Chapter 228 : Illusion
Chapter 228: Illusion
Hilderan was filled with death.
Five cities had fallen, completely destroyed.
The devastated land had fallen into a place where life could not survive. The demonic energy that had seeped in rejected the living beings of Arein.
And death spread to the next city.
“Damn bastards! How long are they going to keep coming?!”
Countless monsters had been killed. But even more monsters surged in.
It was like a wave, a nightmare that seemed as though it would never end.
Kwooooo—
─!
An ogre hurled a massive boulder. With a thunderous crash, the gate shattered.
“The gate’s been breached!”
“Block them!”
“The knight order!”
The knight order that had been on standby raised their shields.
─!
Another ogre charged in like an enraged bull and slammed into them. The formation swayed.
Behind it, a minotaur rammed forward with its horns.
“Gyaaaah!”
“Hold! Maintain the formation!”
Several knights were blown away, spraying blood. Knights from the rear immediately filled their places. But monsters were not limited to just those.
Monsters that had charged through mana cannons, arrows, and magical bombardments caught the scent of human blood and grew even more feral.
They surrendered themselves to instinct and bared their killing intent.
─!
─!
Before dozens, hundreds, thousands of enemies, aura dulled and armor shattered. One by one, the knights dropped to their knees.
“Prepare to retreat! Abandon the fortress!”
Count Pagan issued the order with a grim expression. The common citizens had all evacuated long ago. All that remained were soldiers following the order to inflict as much damage on the monsters as possible.
But once the gate had been destroyed, even that had its limits. From the beginning, the cities near Lake Gracikal had not been built with enemy invasions in mind, so they were inevitably vulnerable.
“We retreat like this and head to Ain Fortress.”
After joining up with the forces there, they would hold out again.
“Is there really any hope in doing this?”
He let out a self-mocking laugh. He knew this was the best they could do for Hilderan, but the enemies were far too many.
No matter how much they killed and killed again. No matter how many times they slaughtered them.
“Their numbers don’t decrease.”
The north was slowly being reduced to scorched earth. The embers of hope were gradually fading.
They had requested aid from other nations, but the kingdoms bordering the lake were not proactive, fearing that the wave would soon crash upon them as well.
“Damn imperial bastards.”
Arkan and Iasince, along with the nearby kingdoms, were worried about an imperial invasion.
And so, Hilderan became isolated.
“Why did it have to be Hilderan?!”
That was when it happened.
───!
A shock like an earthquake struck, and the count rolled across the ground. A hazy cloud of dust obscured his vision.
“W-what’s going on?!”
“D-demons! A gigantic Titan has destroyed the wall!”
“What?!”
The wall was destroyed?
“…This is insane.”
The count let out a hollow laugh. The wall really had been destroyed. And not just that. A Titan, larger than the ten-meter-high wall, was beating its chest and roaring.
“…My lord.”
“Retreat immediately.”
“The monsters have entered the city and the soldiers at the outer wall are isolated. We must save them—.”
“You want to die with them? First, those who can get out will withdraw.”
“Your Excellency.”
“The Crown Princess’s order was to preserve as much strength as possible. I am merely doing my utmost to follow that.”
“There’s no need for that.”
A voice suddenly cut in.
“It’s not completely too late yet.”
Whoosh—
A mass of blazing fire, like the sun itself, dyed the sky red.
“R-Rozel Charnte!”
“I’m sorry. There were so many monsters that I ended up a little late.”
Rozel Charnte extended her hand.
The sun fell. The roaring Titan swung its massive axe toward the sun. Black demonic energy tore through space like a storm.
─!
It carved a massive gash into the sun. But that was all. A gash was merely a gash.
“Stop struggling pathetically and just die quietly.”
──────!
The sun fell. An explosion erupted. Scorching flames engulfed everything.
No—more precisely, they burned only the monsters and beasts. Watching from the side, the count’s mouth fell open at the unbelievable level of control.
“What are you doing?”
“Y-yes?”
“The Great Star has arrived, and you’re not spreading the word. Shouldn’t you be boosting morale?”
“O-of course!”
The count nudged a knight who stood there with his mouth open, drooling.
“Y-yes!”
The knight sprinted off.
“The Great Star, Rozel Charnte, has arrived! Fight back!”
Waaaaaaah—
Where the flames had vanished, only black ash remained—things that ‘had been’ monsters.
Morale, which had sunk to the ground, rebounded in an instant. Amid the heated cheers, Rozel Charnte smiled in satisfaction.
“Yes, this is it. This is how it should be—wipe everything out.”
Rozel advanced forward, scattering flames.
“There’s a spell that suits cockroaches like you perfectly.”
Rozel began to chant. At that moment—
A black flash flickered. Space split apart.
─!
A violent shock exploded right in front of Rozel’s nose.
Her gaze shifted beyond it.
There stood demons. Dark Elves made of bone, holding bows without arrows.
“Don’t act recklessly. You almost caused a big problem.”
“Obviously you’re supposed to block it. Don’t spout nonsense.”
“He’s not ordinary.”
“I know. Just looking at him, he’s clearly a superior demon.”
Rozel ground her teeth. Ralph Schmitz, who had blocked the formless arrow made of demonic energy, lowered his shield.
“And it’s not just one.”
“Not just one?”
“Yeah. Looks like the False One’s patience has run out. If our chocolate-loving master doesn’t come soon, we’re really in trouble. The number of superior demons keeps increasing.”
A moment later, Ralph sensed them as well.
“…Twelve of them.”
“All superior demons.”
“…This is going to be.”
A bit tough, maybe.
“Don’t act weak. They’re not Demon Kings—just demons.”
Compared to Demon Kings, superior demons were weaker, but they were not beings that could be dismissed as ‘just.’
Just as the level of Stars varied greatly, lumping them all together as superior demons hid the vast differences between them.
“They’re not ordinary.”
“I know.”
The superior demons made the first move. Twelve Dark Elves simultaneously drew their bowstrings.
Paaang—
Formless arrows sliced through space.
Ralph raised his shield. He solidified his aura.
───!
Ralph’s body shuddered.
Rozel unleashed the spell she had been chanting all along.
Kururur—
A wave surged. Not of water, but of fire—a tidal wave.
Heat overflowed. It charged toward the monsters.
At that moment—
─!
A barrier shattered. A blade stopped right in front of her nose. Rozel snorted.
“As if I’d be standing around without any preparation.”
A Dark Elf that had somehow closed the distance retrieved his sword with an expressionless face.
That was the beginning.
Ignoring the monsters on the ground, the Dark Elves all rushed at the two Stars at once.
Kagagak—
Three swords struck Ralph’s shield simultaneously. As he staggered from the impact, two other Dark Elves slipped past his flank and reached Rozel.
Jjeojeong—
Blades of demonic energy shattered the barrier.
Saaak—
Rozel twisted her body back. Several strands of hair were cut away. Her flame-clad hand seized the Dark Elves’ wrists.
“You thought I’d go down that easily?”
Flames engulfed them. Just as she was about to finish them off, Rozel hurled them away.
The Dark Elves who had been aiming for Rozel’s back caught their comrades and retreated. That gave Rozel some breathing room.
“Die!”
Like a dragon, she spewed flames—or rather, tried to.
Sseuaek—
There were more Dark Elves. The arrows they fired swam through the air like fish, targeting her blind spots.
The flames were cut off, and Rozel vanished.
About twenty meters away, she reappeared. As if waiting for it, a Dark Elf’s sword came crashing down.
“As expected, Dark Elves are a pain!”
Rozel cast Blink again. But Dark Elves were an extremely sensitive race when it came to the flow of mana and demonic energy. Through the ripples in space, they predicted where Rozel would appear.
They fired swords and arrows.
A wall of fire incinerated them. Spears of flame pierced their blind spots. Other Dark Elves blocked them.
“This is seriously irritating.”
“It seems this won’t be settled easily. Especially that one over there.”
Ralph’s gaze turned toward a Dark Elf who still had not moved.
“He’s the leader.”
“Judging by how he’s striking a pose, seems like it. Still, one big spell and he’s dead.”
“The problem is that such grand magic takes time, and they won’t wait for it—or take it head-on.”
“We should’ve brought Hillan Cargill!”
“The Guildmaster is busy holding another front. It’s probably the same situation there.”
“Instead of talking, block them better!”
The battle continued on and on.
* * *
The restored morale lasted only a very short while.
The arrival of the Star allowed them a brief moment to catch their breath. Thanks to that, Count Pagan was able to abandon the half-destroyed outer wall and withdraw his troops to the inner fortress.
They could block them. They could win.
Hope drifted through the air—but only briefly.
Once the Dark Elves appeared and began restraining the two Stars, the situation flowed no differently from before.
The tidal wave of monsters trampled over the ashen land and advanced, easily crossing the ruined outer wall. They battered against the gates of the inner fortress.
“What about the mana cannons?”
“Most of them have been destroyed.”
“They were dwarven-made from the alliance, so we can’t remake them with our own capabilities.”
Most of the mana cannons had been deployed on the outer wall. When the wall was shattered, the cannons were destroyed with it, and they now had to face the enemy having lost the majority of them.
“The Stars?”
“It seems they can’t help us right now.”
“…Should we have just retreated after all?”
But it was too late now. The Stars had arrived and were fighting. They could not abandon them and leave.
It was an absurd thought, but objectively speaking, it would be better for the soldiers here to be wiped out than for those two to die.
Even if everyone died, those two had to live. To do that, they could never run away. They had to keep the enemy at bay until the battle was decided.
Just as he thought that, the inner gate shook violently with a cracking sound.
Several ogres were pounding on the gate.
Gritting his teeth, Count Pagan picked up his sword and shield.
“You will command the soldiers.”
“Your Excellency?”
“The inner gate is weaker than the outer wall. It will break soon. I must go out and block them myself.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“There is no knight in this fortress superior to me. Boloi Knight Order, follow me!”
“We obey your command!”
The knight order, now reduced to fewer than twenty, steeled their resolve.
They grasped their shields and stood before the half-destroyed gate.
“When the gate breaks, fall back. Support us so we’re not pushed back.”
“Yes!”
The soldiers who had been pushing the gate with their bodies nodded.
─!
The gate soon broke. Soldiers were flung back, screaming.
Kwooooo—
An ogre brought down its massive club.
The count calmly raised his shield.
─!
He deflected the club at an angle, sending it crashing to the ground. He slashed his sword across the bulging arm.
─!
A pained roar echoed. The count lowered his body and severed the ogre’s ankle.
Thud—
It fell. Other knights finished it off.
“Come at me all you want!”
The count roared.
“I will not hand this fortress over!”
At least until the Stars decided the outcome.
* * *
Haa, haa…!
A sickly sweetness filled his mouth. His breathing became unbearably ragged.
His arms and legs felt as heavy as if they would tear off. His drained aura hole was like a dried-up oasis.
“H-hold on.”
Kagagak—
He deflected the claws of an unknown monster with his shield. He thrust his sword into the wide-open gap. The monster, its heart pierced, collapsed with a bizarre sound. No corpse remained; it crumbled into dust and scattered.
The count raised his sword again.
Around him, the corpses of monsters and humans lay intertwined.
Most of the knights who had followed him had lost their lives. They had met their end serving an unworthy lord.
Kwaang!
He slammed his shield into a charging orc. He beheaded the staggering creature. The sword stuck in its neck bone. Gritting his teeth, he forced it through. With a cracking sound, the orc fell.
“Damn it…”
─!
Sword clashed with sword.
The sword flew from its owner’s hand. Torn muscles made his hand tremble violently.
He hurriedly raised his shield. A dizzying impact struck. He stepped back, dispersing the force as much as he could, then picked up the sword of a fallen subordinate.
He bent his waist. With a chilling sound, a hammer swept past. He stabbed with the sword. An unnamed lower demon met its end.
“If I’d known this would happen…!”
He raised his shield against the hammer blocking his view.
Kwaang—
The count staggered and fell. The shield, its life ended by overuse, shattered into dozens of pieces.
He rolled across the ground. With a boom, a deep gouge was left behind.
“I should’ve just retreated!”
While lying there, he swung his sword. A lower demon’s ankle was severed. As it fell, he mounted it and drove the sword in repeatedly.
“Your Excellency!”
The monster that had been aiming for the count’s back was impaled by a spear and died.
“Thanks. Ken. Are you the only one left?”
“Yes.”
“Good, Ken. Stay at my side.”
The last remaining knight, Ken, nodded.
“Pick up a shield and block the attacks I can’t see.”
“Yes.”
“It’s come to this—we have to protect it somehow, don’t we?”
“I will follow you.”
“But I don’t have the strength to lift my head. Has the battle between the Stars and the superior demons ended?”
“…It’s still ongoing. But the number of Dark Elves has dropped to less than half.”
“As expected of a Star. To kill superior demons this quickly. If they’d killed a little faster, a little more, I’d have called them the sun instead of a star!”
Slash—
A Hell Hound collapsed, spraying blood.
“I don’t know how much longer we can hold.”
“You must hold!”
“While I still have strength, Ken, you take command of the soldiers and retreat. Save as many as possible.”
“No!”
“No, what? Heroes are important, sure, but we’re all lives too. I don’t think I’m cut out to be a commander. I can’t bring myself to order soldiers to die for those two.”
At that moment, an unknown power surged from his heart.
“Y-Your Excellency.”
“What is it?”
“Light… your body is emitting light…”
“Light?”
It was true. Count Pagan let out a hollow laugh. Everyone living in Arein knew what this phenomenon was.
Most awakened before their twenties, but it wasn’t unheard of for someone to awaken later in life.
“To awaken as a hero at my age, in this situation. This is insane.”
“Congratulations!”
“Congratulations my ass. We’re all about to die.”
The count irritably swung his sword. And the aftermath was greater than expected.
──!
The body of an ogre charging with a massive club was split in half. The monsters behind it met the same fate.
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“Is it normally like this when you awaken as a hero…?”
They said there were individual differences among heroes, but still…
“Who cares! You bastards are all dead!”
The count roared.
That was when it happened.
──!
An explosion erupted right in front of him. A minotaur blew apart instantly.
“…Huh.”
“What Your Excellency did was…”
“I don’t have the talent to shoot bombs from my hands.”
Above. Something was falling from above.
─!
One.
───!
Two.
────!
Dozens, hundreds.
─────!
Thousands, tens of thousands.
It was—
Bombs.
A rain of shells where a single shell transformed into hundreds.
The monsters screamed. Everywhere outside the fortress filled with explosions and smoke.
“My god, did we still have mana cannons left?”
“It’s not from the walls!”
“Then reinforcements?”
“Your Excellency!”
“Why are you shouting? You’re hurting my ears.”
“T-the sky…!”
Knight Ken pointed at the sky with trembling hands.
“Look at the sky!”
“The sky?”
The count raised his head.
“What could possibly be in the sky to cause such a fuss—.”
A shadow fell.
“This is insane…!”
It was enormous.
Stout, lofty, and majestic.
“A t-tower…?”
It was a tower.
A gigantic tower was flying through the sky.
Was he dreaming?
He pinched his cheek. It hurt.
He rubbed his eyes. It still didn’t disappear.
“K-Ken?”
“Yes, Y-Your Excellency.”
“Do you see it too?”
“I-I do!”
“Then my eyes didn’t get ruined by a blind goblin arrow?”
Good heavens.
“A flying tower… and it’s bombarding monsters with mana cannons…”
Count Pagan grabbed Ken’s shoulders and shook him.
“That can’t be possible! This makes no sense!”
“Why are you asking me?! I don’t know either!”
“Why is something like that floating above the fortress?! And those aren’t mana shells made of mana—they’re demonic energy! Shells made of demonic energy! What if that bombardment falls on us? We’ll all die!”
“That’s why I said don’t ask me!”
“How dare a mere knight talk back to a count like that!”
“With something like that over our heads, is that really what you want to argue about?!”
“…You have a point.”
The count rubbed his eyes once more.
Even so, the tower didn’t disappear.
If anything, it grew clearer and more detailed, proudly displaying its magnificent form. For a brief moment, he thought it was beautiful.
“Ken.”
“Yes.”
“You still see it, right?”
“…I do. How can something like that exist in this world?”
“It’s simple.”
“Really?”
“I’m actually dead. This is the strange form my life is flashing before my eyes right before death.”
So he denied reality.
“…Did you hear me say that I see it too?”
“Then we must both be dead. Either that, or we’ve been caught by a succubus and are seeing an illusion. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sen—.”
Gwaeeeeegh—
“Your Excellency!”
Count Pagan collapsed, frothing at the mouth.
“Y-yeah… it really was just a hallucination from my poor condition…”
As his consciousness faded, he felt relieved.