The Walls Come Tumbling Down (3)
The Neutral Saint is a sociopath... In that case... (3)
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The supporting character sprinted down the corridor toward the lobby, the thunderous impacts from outside forcing him to question once again just how insane this plan really was.
No matter how I look at it, this is ridiculous... Wouldn't it be better to run away while I still can? I'm not some protagonist chosen by the gods or anything.
Reaching the lobby, he spotted several people still hesitating to go outside. He approached Rion, who had gone ahead earlier.
"What are you doing?"
"Ah, the sentinels judged that since War Trolls and Saber Leos are large monsters, using the building itself as an obstacle to divide and conquer them would give us the highest chance of success..."
Using the hospital as an obstacle... Does that mean narrowing the entrance? Can we at least keep them from reaching the emergency room or the wards? Where did Delpiari spread that scent he mentioned?
"First, gather four adult modern-world men from the people here. Preferably those who've completed military service."
"Huh? Ah, you mean modern humans! I'll round them up right away!"
Rion, already sensing there was no time for questions, immediately set off with his party members to collect the modern humans. Meanwhile, Joyeon pulled out the duffel bag he had stored in his inventory.
"Jack, May. Once the modern humans arrive, hand out the guns. They'll be far more efficient than the swordsmanship you've been practicing. Since they're modern people, you'll be able to communicate with them easily too."
Clack! Click!
"Lara, come with me outside so we can assess the situation. We need to see whether using the hospital as an obstacle is actually viable."
"Yes!"
"Ah, Joyeon! Wait for me~!"
As Joyeon and Tiasia headed for the exit, Arti, who had followed late, called out and chased after him.
"Arti, sorry, but I don't have time to look after you. Go stay with Jack and May."
"Eh? Uh... okay, got it."
After giving Arti a quick order, Joyeon stepped outside the hospital and was quite startled by the sight before him.
I imagined they'd be big, but not this big...
There were three hundred War Trolls, each standing between three and five meters tall. Fifty Saber Leos carried those massive monsters on their backs without issue. The horde was advancing straight toward the hospital.
It's a swarm. Stop all of them? While protecting the hospital? That doesn't make any sense.
"Lara... can we even stop them?"
"...My apologies, Master. With my limited judgment, I cannot see any way to protect anything except you..."
"I knew it. If we fight for a bit and it looks hopeless, we'll just run—"
Just as Joyeon was considering retreating to the lobby to fight in the narrow space as the sentinels planned, a roar erupted from the War Trolls' direction. Ten especially large individuals stepped forward from the rest. They thrust one shoulder ahead, lowered their bodies, and bent their knees as if preparing to charge with full defensive posture.
"...No way... It can't be."
"Master, it seems we were mistaken."
Both Joyeon and Tiasia instinctively stepped backward as they realized what the War Trolls intended. Another roar rang out.
"This is insane...!"
"Master! You must dodge!"
The War Trolls launched themselves in a suicidal charge straight at the hospital. Tiasia grabbed Joyeon and yanked him back into the lobby.
"Everyone, get out of the way!!"
At Tiasia's shout and the thunderous footsteps that shook the ground, the people inside the lobby scrambled backward. Then—
BOOOOOOM!!
"Uwaaaagh!"
"It's dangerous!!"
The hospital's main entrance was completely blown away as the curled-up War Trolls slammed into it. It wasn't just the door. Using their sturdy bodies like siege weapons, the War Trolls smashed straight through the hospital walls themselves and poured inside. The people who had been preparing for battle in the lobby were neutralized in an instant. Dozens were seriously injured by the ten War Trolls.
Seeing the concrete reduced to mere rubble from the walls, Joyeon realized how foolish both the sentinels' plan of fighting in confined spaces and his own brief thought of stopping the charge with Bone Armor had been.
Grrrrr...!
The five-meter-plus War Troll that had shattered the wall rose to its feet without difficulty. Nicknamed War Demons. Monsters over three meters tall with monstrous strength capable of tearing humans apart bare-handed, thick skin that swords could barely penetrate, and high regenerative abilities. While lesser trolls had low intelligence and tended to act alone, War Trolls moved in organized groups, maintained formations, and even used mounts—proof of considerable intellect. And the War Trolls before them had already been trained by Kelts Pitra on how to deal with modern-world buildings.
This wasn't about narrowing entrances with doors. The gap in experience was vast, and so was the gap in raw specs.
War Trolls were famous monsters that most adventurers from the magic world knew well. Monsters you were not supposed to fight. Monsters no adventurer party could handle. Monsters that required an entire nation's military or large-scale subjugation requests from guilds or magic towers.
Regret began to settle in the hearts of everyone who had come this far because of Joyeon's threats. They started thinking that fighting Joyeon might have given them better odds of survival. People began considering slipping away in the confusion.
Damn it... No matter how I think about it, this is wrong. Logically, running away is the correct answer to survive, so why—why are we being told to fight? This is suicide. Running is the normal choice. Even if it's Mother's order, I should just use these people as bait and escape...
Inside Joyeon's mind, rational calculation clashed violently with the compulsion to obey Sosia's command.
"Aaaagh!!"
Finally, Joyeon screamed and shook his head violently. Then he shouted at the people frozen in fear before the War Trolls.
"There are only ten of them! What are you all scared of? It's not like standing around will keep you alive!"
As Joyeon extended his hand, ten Bone Spears materialized in the air—just like the number of War Trolls that had invaded.
Dizzy...
Damn it, this mana depletion is going to bother me until the very end!
Forcing himself to endure the dizziness through sheer willpower, Joyeon launched the Bone Spears at the War Trolls. The War Trolls easily swatted the spiraling projectiles away with their massive clubs. All except one.
[You have met the gaze of the Manifestation of Death — The Reaper.]
[You cannot move.]
Thwack!
One War Troll that had locked eyes with Joyeon failed to defend because of The Reaper's effect and had its head pierced by a Bone Spear. Joyeon squeezed out what little mana remained and created one more spear, driving it into the already-impaled troll's skull.
[Insufficient mana. Death Aura has been dispelled.]
"Haa, haa...! One... I got one! Jack! Snipers?!"
Clack!!
Ready, Master!
"Shoot them! Kill those things!"
Click!!
Everyone, fire!
Even in the chaos, Jack and May perfectly carried out Joyeon's orders and shouted at the people who had finished preparing to shoot.
Bang! Bang!
With loud gunshots, bullets from four rifles punched small holes into the foremost War Troll charging toward Joyeon. Three hit the limbs, one struck the head.
Grraaah...!
...Thud!
Another War Troll collapsed without understanding what had happened to its body.
"Two down! Tell them to aim better! Even one headshot is enough to drop a War Troll!"
Clack!
Understood, Master!
Click!
Aim for the heads! Everyone else, aim high so you don't hit our allies!
Once two fell, the remaining War Trolls stopped holding back and charged straight at Joyeon and the shooters. The shooters panicked at the monsters rushing them, but Jack and May shouted for them to stay calm while protecting them. Tiasia intercepted a War Troll lunging at Joyeon.
Kuwoooar!
A War Troll swung a massive wooden club far larger than Tiasia at her. Instead of dodging, she raised both hands.
BOOM!
The impact was like a bomb going off, cracking the floor. It was a blow that would have turned an ordinary human into paste, but Tiasia caught the club with both hands.
"Just one of them...! A filthy monster trying to harm my Master...!"
Using the club she had seized, Tiasia lifted the War Troll and hurled it into two others that were charging behind it.
Urk?!
The two War Trolls failed to dodge their flying kin and tumbled over each other. While it didn't cause major damage, it was enough to disrupt their momentum.
"What are the rest of you doing?! Are you here to sightsee?! Help us!! Is there not a single person who can swing a sword?!"
"We're here!!"
The first to act at Joyeon's shout was, as expected, Rion's party. Rion and Mugido, the vanguard, drove their sword and iron fist into the eyes of the fallen War Trolls, preventing them from rising.
"Neisila!!"
"[Blizzard Arrow]!!"
Neisila, the party's main damage dealer, used the opening her comrades created to unleash her strongest offensive magic at the War Trolls.
Shhhk-shhhk-shhhk!
Azure ice arrows turned the heads of the three fallen War Trolls into frozen chunks. Tiasia finished them off by smashing their skulls with her fists.
"Five down!! Five more to go!"
In a short time, half of the ten War Trolls that had entered the hospital were dead. Seeing this, the others realized that they might actually be able to handle the rest themselves.
"W-we can win!"
"I'll take the one on the right!"
"Aim for the legs! Rob them of mobility first!"
"Watch the reach of those wooden clubs! Strike and retreat from range!"
As the sentinels and adventurers began moving, Joyeon's followers and Rion's party finally got a moment to regroup.
Nngh~ I'm so dizzy I could die. What do we do next? Even if we deal with the ones that got in, there are still three hundred and forty outside...
"Master, are you all right?"
"I'm fine. Just dizzy... Mana potion... Is there anyone nearby with a mana potion? I'm running dangerously low. I need to restore Kan and Ron's bodies so they can return..."
"I'll go look for one."
"No. Get back to the front line. Without you, no one can physically stop the War Trolls. Jack and May, stop supervising the shooters and get to the front as well!"
Clack! Click!
"Mana potion... Anyone have a mana potion~?!"
"Joyeon! We have spare potions!"
Once again, it was Rion who offered help. Because his party had a mage, they carried mana potions. Joyeon forced himself to ignore his spinning vision and walked toward him.
Krrr—woar!
"Watch out~!!"
A desperate cry rang out. Joyeon turned his head toward the voice and saw a War Troll's club flying straight at him. The troll had thrown it in a desperate, all-or-nothing move, and Joyeon stood directly in its path.
"...Shit, again?"
His mana was nearly gone. Even his followers couldn't reach him faster than the thrown club. Once again, a life-or-death crisis had found him.
All he could do was close his eyes and raise his arms like a shield.
"Joyeon!!"
Thud!
Urk!... Huh...? It doesn't hurt as much as I thought...
Though he had been struck by something larger than his body, Joyeon realized the impact hadn't come from directly in front of him. Slowly opening his eyes, he understood that what had hit him wasn't the club—it was Arti.
"Kuh... A-Arti?"
"Ugh... Are you okay? I-I... I saved you, didn't I? You owe me your life now."
While Jack and May had gone to the front line, Arti had returned to Joyeon's side. She had spotted the War Troll throwing the club first and thrown herself at him.
"Why aren't you answering? You owe me your life, you know?"
"Haa— Yeah. I get it, so get off me already—"
[Death's Arena — Bone Armor]
Just as he was about to tell Arti to move, his last remaining mana was forcibly squeezed out and Bone Armor formed over both of them.
Crash!
Part of the hospital ceiling, already weakened by the earlier impacts, collapsed and fell directly onto Arti and Joyeon.
"Kyaa?! F-falling rocks?"
"Ugh... This is getting ridiculous..."
The mana he had barely recovered enough to use once was now nearly zero again.
"Huh? J-Joyeon? Are you okay?"
"Not okay at all— get off me quick..."
Creak...!
The falling debris didn't stop at one piece.
...It really doesn't know the meaning of "moderation," does it?
Since he had just used the only spell he could cast, Bone Armor was no longer available either.
The odds of both of us surviving... are impossible. Arti can't protect me, and to survive the falling rubble... I'd have to push her away while... No, that's impossible too.
Joyeon pulled Arti into his arms as she tried to stand without understanding the situation and rolled across the floor.
"H-hueh?!"
BOOOOM!
In the end, massive chunks of the building crashed down on top of both Joyeon and Arti.