Opening Battle

“Open the gates! Hurry!”

Borden, who’d been struggling to block demon beasts’ offensive from atop the walls, suddenly shouted.

Far in the distance, the guild including Ramut’s flanking unit was returning.

Drrrk!

The gates opened and the guild entered with demon beasts.

The rearmost guild members cut down demon beasts and closed the gates.

“Supplies!”

“Hurry!”

Though Sallio and Enri shouted, there aren’t even troops to spare from the walls.

Inside, Hallam and the knight commander are split up repelling regenerating high-grade demon beasts.

“Didn’t you hear we need suppl…!”

“You returned safely. Fortunate.”

Rio came pulling a cart.

Sallio furrowed his brow examining the cart’s contents.

Because recovery potions, bandages, and food were insufficient.

“Is this all?”

“Supplies exposed outside were all contaminated by rain. Only these moved to tents survived. Moreover…”

Rio pointed at explosions continuously echoing from inside the castle.

“…It’s a situation where demonic energy clung to demon beast materials, regenerating high-grade demon beasts.”

“The worst-case scenario the guild leader anticipated was correct.”

“How many can move?”

Sallio stood using his hammer as a cane.

Named’s executives all followed without exception.

“The rest exhausted their strength reaching here.”

“We can also move.”

Ramut approached gasping rough breaths.

In contrast, Jad and Zodiac’s complexions were pale.

“Sorry. We squandered too much mana and need time.”

“If it’s enough to split terrain, once from atop the walls is possible.”

The two had only used magic for checking in battles with high-grade demon beasts.

Having strength remaining, they’d used most mana returning to the castle.

“How many more must support inside?”

Enri asked while binding her shoulder scratched by demon beasts with cloth.

Rio, who’d pondered, answered.

“Split in half—half inside, the rest guard the walls. High-grade demon beasts will also surge now, so twenty minutes rest is all.”

“Wait, the guild leader is there! We must return!”

“I’m sorry, but no. We must defend the castle.”

“Damn it!”

Enri kicked the wall roughly.

Everyone’s frustrated feelings are the same.

“Demon beasts regenerate endlessly, and no matter how we defend it’s insufficient. The only method is enduring until reinforcements arrive from other castles.”

“Didn’t they contact those bastards a week ago! Why aren’t they coming!”

Even calm Sallio raised his voice in irritation.

“I don’t know. There’s no time to question that. Lord Pernok…”

Rio exhaled shallow breaths while pressing his temples with index fingers.

“…We must pray. Lord Pernok anticipated this situation and turned all of you to defensive siege. And he has that much confidence. That he can break through there alone.”

Thud!

Sallio suppressed his frustrated heart while pounding his hammer on the ground.

“Those with good mobility go to the central district I just indicated. The rest think about recovering while being deployable the moment high-grade demon beasts approach the walls.”

“Fine. Let’s settle here first!”

Sallio and Enri rushed to the castle’s intensifying central region.

“I’ll go to the walls.”

Ramut deployed all flanking units capable of moving to the walls while drawing his longsword.

“Haa, really. Can’t even spare…”

“Don’t grumble, you bastard.”

“…Uncle, can you move?”

“Even with mana poisoning, we must move. There’s no answer without us.”

“Ugh. If I collapse, support me.”

Jad and Zodiac ascended the walls leading those who could move.

Remaining guild members were only low-level mages.

Even they’d exhausted mana in return and breakthrough, struggling even to grip swords.

“Can you move to inside buildings?”

“Yes…”

Guild members with pale complexions entered nearby buildings while supporting guild members suffering mana poisoning.

Supplies were all distributed to those deployed to the front.

The only means to recover the wounded is rest.

‘The castle interior seems manageable, but the problem is demon beasts outside the castle. Regenerating ones and waves three and four descending from the mountain range. How to overcome this…’

Though only half a day passed, it feels like a week.

When tactics anticipated and prepared were blocked by the mountain range’s fury, many things tangled.

Mountain range and castle.

Master and Pernok.

The plan to narrow to a simple situation complicated.

‘War’s variables.’

He’d witnessed war on this scale for the first time.

But Rio realized many things in constantly changing situations and only pursued optimal judgments for how to handle the current situation.

Bang bang bang!

“…!?”

Suddenly, explosive sounds shaking earth’s axis echoed from afar.

Rio rushed to the walls in one breath and looked at the mountain range.

“Wh-what is that…”

Jad pointed at one place in the mountain range.

From there, brilliant lightning driving away darkness flashed.

Lightning striking fully seven points while raising momentum engulfed the mountain range’s third wave.

And.

Patter-patter…

Like a lie, rain stopped and demonic energy density thinned.

“Oh, holy shit…”

Jad smiled and shouted excitedly.

“He really blocked it? This is possible? Really!?”

“Too early to relax! Demonic energy floats in the air! Must kill twice more for regeneration to stop! Don’t loosen the reins!”

Power filled Zodiac’s voice.

“Fire! Drive them all out now!”

Beyond bombardment pouring like rain, Rio realized.

The fact that Pernok climbed the mountain range alone and stopped the rain.

And.

‘He won’t return. He intends to head straight to the master!’

That Pernok was heading from the mountain range to Cargoras for a decisive battle.

“Press forward!”

Borden’s vigorous voice breathed vitality into the walls.

Even soldiers who’d collapsed rose and threw stones and fire at the fact that the end was visible.

He thought the castle’s internal situation would also conclude smoothly.

“Urgent report!”

But a messenger ascending the walls shook the relieved castle with his shout.

Borden rushed over in one breath while checking the messenger’s insignia.

“Lungel, isn’t it!”

Count Lungel’s territory is a castle hundreds of kilometers from here.

It was also Borden’s ally who’d requested reinforcements a week ago.

“Where’s the count, coming alone…”

“Under attack by demon beasts!”

“…!”

“Thirty kilometers from here! Suddenly black rain fell, earth dyed jet-black, and demon beasts surged! Their number reaches two thousand!”

Borden’s mouth gaped.

He neither knew rain extended that far nor imagined demon beast numbers transcending imagination.

‘Not only Lungel. If clouds kept extending, demon beasts surged within a radius of dozens of kilometers from the castle. All reinforcements coming here are blocked by demon beasts!’

Though rain stopped, demon beasts continuously descend from the mountain range.

No knowing when that disaster will blanket the castle again.

Even troops squeezing out final strength would all collapse exhausted after today passes.

His vision yellows when even reinforcements, the sole support, were blocked.

“Count! Reinforcements!”

“That’s…”

“Entrust the association to me.”

Rio rushed over and spoke.

Borden shook his head.

“This isn’t a situation to spare anyone.”

“Demon beasts’ demonic energy supply was also cut. The castle gained breathing time inside and out. We must pull some troops to support Lungel.”

“Inside the castle?”

“Named’s executive team is skilled at demon beast hunting. They’ll settle the situation quickly even without my direction.”

“Then can Named’s side spare people?”

“Time is needed to settle the interior.”

“Hmm.”

Lungel has many weapons needed for defensive siege.

“Lungel’s distance from here isn’t that far. If we can just bring Lungel, we can block the mountain range’s remaining waves!”

“Are you confident?”

“This isn’t a situation to calculate probability. We absolutely must.”

Borden, who’d been shaking his head, called Ramut.

“We must support Lungel. Can you move?”

“Huff, huff. Provide horses. I’ll try.”

“Good. Go with Rio. He knows Lungel’s route!”

Rio received all remaining horses in the castle.

He kicked open the western gate with Ramut and twenty flanking unit members.

“Hiyah!”

Ramut broke through the vanguard while the rest struck flanks making a path.

Whether thanks to rain stopping, they whose mana circulation became more relaxed quickly crossed west.

Taking out canteens to drink water while simply filling stomachs with preserved food as they ran, before long they met Lungel’s flags.

“Reinforcements from the mountain range!”

When Rio shouted at the top of his lungs, all gazes concentrated here.

Ramut opened a path while cutting through demon beasts’ midst.

Count of Lungel, Rivanth, greeted Rio while brushing off demon beast blood.

“You came from the mountain range!”

“Sorry for being late.”

“Not at all! So, the count…?”

“Currently devoted to defensive siege. But we sent a level 6 mage and twenty flanking unit members as reinforcements.”

“Oh! Welcome news!”

Lungel’s defensive siege weapons must be positioned and used.

With uneven terrain and demon beasts surging from all directions, deploying defensive siege weapons precisely here looked difficult.

But surrounding demon beasts were mid-to-low-grade levels, and Lungel has five hundred soldiers.

Though Ramut and the flanking unit didn’t rest even a moment, it seemed they’d break through the situation without difficulty.

“No!”

Suddenly Ramut’s scream echoed across the battlefield.

“All troops withdraw!”

Urgent shouts pounded demon beast corpses.

Corpses sprawled on the plains seemed to melt into handfuls of demonic energy, then coalesced into one giving birth to massive forms.

“Th-that’s…”

“Fusion?”

A unique situation even Rio had only heard of.

Occasionally demon beasts whose wavelengths match combine each other’s demonic energy transforming into higher existences.

Even tracing the mountain range’s history, fusion occurred five times total.

And now the sixth was born before their eyes.

Fully ten of them.

Birds and boars.

Six-armed monsters.

All demon beasts too ominous to name held demonic energy at 9000 meters altitude grade.

Not only that, when a spider-like demon beast spun threads, eggs formed there giving birth to low-grade demon beasts.

“Oh… God…!”

Rivanth’s pupils went blank, and soldiers froze gripping weapons as if losing fighting spirit.

Even veteran of hundred battles Ramut lost words at this moment, and the flanking unit’s thoughts stopped.

“We must gather troops and withdraw!”

“Kiyaaaaak!”

As if mocking Rio’s cry, a bird-shaped demon beast spread its wings wide and burst explosive sounds.

Everyone covered their ears and collapsed in place.

Instantly, Rio’s head spun.

Because noise shook his mind.

Staggering and kneeling, low-grade demon beasts rush before him.

It was the moment Rio fumbled the ground and thrust out a hard object grasped in his hand randomly.

[Not like you.]

A polite, clear voice awakening consciousness.

Yet all remaining humans except Rio had collapsed.

Thud!

Low-grade demon beasts vanished before his eyes without even leaving demonic energy.

Rio looked up at the shadow cast before he knew it.

An old man wearing a fedora smiled while leaning on his staff.

“Did something you desperately want to protect enough to struggle miserably arise?”

“Lord… Ruin…?”

“You’ve matured, Rio.”

“How…”

“Having sent a letter that the royal family’s checks would enter, did you think I’d remain idle?”

Ruin smiled and stood before Rio.

“I came intending to check variables in my bet with Pernok, but the situation flowed strangely. I heard the general situation while coming here.”

Rio smiled.

Because Ruin had driven down his staff.

“First, let’s settle this place.”

That moment, mana bursting from the staff’s tip devoured everything in this area.