[FGO]: 120

Aside from the glow of its heart, this strange Kabane appeared entirely different from the ordinary ones.

Although her skin retained the ashen color of a corpse, it didn't wrinkle or peel like that of other Kabane. Instead, it was smooth, allowing her delicate features to be discerned. Except for her skin color, she looked just like a young maiden.

But the most striking feature was the expression on her face.

Ordinary Kabane, when without a target, wears a blank, dull expression. But once they spot fresh flesh, their eyes fill with insatiable hunger, like mad dogs starved to the brink of insanity.

However, this Kabane was different. Her eyes were filled with resentment—jealousy and hatred towards the living.

It was as if she possessed intelligence.

"Ah!!!"

Suddenly, the strange Kabane looked up and screamed, and the blue light emanating from her heart intensified, enveloping her entire body.

Faced with this sudden change, the nearby Kabane froze and, as if in unison, turned towards the source of the blue light.

At that moment, a pulse, like a heartbeat, emanated from the blue light.

It was the life force of a higher form of existence.

The normally emotionless Kabane, akin to wild beasts, now visibly showed signs of fear.

Yet none of them dared to move.

Next, countless iron branches, shaped like the limbs of a tree, extended from the blue light, growing rapidly.

Swoosh!

The iron branches suddenly transformed into numerous tentacles, pulling the nearby Kabane towards them, and pressing them tightly against the surface of the blue light.

As time passed, more and more Kabane were captured by the iron branches, causing the blue sphere to swell like a snowball, eventually forming a massive humanoid monster.

From afar, it looked like a giant composed of black smoke.

Then, this giant formed by thousands of Kabane began to run on all fours like a beast, its target being the direction of the city walls!

...

"Hey, did you hear that strange noise?"

A soldier with sharp hearing suddenly asked his comrade beside him.

"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about?"

His comrade fired a shot, killing a Kabane, before turning back to look at him.

"Have you been fooling around too much at the brothel at night, losing yourself, and now you're hallucinating?"

"You bastard, what are you…"

He stopped mid-sentence.

At that moment, the ground began to tremble slightly, and even the city walls started shaking slightly.

His comrade also sensed something was wrong.

"Hey! Look over there! What the hell is that?!"

Just then, a panicked voice rang out as a soldier pointed into the distance and shouted.

They saw a huge shadow charging towards the city walls from afar.

As it got closer, the soldiers on the wall were horrified to discover that it was a gigantic humanoid monster.

Even in its four-legged state, its height surpassed that of the city walls.

This was a special form of Kabane—the Fused Colony.

At its core was the Kabane with the blue glowing heart, who actively absorbed all the nearby Kabane, dead or alive, to form this massive monster.

Such a creature was beyond the power of humans to defeat.

Ryou and Jeanne exchanged glances, immediately noticing the worry in each other's eyes.

Given the size and weight of this monster, if it were to crash directly into the city walls, the immense kinetic energy would instantly destroy them.

The walls, made of reinforced concrete and capable of withstanding heavy artillery attacks, would still be no match for this colossal creature.

'Yamato, fire at that Fused Colony! We can't let it get close to the walls!'

Ryou immediately issued the command to Yamato through telepathic communication.

'Understood, Admiral!'

Yamato immediately adjusted the cannon's aim towards the charging Fused Colony.

A series of synchronized cannon shots rang out.

Nine 520mm high-explosive shells, emitting dazzling orange flames, were fired towards the Fused Colony.

With advanced fire control radar and Yamato's superior calculation abilities, targeting such a massive creature was all too easy.

All nine shells hit their mark, and an explosion erupted on the surface of the Fused Colony. Many Kabane were reduced to ashes.

The Fused Colony seemed to have been struck by an invisible giant fist, collapsing heavily in the direction opposite Yamato.

Yamato, not letting up, directed most of her secondary guns at the Fused Colony, while the soldiers on the wall also aimed their cannons at it.

Soon, a dense barrage of shells covered the massive Fused Colony.

Continuous explosions lit up the sky, and thick smoke and dust completely shrouded the area.

After a while, the bombardment gradually ceased, and there seemed to be no movement within the smoke.

It looked as if this terrifying monster had been defeated by the violent beauty of human heavy weapon.

"Did we take it down?"

A soldier couldn't help but swallow nervously.

Just then, a roar suddenly echoed from within the smoke.

Countless iron branches extended from the smoke, dragging all the nearby Kabane, dead or alive, into it.

As the smoke cleared, the seemingly unscathed Fused Colony reappeared.

"A-a monster!"

A soldier screamed in terror.

"Shut up! Keep firing at it!"

The officer beside him angrily kicked him in the butt.

The paused symphony of cannon fire resumed once more.

Taking advantage of the smoke clearing, Ryou quickly observed and discovered the secret of the Fused Colony.

This creature could regenerate its damaged body by continuously devouring the surrounding Kabane!

Although it could still be killed once the nearby Kabane was exhausted, there wasn't enough time!

Before all the Kabane was consumed, it would undoubtedly reach the city walls.

If it broke through the walls and let the Kabane inside, it wouldn't take long before all of Yokosuka turned into a living hell, and all the efforts he had made until now would be for nothing!

He couldn't let that happen!

"As I thought, we need to find a way to destroy its core!"

Ryou's gaze towards the Fused Colony grew colder.

He pondered for a moment and suddenly came up with an idea.

This plan was quite risky, but if it succeeded, it would almost guarantee victory in this defense battle.

This gamble was worth taking!

Ryou immediately contacted Yamato via telepathic communication.

'Yamato, I need you to do something.'

At that moment, Yamato was relentlessly firing at the Fused Colony.

Eighty percent of Yamato's firepower was concentrated on the Fused Colony.

Thanks to Yamato's efforts, the Fused Colony's advance had been slowed to a crawl, almost moving at a crawling pace toward the city walls.

Upon receiving his telepathic communication, Yamato responded without hesitation.

'Admiral, please give the order!'

After explaining his plan to Yamato, Ryou asked with some concern, "Can it be done?"

Yamato immediately responded with determination, "Admiral, rest assured, Yamato will fulfill the Admiral's command, even if it costs her life!"

"Alright, then I'll leave everything to you."

After finishing the telepathic communication, Ryou turned to Jeanne and said, "Jeanne, I'll leave the command to you! I'll be back soon!"

Without waiting for Jeanne's response, he cast several buffs on himself. The classic six-winged Michael form appeared before everyone once again.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that he was becoming more and more proficient at transforming into this divine form.

Shaking his head slightly to clear his mind, Ryou, under the watchful eyes of all, turned into a shining meteor and flew straight toward the Fused Colony.

"It's Lord Kenshou!"

"Idiot! That's Lord Michael!"

"God bless us!"

"Lord Michael, banzai!!"

Seeing the figure illuminating the night sky, the soldiers on the city wall burst into cheers, and their previously low morale surged once again!

Under the night sky, Ryou flew through the air, leaving a bright white trail behind him, like a shooting star.

On the 15-kilometer-long city wall and even on the battleships anchored at sea, the officers and soldiers witnessed this miraculous scene with their own eyes.

As he approached the Fused Colony, the massive monster suddenly raised its paw, as large as a football field, and swung it down towards him.

Ryou agilely rolled and dodged the earth-shattering strike like a hawk.

Boom!

The giant paw smashed into the ground, causing a massive tremor and leaving a giant crater at the impact site.

However, this attack caused the Fused Colony to momentarily pause in its movements.

"Yamato! Now!"

"Roger!"

With Yamato's thought, the loading mechanism of the main turret instantly activated. A shell painted white with a sharp conical head—very different from the high-explosive shells—was loaded into the barrel.

Clang!

With a loud bang, the hammer struck the base of the shell forcefully.

Sparks flew, followed by a deafening explosion as the shell shot out of the barrel and headed straight for the Fused Colony.

A few seconds later, a bright white orb hit the heart of the Fused Colony, blowing a large hole in it.

Inside the hole, Ryou could see a female figure, connected by countless iron branches that resembled blood vessels.

This was the moment of opportunity!

He immediately channeled all his magical power to increase his speed, turning into a white lightning bolt and diving into the hole in the blink of an eye.

Once inside the Fused Colony, he immediately felt a sense of discomfort.

The interior was crisscrossed with steel-like blood vessels, and Kabane was packed tightly together, their arms flailing as they tried to grab him for a feast.

Anyone with a fear of crowds would likely faint on the spot.

Suppressing his discomfort, Ryou charged straight towards the blue light source.

Behind him, the opening in the Fused Colony had already closed up. He was completely sealed inside the Fused Colony.

There was no retreat now—he would either live or die!

In this critical moment, Ryou's mind was surprisingly calm.

In such an environment, with his swordsmanship skills, he couldn't wield his katana effectively!

He had no choice but to fight his way through with his fists!

As he approached, the Kabane at the core, emitting a blue glow, let out a sharp scream.

But Ryou remained unfazed, flying directly in front of her and delivering a powerful punch aimed at her heart, which was glowing brightly with blue light.

The iron fist first struck her towering chest, and under the immense pressure, her firm breasts deformed.

However, at this moment, Ryou had no time for any inappropriate thoughts, and his fist continued to press forward with undiminished force.

Screech!

A harsh noise filled the air as sparks flew, and the heart, protected by a hard steel membrane, was shattered by his punch.

The blue light immediately faded, and the Kabane, who had the appearance of a young girl, seemed to regain clarity. She looked at him with gratitude before collapsing backward.

Outside the Fused Colony, the soldiers on the city wall were desperately firing shells, trying to stop the Fused Colony from reaching the wall.

At that moment, the massive body of the Fused Colony suddenly stopped moving and then began to collapse like sand.

As the Fused Colony crumbled, a figure bathed in a holy white light appeared before everyone's eyes—it was Ryou.

In his hand, he held a fragment of a heart, faintly glowing with blue light.

After a slight hesitation, he quickly stored the fragment in his inventory.

With the core of the Fused Colony defeated, the system immediately sent a series of notifications.

[Fused Colony defeated, demonic mutation and corruption rate decreased by 1%.]

[Host detected to be in a defensive battle. Other rewards will be calculated and distributed after the battle concludes.]

By this time, the officers and soldiers had snapped out of their shock.

"Lord Michael, banzai!!"

Someone shouted, and the chant grew louder and louder, eventually echoing across the heavens like a tsunami.

With the Fused Colony destroyed, the remaining scattered Kabane posed little threat.

In less than two hours, there wasn't a single active Kabane left on the battlefield.

Yokosuka had achieved final victory in this corpse wave defense battle!

[Ding!]

[Kabane Wave Defense Battle successful!]

[Campaign reward evaluation system activated.]

[Base reward level: D]

[Allies infected: 0, evaluation level increased by one, current level: C.]

[Enemy annihilation (95% or more), evaluation level increased by one, current level: B.]

[Completion time under 6 hours, evaluation level increased by one, current level: A.]

[Killed Fused Colony, evaluation level increased by two, current level: S.]

[Evaluation levels range from E, D, C, B, A, S-, S, S+, to EX.]

[Calculating rewards...]

[Congratulations, host, you have received 1 million energy points.]

[Leadership proficiency increased by 20%.]

[Gacha chances increased by one (can be used after final settlement upon completion of the instance).]

Ryou's previously empty wallet was now full again.

But what he valued most was the increased Gacha chances.

He had completely understood by now that energy points and the system shop could only provide limited auxiliary abilities.

If he truly wanted to become stronger, he would have to rely on the ten Gacha awarded for completing each instance.

Now it seemed that the number of Gacha chances was not fixed; completing side quests could also increase them.

Ryou was instantly filled with motivation. Even a lucky person wouldn't think they had too few Gacha chances.

The system increasing the number of Gacha chances felt like a pie falling from the sky and hitting him right on the head.

Before Ryou could fully process this, the system sent another series of notifications.

[Ding!]

[Host meets the conditions, unlocking hidden achievement quest—Glory of the Lord.]

[Completion condition: Increase the number of people in this instance world who believe in Christianity to over 50%.]

[Completion reward: A growth-type Noble Phantasm!]