Desperate Stand at the Wall
“Kraaak!”
“Keeek!”
The Magic Cannon felled countless monsters, yet others surged endlessly toward the base in their wake. Having lost all reason, the beasts trampled the corpses of their fallen kin, pressing forward in a relentless horde.
Frowning at the sight of monsters in wildly varied forms, Jade muttered to himself.
Different types of monsters cooperating like this... it's rare.
Monsters typically lived in packs like ordinary beasts. Those of differing forms were hostile to one another, sometimes clashing over territory. But now, every kind swarmed together without hesitation. It felt like standing in the heart of hell itself.
“Tch, reload!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Monsters are massing massively below the wall!”
At the soldier's shout, Jade peered down.
“Kuek!”
“Ugh...!”
Monsters that had survived the cannon clung to the wall, emitting eerie shrieks. The Magic Cannon boasted tremendous destructive power, but reloading took time. They embedded mana stones inscribed with fire magic into massive stone shells before loading and firing them. Yet those heavy shells required several soldiers straining together just to maneuver.
The cannon was a great asset against the usual sparse monster waves, but in this situation, it was a hindrance.
“Prepare the mortars!”
Unlike the main cannons, mortars had shorter range and weaker power but could be reloaded swiftly. They still needed refinement, yet they were perfect for clearing the monsters clustered at the wall's base.
At Jade's command, the soldiers aimed and fired in unison.
“Kieeek!”
“Kraaah!”
But moments later, Jade's eyes widened at the scene below.
“...What?”
The mortar-struck monsters were barely scathed. As the smoke cleared, he finally realized what clung to the wall.
Cotaz...!
These were monsters draped in shells like a turtle's carapace—far more grotesque and ferocious than any real turtle, of course. Their exteriors boasted superalloy strength that resisted even knights' sword auras, marking them as high-priority threats.
“To think we missed those...!”
They'd blended in with the others and scaled the wall unnoticed. If they endured without dying...
Jade grimaced, imagining the worst. Could mindless beasts truly coordinate like this?
The wall stretched over 15 meters high—a supreme defensive line no ordinary monster could breach. In the past six years, it had never fallen to them once. Yet an inexplicable chill gripped him.
Soon, a soldier watching the front lines bellowed, snapping Jade back to attention as he stared ahead.
“Commander!”
“...!”
It was enormous, even from afar. No—enormous didn't do it justice. The other monsters ahead parted like they were clearing a path.
Thud. Thud.
The ground quaked with massive booms, as if a mountain were on the move.
“Grraaah...”
“...!”
Jade jolted from his daze at the monster's roar, urging the terrified soldiers.
“Snap out of it! Reload, now!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
But fear-saturated, the soldiers moved sluggishly, their eyes locked on the approaching behemoth.
Still manageable for now.
Its sheer size slowed it down. Dragging that bulk here already seemed taxing; if they could just fire the cannon first, victory was possible.
“Almost... there!”
“Hrk...!”
As reloading finished, a sudden roar made the soldiers clap their hands over their ears.
“Kraaaah!”
The distant monster bellowed a threat, its shockwave pressing down like physical force. The soldiers paled, staring in disbelief.
“Th-that thing...!”
“No way...!”
The crouched beast launched skyward in an instant, blotting out the night sky—a walking catastrophe.
“Fall back!”
Abandoning the cannon, Jade ordered a retreat. The airborne monster crashed just short of the wall's top.
Boom!
“Aaaagh!”
“Argh!”
The distance spared them from being overrun, but the impact shook violently. Some soldiers tumbled off the wall; the rest dodged but were battered by flying debris, wounded.
“Ngh...”
Jade groaned, rising with a gash on his head from rubble. Fortunately—or not—the wall was only partially crumbled, not collapsed. Victory was still in reach, he told himself firmly.
Until the grotesque monster's hand rose over the edge.
“...Huh?”
“R-run!”
A soldier who'd clung nearby gaped at the approaching limb, then tumbled off screaming his last.
“Tch.”
Jade bit his lip, helpless. That single swipe had wrecked most of the remaining Magic Cannons. Undoubtedly, those overlooked Cotaz had served as its footing.
“Grrr...”
Then the monster's head crested the wall. Its eyes narrowed, as if counting the survivors—like a smirk.
Glare fixed on the leering beast, Jade drew his sword.
“All hands, battle stations!”
At his cry, the surviving knights atop the wall raised their blades in unison. They were the valiant knights of the Carpoem Ducal House. Even in death, they would fight to the last.
Moonlight gleamed on their resolute faces.
“We hold the wall at all costs!”
“Yes, sir!”
The monster gaped wide and lunged again with a roar.
“Kraaah!”
“Don't let it climb!”
It meant to claw its way up, smashing the wall. They had to repel it first. Jade and the knights gritted their teeth, channeling mana.
Their sword auras clashed with its arm.
Vmmm!
“...What?”
But something blocked the auras mere inches away.
“Argh!”
“Liam!”
A knight crushed under the arm cried out in agony.
“Tch, fall back!”
Unable to hold, the knights retreated.
What the hell?
It was like a shield had deflected their auras. The arm remained unscratched.
“Damn it.”
Jade's eyes widened at the growing clamor from below—like more monsters.
“No...!”
Astonishingly, it wasn't just breaching the wall. It was using its body as a bridge for the others to climb. That's why it hadn't attacked beyond swipes.
Time to rethink how low their intelligence truly was.
...Is this where I die?
It galled him most that he couldn't report this to his lady.
Jade raised his sword again, eyes on the swarm cresting the wall.
“Forgive me, Lady Abigail.”
His quiet apology went unheard.
Yet someone replied indifferently.
“Bit early for apologies, Sir Jade.”
“...!”
Startled, Jade whipped around.
“Lady Abigail!”
“Let's sweep these vermin first, then talk.”
Abigail spoke calmly, returned exactly as she'd left. She drew her sword with a whisper of steel, its blade glinting coldly in the moonlight, radiating menace.
Her eyes fixed on the monsters.
* * *
I slipped out of the ballroom and headed to the townhouse in the capital—to retrieve Ian, whom I'd left there.
Plus, Ren needed a massive stock of mana stones for another long-distance teleport.
At the townhouse, I hounded the butler I'd only just met today.
“Bring every mana stone you've got!”
“M-mana stones?”
“Yes, mana cores!”
This was the Carpoem Ducal House's capital residence. It had to be stocked with gems and precious mana stones alike.
The butler, dazed by my abrupt order, instructed the servants.
“Fetch all the mana stones!”
“Yes, sir!”
I turned to Ian, who'd approached silently.
“We head back to Volta Base right now.”
“Yes.”
“...”
That was it. No further response. I'd expected as much, but it felt a tad awkward. He never even asked what was up.
Sighing softly, I eyed the butler again.
“Got any decent swords here?”
“S-swords?”
His bewilderment was fair—demanding mana stones mid-ball, now a sword. I smirked.
The duke approached.
“Take mine.”
“...Father's sword?”
I hadn't brought one, obligated to attend the ball. Combat would resume the instant we returned to base, so even an unfamiliar blade would do.
I hadn't expected him to offer his own.
“I should have given it to you sooner, but I hesitated.”
“...”
I quietly accepted the hefty sword. Even bedridden by the curse, he'd never parted with it. A dark red mana stone and tassel adorned the hilt; despite its scabbard, an extraordinary aura seeped out.
As I gripped it, the Dragon's Mana within me stirred faintly.
“This isn't an ordinary sword.”
The duke nodded.
“Correct. It's the blade handed down through generations to the lords of Carpoem.”
“I couldn't possibly...”
He smiled at my hesitation.
“You are more than worthy.”
“...”
I gazed at him steadily. His red eyes met mine.
We stood like that, eyes locked, for a long moment.
“All the mana stones are here!”
“...Ah, right.”
I turned. Ren inspected the pile and nodded.
“This should suffice.”
“Straight to the base?”
“Yes.”
This was Ren's first attempt at maximum-range warp magic. Ian and I stepped to his side.
“Begin.”
Ren quietly chanted the incantation.