435

Episode 435: It's okay if we just keep going like this (2)

Kaaaak!

As more and more rocks fell into the crack area, the screams of the crack people grew louder.

Because the range was so wide and there were so many crackers, you could hit them even if you closed your eyes and shot.

Jiselle shouted as she watched the blue fog getting closer.

"Attack without stopping! Keep preparing so that no stone falls!"

There were hundreds of stones prepared in the fortress, but this was not enough. So, he sent out separate troops to gather stones from the surrounding area.

That wasn't all.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The soldiers destroyed everything they could inside the fortress.

Anyway, once it gets eaten by the cracks, it's over. What's broken can be put back together again.

In this way, a huge amount of material was produced to be used as catapult ammunition.

Kwaaaaang! Kwaaaaang!

At first, they only attacked with catapults because the distance was quite long. But after a day, the blue fog came close to the fortress.

Jiselle frowned at the sight.

"It's definitely an abnormal speed. It must have been over 500,000."

It could have been closer to a million.

Even in my previous life, a crack had never been created in such a vast plain. In the first place, it was difficult for the Salvation Church to create a crack in such a place.

However, once created, the cracks were fed with the energy of Mother Nature and expanded at an incredible rate. With no buildings to stand in the way, the expansion rate was even faster.

"You're doing something that even my own people can't handle."

If Ferdium is destroyed, the barbarians who eventually occupy the north will have to fight that rift.

But would all the barbarians be able to handle that if they gathered together?

Waroka was foolish and only looked at the immediate gains.

As the blue fog drew closer, everyone could see countless black shadows swaying within it.

Kaaaaaaah!

The soldiers saw the rift people writhing about, eager to rush in.

"That's… … a crack… … ."

"They are real monsters."

"It seems endless."

Although shrouded in blue fog, those with good eyesight could glimpse the gruesome appearance of the Crackers.

It would probably be even more disgusting if you looked at it up close.

"Archers! Get ready!"

The soldiers came to their senses at Giselle's shout. Now they were within striking distance of an arrow attack.

Under the command of the elf Lumina, the archers raised their bows high.

Everyone in the Fenris army knows how to shoot a bow. And as a result, the knights and soldiers of Ferdium also learned how to shoot a bow.

Although he is not as skilled as Fenris, he still knows how to take direction and shoot.

"Shoot!"

Paaaaaaaah!

Tens of thousands of arrows flew simultaneously toward the blue fog area.

You don't have to get the position exactly right. There will be some misses, but most of the time it will be right.

Unlike the stones from the catapult, arrows cannot be obtained from the surrounding area. Once you use up the amount you have stockpiled in the fortress and the ones sent by Claude, you will be finished.

But Giselle did not stop attacking.

"Shoot without sparing anything!"

Since the number of arrows is limited, we will have to fight in close combat. In that case, it is better to reduce the number of enemies by one before engaging them.

Phaaaat!

Arrows poured endlessly into the blue fog. The Crackers, who would disappear when they came out of the fog, were helpless and could do nothing but suffer.

Kaaaaah!

There were also cracks where the body and arms were half-protruding and then that part disappeared.

The soldiers took turns attacking and got enough rest. They were conserving their stamina for the full-scale battle that was about to begin.

Ss ...

After two days, the blue fog finally reached the fortress walls. And by then, most of the arrows had also run out.

In Fenris, arrows were constantly produced in preparation for war, and all of them were brought back to the northern fortress.

But it hit rock bottom in just three days.

Fenris' army has 20,000 men, and Ferdium's army, which has been continuously increasing its soldiers to relieve the food shortage, has close to 10,000 men.

With 30,000 soldiers firing arrows without stopping, three days was a long time.

"Enough! From now on, only elves can use arrows!"

At Giselle's command, the arrow attacks stopped, and the few remaining arrows were distributed to the elves.

Ss ...

Finally, the blue fog engulfed the walls and touched the soldiers' faces.

It feels like a chill, like being hit by a damp rain in the cold dawn.

"shield!"

Suddenly, Jiselle shouted. The soldiers on the wall suddenly came to their senses, lowered their bodies, and strengthened their arms.

And at that moment.

Kaaaaaaah!

The Crackers swung their long claws through the fog.

Taaaaaang!

The shields of the soldiers who were directly hit by the strong power of the crackers shook.

But the blue fog has not yet completely covered the walls. Some of the crackers' hands have turned to dust and scattered.

Kaaaaak! Kaaaaak! Kaaaaak!

Now the roar of the Crackers could be heard close enough to ring my eardrums.

And when the blue fog finally covered half of the wall.

Kaaaaaaah!

Knock knock! Knock knock! Knock knock knock!

The crackers began to climb up the wall, clawing at it with their claws.

Hairless gray skin, long arms, red eyes filled with murderous intent, and sharp teeth visible within a gaping mouth.

"Ugh!"

The soldiers who saw the crackers for the first time held their breath. They had only heard about them, but seeing them in person was incredibly terrifying.

Still, like the elite who had been trained, they all held their shields tightly and maintained their stance.

Kaaaaaaah!

In an instant, hundreds of crackers rose up, swinging their claws wildly and opening their mouths.

There were quite a few guys with arrows stuck all over their bodies. They weren't the type of guys who would die from one or two arrow hits unless their head was completely pierced.

Taang! Taang! Taang!

The soldiers holding shields at the very front held out quite well. This was because there was still a limit to the number of soldiers that could advance.

But soon, the Crackers came over, climbing up onto the shield. Since there were so many of them, they even pressed down on each other as they came up.

As the Crackers landed on the wall one by one, Jiselle shouted loudly.

"Hit!"

The soldiers who were a step away thrust their spears at the crackers.

Phew! Phew! Phew!

The defense of the Crackers is no different from that of ordinary people. Although the Crackers' bodies were pierced by the attacks of the soldiers waiting, they did not die easily.

Whoosh whoosh!

Hundreds of magical spears were created around Jiselle.

They flew around, piercing the heads of the Crackers who landed on the walls.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Jisel's entourage and knights also cut down the crackers. They learned how to distribute their power while fighting the crackers.

The fight against the Crackers was a battle of endurance. Since there were so many of them, whoever lasted the longest would win.

Jiselle shouted as she kicked away the crackers.

"Vanessa!"

Vanessa, who had been waiting behind, finally cast her magic.

"Earth Wall."

Kugugugugugugugugu!

A huge wall was created between the Crackers trying to climb up and the Crackers following behind.

It was so large that it completely blocked the front of the fortress.

Kaaaaaaah!

For a moment, the Crackers split into two. The Crackers at the back were busy climbing up the wall blocking them.

The remaining wizards poured out their magic towards the isolated rift people.

Kwaaang! Kwaaang! Kwaaang!

Fire and lightning flashed, burning the Crackers who were rushing into the fortress.

The soldiers holding the shields somehow pushed back the Crackers climbing up the wall and knocked them down. The Crackers that made it to the shields were killed by the knights and soldiers behind them.

The elves moved to a high watchtower, took in the entire battlefield and supported the dangerous areas with arrows.

The catapults were still hurling stones, killing the men at the rear of the rift.

It was a perfect match. Vanessa blocked the many crackers from coming over at once and took the strategy of killing them one by one.

"Hang in there! You just have to keep going like this!"

Everyone gained strength from Giselle's encouragement. It wasn't difficult yet because everyone did what they had learned and prepared.

Before I knew it, the area in front of the fortress was filled with the corpses of the Crackers. Since it was a Crack area, they didn't disappear into dust, but rather began to pile up.

The crackers' movement was slowed down by the wall Vanessa created.

But the problem was the pile of corpses in front. The wizards kept burning them, but there were so many corpses that a hill gradually formed.

Kaaaak!

The Crackers charged through the flames, not caring even if they were hit by arrows and set on fire.

I could feel the hatred and obsession to kill the opponent by any means necessary.

The soldiers gritted their teeth. They must not be intimidated by that momentum.

This side had far fewer troops. If either side were pushed back, the formation would collapse in an instant. So we had to hold on.

The wall of earth that had blocked the path began to crumble as too many cracks stuck to it.

Then Vanessa stepped forward again.

"Fire pillar."

Kwaaaaang!

Huge pillars of fire rose from the fort, crushing the corpses of the Cracklings.

Because of this, the crackers had to climb up the wall again.

"Earth Wall."

Kururururung!

Again a wall of earth rose up, blocking the path of the Crackers.

And then the same process as before was repeated again. The first strategy was to endure by repeating this pattern.

"Keep holding on!"

"Don't back down! You can do it!"

"Cheer up!"

Commanders' encouragement resonated everywhere. If we just hold on like this, we'll eventually be able to deal with the crackers, even if it takes time.

Ss ...

But the crack had already expanded beyond the wall and into a deeper area. Naturally, crackers began to emerge from the side walls as well.

"Stop it!"

The catapult attack stopped. Since there were relatively few of them, every single person had to participate in the attack.

Troops carrying stones and attacking with catapults blocked the sides of the fortress.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The knights came out to support on both sides. The front defenses were somewhat loosened, but they were still sufficient to hold out.

Kaaaaaaah!

"Die, you little shits!"

Both sides did their best not to be pushed back. The momentum of the Crackers, who had only murderous intent toward the creatures of this world, showed no sign of slowing down.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The corpses of the Crackers began to pile up on the walls. As time went on, it became difficult for the soldiers to move.

It was Giselle who solved that problem.

Boohoo! Boohoo! Boohoo!

Hundreds of mana threads stretched out from his body and grabbed and threw the corpses of the Crackers at random.

The crackers that came over were smashed to pieces by the flying corpses.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Thanks to Giselle, who was more active than anyone else, we were able to continue this tight balance.

When the wall falls, Vanessa builds it again. As expected of a 7th Circle Mage, she builds a wall that goes all the way around the fortress.

When the corpses piled up to form a mound, the wizards burned it.

However, they did not forget to distribute the magic power. Equidema still remained, and it was not known when this battle itself would end.

If we keep repeating this, we will eventually be able to deal with the crackers. Everyone believed so.

Until one day passed.

'Pa, my arms won't move.'

'You have to hold on!'

'Damn... ... How many are there?'

As humans, there is a limit to the amount of time we can move.

If this were a war with humans, it would be time for a brief lull, because the enemy also needs to rest.

But the Crackers just kept coming in endlessly. None of the soldiers had any place to eat, sleep, or rest.

Only then did the soldiers realize the true horror of the crack.

That means they have to fight until one side dies.

Jiselle bit her lip as she watched the soldiers grow increasingly tired and slow in their movements.

'The problem is holding on.'

When the cracks expanded greatly, this was exactly what was scary. There were so many crackers.

If it had expanded to this extent, there would be hundreds of crackers coming out of the cracks right now. There were no troops to stop them, so the crackers had piled up too much.

Now, I couldn't even retreat for a moment to rest.

There aren't many who can fight for days without stopping. When facing an endless stream of enemies, you can't help but feel despair.

The knights drank water mixed with powder whenever they had a chance, but even that wasn't easy for the soldiers blocking the crackers in front.

Kaaaaaaah!

Kwaaaaang!

Jiselle stepped forward and shouted after blowing away dozens of crackers at once.

"Recover!"

At those words, the priests who had been waiting emitted divine power.

Paaaaah!

Divine light burst out here and there, enveloping the soldiers' bodies. The surrounding Crackers screamed and their bodies burned.

Thanks to this, the soldiers who had regained some of their strength were able to move again.

We need to maintain the current strategy for as long as possible. However, this also has its limits.

'I need a break.'

Even if you bring in a lot of priests, it won't be easy to heal tens of thousands of soldiers. Naturally, since you can only use them a few times, you have to use them sparingly as much as possible.

The priests must be exhausted just from moving once.

'I can't help it.'

When you recover, you should drink water and powder and rest a little bit. That way, you can endure a little longer.

And that was the time he thought he would earn.

"Bless me!"

The priests' divine power enveloped Giselle's body.

Soon, Jiselle's body began to glow brightly. The goddess's protection invigorated her body and reduced external attacks.

But Giselle had no intention of using it for that purpose.

Paaaaah!

Jiselle's eyes turned red as she fought while distributing her strength.

You don't need to activate the 3rd stage core. 2nd stage alone will be enough to buy some time.

Jiselle lifted one of the spears and poured mana into it.

Ddddddddd.

The air trembled as a crimson aura rose from the spear. The spear, with tremendous power, was soon shot out in front of the fortress.

Kwaaaaang!

There was a tremendous roar, and the Crackers that had been gathering in front of the fortress burst out.

And at the same time, Giselle ran down there.

Seeing that sight, Skoban recalled old events.

"Here we go again."

The only difference from that time was that Jiselle went down alone.