Chapter 230

Chapter 230: Because There Are No Heroes

The army advances.
With every step they take, the boulders launched from the trebuchets become giant shadows passing over them.
The dull sounds of impacts inside the castle and the vibrations felt underfoot grow louder.
The soldiers can feel it clearly.
We are walking toward death.
We are advancing toward death.
The gray, dead city finally begins to squirm.
Finally, something begins to reveal itself.
— I-is that?
It is, without a doubt, a monster.
The difference is that, unlike existing monsters that took animal forms, the form of this one is similar to a human.
— Alte, mercy…
— That thing… what hell did those things crawl out of?
Things that crawled out from hell.
It was such a bizarre creature that such words were not an exaggeration.
It possesses a human bust, but walks on all fours with twisted arms and legs; where the eyes and nose should be, the skin is stretched; its mouth is torn even wider.
Ferda had seen those things in the Gyeonghui Palace.
“Ghoul Monsters.”
— Kieeeek!!!
With the shrill roar characteristic of monsters, they descend from the castle walls.
No, they pour down.
As if an anthill had been stirred, monsters pour from the interior and charge to punish the intruders.
— Halt!
— Sound the battle formation horns!
At the horn signals, the soldiers extend their long spears forward to form a shield wall.
Archers, engineers manning catapults, and mages, all prepare a long-range barrage at once.
Olivia also begins issuing orders.
— Front ranks, halt! Form shield wall!
With a resounding voice, she ordered the knights.
More than a hundred knights stood in two ranks, slamming their shields into the ground. And they knelt, becoming the supports for those shields.
They became the braces supporting the great shields.
— First Infantry Company! Rear deployment! Load and report!
The tactical infantry stood before the knights’ shields, holding magitechnological rifles.
They inserted large cylindrical cartridges and raised them using the shields as rests.
— Loading complete!
— Loading complete!
— First Company, all loaded!
Olivia raised her sword high.
— All ranks, open fire!
Papapapang!!
As thunderous sounds erupted, the movements of the spearmen beside them faltered.
And an astounding sight could be witnessed.
Blue rays advancing in a straight line pierced the bodies of the charging monsters, dropping them just like that.
— Kiek!
The movements of the recklessly charging monsters falter.
The eyes of the commanders, waiting for the right moment, widen.
“Beyond imagination!”
“I thought the firepower and stopping power of a rifle would be considerable, but to this extent?”
Seeing it in person, it defies imagination.
In reality, the stopping power was so excellent that it formed an arc centered on Ferda’s army.
There are 100 tactical infantrymen, each firing 30 rounds.
No fewer than 3,000 mana bullets were hurled forward, devastating everything.
When the mana stones contained inside lost their light and turned into mere rocks, the company commander shouted.
— Front ranks, cease fire!
— Rear ranks, rotate! Second Company, open fire immediately!
They carried out the rotation they had practiced to exhaustion, pouring bullets without interruption.
It seemed to contain the charging waves of ghoul monsters, but only for a moment.
— Commander! Those idiots started using that thing called a brain!
The humanoid monsters began using intelligence, no longer charging thoughtlessly.
They picked up the corpses of dead monsters and used them as shields while charging.
— Keep firing!
When a charging bastard fell, they picked it up and piled layer upon layer of flesh shields.
With the rifle’s firepower, stopping them was practically impossible.
However, William had anticipated even this situation.
The deputy commander takes command.
— Second Company, fall back! Front ranks, stand up!
The Second Company, which had been pouring fire, pulled back just like that, and the knights stood up, gripping their shields tightly.
What the rifle’s firepower could not handle,
— Ready the shotguns!
They pierce with even greater firepower.
The knights raised the barrels of their weapons over their diagonally inclined shields.
When the ghoul monsters got close enough to the knights, the monsters that had been charging using the shields as footholds were slammed to the ground and leaped toward the top of the shield wall.
— Fire!
If the rifles were thunder, this was a convulsion overturning heaven and earth.
Kwang!
Kwa-gwa-gwa-kang!
Blue explosions spread from the muzzles of the barrels, tearing down the bodies of the flying humanoid monsters.
Nearby monsters were blown back with holes all over their bodies; monsters hit at point-blank range were completely shredded.
It was tremendous power, using an entire magazine at once.
— Aim forward!
And there was still one shot left.
— Fire!
Kwa-gwa-gwa-kwang!
The monsters were pushed back helplessly by the force of the bullets spreading over a wide area.
Olivia, reading the situation, quickly gave orders.
— Front ranks, advance 10 steps! Form wedge formation!
Knights moving in sync with the order, lifting the shields they had driven into the ground.
Like a spearhead piercing the front line, they advanced without hesitation and drove their shields into the ground.
That place once again became the support for the tactical infantry; it became a fortress.
The other commanders watched the scene, unable to conceal their astonishment.
Movements that defied all their common sense and experience continued.
They had thought Ferda’s army was small in number and, with knights carrying large shields at the front, a defensive formation.
Being defensive, they thought their movements would be the slowest.
However, an army of barely 500 men advanced like a spear piercing the front line.
And the commanders had thought the one achieving the greatest merit in Ferda’s army was Alberto.
His monstrous strength and defense matched the moniker of “One-Man Army.”
Yet he was merely in the center of the formation, silently serving as a shield wall, no different from the other knights.
Alberto had become part of the army; there was no independent action on his part.
That was why the magitechnology shone purely.
— So magitechnology is such an incredible thing?
Because there is no hero, everyone is a hero.
Truly, the tactics of an ideal army had been created.
— Slow as it may be, there is absolutely no retreat.
Ferda’s past boast suddenly comes to mind.
In reality, only the two siege towers behind Ferda continue to advance.
The commanders revised their tactics.
— Battalions near the Far East! Shield soldiers and knights, support the flanks of the Far East Army!
Help establish a defensive line centered on the Far East’s firepower! Absolutely do not yield the flanks!
Even with sacrifices, the surest advance toward victory was the Far East Army.
By filling in the missing parts of the wedge formation, the tactics were able to move with greater solidity and boldness.
Ferda watched the battle situation from the rear.
‘Not bad.’
Given that there were many infantrymen who had already experienced monsters, they did not easily panic or feel fear.
Because they knew that, in the face of overwhelming firepower, those things were ultimately just chunks of meat.
‘What about the other side?’
Ferda shifted his gaze to observe the battle situation.
If Ferda’s army managed to break through with the army, for the other imperial forces, the performance of a hero was extremely important.
The one becoming that hero was none other than Count Rooster.
The reason he could do so was that the warhorse Count Rooster rode was very special.
It clearly had the shape of a horse, but its bulging muscles and horned barding made it look like a bull.
As if it were not just in appearance, he broke through from the flank of the front line, throwing and trampling ghoul monsters, cutting off their momentum.
It looked like a reckless attack, yet it was cautious.
Knowing there was no morale to break, he did not delve recklessly, but slowly pushed the front line.
‘Ureas?’
He was in the rear, quietly watching this unfold.
He claimed to be observing the battle situation to give orders, but his mouth did not move; only the commanders were busy.
Ureas called that a strategic rest.
‘The Allied Forces’ side…’
The Allied Forces were also advancing in a format similar to Count Rooster’s, minus Ferda’s army.
He firmly insisted that there would be monsters, since demons were involved, and, just as he thought, they advanced slowly, breaking through.
Unlike Ureas, who was taking a strategic rest, Hudret broke through at the vanguard with his own knights.
‘Truly heroic.’
Whether he is a real hero remains to be seen.
While they clashed and tangled for a long time.
— The monsters are falling back!—
At someone’s shout, Ferda raised his head.
Just as said, the ghoul monsters blocking the front line were falling back.
— Run with your tails between your legs, trash!—
— Keep firing! Leave no survivors on this land!—
The scattered ghoul monsters climbed back up the walls and went inside.
The kingdom’s city once again gave off a chilling silence.
— Knights! It is thanks to your spirit that this is possible! Seize this momentum and advance!—
Ureas’s shout boosted the imperial army’s morale.
The Allied Forces must have said something similar, as cheers echoed from the west.
With nothing blocking them, the siege towers now pushed against the castle walls.
Ferda approached William and asked.
— Report the situation.—
— Situation report. Total 504, survivors 504, wounded 3. Of those wounded, two only suffered fractured jaws from the knights’ helmets.—
— We can consider casualties to be nonexistent.—
Morale was already at its peak because of that.
If they were dealing with ignorant flesh shields, they would stoke the flames so even one more would jump into the furnace, but these guys are each like mages.
They needed to instill alertness in them.
— Stay sharp, knights. The real fight begins in there.—
— Yes!—
— Unlike the open space from a moment ago, inside the canyon of buildings, countless butchers will aim for your lives. I wish you luck in battle.—
As his words ended, the soldiers began preparing for the next battle.
— Regent-nim.—
Olivia and William, who had been commanding the army, approached.
He knew what they were coming to say.
— From here on, there is nothing we can do.—
— It’s all right.—
Olivia is an imperial princess and, simultaneously, a vessel destined to become a Saint.
From now on, when it truly becomes dangerous, she cannot get involved.
That was the most Ureas permitted, and Ferda accepted it.
Olivia’s blue eyes glistened with sadness.
A face looking as if it would burst into tears at any moment.
Like a wife sending her husband to the battlefield.
— Please… take care of yourself.—
Saying that, she turned her horse and galloped toward where Ureas was.
Jed, who was beside him, tilted his head slightly and dropped a comment.
— It seems Her Highness the Princess truly cherishes you, Regent-nim.—
— Her acting gets more polished every day.—
Ferda, naturally, thought it was an act.
He couldn’t imagine such a strong woman making that expression.
Jed looked at Ferda’s face with a blank stare, then shook his head vigorously.
The siege towers touched the outer wall, and the drawbridges lowered.
— Advance! Advance!—
All the soldiers waiting inside rushed into the castle at once.
The eyes of those who entered the castle shook.
— Heavens…—
— They definitely bombarded for three days and nights…—
Unless they had slept soundly for three days, everyone knew the fact.
What should be shown now are half-destroyed buildings, but the buildings were all perfectly fine.
The streets were bustling, but that was due to the rocks they threw, not because anything was broken or shattered.
— Everyone, move in!—
— There are no civilians! To break the power of the king who sold his soul to demons, we must kill every human in this castle!—
At the shouts of the commanders who showed no mercy, the soldiers descended from the outer wall.
As they entered the boulevard and advanced, the enemy’s movement began again.
Something flew from an empty building and landed in the center of the soldiers.
Sgeok!
It shed several trails of flashes and afterimages.
The iron armor of the soldiers touched by the flashes was roughly torn apart, and humans were turned into masses of blood and flesh.
— A-an ambush!—
— It’s a monster!—
The soldiers’ shouts fell into chaos.
Only after dozens of necks were severed in an instant did accurate information finally pour from their mouths.
— It’s a demon!—
— Summon the knights!—
Black skin, red eyes.
Long ago they ran rampant, but now rarely seen, an atrocious demon waged urban warfare and displayed an overwhelming presence.
Only after hundreds of sacrifices did the knights who came up finally face the demons.
— Altesi-yeo! Protect the Emperor!—
— Evil thing! I have come to judge you!—
They were once called Knight-grade demons, and each possessed firepower surpassing that of a single knight.
Three knights teamed up to face one, and only after sacrificing one were they barely able to drive a blade into the demon’s heart.
— Liam, I will never forget your sacrifice, huh…?—
He had definitely pierced the demon’s heart.
But the demon’s form grew increasingly blurry, then shifted into the appearance of a completely ordinary commoner.
— W-what…?—
— Didn’t we fight a demon?—
Amidst the confusion, a chill ran down their spines.
Did that instinct hit the mark?
At the end of the road, the door of a civilian house opened, and a black figure appeared.
It was the same demon they had fought up until just a few minutes ago.
The man smiled maliciously and spoke.
— Well then, shall we move on to round two?—
Despair had not even begun.