Chapter 41: 23:59:54
Chapter 41: 23:59:54
“Un-ho. How long has it been?”
“36 hours and 43 minutes, sir.”
Still a long way to go, then.
Whoosh.
As I swung The Hammer in a wide arc, the swarming Gray Crustaceans were swept away.
I could feel the satisfying weight of the impact through the grip.
It was a heavy technique, meant to buy a moment of time.
The shattered shells turned into small fragments, spraying out like buckshot and embedding themselves in the bodies of the endless tide of enemies, slowing them down.
“I’m taking a three-minute break.”
“Yes, sir.”
A Hot Wind Barrier manifested between me and the pushed-back enemies. As The Wall of magic Un-ho created separated me from the foe, I sat right where I was and regulated my breathing.
No matter how strong I am, when a battle drags on this long, the mind and body wither. I felt the absolute necessity for a brief rest.
The moment I lowered my hammer, Un-ho shifted his method of spellcasting.
He switched from minor support spells to large-scale magic designed to handle massive numbers.
The crustaceans trying to climb over the heat haze were pulverized by giant spears of water, allowing me to catch my breath for a moment.
I wonder if The Wall is holding up. With that thought, I looked back at the barrier behind me.
The gray wall, built from the concrete of the Lord of Infinite Castles.
Only yesterday, it had looked like an impregnable fortress, but now it was crumbling in places, belching smoke.
It was a stalemate—enemies pouring through the breaches, and Heroes and soldiers desperately trying to plug the gaps.
This much was still within the realm of expectation.
As I slowly scanned the state of the barrier, my eyes caught sight of a specific battery.
It was a small artillery position surrounded by the Gray Host.
Perhaps there were no Heroes left to defend it, as all the soldiers were in the middle of a retreat.
The soldiers who had been guarding the battery were backing away, firing their rifles in a desperate attempt to hold their ground, but it was nowhere near enough to stop the gray tide.
The sight of the soldiers firing their grenades in unison was somewhat impressive, and it did manage to slow the crustaceans' advance for a moment, but that was all.
The crustaceans continued to march through the flames of the explosions, and the soldiers used the brief window bought by the grenades to quickly withdraw to the lower levels.
Seeing them retreat, I felt a sense of relief. Losing the battery was a bitter blow, but at least no one had died.
Or so I thought, until a strange sight caught my eye.
Even though the soldiers had withdrawn, a Self-Propelled Artillery unit was still spitting fire.
It wasn't just firing off pre-loaded shells; I could see it adjusting its angle and preparing the next round.
That meant someone was still inside, operating it.
Foolish.
It was a scene I had witnessed countless times on the battlefield.
The final choice of self-sacrifice.
I knew exactly what was going through the mind of the soldier preparing the next shot inside that cramped iron box.
The thought of taking even one more of those bastards down with them at the cost of their own life.
It wasn't that they lacked the time to escape, nor were they completely surrounded. It was something born of a sense of responsibility—or perhaps, a Hero complex.
Even as the Gray Crustaceans smashed the other howitzers, that one unit continued to fire shell after shell.
It was a rate of fire that surpassed all limits, as if the operator sensed the end and didn't care if the barrel warped or the machine broke.
How much time passed?
Perhaps having exhausted all its ammunition, the hatch flipped open, and a few soldiers emerged holding short carbines.
They were soldiers filled with a grim determination to kill at least one more before they went.
Stupid kids.
Self-sacrifice at that age.
Part of me wanted to go help them, but if I did, the first line of defense I had established would collapse.
I watched their final moments, wanting to at least bear witness to their end.
The soldiers, having run out of bullets for the guns they had been firing so desperately, stared at The Enemy with hollow expressions.
The heroics that had suppressed their fear of death vanished, leaving only terror in their hearts.
Tears welled in their eyes, and from their parted lips came final cries, calling out for someone.
In their final moments, who were they thinking of?
Just as the crustaceans' claws were about to swing and end the soldiers' lives—
“…Well done.”
Someone leaped up from beneath the stairs connected to the battery.
A Hero in gray clothes with a fluttering white cloak, wielding a Silver Hammer. My disciple, and The Adversary, Baek Si-hyun.
Arriving with perfect timing, Baek Si-hyun quickly cleared the area.
As if gray shells were nothing to her hammer, she didn't stop her swing, pulverizing everything in her orbit as she moved forward.
I guess real combat truly is the best teacher.
Her rotations were seamless.
Though I could see minor flaws here and there, her flow was clean compared to just a short while ago.
She shifted her weight to follow the centrifugal force, and after taking down an enemy, she didn't stop The Hammer but transitioned immediately into the next rotation.
A beautiful spiral.
Not bad at all.
After a brief moment, Baek Si-hyun finished clearing out the Gray Crustaceans.
The soldiers, who had survived by a hair’s breadth, slumped onto the artillery unit with dazed faces.
They were likely doubting if they were actually alive.
I don't particularly like self-sacrifice in situations where survival is possible, but they deserved praise.
Disliking the act is one thing, but I had no intention of denying the courage they showed.
Having finished clearing the area, Baek Si-hyun began to lead them in a retreat down the stairs.
It was the logical choice, as there was no need to defend a destroyed battery.
Just as she was about to disappear from my sight down the stairs—
Our eyes met.
It wasn't a coincidental glance while turning her head; she looked exactly in my direction.
Did she want to see me?
I waved my hand in response to her gaze, and Baek Si-hyun, seemingly delighted to have been spotted, waved her hammer vigorously.
It seemed she still had plenty of energy left.
“Good job.”
I don't know if she could hear me, but I spoke the praise aloud.
Unless she had some lip-reading skill, my voice wouldn't reach her unless I amplified it.
I’d have to praise her again later.
“Three minutes are up!”
“Right.”
With a lighter heart, I gripped my hammer again and turned my gaze back to the Gray Host.
It could have been a bleak rest, spent watching someone die.
But my disciple prevented that and showed me what it means to be a Hero.
A small hope blooming on the battlefield.
Not a grim scene painted with someone's blood, but a bright scene of a Hero saving lives.
“Can't let my disciple get ahead of me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Si-hyun was out there saving people.”
If my disciple can do it, there's no way I can't.
The Hot Wind Barrier Un-ho had set up vanished, and I swung my hammer into the swarming enemies with a joyful heart.
* * *
How much time had passed since that last break? By now, I was swinging my hammer without a single thought in my head.
The shouts I used to raise the morale of my allies had long since ceased.
Since this had already turned into a fighting retreat, how many survived was all that mattered.
Morale-boosting was no longer necessary.
It was more important for as many people as possible to make it back alive, rather than having them get pointlessly inspired to do something stupid like forming a suicide squad or being the 'last man standing.'
The barrier had fallen.
There was no more artillery support, and the shouts of people could no longer be heard. Neither the efforts nor the struggles of the Heroes could stop The Enemy.
The collapse of the tense stalemate happened in an instant. The Heroes couldn't withstand the enemies as they grew slightly stronger, and the front line crumbled like falling dominoes.
Headquarters quickly issued orders to abandon the first line of defense and retreat.
Of course, such orders had nothing to do with me.
I had to remain in this spot until the very end, swinging my hammer.
So that even one more retreating ally could survive. So that humanity could be victorious in the battles to come.
Because that was our role.
I couldn't know for sure from this distance, but my comrades in other sectors would also be standing alone, protecting their allies.
Not yet?
“What’s the retreat status?”
“I still detect life signs!”
Un-ho, who had become noticeably thinner since the battle began, shouted loudly.
Having regained his original, sleek form, he was perched on my head, diligently casting spells, but he too looked visibly exhausted.
His once-upright white fur now drooped toward the ground, unable to defy gravity, and the size of his Magic Circles had shrunk to less than half. The once-glossy fur had long since become matted and dull.
Tsk.
This is dangerous.
I can still hold out, but Un-ho is on the verge of collapse.
He was using a spirited voice to avoid worrying me, but his physical appearance was already starting to break down.
“Where are the life signs?”
“Everyone else has evacuated, but there’s still one location left.”
“If we clear that, everyone’s out, right?”
“Yes!”
“Let’s go there. Lead the way.”
Following my words, Un-ho pointed, and I turned my body in that direction.
Before my eyes stretched a plain of Gray Crustaceans. The sight of those hideous things clinging to the concrete of the barrier and gnawing away at it was proof of our defeat in this first battle.
It’s fine.
This Pacific Barrier was only a temporary wall built to thin out The Enemy’s numbers. As long as we win the next battle, there’s no problem.
With that thought, I threw myself forward.
Without swinging my hammer, I used my lightened body to step on the enemies. I channeled strength into my feet to leap onto the head of the next foe.
Crunch.
The refreshing sensation of hard shells shattering beneath my boots traveled up my legs.
Naturally, I had no intention of just passing through.
Shouldn't I crush every enemy I use as a stepping stone?
A delightful set of stepping stones that vanished once trodden upon.
Using the rhythmic sound of crushing as a beat, I took one step after another.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
I sprinted across the gray plain, scattering gray flesh in my wake.
“Twenty people over there!”
“I see them.”
Through a narrow gap in The Wall, I saw the last survivors.
A few Heroes and soldiers lying wounded. It looked like they had been surrounded while moving toward an exit.
“The entrance is that way!”
“That’ll be too slow.”
I summoned my hammer and gripped it.
This barrier had already lost its value. That meant it didn't matter if I destroyed it with my own hands.
Boom!
The Hammer collided with the barrier, creating a massive hole. The shortest route to those calling for help.
“Kyaak!”
“Is it an enemy?!”
The Heroes, mistaking me for an enemy as I burst through The Wall, leveled their weapons at me.
“I’m here to save you, you idiots.”
To think they’d take their eyes off The Enemy in front of them just to look at me because I appeared suddenly. Their training is lacking.
Instead of a greeting, I swung my hammer and annihilated the enemies.
Crunch. Crunch. Cra-crunch.
The Gray Crustaceans surrounding the survivors were transformed into bits of meat in an instant. The survivors, stunned by the scene that had unfolded before their eyes, stared at me blankly for a moment.
“We’re saved!”
“Hurrah!”
As time passed and the reality of their survival sank in, they shouted with joy and bowed their heads toward me.
“Thank you. We lived because of you.”
A Magical Girl holding a Magic Wand, who looked strangely familiar.
She too had a joyful expression, but I poured words onto her that didn't match her face.
“The retreat order should have been given. Why are you still here?”
“We were helping the wounded soldiers, and then…”
Wounded soldiers, huh.
Most of them were heavily injured.
A soldier with bandages wrapped around his head, likely from a skull fracture.
Soldiers missing limbs.
Soldiers on crutches with splints.
At first glance, her words didn't seem to have any major issues.
Heroes are indeed assigned to transport the wounded in every battle. But those Heroes are usually high-ranking A or B-Rankers.
Not some mediocre Hero standing here grinning.
“Where is the person in charge? I don't think you lot were assigned to transport the wounded.”
“What does a brat like you know?!”
Irritated by my words, a male Hero in armor stepped toward me.
His sudden movement was halted by my hammer pointed at his face, and I spoke to him.
“I’ve been playing Hero since before a snot-nosed brat like you was even born. Shut your mouth.”
The atmosphere turned cold in an instant.
It was likely because I had overreacted. But this was an important matter.
Important enough that, if handled wrong, all of them could lose their titles as Heroes through Management Bureau sanctions.
I spoke again to the Magical Girl who seemed to be the leader of this group.
“I’ll ask again. Where is the person in charge of transport?”
Normally, other Heroes should have been transporting the wounded, and these Heroes should have retreated with the main force long ago.
There were two possibilities.
First: A brain-dead commander assigned these rookies to transport duty.
And second:
“Don't tell me you disobeyed orders and deserted?”
The hypothesis that they had disobeyed orders to flee, but failed to escape and got stranded here with the wounded.
It was a question they could have made excuses for, but the Heroes didn't open their mouths.
They just kept their heads down and their lips tightly shut, as if they had nothing to say.
Right. Desertion, then.
We are currently under a Mobilization Order. Desertion on the battlefield can lead to the revocation of Hero status, depending on the severity.
Just as I was about to activate communication magic to contact headquarters—
“It’s the opposite! The transport team ran away, and these Heroes came to protect us!”
A soldier on crutches burst forward.
As if the Heroes' honor was more important than his own legs, he rushed toward me in a stumbling, desperate posture.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. If you find it hard to believe, the other soldiers can testify as well.”
Only then did the situation quickly click into place in my mind.
The Heroes assigned to transport the wounded had fled, and these ones had ignored the retreat order and broken away from the main force to save the soldiers.
The reason they couldn't answer my question was likely because it was true that they had technically committed a violation of orders and deserted their post.
However, that 'desertion' wasn't a flight from the battlefield, but a move to protect the soldiers.
“Is what this soldier saying true?”
“…Yes. We ignored the main force's orders and moved to save them.”
“Hmm.”
Regardless, I had to get them to the rear, so I activated my communication magic and connected to headquarters.
“This is Lee Ha-ram. Emergency situation. Multiple wounded discovered.”
—Commander Macbeth is currently in combat. Please relay the details.
“16 non-Hero wounded. 4 Heroes. The Heroes assigned to transport the wounded abandoned their duty and fled. Other Heroes discovered this and fulfilled their duty as Heroes. Requesting troops to transport them.”
With this, their violation of orders was resolved. Since I reported that they had done what they were supposed to do as Heroes, the violation would be overlooked.
—Confirmed. Please identify the Heroes in that sector.
“You lot. What are your Hero names?”
The Heroes, who had been cowering in fear of my aura, stated their Hero names and registration numbers one by one.
I relayed them exactly as they were.
Finally, the Magical Girl who had been the leader of these survivors spoke.
“Hero name is Green Green. Registration number is…”
Green Green?
Surprised by the name, I looked up and stared at her face.
The strangely familiar face began to overlap with memories of the past.
Green hair. Wind-based magic.
A dark night. The girl who had leveled her Magic Wand at me.
The Magical Girl who had been my very first attacker was speaking right in front of me.
The girl I had once attacked… was acting more like a Hero than anyone else here.