Opening Battle

Mid-to-low-grade demon beasts began clinging to the castle walls.

Borden aimed mana cannons at the demon beasts’ midst and shouted.

“Pour oil and light fires to prevent demon beasts from climbing! Knight orders focus on mid-grade demon beasts!”

Borden had experience commanding armies on plains in his youth.

Though this was his first defensive siege, he read demon beasts’ simple movements and appropriately distributed troops to block dangers.

‘High-grade demon beasts…’

In the distance, high-grade demon beasts’ screams echoed.

Pernok was felling high-grade demon beasts with overwhelming might.

“Second wave!”

Mercenary association mages withdrew and the castle’s mages took positions at mana cannons.

“Fire!”

Bombardment rained like lightning into the enemies’ midst.

The number of demon beasts clinging to castle walls decreased visibly.

Borden, who’d watched the war situation until the end, leaned on his sword like a cane and sighed in relief.

‘Though they’re demon beasts, I never imagined wave attacks on this scale.’

He’d only ever watched mercenaries hunt demon beasts.

He’d taken mid-to-low-grade lightly, but when numbers exceed thousands, it becomes a disaster itself.

‘Fortunate.’

Thanks to Pernok blocking high-grade demon beasts, the castle withstood demon beasts’ offensive without damage.

“Count. We’ve completed mid-grade demon beast extermination.”

“Good work. Let the members rest, and those with capacity should be organized into Named’s supply unit to support Guild Leader Pernok.”

“Yes!”

Only after the commander assembled members could Borden smile.

‘Now if supplies just enter safely…’

Named would completely annihilate high-grade demon beasts and ride the momentum to subjugate even the mountain’s master.

Though Pernok bore a heavy burden from the start, it ultimately concluded in victory.

‘If I cool the mana cannons and recharge to maintain them, I can fire about ten more shots. Wouldn’t be bad to attach remaining mages in the castle to Rio’s side and finish the battlefield.’

It was the moment Borden smiled and shouted.

“Cool the mana cannons…!”

Drip… patter-patter…!

A fierce downpour that even swallowed sound poured from the sky.

“Rain?”

The demon beast mountain range was famous for never raining.

Even Baltus, seasoned in this place, couldn’t hide his puzzled expression at rain pouring like monsoon season.

Borden extended his hand outside and caught rainwater in his palm.

Sticky, jet-black water droplets mixed with soil.

The moment he felt the ominous demonic energy contained within, Borden urgently shouted.

“Cover the mana cannons! Not even a single drop must penetrate!”

But where he’d shouted, mages were sprawled out.

Low-level mages for operating mana cannons.

Most had consumed mana through mana cannons and waited for recovery—when penetrated by high-density demonic energy, they suffered poisoning symptoms.

It happened in a single moment.

But the worst began from then.

BANG!

Explosive sounds echoed from within the castle.

The commander rushed over immediately.

“Count! Signs of high-grade demon beasts are felt within the castle!”

“I know! What the hell is this! What is this rain, and why are demon beasts everywhere…”

Borden, who’d turned his gaze beyond the castle walls, froze stiff.

As rainwater-soaked earth dyed jet-black, mid-to-low-grade demon beasts regenerated there.

“It’s the summit. High-density demonic energy from the summit rode clouds and seeped into rainwater, blanketing this region!”

Borden kicked the castle wall.

“These damned demon beast bastards!”

He guessed without difficulty that this was the master’s work.

In an instant, inside and outside the castle were surrounded.

Mages to operate mana cannons were sprawled out, and even the knight order had no choice but to be passive in magic activation due to high-density demonic energy.

If only the castle’s situation had deteriorated, they might have called Pernok from the front.

But that place’s situation was equally bad.

The summit’s demonic energy had contaminated the terrain.

High-grade demon beasts would also have to revive.

Ultimately, Named was caught by the ankle in the midst of enemy territory.

It was when his vision seemed to darken.

“The walls aren’t in great shape either.”

Rio walked up to the battlements.

“Did something happen below the castle too?”

“I urgently need to discuss that.”

Rio tossed a small horn before Borden.

“Demon beast materials touched by this rainwater are beginning to regenerate.”

“Wh-what?”

“I never imagined. That demon beast materials mercenaries killed would be utilized for demon beast regeneration.”

“Wait, then in this castle right now…!”

“Yes. High-risk demon beast materials that mercenaries subjugated are sleeping in the warehouse. No, they’re waking now. Since demonic energy is reverberating inside the castle too.”

Because some are presented to the palace, high-grade demon beast materials are carefully checked even in the castle.

Borden put his hand to his throbbing forehead, recalling that at least ten high-grade demon beast materials existed here.

“Fortunately, high-grade demon beasts’ regeneration speed is slow. Since they’re originally large containers, time is needed to remake that size. We aimed at the regenerating gap and repelled one. Immediately after, when I hid the materials where rainwater didn’t touch, they didn’t regenerate.”

“…!”

“Yes. It’s not that desperate. If we kill them before materials become complete high-grade demon beasts and carefully store them where rainwater doesn’t touch, the castle’s internal situation calms down.”

Rio glanced outside the castle.

“Roughly ten minutes. Mid-to-low-grade demon beasts will finish reviving in that time. Reorganize your posture within ten minutes and engage in defensive siege again.”

“The situation isn’t favorable.”

Rio, who’d looked around the castle walls, let out a groan seeing low-level mages collapsed.

“Mana intoxication…”

“To block that full offensive again, I must send commanders everywhere. There’s no one with experience to exterminate high-grade demon beasts inside the castle.”

“We have Deputy Guild Leader Hallam on our side. But we need to block two places, so we need one more commander…”

Rio scratched his head and asked while clicking his tongue.

“Do you trust me?”

“Hm?”

“Ah, wasn’t it me who brought you to this place, Count?”

“Th-that’s right.”

“Then entrust the entire knight order to me.”

“What?”

“I’ll settle the castle interior and immediately send them up to the walls.”

“No, if the knight order leaves, who guards the walls!”

“Our guild’s level 3 and below mages didn’t experience mana poisoning under Deputy Guild Leader Hallam’s command. Since they were the supply unit originally, they had no occasion to use mana here anyway. Deploy the fresh people to mana cannons.”

“You’ll swap the supply unit and knight order?”

“The core necessary for defensive siege is mana cannons, isn’t it? If high-grade demon beasts revive inside the castle and rampage, it’s over then. We must settle the interior first.”

Borden’s mouth gaped.

Rio was an enigmatic person, but ultimately he’d never once lost from taking his advice.

“Did you learn military tactics?”

“Military tactics are for guarding walls—hunting tactics are needed inside the castle. Don’t worry, I’ve learned things watching over the guild leader’s shoulder.”

“Hmm…”

“Reinforcements from other castles will take time to arrive. If the castle falls before then, reinforcements and everything become meaningless.”

They’d requested reinforcements from adjacent castles a week ago.

‘Just endure one day. Just one day.’

Borden took a deep breath and told the commander.

“Follow Rio.”

“Yes.”

The commander followed orders without argument.

Normally he would have made a humiliated expression seeing Rio’s status, but the commander knows for certain.

How momentous Rio’s role was from killing Jake until Borden established himself in this castle.

If there’s an existence to fear next after Pernok, it was Rio.

“Redeploy the cannons!”

Borden brought mana poisoning victims inside and deployed Named’s supply unit to mana cannons.

Rio split Hallam and the knight commander to both sides.

“The situation looks urgent, but surprisingly it’s simple. It’s a time battle.”

Rio pulled out a map of the castle interior.

After circling mana material workshops, he wrote numbers.

“Move in this order. Deputy Guild Leader Hallam from the east, Commander from the west, tighten to this center.”

“Regeneration order?”

At the commander’s question, Rio nodded.

“Yes. Depending on how far processing progressed, high-grade demon beasts’ revival time also differs.”

“Are you certain?”

“During first contact, I witnessed bubbles occurring with a time difference between materials processed into lumps and materials maintaining original form.”

The commander nodded.

“Regeneration speed differs depending on how much they were crushed and ground—clearly recognized.”

“The numbers marked on the map now indicate warehouses storing processed and unprocessed materials. If the situation becomes unfavorable, keep those points in mind and move organically.”

“What about the center?”

“There’s insufficient time to cover there. Think of processing demon beasts on both sides, joining at the center, then exterminating fully revived high-grade demon beasts.”

“Certainly… hunting tactics I wouldn’t have conceived if the knight order were on the walls.”

“I’ll monitor the situation from up there. If changes occur, I’ll immediately blow the horn and raise flags, so please refrain from reckless actions to avoid power leakage.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The commander headed west leading members.

Hallam asked carefully.

“If you deploy all troops here, what about supplies there?”

“We’ll have to carry them.”

“What?”

“Outside the castle is now full of revived demon beasts. Moreover, looking at the mountain range’s situation, the third wave will likely descend. Even if we send the supply unit, they’ll get eaten around 200 meters out.”

“Then what about the guild leader!”

“I don’t know. It’s already a situation beyond my hands.”

“No…”

“Still, one thing’s certain.”

Rio grinned.

“Lord Pernok won’t consider this current situation serious.”

* * *

“What the fuck! What is this!”

Jad’s shocked voice echoed across the battlefield.

Untimely downpour poured and several guild members collapsed from exhaustion.

Even Jad’s flame magic evaporated in the rainwater.

If only that would be fortunate.

High-grade demon beasts they’d killed with difficulty began regenerating before their eyes.

Thud!

Trampling high-grade demon beast corpses, Pernok looked at the sky.

Raindrops falling from dark clouds definitely held the summit’s terrible demonic energy.

‘That creature’s doing?’

With his Observation Eye, he grasped that irregular flows were connecting between mountain range and ground.

‘That Magus bastard, he was so arrogant but couldn’t even catch the master’s ankle and put even the castle in danger?’

If demonic energy is condensed to this degree, even corpses of things dead once would revive and flaunt their living majesty.

‘As long as this rain doesn’t stop, we’ll have to repeat meaningless wars of attrition.’

Pernok examined specific parts of the mountain range.

‘The connection from outside rides those places to surge and erupt the mountain range’s demonic energy. If I just block those places, I can stop this rain. However.’

New demon beasts begin descending from the mountain range.

Inside and outside the castle were already surrounded, with no room to divide troops.

Pernok burst a mid-grade demon beast that had rushed here.

He’d just killed it again, but a new soul bloomed.

Refining and chewing down the jet-black soul, Pernok watched the war situation.

[General! The castle is surrounded! You must abandon it!]

Voices from his past life echoed in his head.

Then he had to ignore the desperate situation and flee.

But now is different.

“From now on, you’ll engage in defensive siege.”

“…!”

“When high-grade demon beasts go, deal with them from the walls.”

“What does that mean!”

When Enri shouted in defiance, Pernok said as if it didn’t matter.

“Moreover, high-grade demon beasts are being released inside the castle. If I don’t send you, the castle falls. But I can’t tolerate this rain either.”

“So you’ll climb there alone?”

“There’s no other way, is there?”

“If you go up, is there a method?”

Several specific points of the mountain range catch his eye.

If he blocks those places, he can stop this rain.

Pernok nodded.

“Then let’s go together!”

“Who among these has stepped on the summit besides me?”

“Even so, if you go alone you’ll die! Demon beasts keep descending from the mountain range!”

“In guild members’ exhausted state now, what can they do to help me?”

At the cold words, Enri just gaped.

“In this situation without receiving supplies, I can’t take guild members to death based on enthusiasm alone. Not a single person’s power should be wasted. Right now, just think of the best each can do.”

Pernok refined his artifact into glove form.

“Take Ramut who’s striking the perimeter too. When the rain stops and the castle becomes safe, receive supplies and join my side.”

Guild members are exhausted.

In this death ground that became the midst of enemy territory in a single moment, they can’t continue battle without supplies.

Rather, returning to the castle to reorganize and coming back would reduce Pernok’s burden.

Enri couldn’t insist stubbornly anymore either.

She and everyone felt it.

The fact that neither ground nor mountain range has places for humans to breathe, and the moment they squander magic they’d suffer mana poisoning and die just like that.

If there’s a sole exception, only Pernok who’d rushed to the summit without disturbing even a breath.

“We’ll take the rain stopping as our signal. When you finish work, take refuge in an appropriate cave and send us a signal. We’ll rush immediately.”

“Return to the castle without a single straggler.”

“Yes, guild leader.”

Sallio turned around and shouted.

“Remove all metal except weapons and return to the castle!”

Rainwater mixed with soil poured.

Armor was no different from shackles weighing down bodies.

Guild members retreated to the castle following Sallio while gripping only weapons.

“If you’re thinking suicide, know you’ll die by my hand!”

Enri shouted urgently as if frustrated to leave Pernok alone.

Pernok chuckled and smashed again the corpse of a high-grade demon beast regenerated about halfway.

War is where judgment without an inch of error divides victory and defeat.

A battlefield favorable to demon beasts could rather become terrain for Pernok.

‘He followed my method.’

Recalling Pernok who dragged into terrain favorable to himself, Cargoras who’d changed the terrain itself was comparable to a Magus handling laws.

But there’s also a variable Cargoras didn’t anticipate—Spiritual Law-Divine Mandate exists.

To Pernok, who ingests spiritual power and mana of those killed with Divine Mandate, this land where provisions infinitely regenerate is no different from earth overflowing with vitality.

Whether demon beasts’ regeneration speed exceeds Pernok’s absorption ability—

Or whether Pernok’s speed of chewing demon beasts’ spiritual power and mana is faster—

The decisive point is here.

Pernok plunged into the mountain range while cutting through high-grade demon beasts.