's eyes went wide as if I'd said something absurd, and despite my words, he continued to channel mana into the wall. Choi Seulgi sighed lightly and spoke to the mage.
“Step back. That's an order.”
“B-But…”
“I said, step back.”
It was a little funny how he seemed to be suspecting us of being spies. At Choi Seulgi's words, the man reluctantly began to step back from his section of the wall. As he did, the sound of the ramming grew louder. Of course, the Goff Clan's drumming also grew more thunderous.
THUD! CRACK!
I saw a section of the ice wall shatter.
Suddenly, the sound of the ramming stopped.
The Goff Clan's drumming grew even louder.
After one last look at the bewildered faces of the South-West Alliance bastards, I sent Elia to the rear. Waiting for the ones who were about to come through was a pleasant feeling.
CRACK! CRRRRACK!
The moment the wall in front of me completely burst open, the first thing I saw was the dazed face of a member of the Saint Knights Order, staring blankly at me. He must have been stunned. The first thing he saw after breaking through the wall wasn't a human, but a demon with a tail and an Orc. He must have been utterly bewildered.
“M-Mon…!”
Before his voice could ring out, I sent his head flying with my tail.
Fwshk.
With that sound, a fountain of blood erupted.
DOOM!
DOOM!!
“Krrrrrrrrk.”
Excited, the faces of several Blood Dagger Clan members flushed red. I walked slowly toward the enemies who were hesitating to enter.
“M-Monster! A m-monster is…!”
Their stamina was drained. My tail was more than enough to deal with them. Each time my tail, infused with immense magic, moved, their heads and torsos were torn apart. Of course, some tried to block with their shields, but the difference in our specs was just too great. Their entire bodies, shield and all, were crushed as they were sent flying.
“M-Monster… no! They… they've joined hands with a demon! The North-East Alliance has joined hands with a demon!!!”
CRRRRACK.
I sent his head flying, too.
A strange circle formed around me. Even though I was now completely outside the wall, they didn't attack me. To be precise, they were keeping me in check. Because I was prioritizing killing anyone who opened their mouth or made a move.
A strange silence.
I bared my fangs and spoke.
“Orbo.”
“My life!”
“Gark.”
“My loyalty!”
The moment I drew Levatain, the green tide that had been holding back erupted with a roar and began to pour out from the wall.