Chapter 714

Stage 41 Day.

Our forces, having deployed in advance, were camped not far from the Black Lake.

There were several reasons for choosing this location to confront the enemy.

Firstly, due to the Black Dragon invasion, all the teleport gates in the area were destroyed, leaving only a few functional ones. The lakeside ferry was the only secured passage, making it a strategic point. This was the primary reason.

'We must defeat them near the Black Lake if possible.'

Secondly, the valley to the north still held the remains of our fallen soldiers, which were being retrieved. Civilians and volunteers were working there, and the remains needed to be properly recovered. Therefore, we had to annihilate the Phantom King's legion before they reached that area.

As a result, we kept pushing the battlefront closer to the lake, where the monsters would emerge.

"Ugh..."

"The atmosphere is tense..."

"Gulp."

This time, the deployment included heroes, some seasoned soldiers from Crossroad, and volunteers.

The volunteers had been continuously trained, but this was their first real battle. Facing the Black Lake's imposing presence, they were rigid with fear. They nervously swallowed dryly, their tension palpable.

"…"

Even the elite heroes and soldiers were tense. Having recently slain the Black Dragon, it was natural to be anxious about facing another monstrous threat. Everyone, with somber eyes, stared at the rippling surface of the Black Lake. I too scrutinized the lake along with the soldiers.

Since the last battle, the Black Lake had refused entry to outsiders. All paths from the human world to the Black Lake were blocked.

Today marked the first time a monster would emerge from the Black Lake. Any peculiarities needed to be closely observed.

"Are you alright, my lord?"

Lucas, who was examining the lake beside me, asked cautiously.

"We have formed a formation, but the defenses are insufficient. Are we truly prepared to face the monster legion like this?"

Lucas always played the role of my brake. He pointed out what I might have missed and helped ensure nothing was overlooked.

I had already shared the plan and operational directions for this stage with all the heroes and soldiers deployed here and conducted retreat drills in case of emergencies.

Even so, Lucas asked to make sure there was nothing I had missed and whether it was okay to proceed with the plan as the defense battle was about to begin.

I nodded.

"No problem."

"Understood, my lord."

Lucas bowed and moved to the forefront of our forces.

It was natural for Lucas to be concerned.

As he mentioned, there was no wall or barricade in front of us. The volunteer soldiers formed a human wall in the front, with elite troops and heroes preparing their offensive measures behind them.

This defense battle was fundamentally different from previous ones where we had at least a low stone wall or a forward base to rely on.

But I had a plan and confidence. That's why I had set up such a seemingly reckless formation. For the volunteers embarking on their first battle, it must have been nerve-wracking...

'I hope they gain a lot of mental experience from this battle.'

I had only one order for the volunteers.

Hold your ground.

Do not flee under any circumstances. This alone was commanded, and it would be a much harder task than it seemed.

Rumble...

The surface of the Black Lake began to boil violently.

Whoosh—!

With a tremendous splash, waves surged upward. And then,

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

From the split lake surface, shrouded in thick gray fog, the monsters emerged.

"What, what is that..."

"It's huge... So huge!"

Seeing the monstrous forms stepping onto the land, the volunteer soldiers were visibly panicked.

No wonder. The leading monsters, even as mere rank-and-file, were enormous.

'Phantom Knights...!'

Massive, living armor.

In Stage 1, they were the boss monsters, swinging greatswords to cleave Crossroad's walls. Now, they were mere foot soldiers in the Phantom King's legion.

And there were a hundred of them.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud...!

The colossal monsters stepped out of the lake one after another, planting their feet on the ground.

The Phantom Knight from Stage 1 was a boss monster, slightly larger due to its status. It had stood almost as tall as Crossroad's main wall.

These Phantom Knights were smaller in comparison since they were regular monsters. But even so, they were still plenty large and menacing. They seemed bigger than the Frost Giants we had encountered before.

"Ugh?!"

"They're huge... And so many of them!"

Seeing the horde line up, even the heroes and elite soldiers turned pale.

Veteran soldiers, in particular, were highly agitated. Those who remembered what the Phantom Knight did in Stage 1 couldn't help but be distressed.

'It lodged its greatsword into our wall...'

We barely managed to defeat the Phantom Knight that approached Crossroad's main wall, but before it died, it swung its greatsword in a final fit of rage, damaging the wall significantly.

That damage haunted us for a long time afterward.

The same Phantom Knights that cleaved our walls alone were now a hundred strong. It would be strange not to be anxious.

'This is why we came out to meet them ahead of time.'

Indeed.

The final and most significant reason we decided to meet the Phantom King's legion here rather than at a forward base or Crossroad's walls was that each of these monsters was essentially a siege weapon.

Even if they didn't swing their greatswords, their sheer size would damage the walls by ramming into them. We couldn't afford to see that happen again. Our walls had already been wrecked multiple times by monsters like the King of Flies and the Black Dragon. We couldn't let it happen anymore!

The Phantom Knights, having formed up in front of the lake, simultaneously focused their gaze on us and began their advance.

Thud!

They stamped the ground and started marching in unison.

Thud! Thud! Thud...!

The massive monsters advanced with clear hostility. The volunteer soldiers couldn't help but let out short cries of fear.

But I remained composed, a smile even forming on my lips.

'Living Armor is the worst enemy in the early stages.'

When they first appeared in Stage 1, it felt like the world was unfairly targeting me. I genuinely felt a giant malice trying to game-over me.

But not now.

I chose these monsters. I deliberately brought my forces to the forefront to fight them.

I came here personally to mess with you.

'The reason Living Armor is a slaughterer in the early stages is due to their formidable physical defense.'

Living Armor is essentially a ghost in armor.

The heavy armor reduces physical damage, and the ghost inside is also resistant to physical attacks. With limited attack options early on, they're incredibly difficult to deal with.

However, these creatures have a clear weakness.

Their armor is thick but rusty and crudely made. In other words, they have low magical defense.

Additionally, the ghost inside is very vulnerable to magic. Living Armor's nemesis is essentially a mage.

'Even in Stage 1, Jupiter alone fried a bunch of them.'

The Phantom Knight is a composite of these Living Armors. The characteristics remain the same.

In other words, these guys... can be defeated with magic!

"Dearmuidin—!"

I called out, and Dearmuidin, who was ready behind me, nodded firmly. He then turned to his mages and shouted.

"Let's go!"

As Dearmuidin spread his arms wide, wings of mana sprouted from the mages' backs.

It was the area-wide flight effect of Dearmuidin's equipment, [Old Phoenix]. The mages soared into the sky.

Simultaneously, the mana wings on their backs connected, forming a geometric magic circle.

A new function of the awakened and purified [Old Phoenix].

A three-dimensional joint magic circle drawn in the air. They say its performance far surpasses the traditional 2D magic circles drawn on the ground.

"Fuuuu..."

At the center of this 3D joint magic circle, Junior closed her eyes and gathered her mana.

Living Armor is 'steel-clad' 'ghosts.'

Their ultimate weakness is 'lightning' element 'magic.'

And Junior is the successor who inherited Jupiter's lightning!

Flash—!

With a flash, Junior's eyes opened, and as the airborne, interconnected mages extended their staffs forward—

Boom!

Countless bolts of lightning rained down on the Phantom Knights at the forefront.

The Phantom Knights, advancing in the lead, were melted down to unrecognizable forms. I clenched my fist tightly.

Living Armor is the worst enemy in the early stages.

In other words, once you get past the early stages, they aren't hard to deal with anymore!

'They're only tough because you lack mages early on. Now, with plenty of mages... we can fry them up easily!'

Overwhelming them with firepower is entirely possible!

"Turn them into popcorn—!"

At my command, the elite soldiers behind us fired cannons.

Boom! Boom! Boom—!

Mana cannons and all sorts of magic-capable artifacts were fired simultaneously. Additional bombardments followed the lightning strikes on the battlefield.

Kraaaargh—

The Phantom Knights roared in pain. With no decent magic defense, they had only two choices.

Dodge the magic, or rush forward while taking the hits.

But how could those huge, cumbersome bodies dodge lightning?

'Moreover, I applied a Dark Event tailored just for them...!'

Using the Lake Kingdom's royal scepter, I had applied the 'Cowering' Dark Event to them.

Its effect was to drastically increase physical defense while significantly reducing movement speed.

Making the already slow-moving monsters even slower.

Physical defense? Increase it all you want.

We're just going to bombard you with magic!

Flash! Flash! Flash—!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The massive Phantom Knights melted away just like the ordinary Living Armors did in Stage 1.

Seeing this spectacle, the initially terrified volunteer soldiers gradually filled with relief and joy. I smiled with satisfaction.

Yes. No matter the adversity we face, we can and have overcome it. I hope you new soldiers learn that certainty.

But then, it happened.

Kraaaargh—!

From the thick smoke, a half-melted Phantom Knight burst out.

Driven by unyielding will—fueled by hatred for humans—it dragged its shattered body through the bombardment to charge at us.

"Gasp! It's coming!"

"Aaagh! What do we do?!"

"Still, hold your ground—!"

The volunteer soldiers screamed and their formation wavered. But despite their tearful faces and raised arms, they did not turn and flee.

Hold your ground. The one order I had given them.

Because I told them multiple times that only by not fleeing could we win this war.

"Good."

Watching these admirable new soldiers, I snapped my fingers.

"Well done holding your ground."

Whoosh—!

A magical wall I had summoned rose in front of the volunteer soldiers. They blinked in surprise at the sudden appearance of this gray wall.

I smiled awkwardly. It's not like we'd fight the enemy monster legion without any barricades.

'Though it's a bit shameless to say myself...'

Right now, the walls I summon instantly are sturdier than most fortresses.

Thud...!

The charging Phantom Knight crashed into the magical wall, but the layers of my magical wall didn't budge.

As the Phantom Knight recoiled in shock, I muttered.

"This isn't Stage 1 anymore, and we're not novices."

We've fought through 40 stages and three years have passed.

This Living Armor legion, just slightly bigger than before, poses no threat to us.

I lightly waved my hand. And then,

Flash—!

Junior's lightning finished off the Phantom Knight cleanly.