Second Awakening Quest (2)

The creatures that had already breached the inner walls were a serious threat, but the greatest danger lay on the ramparts themselves.

This... is far more serious than I imagined?!

Only after climbing the wall did I see the scene before me and realize I couldn't hold back a gasp of shock.

Beyond the ramparts stretched a vast horizon the likes of which were rarely seen in South Korea. Yet from one end of that horizon to the other, not a single speck of dirt or sand was visible.

The ground had been completely swallowed by the endless hordes of Anarchy monsters surging forward in an unbroken chain, leaving no patch of earth uncovered.

"Kyaaaack! Save me...!"

At that moment, a soldier right beside me screamed as he was pinned beneath an Anarchy. He must have dropped his weapon; he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stretched out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his hand, desperately trying to grab a nearby spear, but it was futile.

The monster's razor-sharp teeth would reach his throat first.

In that instant—

Swish!

The Clear Sky Sword traced a graceful blue arc, severing the Anarchy's neck cleanly.

Frost scattered along the blade's path, and the severed stump froze solid before collapsing limply to the side.

"Th-thank you, Priest!"

"I'll handle things here. Soldier, please head to wherever your comrades need help most. Quickly!"

"Yes, sir!"

The soldier snatched up his spear and raced toward his struggling allies.

The creatures plummeted from the ramparts amid tremendous explosions. The wall itself took minor damage, but that was far better than allowing the monsters to climb over.

The real problem was that no matter how relentlessly I deployed the Night Crows, their numbers barely seemed to dwindle.

There are simply too many of them!

Whenever the cooldown reset, I launched another Night Crow while racing across the ramparts to rescue soldiers in peril.

Using the skill more freely would have made things easier, but there was a reason I held back. The dark-attribute explosions dealt no damage to my Minions of the Underworld, yet they harmed other living beings and inorganic objects.

"Thank you! Priest!"

"You saved us!"

"Save the gratitude for later! Go help the others—hurry!"

Because of this, the Clear Sky Sword never stopped dripping blood. Before long my breathing grew ragged, and each step felt heavier than the last.

Had the tide of Anarchy monsters lessened even slightly? Of course not. If anything, it looked like their numbers had grown.

At this rate...

As I glanced down from the ramparts, my eyes widened.

It wasn't just that the monsters were clawing their way up the sheer walls. Because every inch was already occupied, the ones that couldn't find purchase had begun racing along the base of the wall, circling toward the rear.

If they go around that way...

"Damn it all!"

The priests and refugees must have only just left the temple and begun fleeing through the castle's rear gate.

If those creatures circled around to the back gate in that situation, everything I had risked my life to protect would be lost.

This was no time to feel relieved that I hadn't followed the refugees into danger. If survival had been my goal from the start, I never would have begun this quest in the first place.

If the purpose of this quest was to save as many refugees as possible and ensure their safe evacuation, then the current situation was no different from failure.

Of course my assumption could be wrong. The fact that the objective was listed as '???' meant I couldn't know for certain what would clear the quest.

All I could do was decide what mattered most in this moment.

What was the cause, and what was the solution?

My mind raced so fast it felt like it might melt.

The reason the monsters were circling was because their kin already covered every climbable surface, leaving no room. And why were they climbing the walls? Because the gates were sealed tight.

There was only one answer.

Shit...

I sprinted down toward the firmly shut main gate.

"Stand your ground! We are the proud Knights of Nyx! Do not yield to these filthy Anarchy scum!"

The burly, middle-aged paladin with a thick beard roared as he swung his massive sword, carving through the charging monsters.

Even in a clearly losing battle, fierce fighting spirit still burned in his eyes, and fresh enemy blood dripped steadily from his blade.

"Sir Olius?"

"What is it? Speak quickly."

Olius casually sliced apart an Anarchy that had lunged from behind, then turned to me, drenched in crimson blood.

"We must open the gates at once! Right now!"

"What?! What kind of nonsense..."

"I know. I know how insane it sounds! But if we don't open them immediately, the refugees fleeing through the rear gate will be in mortal danger! I saw it from the ramparts—Anarchy monsters circling the walls toward the back gate! Keeping the gates sealed might keep this place safe for a while, but all those innocent civilians who know nothing will be slaughtered!"

"...One moment. Hector!!"

Olius bellowed the name, and a blood-soaked knight fighting nearby came running.

"Climb the ramparts at once and confirm the monsters' movements. This is urgent. Go!"

"Yes, General!"

With his trusted subordinate confirming the same dire news, Olius finally grasped the full severity of the situation. He grimaced and cursed himself.

"I thought simply holding the gates would suffice. To miss such a critical variable—Olius, you utter fool!"

He quickly cast off his heavy heart and looked at me.

"Are you the master of these goblins, Priest?"

"Yes."

When I nodded, Hector added from the side.

"That's not all. I've seen it multiple times during the fighting. Without this priest's help on the ramparts, they would have fallen long ago."

"A priest I've never met before, yet possessing such tremendous power. Then allow me one question. I agree to opening the gates immediately, but the Anarchy monsters will flood in like a tidal wave. Without a way to counter that, our soldiers will be annihilated in moments. Do you have a plan?"

"I wouldn't call it a brilliant plan, but there is a way. It will, however, require your complete and absolute cooperation."

"If it's within our power, we'll do anything! Just tell us what to do."

"Have you ever heard of the Changban Slope tactic?"

"Changban Slope?"

Preparations were completed in an instant...

"Open the gates! Open them now!"

Rumble...

At Olius's command, the soldiers began hauling the gates open despite their fear.

If things went wrong, all their hard-fought endurance and sacrifice would be rendered meaningless, yet they chose to trust and obey their general.

As the gates swung wide—

Kiaaaak!!

Grrrrr...!!

The Anarchy monsters that had been massed outside poured in like a flood.

But—

Simply opening the gate did not grant immediate access to the city. The monsters first had to pass through a corridor as thick as the wall itself.

Packed into that straight passage, they became perfect prey for the Night Crow.

Of course I couldn't launch every crow at once. If the corridor collapsed and became blocked, the monsters would simply circle the walls again.

Besides, the skill's purpose wasn't limited to bombardment.

Crunch!

A minion goblin swordsman's blade drove straight into the skull of an Anarchy that burst through the black smoke.

Blinded by the smoke, it had no chance to dodge the sword waiting on the other side.

With more monsters shoving forward from behind, waiting for the smoke to clear was simply impossible.

This was no battle—it was a slaughter.

Goblin swordsmen and assassins drove their blades into the necks and heads of every creature that emerged from the smoke. Soldiers hurriedly dragged the corpses away.

"Clear them faster! We cannot let the entrance get blocked by piled corpses!"

The Anarchy monsters truly came without end.

Had we faced them in open terrain, we wouldn't have lasted a single moment.

But here, inside this narrow single-path corridor, while total extermination might be impossible, holding them back was entirely feasible.

"Goblbaba!"

ROOOAAAR!!

The sheer volume of incoming monsters quickly overwhelmed the goblin swordsmen and assassins alone.

Some inevitably slipped past the sides.

Yet even those immediately locked onto the second-line Goblbaba after his provoking roar and charged straight at him.

"Fire!"

Swish swish swish—!

The goblin archers waiting in the third line instantly cut down every Anarchy latched onto Goblbaba.

All the while, soldiers frantically hauled away corpses without rest.

Then, just as the smoke began to thin, I launched another remaining Night Crow. Fresh explosions billowed new clouds of smoke.

Through combat I had learned that these Anarchy monsters knew no fear. Unless physically blocked by something like a gate, they never hesitated to charge through smoke.

I had sent Goblius and Goblex up to the ramparts in my stead. They would surely prove invaluable to the paladins and soldiers.

It was then.

"Success! The Anarchy monsters that were heading toward the rear gate are all turning back toward the main entrance!"

"Is that true?!"

General Olius ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clenched his fist in delight. Seeing his reaction, I gave a small chuckle.

"Doesn't that mean we'll have even less time to breathe? Yet you look pleased?"

"Of course! If I can protect the lives of the citizens by sacrificing my own, there is no greater joy."

......

How many people could answer with such sincerity, without the slightest hesitation?

At the very least, I believed everyone fighting here—whether their sacrifice was large or small—shared a heart not so different from Olius's.

"Why are you staring at me so? Is there something on my face?"

"No. I was simply thinking that you, the paladins, and the soldiers are all remarkable. Risking your lives for complete strangers isn't easy."

"It isn't. At least I have the cause of protecting our families and our people. But you aren't even a human of this era, are you?"

"...Pardon?"

I stared at Olius in shock. He offered a gentle smile.

"We know. We understand that we are beings of the past and that our mortal fate cannot be altered. Nevertheless, you risked your life for us, and thanks to you the refugees were able to escape safely. Though we cannot change the tragedies of the past, because of you we have gained great solace. Thank you, comrade from the future..."

"W-wait!"

In that instant, Olius vanished before my eyes.

Not only him.

The soldiers who had bowed with smiles, the Anarchy monsters that had flooded forward like a tide, the ramparts, the corpses—everything disappeared.

A pure white space unfolded around me.

And then a woman appeared before my eyes.