Old Soldiers Never Die

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

"Woof!"

"Uwaaaak!!"

The man gripping his spear with trembling hands collapsed in shock at the bark of the Void Hound beside him.

"S-save ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me... huh?"

The Void Hound that approached the flailing man on the ground licked his cheek.

"Uh...?"

Reminded of his pet dog Charlie back home, the man unconsciously stroked the Void Hound's head. Unlike Charlie's fluffy fur, he felt the hard texture of chitin armor, yet that very solidity brought him greater comfort.

"Woof!"

"All right, I understand."

The man rose and headed for the barricade. The Void Hound climbed atop it and positioned itself in front of him.

"That's right. If you're fighting this hard, I can't afford to be afraid."

Though the Void Hound currently thought the human was weak and pathetic, it was fortunate that Void Hounds could not speak human language, so the sentiment remained unshared.

Similar scenes unfolded across the other defensive lines.

The Void Hounds took up positions in the breaches torn through the barricades, filling the gaps in the formation. Their appearance could hardly be called cute, yet the simple fact that such monsters fought alongside them eased the people's terror.

"The enemy is coming! Stay focused!"

A man in plate armor shouted to the defenders. The foes had already closed to within arm's reach. Void Flowers cleverly concealed in nearby buildings suddenly surged out and devoured the monsters whole.

Nearly five thousand creatures vanished into the Void Flowers in an instant, but the plants required time to digest their prey. Monsters seized that opening to tear the Void Flowers apart.

"Fire!"

Arrows rained from the castle walls onto the horde.

"Woof! Woof woof!"

After the volley, Void Hounds charged in to harass the monsters targeting the flowers. Yet the creatures ignored their bitten limbs, piling their bodies into living ladders to reach the Void Flowers. The defensive line's floral guardians dwindled rapidly.

"Fire again! Clear the path!"

The knight atop the wall shouted, but the Void Hounds did not retreat. Haram had given them one order only: help the humans and block the enemy.

From their experience protecting the Void Flowers alongside her on the beach, they understood they must pull monsters away from the plants, yet they could not coordinate with the people.

"Adjust your aim twenty meters further back! Fire in three seconds! Three! Two! One... fire!"

Arrows arced through the sky and descended on the horde. Many lost their power after striking houses and buildings.

"No effect!"

"Then what, you're just going to stand there?! Keep shooting! Nock arrows! Fire again in ten seconds!"

Ten seconds later another volley soared. They should have used the pre-prepared kill zones for efficient slaughter, but the Void Hounds' presence there blunted the arrows' impact.

"Damn it, this level of cooperation is..."

Suddenly the enemy's behavior shifted. The creatures that had ignored the Void Hounds to focus solely on the flowers now turned to chase the hounds' tails. Confirming the aggro had changed, the Void Hounds withdrew behind the barricades.

"New targets! Focus on the kill zones again!"

Monsters now approached the barricades while disregarding the flowers. In that interval the sated Void Flowers resumed their feast.

"Looks like Sir Haram pulled it off!"

"I know! Stop talking and shoot!"

The monsters, having lost all intelligence, charged the humans mindlessly. Abyss followers and priests targeted the Void Flowers, but most could not reach those positioned high on buildings.

Thanks to the flowers periodically culling their numbers, the enemy's density had lessened considerably.

The problem was that even the thinned horde remained nearly impossible to hold back.

"Uwaaaaak!!!"

"H-help... ugh."

"Woof!"

An endless wave of monsters. Makeshift barricades shattered. People began disappearing into the horde one by one.

"Get this thing off me!"

An octopus-like monster lashed out with tentacles, binding a man's arm and dragging him forward. The Void Hound beside him snapped the tentacles with its teeth.

"Whew... thank y... huh?"

"Yelp!"

The Void Hound that had saved the man was seized by the octopus monster and dragged into its maw. Across the entire line, Void Hounds threw themselves forward to rescue people. Yet despite their efforts the front gradually collapsed.

Watching from just behind the line, the Count rose from his seat.

"Commit all remaining reserves."

"Yes, my lord!"

"I will go as well."

"My lord?!"

The Count donned the helmet he had often worn in his youth and tightened the straps. Its heavy weight pressed down on his skull.

"Woof!"

"Yes, you gathered here to protect me, didn't you?"

Hundreds of Void Hounds swarmed around the standing Count. This was the separate legion Haram had assigned solely to guard him.

The Count approached one of the hounds.

"Think carefully. If the front collapses, everyone dies, myself included. To protect me, you must hold that line over there."

"Woof!"

"What, no confidence? No faith that you can protect me from those monsters?"

"GRRR!"

"Then let's see what you can do."

The Count gripped the hound's flank and mounted its back.

"Bark?"

"Let's go. We'll save those insignificant humans and save ourselves while we're at it."

"GRRRROOOWW!"

The Void Hounds' highest priority was the legion, yet they were not without personal feelings.

They fundamentally looked down on humans and took pride in the supremacy of their legion. The Count, sensing that pride, had exploited their weakness.

A Void Hound's intelligence was roughly that of a seven-year-old child. Believing this action would protect the Count, the hounds charged toward the crumbling line.

The Count drew a throwing spear from his belt, its shaft lavishly decorated but impractical.

"Hup!"

Leaning back with his whole torso, he hurled the spear. It flew through the air and buried itself in the head of a crab-like monster.

"Everyone, pull yourselves together!"

"My lord?!"

All eyes turned to their ruler's sudden appearance. The Void Hounds that had been guarding him now filled the gaps in the line.

"The knight order is nearly here! Hold just a little longer!"

The Count seized another throwing spear and cast it at the monsters.

"What are you looking at? Eyes front!"

"Ah, yes!"

In truth the Count's spears accomplished little, yet the knowledge that their noble lord fought beside them, the certainty they had not been abandoned, combined to steady the faltering line.

Once the front stabilized, the Count raced to the next sector.

"Five minutes! Hold for five more minutes! Reinforcements are almost here!"

"My lord?!"

In reality even the Count did not know how close the reinforcements truly were. But in such desperate straits, no one would calmly question the timing. The people trusted their ruler's words without reservation and fought with everything they had.

"Damn it! Abandon the right flank! Units three, five, and seven, fall back to the center!"

"What? Wait, which number am I..."

"All of you here, run to the center now!"

Yet willpower alone could not stop a tsunami. Despite the Count's desperate efforts, the line was gradually pushed back toward the inner city.

"Left flank, begin withdrawal..."

"My lord!!!"

The Count spotted a horned fish hurtling straight toward him. Dozens of the creatures had apparently decided to focus fire on him.

"Woof!"

The Void Hounds guarding him leaped forward as one, forming a living shield.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Void Hounds collapsed, impaled on the horns. Their sacrifice proved futile as fresh waves of fish monsters streaked toward the Count.

"So... you really are determined to take this old man down?"

The Count drew his final throwing spear. His overworked arm trembled faintly.

"Even if I die, I'll drag at least one of you with me."

"Woof!"

The surviving Void Hounds encircled him. Fewer than twenty now remained of those who had charged with him.

"Let's see... which of you will I roast on the way to the afterlife..."

"GRRRROOOOAAAR!!!"

A tremendous roar, incomparable to the other hounds' cries. The horned fish froze in midair.

BOOM!

A Void Hound several times larger than the rest, Poppy, landed before the Count.

Tap.

A child in unfamiliar armor leaped down from Poppy's back.

"All that age and you're still out here suffering? Poppy, go rampage somewhere."

"Bark!"

"H-Haram?"

The child was completely encased in chitin armor.

"Oh, right. I'm still wearing it."

The face-covering armor dissolved, revealing a young girl's features.

"I barely made it in time. Count, is there any way to open the east gate?"

The city possessed three gates: east, west, and south. The east gate lay closest to their final defensive line.

"That won't be a problem. More importantly, asking about the gate suggests..."

Rumble rumble rumble...

The Count's gaze shifted toward the east gate. The massive doors swung open, revealing the distant plains. Servants who had accompanied them since the third floor waved from the wall above.

"Three, two, one... now. Exactly thirty minutes."

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

Beyond the wide-flung gates, knights on horseback poured forth. Men clad in plate armor rode steeds covered in steel barding. Some of the monsters attacking the defensive line turned toward the new arrivals.

"Kieeeeek!!!"

Powerful warhorses bred from superior bloodlines, their bodies armored in steel. The massive mounts, comparable to Poppy before gigantification, thundered toward the horde. At their head rode a single knight whose long lance radiated blue light, clear proof of aura.

The knight order carved through the monsters and raced toward the Count.

'They're this strong? Are these people enemies too?'

Perhaps because he had been betrayed so many times, the moment he witnessed the knight order's unexpected power, suspicion bloomed. Would they suddenly draw their weapons and point them at the Count? Was the true final wave the knights themselves?

Yet the status window remained honest.

As the knights arrived, the abyss monsters were wiped out in moments.

"Aigo! Sir Knight! You mustn't!"

A man's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sudden cry drew his gaze. A knight stood with sword drawn against a Void Hound while a man clutched the beast protectively.

'Enemies after all?'

Unfortunately, both gigantification and the various skills had reached their time limits. If battle broke out now, they would be at a disadvantage.

"Henry! What are you doing to the knight?!"

"These children protected us! They are not monsters!"

Through the knight's helm, shaken eyes were visible. The situation clearly confused him. At that moment, a knight wearing a red shoulder insignia approached the standoff.

"Alex, stand down. Sebastian also rode one of these creatures back to the encampment."

"Knight Commander..."

"Alex! That's right, these children are not our enemies!"

The half-knight Sebastian ran up, helping to persuade the others. It seemed these knights were not foes after all.

Haram immediately ran to the Count.

"Count! Please watch the rear for me!"

"Hm? What do you..."

"Poppy!!!"

Calling for Poppy, she raced toward the former last line of defense. Understanding her intent, Poppy shoved aside monster corpses and began digging.

"Lucky the monsters destroyed the Void Pond outside."

The one she had created before the white barrier had already lost its power after devouring tens of thousands of monsters. Haram set the new pond to produce Void Hounds on infinite repeat, then ran toward the beach.

"Everyone! Work hard over here!"

"Woof!"

The surviving Void Hounds diligently dragged monster corpses and dropped them into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the pond. After an hour of ceaseless labor alongside Poppy, they succeeded in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dissolving most of the carcasses before the time limit expired.