280
Bastion of Humanity (2)
The first thing that hit the castle wall wasn’t the devil’s spell bombardment.
It wasn’t the endless barrage of monsters or the undead army with burning spear knives.
What flew in a long trajectory from the horizon were spheres several meters in diameter containing corpses packed together.
It was a mass of human bones, muscles and internal organs held together tightly by hellish magic.
Shuuuu-
Red lumps decorate the sky.
The red spheres flew over the vast plain and the water-based obstacles placed there and landed on the castle wall and the bronze district cityscape beyond it.
Kwasik!
Rough breaking sound.
Fight, fight, fight!
Pieces of tiles bouncing in all directions.
Buildings tipped over due to the impact of a mass weighing several tons. The speed and weight of the corpses crossing the vast plain had a destructive power beyond imagination.
“Kyaaah! Blood blood…!”
“Ahhhh!”
The screams of residents echo among the red things flying around.
A piece of rotten blood. Pieces of intestines. Pieces of red bricks and flesh flew around, desecrating people and buildings alike.
“help me! “Ugh!”
“Evacuate in an orderly manner! Order…!”
The labyrinth city did not sit still either.
Wizards were sent up the castle wall to intercept the corpses, and at the same time, the bronze guards began evacuating the residents as they had been trained.
Of course, training and actual combat were completely different.
It is not uncommon for residents who are pushed and pushed to clash with security guards.
Several wizards who received orders to intercept were also unable to drop even half of the piles of corpses that were pouring in.
It wasn’t like there was a full-scale barrage of orders in the first place. At best, it was just a throwing of meat to break morale.
Investing excessive power before a full-scale battle was itself playing into the hands of the enemy.
The only problem was that the safety of the residents of the Bronze District was somewhat of a secondary priority in a calm calculation that looked at the entire war situation.
“Aaaah! my feet! “Don’t step on it!”
“Jimmy! Jimmy! “Where has my baby gone?”
Tens of thousands of people flock to the main street. The crowd was packed so tightly that there was no room to move.
In the crowd of people rushing towards the wall of Shunyi, many people collapsed one after another, unable to withstand the pressure.
Next was the set procedure. The terrible end of being trampled by a crowd that was unable to overcome its own strength.
“Our guards are closely guarding the bronze walls! “Let’s have a little bit of order…”
“What kind of fucking order is this! Move! Get out of the way! “I will kill anyone who gets in my way!”
The eyeless violence was also directed at the security guards. The cause of the incident was that a giant man about two meters tall pushed the guard’s chest.
The panicked guard reflexively put his spear forward. However, the giant was also an experienced person who had fought in the back alleys.
“What!”
A spear that was naturally taken away. The eyes of a giant turned away just by holding a weapon.
In a crowd full of fear, the man, a typical hot-tempered back alley gangster, easily let go of reason.
And the moment the giant instinctively tried to swing the spear, something flashed and hit the guy in the solar plexus.
“Big…!”
“Tsk.”
A giant who sits down, pouring out gastric juices. The person standing between him and the security guard was a middle-aged man wearing a shabby robe.
“Go, Chief of Guard Gawain?”
“soldier. To step back. “The silence company will take over command in this area from now on.”
The security guard nodded his head with a blank expression. Gawain clicked his tongue and drew his sword.
Tsuzzzzzz…….
A brightly shining energy covers the entire sword body.
The moment the attention of some of the residents was focused on the prediction of blue magic, Gawain took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
[Silence Company! from now on-]
***
Quick and easy!
Soldiers in frayed robes rush out of the alley.
The members of the Silent Company, all wearing shiny plate armor underneath worn-out robes, quickly cut through the crowds of people on the street with overwhelming strength.
“what! “Don’t push!”
“What kind of power does a person have… Now wait a minute!”
In the blink of an eye, the crowd is cut off. The divided crowd soon began to separate piece by piece.
The Silent Company moves into the crowd of people without hesitation, then stands firmly in place and begins to forcibly control the flow of the crowd.
In the past, no matter how famous the Silent Company was for its veterans, it would have been unthinkable with only a company-level number of people.
However, after the cultist incident that rocked the Bronze District, the Silent Company, led by Gawain, has grown with the full support of the Diamond Palace over the past few years.
At this point, each and every member of the company is actually knight-level or higher.
[Evacuate in an orderly manner.]
A thunderclap filled with magical power echoes throughout the street again. It was Gawain’s voice.
[Anyone who causes a disturbance will be punished here and there according to military law under the authority of the commander of the silence company and commander of the bronze guard.]
As soon as those words were finished, the Silent Company placed their hands on their weapons.
Not only the residents who were simply frightened by the sharp response, but even the people leading the unrest began to hesitate and take notice.
“Go as instructed.”
“All unnecessary personal actions are prohibited until entering the sterling silver area.”
Residents of the streets continued to evacuate one after another under the leadership of the silent company.
Gawain left command to the platoon leaders and slowly observed the situation.
He rushed to the scene and calmed down the residents, but he also did not hear anything about the current situation.
‘The Geumgang Palace obviously said there are still a few more weeks left.’
According to the Diamond Palace’s prediction, the forces of evil gods were scheduled to come in from all directions on the continent.
Laphilem to the east, Enaxagus to the west, Xun to the north, and Temomron and Dragon God to the south.
I heard that there is nothing to worry about in the North and South.
The great offensive in the north had already been blocked once by the Allied Forces centered around the Tsarist Kingdom, and the two evil forces that were active in the south were also said to have been put to rest thanks to the active participation of heroes from all over the country.
Laphilem’s army, which had been advancing most threateningly across the eastern sea, also stopped its advance at a distance of 15 days for some reason.
There were no signs from the beginning in the western desert, and the Guild Federation’s defense line was also holding strong.
‘Was it a misjudgment by the higher-ups?’
Therefore, the Labyrinth City believed that a large-scale invasion of evil spirits would take several weeks at the earliest.
The reason most of the city’s power was invested in training was because it was judged that there was still some room left before the final battle.
‘It would have been nice if we had been given time to prepare in advance.’
Gawain clicked his tongue briefly and looked away.
It’s a shame to be disappointed, and since something happened, it’s right to do your best now.
Once order was established, the evacuation itself went smoothly. The Silent Company and Bronze Guard gathered residents in groups of hundreds and evacuated them.
If you evacuate to the pure silver area, you will be able to secure immediate safety.
There is a magnificent protective shield spread across the top of the pure silver castle wall, and its defense will never be penetrated by a bombardment of corpses.
“Kwaaaaaak!”
At that time, an ear-piercing scream rang out among the crowd. Gawain immediately turned his head.
The main character of the scream was the giant from before. A guy who was about two meters tall and could easily subdue at least one security guard.
“Monster…Kaaaaaa!”
My chest is pierced with a deathly scream. It was a petite woman who had sunk her tentacle into his ribcage.
To be exact, she was a monster who had been a woman just a moment ago. Now he was no different from a monster wearing a human shell.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Tentacles that tear the skin of hands and feet and sprout. A face bubbling and melting and a shell sprouting from within.
Starting with the woman, people causing similar mutations appeared everywhere.
Gawain pulled out his sword again. yes. Could it be that the devils are just watching the residents evacuate?
[Silence Company! Battle stance-]
The guard leader’s shout echoed through the streets once again.
[Battle stance!]
The weapons pulled out from among the rags were instantly covered in black energy.
***
Crack!
Tiptoes nimbly kicking against the wall. Blonde hair shaking from violent movement.
The young man’s new form grabbed the window and spun around in the air. The floating body was struck straight down by a half-man, half-horse wandering the street.
Kwasik!
An arm covered in tentacles and carapace fell to the ground. The blonde young man, Eberron Raktala, frowned.
The half-human, half-horse skin was tougher than I thought. It’s a bit too much to be considered a low-level monster, but it’s a bit lacking for a mid-level monster.
Big geek! Hehehe!
The half-man, half-demon staggered his body. The body seemed to stumble, but suddenly accelerated and rushed forward.
The tentacles danced and shot towards Eberron. Eberron dodged the attack by slightly tilting his body and immediately thrust out his sword.
Okay!
A sharp rapier pierces the eye socket from which the tentacle extends.
A half-human, half-horse creature with its entire eye socket caved in let out a bizarre scream.
Good luck!
Even so, the tentacles began to melt in the white flames that rose from the rapier for a moment.
Everron, who swung his sword with white flames and exploded the head of the half-man, half-demon, focused his will as he extended his sword toward the sky.
“God of war!”
「Yuseop(流燮)」
Grrrr……!
Flames stream down through the dark clouds.
A stem of white flame extending its branches towards the ground, like a tree growing upside down in the clouds.
Grrr! That!
Kyaaaaaaa!
The screams of the half-human, half-demon echoed wherever the Danma’s white flame passed.
A human body covered in tentacles and melting.
If it is durable, all you have to do is burn it with the opposite divine power.
It was not a difficult task for him, who could use all the abilities of dozens of alter egos, as befits his nickname as the face of a thousand comics.
Of course, not everyone could use divine power like that.
In the first place, the power of the Transcendant was that it could crush mid-level monsters without any divine power.
Crash!
Kurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!
Vines the size of beautiful trees rise up, overturning the flagstones.
Dozens of vines that wrap around and crush the half-humans and half-horses that occupy the streets, impaling them with forearm-sized thorns.
The vines quickly secured the entire street and massacred the enemies, and soon began pulling out the wounded from the collapsed buildings.
Everon took a breath and turned his head. In the middle of the green street, a white-haired old man was walking towards him.
She is a businesswoman who runs ‘Philopon Pharmacy’, the largest pharmacy in the Bronze District.
At the same time, she was a descendant of the Philopherine family, an influential family in the Diamond Palace, and was a transcendental person capable of projecting the world of images into reality.
“Thank you for your help. Shania Philopon.”
“Stop with the unnecessary greetings, Eberron. “This old woman doesn’t have enough strength to extend her hand to someone who doesn’t need help.”
The old man’s expression was not very good even with empty words. She said, biting her mouth and taking a deep breath of her smoke.
“The current situation is a bit different from the message from the Diamond Palace. Thanks to this, as requested by the Geumgang Palace, all efforts were put into producing medicine, and the orchard collapsed without proper defense.”
“…I’m truly sorry, Philopon.”
“It’s a shame, and since it’s like this, you have to explain to me so I can understand what happened.”
“We were wrong.”
“…out of it?”
The white eyebrows of an old man twitching. Everon sighed and continued her words.
“Enaxagus’s power far exceeded our expectations. “It seems that it has not only eaten Xun and Temomron, but has also absorbed the remaining forces of Laphilem and the Dragon God.”
“what?”
“Without any grand ceremony, he opened a massive hell gate near the city. “The combined forces of the five great hells arrived only a day away.”
281Fortress of Humanity (3)
The command center installed in the golden area was turned upside down.
This was because no one could have expected that the gates of hell would open so right in front of the city and without any warning.
“The frequency of corpse bombardment is decreasing!”
“Contaminants occur in large numbers throughout the Bronze Zone!”
“Pollutants have taken over the sewers and low streets. “Their movements are becoming increasingly organized.”
“Drugs are the cause! A curse was placed on the drugs that were distributed cheaply in the shadows of the Bronze District!”
Messengers from all over the city rush into the spacious hall, panting.
Messengers pouring out reports about the pollutants that have begun to sweep through the Bronze District.
Reports received by intelligence officers on the outskirts of the hall were quickly moved to the center through several stages of organizing.
To the leaders of the powerful aristocratic families of the Diamond Palace, including the transcendental people, surrounding the round table in the center of the hall where the large city mission was unfolding.
“The Eastern District is being blocked by Guard Commander Gawain, who is leading the Silent Company. “He is a person well-versed in the low-level streets, so give him full responsibility and support.”
“The curse taken as a drug is of a low kind. Place magicians at the Shunyun castle gate. “It will be resolved if we pour a wide-area magic spell at the fleeing residents.”
“Gather the healers and priests in the central square of the Pure Silver District! “We must triage the injured at the city gate and ensure that those in critical condition receive treatment immediately!”
The leaders of the noble families, each in charge of one or more parts of the city, quickly exchange opinions and instruct countermeasures, taking advantage of their respective areas.
The rulers of the labyrinth city were the transcendents of the twenty-six halls, but the nobles below them were by no means incompetent.
Rather, since most of the transcendents spend most of their time maintaining the barrier and refining their own hierarchy, it is actually the working-level staff of the noble families who usually manage the city.
Under the flexible and sharp judgment and strategies of those who have maintained the city for hundreds of years, the surprise attacks of the pollutants were steadily suppressed, centered on a small number of transcendents and guards.
Food!
At that time, a half-man, half-bird divine figure landed from the sky with wild flapping of wings. It was Inouko Tod, the ‘bird that flies without a shadow’, one of the transcendents of the Diamond Palace.
Todd, who hid his wings and returned to his human form, walked towards the girl sitting in front of the round table.
He said to the girl who closed her eyes as if she were asleep.
“Foreigner. “The siege of the demonic forces is closing faster than expected.”
“…….”
“The eastern and western walls have come within range of infernal bombardment, and packs of void hounds numbering in the thousands roam the area of the Lycant River to the north.”
The white-haired girl slowly opened her eyes.
In the midst of a glass body as dark as the universe, eyes as white as hair were shining like stars.
A slightly hazy look was directed at Todd. After a moment of silence she opened her mouth.
“The hounds of the North are bait. Sending troops there will create holes in other areas. The West is handled by Eberron and Shania Philopon, so there is no problem. Only support one battalion of the Silver Knights from the east.”
“All right.”
“How far is the siege?”
“The pace of the leader is faster than expected…it seems like a half-day distance.”
The girl nodded her head. She smiled softly and spoke.
“Please continue to expand the area until the leader reaches the wall. Inouko, you are the most accurate and wide-ranging reconnaissance asset at the moment.”
“Yes, Precursor.”
Bowing his head, Todd took a few steps back and spread his wings. A half-man, half-bird shape that flew into the sky in an instant.
The girl’s chest heaved slightly as she stared blankly at the empty seat. A silent sigh flowed from her small mouth.
“…ha.”
Ali Art, the white-eyed seer, bit his lip slightly.
He had used his power to its limit, and a stiff sensation began to radiate from his forehead.
Her ability is to listen to the singing of the stars flowing along the river of fate, read the flow of the Milky Way, and predict the future.
However, for several months now, the river of destiny has completely deviated from its original flow.
Therefore, even if I tried to do things like I did now, the future I could see was at most a few hours.
‘An unknown unknown that cannot be foreseen even an inch ahead… I had forgotten so long ago, but this is what mortal life is all about.’
Has there ever been a time in my life of well over a thousand years when I felt so helpless?
The prophet who predicted the future by looking at infinite turning points was now no different from a fortune teller who could not even predict what the sunset would be like today.
‘Is what awaits us at the end of this road an unclear salvation or a predestined sentence of doom?’
A brief flash of white eyes. There is still no future in sight.
Ali Art traced his eyebrows with his fingertips. Without realizing it, she remembered a few months ago.
‘…Dallen.’
The river of fate flooded through a man.
A variable that appears out of nowhere in the celestial flow that has continued for over a thousand years. A strange being that cannot be read by her precognitive eyes even though she is clearly wearing a mortal body.
The world, which was approaching a certain end, lost its direction in his hands.
Aliat, who witnessed a glimmer of hope for the first time in a thousand years, immediately took action.
The Western Guild Federation, the Northern Tsardom, the Elves and High Orcs, other races, the Southern Noble Rebels, and the Eastern Three Kingdoms.
He was willing to take diplomatic or economic losses and unite the power of the continent to project the power of the city alliance.
Thanks to this, he thought he had started preparing one step ahead of the evil spirits.
Even until the Holy Knights who survived the Dragon God arrived, the evil gods’ movements were so slow that they seemed leisurely.
‘The northern and southern offensives were broken by Daelen and his associates, and the eastern offensive was slowed down by fierce resistance from the Three Kingdoms.’
Enaxagus, who was considered the biggest threat, showed no sign of appearing on the continent.
As a strategist, he must have been trying to increase his own power, because there were no signs of an advance except for small acts of terror and sabotage.
‘I never thought that the idea was to completely unify the five great hells, rather than just to increase strength a little…’
However, Enaxagus’ actions far exceeded expectations.
Not long after devouring the weakened Xun, it absorbed all the power of the remaining three evil gods.
He thought that he had punished his rival who had always been a snarl until he took over the Palace of Destruction.
It is a balance that has been maintained for thousands of years, even though there were several opportunities to break it in the first place. It’s natural that I didn’t expect it to be taken down so easily.
‘Enaxagus was a strategist who particularly valued the role of each evil god and mediate conflicts between them…’
What on earth brought about a change in the mind of a thousands of years old snake serpent?
There was only one thing to point out. The prophecy left behind by the well in the back of heaven and the man Dallen who is believed to have fulfilled it.
‘…unification of possibilities. Perhaps Enaxagus got his own clue from that context.’
A well in the heavens that gathered the possibilities of numerous timelines and predicted the person who would defeat the ending.
The powers of Great Hell, which were originally five but became one, were conceptually similar to the prophecy.
In any case, since the five great hells were unified, the existing strategy was virtually useless.
The demons and monsters who were constantly fighting among themselves will unite under one will and target the labyrinth city.
“…shit.”
Fortunately, the aristocratic families of the Geumgang Palace were well-directed and prevented the attack, but the full-scale offensive had not even begun yet.
Troops that were being trained were also being deployed at every moment, but it was still a difficult fight to even endure.
“The Holy Knights are ready to deploy at any time, White Eyes Seer.”
Edgar Reinhardt, leader of the Holy Knights, who was watching the scene with blind, hazy eyes, opened his mouth.
Ali At shook his head, clenching his fern-like hands tightly. She said.
“Thank you, but it’s not time yet. Not yet….”
She trailed off and closed her eyes again. A small body slowly rising from the floor.
Her shadow on the floor of her hall flickered strangely.
An optical illusion as if faint stars are whizzing by.
Edgar quietly backed away and headed to the outskirts of the hall. The knight commander joined Lucia, who was waiting by the door, and immediately left the complex hall.
“What happened?”
“The situation is not looking very good. “But it seems like our turn is still there.”
“Siena sent a message from Kyle Berkus. It is said that the dragon god’s shield and wing armor rejected the offer. “I presume she joined Enaxa Goose’s army.”
“The shackles have been lifted for the first time in thousands of years, but they are now throwing their necks at the new ruler. “Even though they boast about being different from other mortals, this is proof that dragons are actually no different from humans.”
The two knights crossed the city streets of the Golden District.
Like the sterling silver district, the streets of the gold district were also restricted from movement.
The intersection, which was usually crowded with nobles, merchants, high-ranking officials, and their attendants, was filled with the friction of shiny armor and the rough roar of war horses.
Soldiers rushing somewhere. A procession of carts carrying supplies. A messenger running with an urgent message in his arms. Wizards of the Magic Tower rushing towards us wearing colorful robes.
“I must go to the high knights. “I need to share the situation and help revise the detailed strategy.”
“me too….”
“Lucia, you will move separately during this siege. “Let’s fight back to back with the colleagues we’ve been with so far.”
After leaving a message telling people to take care of themselves, Edgar headed straight to the Temporary Headquarters of the Knights.
Lucia, who had parted ways with him and was heading towards the castle walls, suddenly turned her head when she heard a familiar voice.
“…Where are you! “Didn’t you ask!”
The sound of shouting echoes through the spacious alley. Her steps naturally led into an alley.
It wasn’t long before I saw a large figure about four times the size of an average person standing in the distance and shouting in front of Felber.
It was Tarum, the High Orc Warchief.
“Why can’t I speak! If something happens, it’s there! Or not!”
“…….”
“I can not understand it! Why would a smart wizard do that…!”
“Tarum.”
The large, distracted orc turned his head. The shaking shoulders showed how excited he was.
“It’s been a while, Paladin.”
“It’s been a while, Tarum. how have you been doing?”
“I ate well and fought well! That’s enough for High Orc! But if he loses his title, it’s all useless! “The wizard keeps not talking, so where on earth is Dallen…!”
“Dallen went down into the labyrinth.”
Tarum, who was shouting with his spit flying out, clamped his mouth shut. He soon frowned and asked back.
“labyrinth? That monsterous underground cave? All of those twists are tasteless! Tsk! Even Dallon won’t eat them!”
“To be exact, we all went down together. And they sent us back. Don’t worry. Because it’s no big deal. just….”
“When I get back, I’ll have a delicious meal! Dallan is a good meal! “I’m going to buy some twine!”
Tarum shouted and walked out of the alley with great strides. The alley, which was about the size of a High Orc warchief and wide enough for a carriage, seemed to be full.
“That’s right, I forgot to say hello! Thank you, Paladin! Wizard!”
Before leaving the alley completely, Tarum turns around and shouts, then disappears in an instant.
Felber’s gaze, looking at the back, was somehow absurd. Lucia chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.
There was a subtle silence in the alleyway where the high orcs had disappeared. After thinking for a moment, Lucia opened her mouth.
“I will ask you a question directly, Tower Owner.”
“…….”
“Have you learned anything about Dallen’s well-being?”
Is it because it was an expected question? The answer came back quickly.
“Dallen’s presence has been completely erased. “The link established by the master-servant contract has been broken.”