Chapter 231

I Married the Dragon I Killed

Chapter 231: Urban Warfare

Urban Warfare
Chapter 231. Urban Warfare

— Damn it! The damn demons keep coming!
— The battalion is facing annihilation!

Desperate screams spread everywhere.
Things turned out according to Ferda’s thoughts.
Normally, siege warfare scaling the outer walls accounts for 80%, but these were the opposite.
The place they were entering now was a canyon and a forest of unbreakable buildings, and the territory of the predators living within.
Monsters swarming and demons revealing themselves.
His orders were as follows.

— Advance! The knights will become your shields!
— Push forward with even more boldness! We must kill them all!

He leads them into a death trap just as King Hudret had planned the operation.
It is cruel, but he feels that Hudret is right.
If they do not advance boldly, there is no way to break through this place.
The fear arising from the chaos is only momentary; the instant fear subsides, it is tinged with madness.
The soldiers realized a truth on the battlefield.
That if you do not kill, there is only death.

— Do not leave a single one alive!
— Stab every single one you see! If they are restless, cut off their heads too!

Like barbarians invading civilization, they broke into civilian houses and began stabbing and slashing everything that was alive.
The only difference with them is that the buildings do not burn or collapse.
However, King Heinckel did not seem to be just watching them die helplessly.
A purple magic circle rippled on the ground beneath the soldiers who had raided a civilian house.

— Ha, it’s a trap!

The magic circle exploded, and black clouds or something similar enveloped the soldiers.

— Cough, cough! Is everyone okay?
— Guh… guuuuh… grrk…

The groans of pain turned into rattling phlegmy sounds.
At the same time, their appearance also changed; they were the ghoul monsters they had seen with sickening frequency before entering here.

— Kieeeek!
— Kyaaak!
— Kill them! Hurry up and kill them!

Even allies can become enemies; that is the trick employed by black magicians.
They reduce the number of enemies, but simultaneously their own ranks also keep dwindling.

— Regent Ferda!

Looking back, Ureas was standing there.
He had not drawn his sword even once.

— Clear a path! I will go inside the castle and settle this!

That damn bastard, treating me like his own subordinate.
Given that it was an urgent situation, he set his emotions aside.
After all, Ferda intended to do that anyway.

— William!
— Yes!
— Switch to urban warfare tactics.
— Understood. Switch to platoon level! Each platoon leader, organize and report!

The knights changed formation in an instant and advanced toward their assigned sectors.

— Kieeeek!
— Monsters in front!
— Grenades!

A knight pulled a grenade from his waist, removed the pin, and threw it.
An explosion of mana erupted in the middle of where the ghoul monsters swarmed.
Those near the center turned into chunks of meat,
those far away were poisoned by blue mana.

— Geureuk geureureuk!

The ghoul monsters squirmed as if they were paralyzed.

— Kill them all!

The knights drew their swords and charged forward, slitting the throats of the ghoul monsters and piercing their hearts.

— Advance!
— Move while watching the tops of the buildings and the entrances!

Casualties began to appear in Ferda’s army, which was moving in a group.
Demons on high rooftops began throwing sharp projectiles, thinning the tactical infantry.

— Kuak!
— Jason!
— Keep a tight formation! If we scatter, we will all die!

Leaving the dead bodies behind, they only repeated advancing and attacking.
Since the buildings did not collapse, even pushing forward did not feel like breaking through.
Finally, Alberto, who had been at the forefront of the battle formation, fell back and approached Ferda.

— Regent.
— Wow, this person could talk?

When Alberto opened his mouth, Jed and Arwen showed surprised reactions.
Regardless, he said what he wanted to say.

— I don’t want to delay.

The reason Alberto obediently followed his orders in this operation was only one.
It was for the moment of entering that inner fortress.

— Breaking through is good, but it seems difficult right now.
— …..

Alberto put himself at the vanguard again.
No, he walked even further ahead.

— What is wrong with that person?

It was an obvious intention that did not need deep questioning.
He gripped his great shield tightly and exerted pressure.
What followed was a charge.

Kwa-ga-ga-gak!

He was breaking through foolishly, shoving aside everything in front of him.
The ghoul monsters could not resist the force and were thrown into the air, splattering against the walls like rotten tomatoes, painting them with green blood.

— What… just…

Actions that inspired awe even in his fellow knights.
Just the thought that it was fortunate he was not an enemy.
It was not just a simple advance.
The floor tiles that did not move even after several bombardments were being scraped.
Ferda did not overlook that detail.

«Even after hitting it for three days and nights, it didn’t budge…»

It was proof that the mana sustaining this city was weakening.
One might think he would break through to the inner fortress with that momentum, but he couldn’t.

Kung!!

What not even his shield could penetrate was the barrier right in front of the gate of the inner fortress.
That place was being protected by an even more powerful force.
As a result, he ended up right in the middle of a path where monsters lurked.
Monsters and demons reflexively lunged at the one who entered the death trap.
They passed judgment on the fool who charged into the middle of enemy lines.

— Jed, Arwen, Ruri! Move!

Move quickly when the path opens.
Concern for Alberto arose, but it was brief.

Kung!
Ppaak!

Bodies of monsters and demons scattering with loud crashes and vibrations.
Shockwaves exploded several times, crushing everything around them.
By the time Ferda arrived, the situation was already resolved.
Alberto, covered in chunks of green and purple flesh, was visible.
Alberto did not care about his appearance; he placed his shield behind him, gripped his mace with both hands, and struck it hard against the barrier.

Kung!!

— Eueok!

The shockwave was so massive that his legs gave out.
Ferda floated slightly in the air and barely escaped the shockwave.

— Alberto.

Kung!

— You will never break it in your life doing it like that.

Kuuung!!

— Gamigin’s protective magic is created by erecting totems inside and outside. That is why you cannot break it until you destroy the totems.
— …..

Whether he understood Ferda’s words, he finally lowered his mace.
With the path to the inner fortress blocked, enemies kept swarming.

— What do we do now?

Ferda raised his head and concentrated mana in his eyes.
For totems that maintained a barrier of this level, they either created a large quantity and scattered them, or erected only a few totems with concentrated power.
The former is difficult to track but easy to break; the latter is difficult to break but easy to track.

«Fortunately, it is the latter.»

Only magicians could see it, but the flow of mana was clearly visible.
There were seven totems in total, scattered around the vicinity.
I cannot do it alone.
Ferda sent telepathy to the magicians of the allied forces and the imperial army.

— To enter the inner fortress, the totems must be destroyed. As magicians, you can find the epicenters through the flow of mana, so track them down and destroy them.
— Understood.

He shared similar information with the imperial army as well.
Since they want to enter the inner fortress somehow, they will definitely prioritize this information.

— And us?
— What do you mean?
— We also have to destroy totems. There are two totems near us.

Ferda looked at Alberto and spoke.

— You take care of one of them.
— Where is it?
— Judging by the flow of mana, running in that direction should work.

In the indicated direction, numerous buildings were arranged diagonally.
Without a good sense of direction, one would definitely get lost in the labyrinthine alleys.
However, Alberto did not seem to have such concerns.
He locked his gaze in the direction Ferda pointed and raised his shield again.
And, just like on the boulevard, he charged once more.

Boom!
Boom!
Boom!

If there is no path, make one.
The obstacles in his way were cleared cleanly, as if those words truly suited him.

— What kind of ridiculous power is that…
— Indeed.

Arwen and Jed uttered exclamations of admiration.
It was not simply because Alberto possessed monstrous strength.
Buildings that had not suffered even a scratch began to collapse one by one, unable to withstand the explosions.

«It means that many humans who were the source of mana have died.»

The Legion is trembling.
That is how it could be interpreted.

«Yet even while using such ideal magic, can it only be this much?»

It is baffling, but it is an everyday occurrence in magic.
When the magic called Mana Burn was developed by a man, the term Lord of Magicians spread.
However, even that did not last a month before a solution emerged.
If you possessed an artifact with external blocking magic used for meditation, you could not even attempt Mana Burn.
Magic is merely a world of rock, paper, scissors without absolute superiority, complex beyond measure.
So it is quite possible that the Legion, with its difficult and unfeasible conditions, is overrated.
Even so, he does not let his guard down.
It is war right now.

— What if we go like that too?
— Is there anyone here who can do that?
— Though there seems to be a similar person…
— Do I look like a bull to you?

When Ruri glared at him with a disgusted expression, Jed quickly tucked his tail.
In the end, they moved along the boulevard, and he wondered if moving in a straight line, even doing those bull-like things, might be better.
Because the demons were launching concentrated attacks against Ferda.

— Ferda Valdrova!
— Let’s kill that bastard! Lord Godwin desires it!
— Looks like you’re more popular than other bastard kings?
— Seems like it.

For Ureas and the allied kings, there was no one attacking them with as much persistence as Ferda.
No, they were closer to being passive compared to other soldiers.
On the other hand, they were aggressive in wanting to kill Ferda, and it would not be an exaggeration to say they used every means and method.
Arwen and Jed did everything they could, and Ferda also did what he could.
He drew the staff he had hidden in the shadows.
The magic he manifests is 3rd Circle elemental attack magic.

— Lightning.

The fastest lightning-attribute projectile leaves his staff and fires.
However, Ferda’s lightning was no ordinary lightning.
It was the Sky-Defying Inverted Lightning that only the First Witch, Lucy Philias, could wield, and its destructive power was strong enough to defy the natural order.

«It is a single shot now.»

It was not an agile Butcher type, and if he was only given enough time to aim, one shot, one kill was enough.
To think that a mere 5th Circle magician could eliminate a demon with a single 3rd Circle spell.
Yet there is always someone superior.

— Ferda-nim.

Ruri, who was guarding his flank, spoke.
Her face was as sharp as the axe on her shoulder.

— I will clear the way.

She abandoned her usual human-like appearance and revealed her Dragon Spawn form.
Horns, wings, and a tail protruding sharply.
True to a descendant of Silverwind, Ruri was relentless and swung her axe without hesitation.
There is a saying that a famous sword is a famous sword.
Her skills might have grown rusty from serving Valdrova, but her prowess was still not something to be scoffed at.
As he watched her in silence, Ferda’s gaze suddenly drifted to a point.
The tail swelling at the back of her skirt.
Every time the large tail moved, the hem of the skirt also moved in a swift motion.
The movement was so flexible and fast that it stole his gaze, as if he were hypnotized for a moment.
Whether she noticed Ferda’s stare, she narrowed her silver eyes.

— Where are you looking?

Ferda answered directly.

— Your back is thick, that’s why my eyes went there.

The steel-cold eyes trembled violently.
She cast a glance at her back, then her face flushed red, and she glared at Ferda as if she wanted to kill him.
She tried to say something, but was left speechless, merely turning her head away sharply.
Why is she acting like that?

— You don’t know what you did wrong, do you?

Jed approached and asked.
He is like a fortune-teller.

— Did I do something wrong?
— What you just said was on par with Penelope, or worse.
— What…

Ferda finally realized that his words and actions were wrong.
I’ll have to buy her something delicious later.
Ruri cleared the way, and Arwen and Jed moved swiftly, covering Ferda’s flanks and rear.
The place they reached was the cathedral of the Alte Order.
Even the emblem of Alte, which should have been golden, had faded to gray.
He could feel the totem’s energy inside.
A place that worshipped life had turned into a place praising death.

— Let’s destroy it quickly and move forward.

As he opened the cathedral door and was about to enter, Ferda instinctively turned his head.
It was only a moment, and something caught his gaze.
This sensation that made his hair stand on end by reflex.
He knew it through Arwen, who was standing beside him.

— Aaah…

Fear settled into the eyes of Arwen, who was an indomitable knight.
Ferda knew that face.

«Trauma.»

The unknown monster that had tormented both Ruri and Ferda.
That thing was inside right now.
It must be dealt with somehow before entering.
As the saying goes, the darkest place is under the lamp; the breakthrough was closer than expected.

— What is with all these eyeballs?

Jed looked at it indifferently, with a question mark floating over his head.