Chapter 19

"Protect the Empire" is, at its core, a defense game.

And what's the golden rule of such games?

Monsters follow distinct patterns of behavior. These patterns are designed for the players to understand and to formulate a defensive strategy accordingly.

In "Protect the Empire", the monsters usually exhibit one behavioral pattern.

'Kill humans.'

They choose the shortest route, targeting the nearest human.

With such transparent behavioral patterns, a myriad of strategies can be constructed.

The simplest strategy is distraction. A small unit can be sent out to attract the monsters' attention, steering them to a specified location.

Then, there's my preferred strategy - the 'Forced Path'.

By obstructing their way with wooden fences, walls, barricades, and the like, you can consume their time.

If their route is entirely blocked, the monsters will demolish the hurdles and press on. However, if a small opening is left, and a bait is provided with a small unit, the monsters will be manipulated to follow that path.

At the end of this contrived path, a crossfire awaits.

Herding the monsters into a narrow space and focusing all firepower to obliterate them in a single sweep.

This is the fundamental strategy of a defense game.

"It's the 'Kill Zone'!"

I cried out, my fist clenched tightly.

-Bang! Boom-boom-boom!

The monsters began to trickle in through the entrance wedged between the fence walls.

One after another, the cannons mounted on the fortress walls spewed fire at these incoming beasts.

-Ka-boom! Ka-ka-boom-!

Living Armors, having breached the gate, were melted down by the horrifying explosions.

"Fire!"

My arm swung wildly as I bellowed at the top of my voice.

"Fire! Fire! Don't pause! Keep firing until the barrels are molten!"

My command echoed, carried forward by Lucas.

"Fire, reload, then fire again! We can't afford to give them a breather!"

Soldiers manning each cannon, drenched in sweat, engaged in the endless cycle of reloading and firing.

A deafening barrage of sounds filled the air, setting off unending explosions at the point of contact. Living Armors were obliterated ruthlessly.

But the battle wasn't over yet.

"Lilly!"

I quickly swiveled to the side.

"Is the gravity field artifact ready?"

"It's ready!"

Lilly, who had somehow taken charge of all artifacts, promptly responded. I nodded.

"Activate it!"

"Yes! Activating gravity field artifact!"

The alchemists on standby echoed in unison and activated the brown magic device.

"Artifact, activating!"

-Whirrrr-!

With an unusual operating sound, the gravity field artifact sprang to life.

It was one of the few repaired R-grade artifacts.

Its effect was pretty straightforward. It amplified the gravity of a specific area, slowing down the adversary's movements.

But its simplicity was what made it formidable.

As the gravity field enveloped the kill zone, the already slow-moving Living Armors began to stagger clumsily.

This naturally increased the accuracy of the bombardment.

"Do we just need to keep them at bay like this?"

Damien, who had been studying the fiery inferno next to me, questioned with a hint of uncertainty.

"Those creatures, they can't breach that, can they?"

"..."

I held my tongue, silently watching the Living Armors being torn to shreds in the crossfire.

If such a straightforward strategy could easily stop them, I wouldn't have identified them as our greatest foes.

As anticipated.

-Rumbling, rumbling...!

Through the thick cloud of smoke, the monsters began to escape the kill zone one after another.

Each of the Living Armors carried a shield.

They raised their shields flawlessly, mitigating the force of the shells and enduring it.

They were creatures forged from robust armor right from the start.

Even if we focused the bombardment and inflicted damage, it was impossible to wipe them out entirely.

"Ballista troops!"

That's why we had arranged for a separate clean-up team.

"Start firing at those escaping the crossfire!"

Without missing a beat, Lucas relayed my command.

"Ballista, fire!"

"Yes! Firing initiated-!"

The soldiers, who had been waiting with their ballistae primed, all began to launch at once.

-Thump! Thump-thump-thump!

With a muffled launching noise, large arrows were dispatched from the ballistae.

The released arrows soared towards the Living Armors, who were escaping the kill zone with their shields raised.

-Crack! Crunch-!

The harsh sound of shields being shattered grotesquely reverberated.

The Living Armors, already fatigued from enduring the bombardment, couldn't withstand the ballista assault and fell one by one.

-Grrrrrrr...!

-Thud, thud!

Gazing down at the Living Armors toppling like straw dolls, I activated the enemy information window.

[Enemy Info - STAGE 1]

- Lv.? ??? : 1 Body

- Lv.5 Living Armor Assault Trooper : 810 Units (Kill Counts : 242)

The kill count was rising alarmingly.

'Good, this is following the textbook.'

Form a kill zone, pin the enemies there as long as feasible, and obliterate them all at once.

It was the textbook defensive strategy of . Even though it was the initial stage, we were fighting rather impressively.

If we can maintain the front line like this....

"Your Highness!"

However...

"There are some bypassing the wall!"

"...!"

It wasn't going to be that simple.

I quickly raised my telescope to where Lucas was pointing.

A portion of the Living Armor forces were circumventing the wooden fence wall, veering from left to right.

Since if we completely blocked them, they would merely destroy it, we left openings in the middle and on both ends.

As the middle path was blocked and became congested, the Living Armors at the back started to detour to the left and right.

The number of bypassers was not significant. But they had to be halted.

"Jupiter!"

I immediately hailed Jupiter. Jupiter and her party were in retreat and awaiting orders near the city wall.

"I'm entrusting you with the Living Armor units veering from the right side of the fence! Intercept them with a hit and run strategy!"

"As you command."

Jupiter, acknowledging my command, nudged her steed gently.

"Let's go! Charge!"

As though taking flight, Jupiter's party of five surged forward.

Jupiter, who was racing directly at the Living Armors aiming to encircle us, brandished both her hands.

"Eat this!"

-Flash-!

-BOOM!

Lightning descended, enveloping the Living Armors in a fiery blaze.

'Good. Jupiter's holding that side well.'

What remained were those attempting to outflank us from the left.

I glanced sideways. As our eyes locked, Damien swallowed audibly.

"Damien."

"Y-yes!"

"It's your turn."

I pointed with my chin towards the Living Armors advancing from a distance.

"Snipe those trying to flank us from the left side of the fence."

"...Yes."

Damien gripped his crossbow tightly and made his way to the ramparts.

He positioned his crossbow atop the ramparts, aimed at the foremost Living Armor, and after-

"Huoo..."

Closing his eyes to draw in a deep breath, he opened them wide.

Then, he pulled the trigger.

-Clank!

-Whoosh-!

Along with the sound of the wind being sliced, an arrow jetted from the crossbow.

The launched arrow travelled beyond the usual range of a crossbow.

-Cling!

The targeted lead Living Armor raised its shield, but-

-Tskak-!

Like a serpent, the arrow twisted its body mid-air, charting a monstrous trajectory, evading the shield and drilling through.

-Thump!

It penetrated the space between the helmet and chestplate of the Living Armor.

The blue flame shimmering within the armor dispersed, then fragmented into pieces.

-Grrrr, clang!

As if its core had been pierced, the armoured beast's movement came to an abrupt halt. Following this, the empty shell of armor crashed onto the ground.

The soldiers who had been observing this side all looked on in shock. A satisfied grin appeared on my face.

This was the power of [Far-sight].

Identifying the enemy's vulnerability and sniping accurately.

'Even so, to pierce the soul core of a ghost with just a regular crossbow and arrow....'

Just how much of a correction was it receiving, this damned trait!

-Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Damien continued to fire arrows relentlessly.

-Gah...

-Grrraaah!

And these arrows, every single one, skewered the Living Armors.

One shot, one kill.

Truly, it was a divine display of skill. The surrounding soldiers watched Damien with their mouths agape.

Damien paid no mind to the onlookers' gazes and carried on loading and firing arrows.

The front was a killzone, Jupiter held the right, and the left was covered by Damien.

The defense battle was proceeding extraordinarily well.

[Enemy Information - STAGE 1]

- Lv.? ??? : 1 unit

- Lv.5 Living Armor Assault Soldier: 560 Units (Kill Counts : 492)

Before I realized it, we were nearing 500 kills!

Surveying the stabilized front line, I nodded to myself.

'If it continues like this, it should go smoothly until the boss mob shows up, right?'

Just then-

A mist-like substance began to ooze from the armor of the defeated Living Armors scattered across the battlefield.

"...?"

I blinked, puzzled.

What the hell was this?

Nothing like this ever occurred in the game.

The mists slowly coalesced above us, merging into a single form.

What was once a fuzzy cluster gradually gained clarity. The more Living Armors fell, the more it...

Then, exactly when the kill count reached 500...

-Ding!

The enemy information window shifted.

[Enemy Information - STAGE 1]

- Lv.25 Phantom Knight: 1

- Lv.5 Living Armor Assault Troop: 552 Units (Kill Counts: 500)

The title of the concealed boss monster was disclosed.

The leader of the Living Armor Legion, 'Phantom Knight'.

Everything so far was as I expected.

However, the moment the name was unveiled...

-Sssssss!

The hovering mass of mist began to solidify.

A ghastly form with grotesquely twisted pale limbs adorned in shredded robes... a monstrous ghost, if you will.

'This is the boss monster of the Living Armor Legion, Phantom Knight!'

This brute typically appears once all the general monsters of the Living Armor Legion are vanquished, when the spirits within the armor amalgamate.

This was the terrifying power of the Living Armor Legion.

The legion was a formidable foe, but even after they were all wiped out, a boss monster would emerge as if starting a second round.

'But, I haven't defeated all the Living Armors yet?'

Why did it materialize so soon?

The revealed Phantom Knight made no movements. It didn't invoke any large-scale debuffs or unleash devastating attacks.

It simply floated aimlessly in the air.

"Wha, wha, whaaaat...?!"

"Tha, tha, that's what?!"

But this was not a game. It was brutal reality.

The sudden emergence of this enormous anomaly in the sky was enough to throw the soldiers into a state of chaos.

'Damn it!'

I clenched my teeth.

This was the stark difference between a human war and a war against monsters.

The primal fear incited by the presence of an alien entity.

Just the arrival of the boss monster had the soldiers crumbling in fear, and the effectiveness of the frontline drastically dropped.

And, it wasn't only the humans who were petrified.

-Heee! Heee!

The horses started to panic, succumbing to their terror. They couldn't withstand the sinister aura radiating from the boss-grade monster.

The warhorses of Jupiter's party, who were conducting a guerrilla operation outside the fortress walls, were not exempt.

The horses bolted in sheer terror, and Jupiter, who was just charging her next lightning spell, lost her footing and was tossed from her saddle.

"Damn it, you damned...?!"

-Thud!

Jupiter, who was dislodged from her horse, hit the ground.

"Ugh?!"

"Kergh!"

The other members of Jupiter's party suffered the same fate. Everyone groaned as they were thrown from their uncontrollably bucking horses.

"Ugh, ugh...?"

Jupiter, who had banged her head on the ground when she fell, was disoriented.

She struggled to rise, only to eventually lose consciousness.

-Roooaaar!

Meanwhile, the Living Armors, freed from the obliterated kill zone, charged at us in a frenzy.

Their goal? To slaughter the humans within their grasp.