Screech— Screech—
The top of the wall had become a cauldron of chaos in the truest sense of the word. Purple streaks carved erratic paths through the sky as monsters filled the air with shrill, skin-crawling screams.
"Don't stop, keep shooting!"
"The wings! Aim only for the wings! Don’t try to kill it!"
Shouts from commanders rang out from every direction. Crossbowmen standing with their backs to the battlements on either side moved like machines, firing and reloading in endless repetition. The same rhythm echoed from the massive ballistas mounted along the wall at regular intervals.
"Phew... Phew..."
"Don’t come here… please… not this way…."
The soldiers shielding them with spears and shields scanned the sky with bloodshot eyes. It was a natural reaction, given that failing to notice an attack even a moment too late meant death. The ground at their feet was already slick with flesh and blood.
Rumble— Boom!
Flames of every color cut through the sky or burst apart in blinding explosions. Each time, the screams of monsters engulfed in flames followed dizzily.Even so, Commander Gelud, hurrying along the wall with his escorts under his adjutant’s guidance, only narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Ahahaha! Ahahahah!"
"Burn! I'll burn everything—"
The reason was the magic-laden voices bleeding through the thunder of explosions.
After an archmage had fallen to Akihatara’s assault, the red mages had lost their sanity at an alarming rate. They climbed recklessly onto the main road or the battlements, either laughing madly or screaming until their throats gave out.
Rumble—
Their behavior followed a single, unmistakable pattern. They unleashed magic indiscriminately, toward the sky and the ground alike. Some lost their footing in the frenzy. Others coughed up blood and tumbled over the wall, dying in grotesque parodies of spectacle they themselves had created.
The guard knights stationed beside them made no attempt to restrain them. Rather than watching the monsters swarming the air or the ground below, they kept their cold, vigilant gazes fixed on the mages.
"General."
That was why Gelud merely nodded in response to their greetings without sparing the mages a glance.
Preventing the mages from slipping fully into madness was part of their duty. If necessary, they were to knock them unconscious. If it was already too late, they were to kill them without hesitation.
Splash— Splash—
Before long, Gelud’s expression darkened further.
The aftermath of the archdemon’s passage came into view. Deep, razor-like gouges tore through the wall wherever it had swept past, leaving scars that looked as if the stone itself had been flayed.
"O, brilliant Light... please..."
"Shut up, Louis. Don’t waste your strength."
Supply soldiers who had positioned materials throughout the area were now dragging the wounded through pools of blood, flesh, and scattered entrails. Their destination was likely the bridge leading to the fortress's inner spire.
As Gelud watched the supply soldiers and the wounded pass one another in crossing paths, his teeth clenched tightly. Most of them were living on borrowed time.
Even if they survived, they would never return to the lives they once had.
Still, Gelud showed no emotion as he turned his gaze forward and continued. The more desperate the situation became, the more a commander had to keep all traces of emotion from showing on his face.
"Move! Don’t look down, just secure your positions!"
"Damn it… O Light…."
Beyond them, reinforcements sent from within the fortress were being deployed along the wall. Every one of them looked as though they were on the verge of vomiting. Even so, they forced their eyes upward and immediately began firing their crossbows. Soldiers with spears and shields stepped forward, forming a line in front of them.
"General!"
A knight who was clearly a commander hurried toward Gelud as he passed a half-destroyed ballista. The man must have discarded his helmet somewhere along the way, as his pale face was fully exposed.
When one of the guards stepped forward, Gelud raised a hand to stop them and slowed his pace.
"Speak."
"A-At this rate, we’ll all die. Please… please issue new orders—"
"Hold your positions. As you are now." Gelud cut him off.
The knight froze mid-sentence and gasped for breath. His eyes looked as though a death sentence had just been passed on him.
"Reinforcements will arrive shortly."
Ignoring the knight, Gelud turned his gaze back to his adjutant and quickened his pace once more.
The knight’s eyes widened a beat too late. The nearby soldiers in the middle of reloading their crossbows reacted the same way. As Gelud passed by without slowing, they stared after him blankly. Then, almost as one, their heads turned beyond the battlements toward the fortress.
"Oh, Lu Solar—"
"T-The Crimson Legion… finally!"
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the area. In the heart of the blizzard, a procession was entering the fortress, its presence cutting cleanly through the darkness.
"Just a little longer! Hold on just a little longer! The Demigod of the North is coming!"
"The Dragon Slayer!"
Hope spread through the soldiers’ voices. In truth, the situation was far worse than they believed, but Gelud added nothing more. A part of him shared that faith, bordering on worship, that the Demigod of the North and the Crimson Legion truly could repel the archdemon and its vassals.
Boom...
Gelud halted once more.
Ahead, soldiers were packed tightly together, blocking the path. From beyond them came a thunderous roar, followed by a heavy vibration that rippled through the wall. It felt different from before.
The halted guards and the adjutant turned to look back as well.
"W-What the hell is that?"
"The ballista! Mages! Kill that monster!"
"Prepare! Don’t let it hit the gate!"
From behind, shouts of shock and commands from officers followed.
Gelud narrowed his eyes and took another step forward.
"As expected…."
Unlike the other commanders, he already knew what was unfolding down there. It was one of the many reasons he had moved so urgently to the opposite side of the wall. Of course, the greatest reason stood just beyond those lined-up soldiers.
"Tell them to open the way."
"Yes. Understood."
At Gelud’s order, the adjutant sprinted toward the soldiers ahead, shouting commands as arrows streaked upward behind him.
Boom!
Another deep impact shook the wall. Commanders barked orders, and fireballs flared to life behind them. Gelud did not look back even once. He pressed forward as soldiers on either side hastily parted to clear a path.
The adjutant beside him inclined his head slightly. "He’s behind there. Fortunately, he has regained consciousness."
"Understood." Gelud nodded and passed him. Beyond him was the supreme commander, Harald.
"Phew... Phew..."
Harald was barely leaning against the battlement. His labored breathing was hardly surprising. His cloak and armor were nearly torn to shreds, and his left arm had been severed above the elbow. The bandages wrapped tightly around the stump were already soaked in a dark crimson.
"Don’t stop firing! Protect His Excellency!"
The archdemon’s assault had struck Harald directly.
Thanks to the magic equipment covering him, he had avoided death, but the severity of his injuries was undeniable.
The adjutant claimed he had survived only because Harald had shoved him away with all his strength at the very last moment. That was the greatest reason Gelud, who had been commanding from the opposite side of the wall, had rushed here without hesitation.
"Your Excellency! You must not move. Even now, we can take you inside—"
In any case, Harald had regained consciousness, which meant his condition was better than Gelud had first been told.
As the soldiers who had clearly been tending to his wounds pleaded desperately, Harald shook his head and forced himself to take a step forward.
"Stand back… I can walk on my own…."
"Your Excellency…."
The soldiers soon straightened their posture, having spotted Gelud approaching them.
With a small nod of his chin, Gelud gestured for them to step back.
"You’ve come." Harald turned toward him and spoke with difficulty.
Now that Gelud looked more closely, he could see it was not only Harald’s severed arm. His waist was wrapped tightly in bandages as well.
"I am relieved to see you alive." Gelud, stopping, bowed politely.
The reason Harald was in such a state was that, like Gelud, he had commanded the battle from among the soldiers. It was what was expected of a supreme commander on the front lines, but even so, it was worthy of respect.
"It is shameful to show myself like this…."
As Harald murmured weakly, Gelud lowered his head further.
"I should be the one to apologize. The moment I received the report, I ordered the fortress’s main gate opened. The Demigod of the North and the Crimson Legion have entered the fortress and are on their way here now."
Harald's eyes twitched as he listened.
Without lifting his head, Gelud added, "It was a decision forced by the circumstances. Even so, I will not evade responsibility for acting on my own. After the battle ends, I will willingly accept whatever punishment is deemed appropriate—"
"No," Harald cut him off.
As Gelud paused and raised his head, Harald continued weakly, "I was about to give the same order myself. My judgment... was wrong. My petty pride caused countless deaths."
Gelud looked at him, unable to hide his surprise. He had never expected to hear such words from this stubborn man, who had always been bound by pride and self-regard.
"There is nothing for you to take responsibility for. Rather, all responsibility lies with me—"
Unable to finish his sentence, Harald bent over and coughed. Blood splattered from his mouth.
Gelud stepped forward at once and supported him. "Now is not the time to argue over responsibility. There is a more urgent matter. We can speak in detail while escorting you inside."
"I am going to die anyway." Harald barely suppressed another cough as he shook his head.
As Gelud paused and looked back, Harald struggled to unwrap his arm from Gelud's shoulder and said, "So I will remain here and continue commanding the soldiers until the very end. Return to your post. After I die, you must take command of the entire army."
"Your Excellency…."
"Hurry and go. If the archdemon turns its attention this way now, the two of us would—" Harald stopped mid-sentence.
This time, it was not because of a cough. His mouth fell slightly open as his eyes widened. Gelud turned his head in the same direction.
"Oh, Karha..."
The sudden quiet that settled over the surroundings was no illusion.
Beyond the soldiers who had fallen into low murmurs, a man strode forward, wrapped from head to toe in blazing crimson divinity. His cloak billowed as he advanced.
Splash— Splash—
With a greatsword caked in burned blood and flesh hanging down, he was the Demigod of the North, Ian Hope.
It seemed he had raced ahead of the legion and reached the inner fortress first.
Snort...
A massive white horse followed behind him, sparks scattering from its mane as it illuminated the surroundings. Ian’s gaze swept calmly over Gelud and Harald.
"Agent of the Saint!" Meeting his eyes, Gelud bowed hastily.
Harald straightened as well, awkwardly. For a brief moment, he seemed to have forgotten even his pain.
Without slowing his stride, Ian said, "The Crimson Legion is on its way here. What should be done?"
It was a blunt, direct question, stripped of any unnecessary exchange. Gelud’s gaze naturally shifted to Harald.
When Harald gave a slight nod, as if telling him to decide freely, Gelud said, "There is something I would like to discuss regarding that matter. There is another issue, Agent of the Saint."
"Another issue?"
Before Ian could press further, a violent tremor rippled through the wall behind them. A heavy crash followed, the sound distinctly like something breaking apart.
"There are strange creatures mixed in among the monsters," Gelud replied. "They absorb dead or dying monsters to increase their size. From what we can tell, they appear to be attempting to destroy the main gate."
Instead of answering, Ian turned and strode toward the battlements.
The white horse following behind him came to an abrupt stop. Its gaze, shimmering with orange divinity, swept across the sky.
Screech—
It was clearly tracking the monsters circling overhead. Yet since their appearance, the monsters had done nothing but fly chaotically above. Not a single one was targeting this side.
As Ian leaned forward to peer down below, the corner of his mouth twisted faintly. "Ah, I see."
Gelud had little trouble imagining what he was seeing. Beyond the darkness, monsters surged endlessly toward the gate and the wall, writhing like a living tide.
"They’re the vassals of another archdemon."
Among them were grotesque abominations that freely absorbed all manner of monsters, stitching themselves together into ever-growing forms. One of them, or perhaps several, was likely smashing against the gate even now.
As Ian turned back, Gelud continued, "No matter how powerful they are, it won’t be easy to break through. Still, the gate may eventually fall. If that happens, the Crimson Legion will have to—"
"It's coming again!"
A panicked shout erupted from the opposite side. Gelud faltered as commanders’ cries followed in quick succession.
"Right front! Everyone, raise crossbows! Right front!"
Far away, a massive purple shape burst through the dark clouds, rapidly growing clearer. The archdemon, its four wings spread wide, had revealed itself once more.
"F-Fuck!"
"Anyone who’s going to run, run now!"
Panicked curses and desperate shouts echoed across the wall as flames flared up everywhere. At some point, Ian had already vaulted onto the battlements.
"Send a messenger down. The gateway might be breached, so tell them to divide and deploy the forces accordingly," Ian said calmly.
As Gelud turned back, the white horse snorted, steam puffing from its nostrils. Turning its head, it suddenly charged forward and leaped.
Vaulting over the soldiers in a single bound, it twisted midair and landed sideways atop the battlement. The movement was closer to a stunt than a charge.
"The rest, they will figure it out," Ian added the words casually as he stepped forward, using the greatsword as a brace before swinging himself up into the saddle.
"Ah…."
A stunned murmur spread among the soldiers below. It was only natural. Ian was, for all intents and purposes, mounting his horse at the very edge of a sheer drop.
Clip-clop, clip-clop—
The white horse immediately broke into a gallop along the battlements. There was no need to wonder where it was headed.
Screech—
Far beyond the wall, on the opposite side, the archdemon advanced with two wings covering its head, letting out a scream sharp enough to feel as though it could tear eardrums apart.