Chapter 267: Defense Game (1)

On a small, nameless island located in the northwestern part of the Ion Continent.

"They're moving quite boisterously."

A man in his thirties, precariously standing at the edge of a cliff, muttered softly as he glanced towards the seaside.

He stared intently, his tired golden eyes unwavering, despite his dull blond hair fluttering in the wind.

His deep gaze was filled with complex emotions.

'I thought things had calmed down recently.'

The continent lay in the direction of the man's gaze.

The whirlwind of madness that had been relentlessly raging seemed to be subsiding, but now an even stronger aura of death was spreading.

The source of the aura was quite far from the island, but such distance held no meaning for him.

For he was once called the world's protector, a member of the strongest race—

And among them, he was Shuri Hartgen, an Elder Dragon of the proud Gold Clan.

"The Undead King…"

The man gritted his teeth softly as he recalled the horrific monster of the abyss, the nemesis of his race.

Having lived for countless years, witnessing the prosperity, decline, and eventual demise of his clan, the Undead King's existence was like a thorn in his side.

But Shuri Hartgen forced down his boiling rage and turned his gaze away. He was not in a position to act freely on his anger.

In the past, it was to ensure the continuation of his clan's lineage.

Now, it was to protect the last descendant of his clan and pass on as much knowledge as possible.

'Even if I were to go now, it wouldn't be of much help.'

Closing his eyes tightly, he looked inward and gave a wry smile.

The Dragon Heart within him still held immense power.

However, the distorted flow caused by the aftermath of the Great War had turned it into a time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

Normally, he could suppress it with his overwhelming control over magic, but there was no way he could do so during a fierce battle.

'My lifespan is nearing its end, and I can no longer fight… I'm truly a relic of the past.'

Because of that situation.

Because such a futile and miserable end was predetermined, he was even more grateful.

Grateful that the Dragon God had sent a descendant to whom he could entrust the future of his clan.

And grateful that he could contribute to that descendant's growth.

Shuri Hartgen glanced down at the bottom of the cliff.

Even within the island, protected by countless barriers, there was a place heavily fortified with magic circles. There, he resided.

The one who was like a surprise gift to him.

Horus, the hatchling of the Gold Clan.

Wooong—

The energy within the magic circles and the training ground resonated.

Drawn by an overwhelming affinity, various energies manifested as shimmering lights, dancing and swirling.

Fire, water, wind, earth, and other elemental forces, as well as pure, unrefined mana, converged, enveloping and swirling around the figure at the center.

"Ungyak!"

Towards the five or six-year-old boy who was squeezing his eyes shut, uttering a strange, lisping shout.

"…Amazing."

Shuri Hartgen, watching Horus's training from the cliff above, once again uttered the admiration he had expressed countless times.

The basis of Dragon Speech, and all verbal magic, was to project one's will onto the world, forcibly altering reality.

Naturally, it was a high-level art that couldn't even be initiated without the control to manipulate surrounding energies and the mental strength to express one's will…

'Is it innate talent? His growth rate is far faster than I anticipated. Even for a dragon, it's abnormal.'

Horus, with the body of a mere hatchling in infancy, already possessed all of those abilities.

No, in terms of skill level, he had already surpassed the Child stage of childhood a long time ago.

'It hasn't been long since he started training properly, and he's already at this level…'

Even Shuri Hartgen, an ancient dragon who had lived for thousands of years, couldn't comprehend this growth rate.

At this rate, he might reach the Juvenile stage in no time.

"Ah— Thank you, Dracarion."

This could only be seen as a blessing from the Dragon God.

The deity, pitying the plight of the dwindling dragons, must have personally bestowed this great talent to revive the clan.

'I shall do my best until I die to lessen the burden this child carries.'

Having reaffirmed his resolve, he glanced once more towards the continent before leaping from the cliff and approaching the training ground.

To offer some advice to Horus, who seemed to have trouble focusing on his training.

'He's still young, so it's understandable. Of course, it's not a major problem, but concentration is key to this training.'

But he didn't know.

That the reason Horus seemed slightly distracted was…

Because of the incident that he had been concerned about just moments ago… the one that occurred beyond the sea.

While the battle between the heroes and the giant was underway.

Immediately after canceling his summon at the edge of the abyss and returning to the Undead Castle, Hans had been watching the situation, waiting for an opportunity.

To intervene and finish him off if the situation became unfavorable.

His existence was the 'last resort' that Heinrich had envisioned, just in case.

'Of course, if that had happened, the situation would be very different now.'

In that sense, the fact that the Revolutionary had been dealt with cleanly before he had to intervene was a rather satisfying development.

Thanks to that, he not only gained considerable notoriety once again, but he was also able to lay the groundwork for the next scenario.

[I admit it. Knight of Light, Heinrich. You have done remarkably well. Far exceeding my expectations.]

With the Undead Army, already fully prepared thanks to his prior arrangements before leaving for the edge of the abyss, arrayed behind him.

The king, leading them, declared haughtily.

[I never thought that 'prophecy' would be such a nuisance.]

"As long as the will of the Lord is with me, things won't go your way. Undead King."

[Kuku— Such confidence. Yes, that's why I prepared this.]

A chilling tension filled the air.

With a spine-chilling laugh that seemed to emanate from hell, he slowly extended a hand to the side.

[A bonus stage.]

And then.

Snap—

As he snapped his fingers, filled with dark magic, a strange wave spread out in all directions.

Crackle— Crack!

The rift in space through which he had appeared began to crack and expand in size as a result of the aftershock.

[Keheeek!]

Clatter— Clunk!

[Kwoo—urk!]

Thud— Thud— Thud—

And from within, the Undead Army, neatly arranged, began to pour out, marching in unison.

Tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands…

The increase gradually slowed as it reached the tens of thousands.

But the sight of the undead, varying in size, shape, and nature, all exuding a thick aura of death and dark magic, lined up in formation, instilled immense pressure and fear in those who witnessed it.

[Not only did they defend against most attacks, they even annihilated any invading forces. And on top of that, they used the prophecy to their advantage, mobilizing the armies of each nation to prepare for areas beyond their reach.]

Even as the Undead Army formed ranks and marched, Hans continued speaking calmly.

[It's become rather boring much faster than I expected. Enough that I felt a change was needed. I accepted the wager for more entertainment in the first place.]

"…So, what are you trying to say?"

[Oh, it's nothing much. Just…]

The Undead King and the Hero, facing each other in the center, exchanged words.

While Heinrich stepped forward and calmly continued the conversation, those gathered behind him hurriedly prepared for battle, bracing themselves for the upcoming fight.

They formed formations, chanted spells, and gripped their weapons tightly.

[I'm just going to raise the difficulty a bit.]

Amidst the escalating tension, the Undead King uttered a cryptic statement.

At the same time, some of the officers standing behind him began to lead their forces forward.

Rumble—

Thump, thump, thump—

Towards their designated primary target.

Towards Tarak Castle.

"What?! They're heading for the castle!"

"The walls over there are at their limit! If we leave them like this…"

"Charge! We'll break their momentum!"

Those who were startled by the overwhelming wave of undead hurriedly moved.

But even then, the Hero's party, facing the Undead King, couldn't move recklessly.

They had no choice but to trust and leave it to the others.

[Kukuku, of course, as promised, there will be no all-out war through the Rohan Duchy. Just like it has been so far.]

"Ha!"

The selection of attack points was also random, as before.

Only the method of invasion would change slightly.

From sporadic attacks across the continent to large-scale waves concentrated on a single point.

[Oh, and one more thing. The scale of the invasion will continue to grow over time.]

So, it would be best to hurry before it becomes impossible to stop.

The Undead King, floating in mid-air, looked down at the Hero's party and let out a sinister laugh.

[Well, since today is a momentous first day, shall we just exchange greetings and end it here?]

As soon as he finished speaking, an immense amount of dark magic amplified instantaneously.

And then,

Kwaaang—!

A tremendous explosion erupted once again from the site of the fierce battle with the giant.

And so— the final defense game, designed to accelerate the pace of the scenario, began.

Psssh—! Clank, clank!

The sound of escaping steam and metal scraping against the ground echoed loudly.

"Ugh!"

"Oh dear, are you alright?"

As the prolonged noise gradually subsided, the voices of a young man and woman followed.

"Y-Yes… I'm fine. Guild Master."

"Hmm, you don't look fine. Perhaps the shock absorption device is still inadequate. We'll need to reinforce this area."

Hubert and Diana, who had fled Tarak to escape the giant.

They had been rapidly descending southward using the power of their specialized suits when a malfunction forced them to make an emergency landing on a hill.

It seemed the suit had finally given out from being pushed too hard in their escape.

"Ugh… I think I'm going to be sick…"

"You can do that over there. Should I pat your back?"

"N-No… I'll just… blergh!"

Before Diana, who couldn't finish her sentence, could hurriedly run into the nearby bushes.

An unpleasant sound drifted from beyond.

Hubert, who was lightly guarding the surroundings, quietly shook his head.

'Well, this was her first time experiencing such a flight.'

Moreover, Diana, despite her enhanced sense of smell, was just an ordinary girl physically.

Even with the protective magic tools mitigating the impact of the high-speed flight, there were limits.

'No, it's commendable that she held on for so long.'

If she had, say, had an accident in his arms mid-flight…

'Hmm, that's a relief.'

Nodding seriously, he examined the metal parts of the suit covering his body.

Unlike the two deep furrows created in the ground from the hasty landing, there wasn't a single scratch on the soles of his metal boots.

However, only the appearance was intact.

"I suspected as much, but it's true. This is beyond salvaging."

Hubert frowned as he looked at the results displayed by his 「Analysis」.

It seemed that pushing the suit's potential to the limit had completely depleted not only the enchantments Howard had embedded using 「Artisan's Soul」, but also the inherent properties of the materials themselves.

It was as if those precious rare metals had all turned into scrap iron.

'Well, it can't be helped. At least its performance has been proven, so I'll put more effort into the next one.'

Having reached that conclusion, he began removing the now-scrap suit and storing it in his subspace. Diana, who had disappeared into the bushes, returned, staggering.

Her face was even paler, as if she had just fought a fierce battle with her upset stomach.

"…Excuse me, Guild Master."

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, I'm a little better now…"

Since she didn't look fine at all, Hubert silently handed her a potion instead of continuing the conversation.

It might have been excessive for mere motion sickness, but this was mere pocket change to him.

After a moment of hesitation, she quietly thanked him, accepted the potion, and drank it down.

In the current situation, being weak would only make her a burden.

"What should we do now?"

"Hmm."

After her complexion had recovered somewhat, Diana cautiously looked around and sighed.

All she could see were trees and hills.

Since they had flown in a straight line, there were no roads for carriages in sight.

"Let's head to the nearest city. Hmm, if it's around here, it should be the city of Leonar."

"Wow… We've come this far already? Ugh, that speed… I never want to experience that again…"

Initially, they had headed south as far as possible as a precaution, but thinking about it now, it seemed excessive.

Wouldn't it have been better to stop and wait in a nearby city?

'That's just hindsight. Let's see, then in this direction…'

Thus, Hubert and Diana unexpectedly embarked on a hike.

Meanwhile.

The area around Tarak, from which they had departed, was descending into chaos in real-time.