The Red Moon (1)
The entrance to the Alven city gates, flanked by massive mountains on either side.
“Hold them back!!!”
“Knock those climbing bastards down!”
In the heart of the battlefield, where shouts and the clash of steel rang out, a man stood amidst the mangled corpses of monsters and splattered blood, taking a deep breath.
“…Hoo.”
Aruuuu—!!
With a howl, three werewolves lunged at him, only to be crushed into pulp by a single swing of his hammer.
Kwang—!
He had lost count of how many times he had swung the hammer today. As he lifted the weapon from the ground, a sticky, visceral sound clung to his ears. Ignoring the unpleasant noise, he looked ahead to see countless monsters, tangled and twisted together, rushing toward him.
“…There is no end to them.”
Immediately after the Oni girl, who had gone berserk under the red moon, had calmed down, an overwhelming number of monsters had swarmed in and around Alven.
‘No, is it even right to call those things monsters?’
Trees twisted grotesquely, taking on the shapes of monsters. Bushes tore their own roots from the earth to stomp across the ground. On top of that, everything from common beasts to creatures that would never leave their own territories emerged, their eyes glowing with a frenzied red light.
From the moment he was born until he became the leader of Alven, he had never seen such a situation. What made this already bewildering crisis even more bizarre was that these things possessed no life.
Even when he blew them apart, crushed them, or pulverized them, the remnants would twitch and crawl toward the humans. It was a level of tenacity that was truly uncanny.
Still, it was better to smash them until not even a scrap of form remained rather than trying to cut them with a blade or poke holes in them with arrows.
Kieeeeek!!!
“Hraaaaaah!!!”
——!!
Swinging his hammer, he turned their flesh into well-minced meat.
“Hoo….”
‘“When the Dokkaebi closes its eyes…” is it?’
A black-clad woman had appeared suddenly, foretelling the disaster of the red moon. Along with that prophecy, she had left one request before vanishing.
‘Even if the red moon rises and a Dokkaebi dances, you must do nothing. Your role will naturally arise when the Dokkaebi closes its eyes. Do not be impatient.’
Under normal circumstances, he would have dismissed it as the ramblings of a madwoman, but her unfathomable level of cultivation had compelled Derban to make every possible preparation.
At first, he had wondered if he was doing the right thing, but—
‘Looking at it now, it was a truly wise decision.’
——!!
A massive explosion of magic erupted, wiping out a legion of monsters.
“Fire!”
“Hold the line!!!”
Kieeeeek!!!
Under strict command, the soldiers utilized magic and the terrain to repel the monsters. The ones defending these walls were the finest elite soldiers in Alven. Immediately after the woman had left, he had prepared all his troops to move at a moment's notice.
Then there was the blond man who had appeared the moment the raid began. Thanks to the assistance of that 9th-circle mage, they had been able to easily block the monsters that surged in during the early stages of the attack. Although it was just like him to demand a transaction even in such a situation, the damage had been kept near zero, so he supposed he should be grateful for now.
‘But it’s reaching its limit.’
Kieeeeek!!!!
For every one he struck down, double the number surged forward.
“Whoa, it’s a wyvern!!!”
“Construct defensive magic!!!”
The enemies, which had started as mere goblins and orcs, grew more powerful as time passed. At this rate, he didn’t know when the line would be breached.
——!!
A trumpet blast signaling an enemy attack echoed across the battlefield.
“Massive monster army confirmed in the front! The scale is… estimated to be more than double the initial raid!!”
He shifted his gaze to where the sound came from, seeing monsters with red eyes tangled together as they charged.
‘Is this the right moment?’
“Prepare for impact!!!”
His voice, amplified by the magic circle manifested before his lips, thundered across the battlefield.
“…! Prepare for impact!!!”
“Prepare!!!”
The soldiers’ voices followed, echoing his command.
“Hoo….”
——!
The earth trembled at the mana and spirit he raised as he steadied his breath. The solid ground beneath his feet cracked with a sharp sound, and the churning air released a booming shockwave. The moment the image of a blue giant rose behind that tremor—
Kwang-!
He set the hammer he was holding onto the ground and focused his mana into his hands.
“Hmm…!”
——!
The mana that erupted with his battle cry climbed the giant’s spirit, sublimating into a single weapon. Soon, a vicious-looking hammer revealed itself. Only those who had reached the Flower Extremity stage could wield it; while it consumed a massive amount of energy with a single swing, the strike was powerful enough to turn the heavens and earth upside down.
The name of the manifestation that compressed a warrior’s Simsang, their enlightenment, and everything they were into a single form was:
Simsang Weapon: Titan’s March
“Hraaaaaaaagh!!!”
With a roar, he brought the hammer down toward the ground. The moment its vicious head touched the earth, the ground exploded before the cracks could even spread.
——!!!!!
A massive cloud of black dust rose from the upheaving earth, accompanied by a deafening roar. When even the echoes of the explosions faded, a heavy silence filled the battlefield.
“….”
The Simsang weapon faded away, having poured out everything Derban possessed in one go. Just as he was staring blankly at the rising mana particles, a single trumpet blast broke the silence and descended upon the battlefield.
“It’s not over yet….”
“Monster legion detected in the front! …That is!”
“…Wyverns.”
Kieeeeek-!!
A swarm of wyverns filled the sky, letting out ear-piercing shrieks. Their number was estimated to be around fifty. They must have flown in from the nearby Wyvern Canyon.
‘…Strategic.’
They used their numbers to wear them down before sending in the main force. He furrowed his brow at the textbook method, which made him wonder if there was someone commanding them, and gathered mana in his hands.
“Hoo….”
A Simsang weapon placed a heavy burden on the body, so once summoned, it required time before it could be called upon again. He didn’t know if he could summon it again by burning his life force, but in a situation where he didn’t know the full extent of the enemy’s forces, that was a dangerous gamble.
‘…If so, I have no choice but to endure, even if it’s crude.’
He gripped the hammer at his side and raised his spirit, causing the image of the giant to rise once more. After weaving mana into the image, he projected it fully onto his body.
“Hmm…!!!”
Derban’s height increased in an instant to approximately 13 meters. The mana flowing from that stature, which had long since surpassed human limits, drew the gaze of the wyverns.
『Provocation』
Kiiiik—!
What he was about to do was a crude war of attrition. Even though he had to face immortals and didn’t know when it would end….
‘I must succeed.’
Because Alven is behind me.
Kieek—!!
The wyverns shrieked and flew toward Derban. But before long, they turned, soared high, and scattered.
‘Are they planning to fly over the walls?’
Despite having drawn their attention, the swarm of wyverns moved as if they possessed intelligence. The moment he was certain someone was controlling them, fireballs erupted from their maws.
As he blocked the fireballs with his arms and surveyed the situation, he heard the cries of monsters rising from the ground. The things that had been mere meat a moment ago were regaining their forms.
‘…!’
Just as he was stunned by the sight, shapes burst forth from the ground. Grotesque forms that looked as if all sorts of creatures had been stitched together haphazardly. He bit his lip at the sight, which looked as if they had crawled up from hell.
“Derban-nim!!!”
“?”
“T-the inside of Alven is…!”
At the soldier’s words, he spread his senses inside the city walls and caught the presence of lifeless, monstrous entities. He let out a sigh, feeling a sense of futility.
“…Huh.”
No matter what he did, they wouldn’t die. No matter what he did, they wouldn’t be stopped. If so, we….
“We….”
What are we to do?
“What do you mean, what are you to do? You stop them.”
“…?”
He turned his gaze toward the voice coming from beside him and saw a woman sitting on his shoulder.
“You are….”
A face so beautiful that one could never forget it once seen. And the spirit of a wolf hidden behind it. That spirit, which felt familiar yet somehow changed, contained something different than before. The moment he felt the back of his neck tingle at that ferocious and sharp atmosphere, the woman’s form sliced through the sky with a piercing sound.
“…!”
In the blink of an eye, she reached the front of the wyverns. As a ting sound erupted from her waist—
“Ishina-ryu”
Kieek—!!
“Draw.”
A single red trajectory slashed through the wyverns. As the woman’s form fell at the end of the arc, every wyvern the red line had passed began to burn.
Kieeeeek-!!!!
The wyverns were sliced in two as they fell. Just as he was left dumbfounded by the sight, which looked as if meteors were falling, a beautiful harp melody descended upon the battlefield.
♩ ♪ ♫ ♬~
The wind stirred by the harp music carried the woman onto the city walls. At a glance, she looked like a goddess descending. Gazes, captivated by her beautiful figure, gathered one by one.
“I’ll help you.”
Those words spilled from the woman’s lips.