Since that day, the remnants of the Tiger Army haven’t dared to mess with us. Even Gongson Tan, who originally sparked this incident, could only glare at us without uttering a word.
Similarly, the Golden Guards stopped giving orders through the Tiger Army. They simply gathered the martial artists of the Martial Arts World together and commanded them to continue with the reconnaissance.
“Hmm.”
They seem to be uninterested in what the reconnaissance reports, yet they keep insisting on it. What the heck does he want? At this rate, whether we scout or not, the Undead Legion will reach the frontier.
I had questions but no sharp solutions. We had no choice but to follow the Golden Guards’ instructions. Still, with the Tiger Army’s organizational strength vanished, our reconnaissance became pretty sluggish.
We only managed to get a sense of the enemy’s scale and how far they had advanced, the number of cavalry, and such. Despite completing those missions, the Golden Guards showed no significant reaction.
They merely continued to give the order to scout.
Anyway, one day, while the martial artists of the righteous faction were heading out for reconnaissance as usual, the Undead Legion advanced to the point where it was right on top of us.
The stench of decaying bodies filled the air, and the citizens began to tremble in fear.
As a result, the gates were sealed, and conscription began in earnest. Under the control of the imperial troops, able-bodied men who received spears shivered while they stood guard.
“An attack will start soon.”
Serin said seriously.
“Be careful. Facing the Undead Legion is a whole different level compared to fighting among martial artists. It’s foolish to unleash martial arts against a tidal wave of corpses.”
“I understand. Fighting armed warriors is one thing; facing an approaching army is another.”
“Indeed, Geunhyeop is clever.”
But I had a point of curiosity.
“Serin, but can those guys even scale the walls without siege engines?”
Unless they create a mountain of corpses to climb over, can they really do that?
“The estimated scale is already over ten thousand. Imagine if they bury themselves into the walls to create their very own stairs of corpses.”
“Oh.”
Just like in World War Z.
“We will be fighting fiercely on top of the walls, while our martial artists provide support against those soldiers. Unfortunately, the Imperial Army has yet to arrive… this could be quite difficult.”
We steeled ourselves mentally, and finally, the command from the Golden Guards came down.
“I introduce him. This guy is my aide, Gyo-hu. He’ll be your commanding officer from now on. You martial artists will ascend the walls and carry out strike missions according to Gyo-hu’s orders.”
Just as Serin said.
We would wait atop the walls and execute support missions where we felt a breach might occur, following the orders of that sly-looking Gyo-hu.
“You heard me! I Gyo-hu command you! The Undead Legion will reach the walls soon. Get up there!”
“Understood!”
Once the war drew near, the spirits of the righteous faction martial artists perked up as they answered loudly.
“Then go!”
“Yes!”
We rushed out.
“Where’s the patrol? What’s happening?”
“What are we supposed to do?”
The members of the conscripted patrol warmly welcomed me. Galbi Jong had been busy managing the sect and businesses, while Jaemi Son was off working with the gang.
“Moon Dao! I’m waiting for a response!”
“Patrol Captain!”
What a heartwarming sight.
“The Undead are closing in. Our martial artists must ascend the walls and undertake the mission of supporting the dangerous areas. Now, let’s go everyone!”
“It’s really happening, isn’t it?! I have no idea when the reinforcements will arrive!”
“Finally, I get to fight those annoying skeletons!”
We climbed up onto the walls.
—
A truly ominous energy lingered atop the walls.
“Eek…!”
“We’re all going to die!”
“I don’t want to die!”
Those conscripts were already demoralized.
In fear, the village youths holding just spears murmured as they saw the army of corpses spread out below the walls.
“Shit.”
Even I found it dreadful.
“Grrr…”
“Grrr…”
The walls weren’t particularly high. So, the army of corpses down there felt painfully close. They were reeking of decay and chattering their teeth, reaching for us with outstretched arms.
“Eek!”
A terrified voice burst out.
I looked around, and the faces of my patrol members were equally scared. After all, half of them must have been neighborhood tough guys. Who wouldn’t be scared when now facing a horde of zombies?
“Hey, Moon Dao.”
“Mo-Moon Dao?”
“Are you scared?”
I said quietly while looking at them.
“Moon Dao! I’m not scared!”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Should I give a speech?
“Don’t be afraid! Soon, the Imperial Army will come to our aid! We just need to deal with the Undead coming up! Got it?!”
“Yeah!”
“Understood!”
Did my shout resonate?
“Whoa!”
The righteous martial artists around us joined in with shouts, which seemed to give the terrified conscripts a bit of courage.
“Whooooa!”
“Yeah!”
Not long after that.
“Grrr, grrrr!”
“Uuuugh!”
The atmosphere suddenly changed. The zombies gathered around the walls began to twitch and convulse. I instinctively realized what was happening. Somewhere among them, a commanding entity must have used a signal to give orders to the undead.
“Gwaaaah!”
Soon, the Undead Legion roared, and they began scratching at the walls to climb up… But that wasn’t all! They were shoving others aside, trampling each other to scramble up the walls!
“Kyaaaa!”
In response, the undead mountains formed, and they started to surge upward.
“They’re coming! To your positions, martial artists!”
“To the positions!”
Following Gyo-hu’s command, we moved to our designated spots.
“Remember! Stab the ones climbing up with your spears and push them back! Arrows won’t fly! Just stab and push! If you stab, you won’t get bitten! Just keep stabbing and pushing!”
The officers shouted.
Then.
“Uaaaah!”
“Gwaaaah!”
The absurd siege battle kicked off.
“Push, push!”
“Stab!”
The conscripted soldiers lined up on the walls began stabbing and stabbing the undead trying to climb up the mound of corpses.
“Guhak!”
“Kek!”
The zombies that were just beginning to climb up were thrashed back with each spear thrust. They were slow, but they weren’t immobile. As one was pushed down, another would immediately appear.
“Truly impressive.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Serin and Hayoung said with tense expressions. I was also nervously sweating. The undead weren’t just attacking in isolated areas. They were pushing their heads up from all directions.
“Gahhhh!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
In the midst of the soldiers frantically pushing back the spears…
“Patrol!”
Gyo-hu shouted!
“Support over there!”
“Understood!”
I looked where he pointed, and saw the undead pushing up against the soldiers. I immediately led my patrol members toward that direction.
“Gahhh! We’re being pushed back, help!”
“Stab that bastard!”
The chaos was uncontainable.
“Clear out!”
I pushed through the soldiers to reach the spot, and right as I found an undead gnawing on a soldier, I swung my sword and split its skull in two.
“Cough…! Sa-save me!”
One soldier bitten by the undead reached out crying.
“Sorry! It’s too late for you!”
We were already briefed on the combat rules. Anyone bitten or mortally wounded must be executed immediately.
—Shhkkk!
I swiftly sliced his neck to grant him peace and then cleared away the undead trying to climb up.
“Hahaha, I’ll skewer them all!”
“I’ll show the power of the patrol!”
“Moon Dao! I’ll kill them all!”
“Grrrr!”
Jaemi Son, Galbi Jong, Mun-Do, and all our patrol members grabbed their weapons and started smashing down the undead trying to climb.
These guys have really grown!
—Stab, stab!
Jaemi Son was immune to the gore, striking one with every thrust, while Galbi Jong was also well in action.
And Hayoung…
“Yah!”
She launched a fireball at the gathered undead below.
—Boom!
Causing a massive explosion and dealing severe damage.
“We can do this! Soldiers! Get your act together and reorganize ranks! Quickly!”
“Yeah, yeah! Hey! Move fast!”
At my call, the soldier, who looked like a squad leader, quickly snapped back to his senses and fixed the formation. With that, we turned the tide before retreating.
If we keep this up, we can win.
We must.
—
“Hehehe.”
The Four Fairies, Cheong Mi-in, sat on a cloud, peacefully smiling as she surveyed the battlefield.
“Aha, I found it?”
She successfully pinpointed the target.
The aura of remaining strength was so powerful that it was easy to locate.
—Gwaaaah!
It was the young martial artist leading his subordinates atop the walls.
“Oh my, a handsome man.”
With fair skin and sharp features, he appeared quite valiant. His arms wielded power as he swung his sword, and noting his adept command during battle, the future looks bright for this martial artist.
“How unfortunate.”
The Four Fairies observed the young martial artist with a sad expression.
Throughout the ongoing battle, time passed, and the first assault began to slow down. Hence, the martial artists atop the walls started taking turns going down to rest.
The Four Fairies’ gaze fell on the young martial artist.
He was completely exhausted, walking alone toward the quarters.
—Swoosh.
The Four Fairies, who was quietly sitting on the cloud, moved. Currently, she was cloaked in magic for concealment.
“Hohoho… Shall we have a chat?”
A ridiculously ominous energy followed behind Geunhyeop.
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