Awakening to Devastation
Upon opening my eyes, I was momentarily speechless at the scene unfolding before me.
“…….”
The battlements lay in ruins. The impregnable iron fortress that had withstood every monster incursion until now.
It felt like six years of my hard work had been dumped into the gutter in an instant.
A monster poking its head over the wall was ravaging the top with its massive hand, smashing down like a hammer.
“…I’m sorry, Lady Abigail.”
“…….”
The voice was small, but it rang clear in my ears. Amid the hellish chaos, Jade had miraculously survived.
I approached him, where he stood with a grim face, sword in hand.
“It’s too early for apologies, Sir Jade.”
“……!”
Jade whipped around, his face shocked as if he’d seen a ghost.
“Lady Abigail!”
“Let’s talk after we’ve swept these bastards away.”
I glared at the monsters clambering over the wall and drew my sword.
Shing.
The sword from the duke gleamed sharply even in the darkness. One glance told me it was no ordinary blade. It was only natural—it was a sword passed down for generations, wielded solely by the dukes.
Gripping the famed sword, heavier than any I’d used before, I summoned my mana.
Hummm.
“……!?”
As if responding to my mana, it enveloped the area around me. My eyes widened at the unfamiliar sensation I’d never felt before.
What is this? Another power of the treasured sword?
The Dragon’s Mana surging from my body swelled larger than ever, yet it didn’t rampage wildly. The well-controlled mana calmly orbited me.
“Kieaak!”
“Kraa!”
The monsters atop the wall lost their reason and charged at me. I watched them for a moment before swinging my sword with all my might.
“Haat!”
It felt like every cell in my body was awakening one by one. A fierce sword aura exploded, sweeping through the surroundings.
Boom!
My unleashed sword aura killed most of the monsters on the wall, sending the rest tumbling off in the shockwave.
“…Haa, haa.”
I panted, staring at the sword in my hand. Over the past six years, I’d swung my blade like a madwoman in endless battles with monsters, honing my skills to a level even elite knights struggled to reach.
On the cusp of Swordmaster, every day brought new experiences. Sometimes my senses sharpened so acutely that tiny noises grated on me; other times, I felt the presence of something invisible.
Above all, the immense power coiled within me. The process of the Dragon’s Mana truly becoming mine felt profoundly mystical at times.
And now, with the treasured sword, that sensation was sharper than ever.
“Kroooaaargh!”
“……!”
Snapped from my reverie by a roar like thunder, I looked up. The massive monster peering over the wall bellowed and raised one arm.
“Not on my watch!”
“Lady Abigail!”
I surged forward to strike the giant, but halted at Jade’s shout.
“That big one’s attacks won’t penetrate! It’s shielded by a powerful barrier!”
“What?”
I leaped back in shock.
“Krrk!”
Crunch, crack!
The monster’s hand swept across the wall, shattering the sturdy bricks like cookies and sending them tumbling to the ground.
Fixing this is going to be a nightmare! I thought of the poor workers who’d have to repair it and called for Ian.
“Ian!”
“Yes.”
Ian approached with a calm expression, slowly unleashing his power. Just as I’d reached the brink of Swordmaster, Ian had made astonishing progress. He no longer got swept away by his immense strength—he could wield it at will.
Magic nullification. Ian’s sword aura could shatter any spell containing mana formulas. Even Tower Master Benjamin had struggled against it.
Berserker Servbo. True to his title, the grown Ian stood firmly before me.
“Shatter that shield!”
“Understood.”
“Kraaak!”
The giant monster reached precisely for Ian this time, sensing his unnatural aura.
Ian’s black mana extended like thin threads, wrapping around his sword, soon coiling like a serpent.
His mana always sent chills down my spine. It was that powerful.
I watched from behind as the monster’s hand clashed with Ian’s sword.
Clang!
Clang!
“A shield for real…”
I’d doubted Jade’s words, but seeing the translucent barrier cracking under Ian’s blade left me stunned.
A monster aided by a mage…
“…….”
I glanced at Ren’s hardened face. Then, as the monster roared in fury and its tattered shield shattered, I shouted.
“Shield’s down! Everyone, charge!”
“Charge!”
Few knights remained on the wall who could still fight. They’d pay dearly for injuring my men!
I gripped my sword hilt tight.
“Pel, let’s go!”
[I’ll handle that side.]
Pel, who usually stayed small, swelled to his original size in an instant—large enough to block the monster’s massive arm.
“Aim for the head while Pel pins its arm!”
In that brief window, I’d analyzed the beast. It wasn’t quite big enough to climb fully over the wall. With one arm gripping for support, it couldn’t stand on its own—other monsters must be propping it from below.
It was unstable now. Target the giant head, and it’d topple backward.
“Kraaak!”
[Where do you think you’re going!]
While the monster focused on Pel, we circled and charged. With its shield broken, it shrieked as Pel bit into its arm.
“Kraaaah!”
Pel’s bite force was monstrous. It wouldn’t shake him off easily.
“Now!”
The knights’ swords glowed in unison. Individually varied in power, together they’d deliver devastating damage. Especially my Dragon’s Mana—qualitatively different from normal sword auras. The treasured sword let me wield vast mana with precision.
“Haaat!”
Bang!
Kaboom!
“Kaaak!”
A massive explosion rocked the air as the monster let out a piercing, pain-filled screech. We fell back from the shockwave, eyes fixed ahead.
“…Dead?”
“Don’t jinx it!”
“Eek.”
I glared at the idiot knight who’d uttered the forbidden words. You just raised a revival flag! Do you even know that?!
I wanted to smack him, but a chilling aura enveloped me.
“…What’s that?”
The monster’s orange eyes gleamed even from afar, fixated on me obsessively. It instinctively knew who posed the greatest threat.
“Interesting.”
Come at me, then. I met its gaze and summoned my dragon-red mana with full force.
Shhh.
Small debris from the wall’s rubble floated into the air one by one. Something I’d never felt before while using mana rampaged through my body, surging along my veins to my fingertips and toes.
I had to suppress the power on the verge of exploding, or I’d lose my mind.
What is this? Why is my body like this?
It felt like I was on the verge of a breakthrough, blocked only by one final missing piece.
Enraptured, I barely noticed the monster opening its maw wide against me.
Hummm.
“……?”
“Lady Abigail!”
My vision went blood-red. Crimson flames surged from the monster’s throat, engulfing me in an instant.
“Ugh……!”
I hastily wrapped mana around myself, but thought it was too late.
Yet no scorching heat came.
“Ren!”
“Ngh.”
Ren had slipped in front, shield raised. That thing was no ordinary monster. A breath attack meant it was at least high-grade.
In the novel, even the crown prince protagonist only faced high-grade monsters after plenty of leveling. And now, this early?
Sweat trickled down my back at the sense something was wrong.
Then the monster’s breath stopped.
“Ren, thank you.”
“I’m just glad you’re safe.”
Ren smiled at me, face pale as death, then dropped his shield and stepped back.
Now it was my turn. Like when I’d taken the breath, my vision tinted red.
“This is truly the end.”
“…Krng?”
Curiosity flickered in the monster’s orange eyes. No one’s survived that breath before, huh?
A clear smirk curled my lips as I detonated my mana.
Kabooooom!
“Kieeeeak!”
Overwhelmed by incomparable force, it shrieked and reared back its massive head. Its huge body staggered.
I closed the gap in a flash and stabbed the arm propping it up.
“Krahak!”
This treasured sword could slice even steel-hard monster flesh.
“Haat!”
Slicing upward, blood fountained from the wound. Glaring through the spray at the giant, I murmured.
“Fall.”
Whoosh, thud!
Rumbbble!
The monster that had scaled the wall was enormous. As it toppled, countless monsters beneath were crushed, flung by the shockwave.
It lay splayed out, unable to rise. This time, it was finished.
“Hoo.”
The monsters eyeing us hesitated and retreated.
“Kee, kiii!”
“Kueeek!”
As the horde fled to their habitat, knights and soldiers cheered.
“The monsters are retreating!”
“Woooah!”
“We won!”
This was just the beginning. But we’d struggled far more than expected. Probably because my involvement had diverged so much from the original story.
Amid the jubilant soldiers, I managed a bitter smile. Then I turned to check on the others.
“…Ren?”
“…….”
Ren stared at me, forcing a smile. His face was ghostly pale, on the verge of collapse.
“Ren, you okay?”
“…Lady Abigail.”
I hurried to him, worried. He let out a long sigh.
“Haa… I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“Yeah, thanks to you.”
Without his magic, I’d have been roasted. Even if I survived, I wouldn’t have had the strength to fight on. Everything would’ve ended.
Our victory today was largely thanks to Ren.
“Really… such a relief……”
“Ren!”
I caught his crumpling body just in time. His sweat-slick forehead burned like fire.
“Ren! Stay with me, Ren!”
Only now did I realize how much he’d overexerted himself. Multiple long-distance teleports—no wonder his body was wrecked.
“Someone, bring mana stones from the castle! Hurry!”
Mages run fevers when mana-depleted. Severe exhaustion could kill.
At my urgent command, soldiers scoured the castle. But they returned shaking their heads.
“None left.”
“Damn……”
I remembered embedding all spares for the capital trip. Lips bitten in anxiety, I racked my brain.
How do I get mana to Ren, then?
“…….”
Then my gaze fell to Ren’s red lips.