As the group, led by Sharia, moved towards the Grand Garden, the surrounding landscape was truly horrific.
Streets that were once bustling with life had now become scenes of destruction and despair.
“This way will be safer.”
Sharia led the way, her blue robe fluttering.
Strangely, just as she said, there were no monsters visible along the path. It was as if the monsters were avoiding them.
“That’s a relief, Priest.”
A faint smile touched Mayor Atilane’s lips. With no monsters on the way to the Grand Garden, there was no need to fight. While they didn’t let their guard down, they could still take small breaks and conserve their strength. This also meant they could prepare for what lay ahead.
“Indeed, Mayor.”
Clayton, on the other hand, had a complicated expression. The Free City Alliance really didn’t seem to be in league with the Warlocks. While he hadn’t completely dismissed his suspicions, if it turned out they were indeed uninvolved in this incident, the White Church’s reputation would suffer greatly.
“……”
He didn’t know why the monsters were attacking the Free City Alliance, but this was also a golden opportunity for the Church.
‘If we subdue the monsters, we can make up for this.’
The reason for raising the Crusade could be changed anytime. Instead of saying they were sending the Crusade because the Free City Alliance allied with Warlocks, they could say they sent it in anticipation of a large-scale monster invasion targeting the Free City Alliance. Priest Clayton thought this as he offered an apologetic remark to the Mayor.
“I sincerely apologize if all of this started due to my misunderstanding.”
He called it his own misunderstanding, ‘Priest Clayton’s’, not the ‘Church’s’. As the saying goes, the nuance matters. Priest Clayton was subtly downplaying his responsibility for this incident.
Mayor Atilane understood the implication, of course, but he didn’t show it. He paused for a moment and looked at Clayton.
“Priest, it’s meaningless to argue about whose fault it is now. The only important thing is how we will save this city and its citizens.”
The Free City Alliance was in the more vulnerable position at the moment. There was no need to antagonize the Priest and ruin their mood. It wouldn’t be too late to lodge a complaint with the White Church once everything was normalized.
Clayton let out a deep sigh.
“Indeed. We must focus on saving the city now. I promise to do my best to help, with my name on the line.”
Just then, a sudden explosion was heard from a distance. The entire group turned their gaze in that direction.
“The monsters are penetrating deeper!”
Sharia exclaimed urgently.
“We must hurry!”
The group quickened their pace. As they rounded a corner, the magnificent sight of the Grand Garden unfolded before their eyes. White marble pillars, wide stairs, and a dome roof, a symbol of democracy, soared towards the sky. In contrast to the surrounding chaos, the Grand Garden had not yet lost its grandeur.
In front of it, the Free City Alliance’s reserve guards stood vigilant. The guards recognized the Mayor and all saluted him simultaneously.
“Mayor! Thankfully, you are safe!”
“What’s the situation?”
“The Grand Garden is safe for now. But the outskirts of the city are continuously under attack by monsters.”
Atilane nodded. He wondered why the Grand Garden was being spared from the attack, but he felt that the sky had not yet abandoned him.
“And we have received reports that soldiers from the Sail Kingdom have just crossed the Free City Alliance’s border!”
That was enough. With the help of the White Church and the Sail Kingdom, they should be able to easily stop this monster wave. He had no worries. Wasn’t the Sail Kingdom’s declaration of war against him also a misunderstanding stemming from the belief that he was colluding with Warlocks?
‘But now the misunderstanding has been cleared.’
Mayor Atilane truly believed so. With the misunderstanding resolved, the reason for the Sail Kingdom’s invasion disappeared, and if they continued to invade, other countries would not stand idly by.
‘Truly, the sky is helping me.’
Atilane smiled and led the group inside. If Sharia had been leading them until now, it was now the Mayor who took the lead. He believed that the opportunity to save his city had finally arrived.
* * *
The city was still in a state of chaos. Wyverns soared through the sky above the city, a mixture of blood and ash. The strong winds generated by their massive wingbeats caused already burning buildings to collapse. Necros sat atop a Wyvern, followed by an army of Skeletons aligned like puppets.
Necros gripped the Wyvern’s reins tightly with his bony fingers. Looking down at the city, the fleeing humans in the chaos appeared as small as ants.
“Clap.”
Necros raised a boney hand and pointed at a Skeleton sitting behind him.
“Clap clap!”
(Prepare!)
As if on cue, the Skeleton rose and took a ready stance.
“Clap!”
(Descend!)
No sooner had Necros’s command ended than the Skeleton leaped from the Wyvern’s back without hesitation. The moment the Skeleton, spinning through the air, hit the ground—
BOOM—!!
With an explosion that tore through the air, the entire street turned into a sea of red flames. The heatwave spread in all directions, shattering the windows of surrounding buildings, and citizens were blown away by the shockwave, falling pathetically onto the street. The sight was nightmarish, with building walls crumbling and debris raining down like stones.
Those close to the explosion point died instantly, and even those further away suffered severe burns and injuries. Screams echoed through the streets, but Necros paid them no mind.
“Clap!”
As Necros snapped his fingers again, a different scene unfolded. A faint blue light began to emanate from the corpses of those crushed by building debris and those dying in agony, engulfed in flames. The dead began to rise on the blood-soaked streets.
Their flesh and blood had melted away, leaving only bones, and they were reborn as Necros’s army, Skeletons.
This was the true horror of an Arch Lich. The endless cycle of using the dead as explosive weapons while simultaneously creating new armies from their remains. While a Death Knight turned individuals into Ghouls, Necros transformed entire cities into streets of death.
The Skeletons, resurrected from the dead, instinctively charged towards the living. The citizens, fleeing to escape death, were now caught by Skeletons who were once their neighbors. They met their demise as their flesh was torn apart by the Skeletons’ bony fingers and their neck bones snapped. And then, more corpses rose again. This cycle repeated endlessly. As this continued, the streets began to fill with Skeletons.
Necros watched the scene and gripped the reins. The Wyvern, understanding the signal, moved cautiously towards the ground. Moments later, the Wyvern landed and folded its wings, waiting to the side.
“Clap clap clap.”
(Mount up.)
Necros moved his jawbone, looking at the Skeletons on the street. At his command, the surrounding Skeletons began to climb onto the Wyvern’s back in an orderly fashion. It was time to replenish the ‘ammunition’ for the next bombardment.
* * *
While Necros roamed the skies with his Wyvern, a Death Knight was actively moving on the ground. The Death Knight was also diligently increasing his army in his own way.
“S-save me…”
An Adventurer knelt and pleaded. The Free City Alliance was not only home to monsters and Crusaders. Adventurers from various countries also participated in the war to get a piece of the action. Moreover, with the monster wave hitting, it was a huge boon for Adventurers.
The one kneeling was a low-ranking Adventurer. At first, he had entered the city with the expectation of making a fortune from the monster wave, but now he was desperately trying to survive. He had never imagined that there would be a 5-star Death Knight among the monsters. If he had known this would happen, he would never have come here. But regrets were too late.
The Death Knight slowly approached him. There was no emotion in his steps. Only movement towards a goal.
“Please…!”
*Thwump—*
“Gak!”
The Death Knight’s sword pierced the Adventurer’s heart. The life in the Adventurer’s eyes vanished at that moment. But it wasn’t the end. As the Death Knight drew his sword, black mist rose from the wound. The mist enveloped the entire corpse, and after a moment, the Adventurer rose again as a Ghoul.
“Kruuuk.”
The Adventurer, now a Ghoul, bowed his head towards the Death Knight.
“……”
The Death Knight nodded silently. Although reborn as an ordinary Ghoul without the same level of resentment and rage as Baldwyn, a Ghoul was a 2-star monster. While each individual might be weak, they possessed great power when gathered. This was the terrifying aspect that differed from the Arch Lich.
The Death Knight moved towards his next target. Behind him followed dozens of Ghouls. Once, they were Adventurers, merchants, or ordinary citizens. Now, they were no longer humans, but an undead army.
While Necros and the Death Knight were increasing their armies, there were also factions that were enjoying this war.
“Chwiik! There are no true warriors here!”
It was Skoll, the chieftain of the Orc tribe. He swung his massive axe and shouted. His muscular body trembled with the thrill of battle. For Orcs, battle was not mere slaughter but a ritual to prove honor and strength. And Skoll was the most ardent believer in that ritual.
“Chwiik! these weaklings don’t even deserve to die by a warrior’s hand!”
“Oooh! Oooh! Oooh!”
In response to his words, other Orc warriors roared in agreement. They broke down the doors of residential houses and dragged out the people hiding inside. However, they did not engage in meaningless slaughter. Skoll lined them up and said,
“You look like the strongest. Step forward!”
He pointed at a middle-aged man. The man stepped forward with trembling legs.
“I-I am just a blacksmith. I don’t know how to fight!”
Skoll’s eyes filled with disappointment. But then, a smile spread across his lips.
“Then I will teach you to fight. Take this.”
Skoll threw a small axe at the blacksmith. The man, flustered, barely caught it.
“Fight! Fight honorably and die honorably! Chwiik!”
Skoll raised his own massive axe. The blacksmith, in his fear, made the mistake of dropping the axe on the ground.
“Dropping your weapon is a warrior’s shame!”
Just as Skoll was about to swing his axe, the blacksmith knelt and bowed his head.
“E-even if I cannot fight, I can sharpen the blade of the Great Warrior’s axe…!”
“Great Warrior?”
Skoll became interested. His eyes sparkled with curiosity. As the man saw Skoll’s interest, he quickly bowed his head again.
“Not only that. I am the longest-serving blacksmith in this city. If you give me time, I will fix the weapons not only of the Great Warrior but also of the warriors behind you!”
Skoll pondered for a moment at the words of the blacksmith, whose mind was working at a breakneck pace to survive.
“Hmm.”
Keeping enemies alive was not in line with a warrior’s honor. But as the human said, great warriors needed good weapons. His deliberation was not long.
“Good! Worthy warriors deserve worthy weapons!”
Skoll turned back with his axe.
“Great Warriors! Take turns protecting this human!”
“Oooh! Oooh! Oooh!”
The Orc warriors roared in unison, raising their fists in the air. Sharpening weapons in the middle of a battlefield was an act that contradicted the principles of a great warrior, yet it was also a very practical and honorable deed.
Of course, he had only said he would spare the blacksmith, not everyone.
“Next, you look strong! Come out! I will teach you to fight!”
“……”
This was the path of a honorable warrior.
