Chapter 761

Chapter 761

I guess I’ll have to do it that way. (2)

On the massive walls of Valskrum, guards were always stationed.

No matter how large and sturdy the fortress was, even if it stood atop a rugged mountain range, without someone guarding it, it would fall in an instant.

However, the Dwarves had lived with the firm belief that this fortress would never be breached.

That conviction bred pride, and over the long years, that pride turned into arrogance.

The guards barely kept watch, drinking and chatting even in broad daylight. Even the commanders had long turned a blind eye to it.

This was Valskrum, the sacred ground of the mighty Dwarves, a place where any external invasion was deemed impossible.

Today was no different. The minds of the Dwarves on duty were filled with thoughts of drinking after their shift, or of assembling crafts in the workshop as a hobby.

Perhaps that was why they noticed the threat approaching so close it was visible far too late.

"...Huh? What’s that?"

A Dwarf standing atop the wall looked up at the sky.

At first, he thought it was a mass of dark clouds. As it came closer, he assumed it was a flock of crows.

But the closer the shapes got, the more the Dwarf’s expression hardened. They were too big to be crows, and there were far too many of them.

The flying figures, shrouded in black energy, were monstrous creatures, half-rotten flesh intertwined with grotesque leather and bone.

Undead Wyverns and Chimera Wyverns.

And grotesquely twisted Chimeras and skeletal Undead clung to the Wyverns as they pierced through the sky.

It was clear they were targeting this fortress.

"Enemies! The enemy is coming! Black Mages!"

The Dwarf shouted at the top of his lungs.

Having already heard rumors about the Salvation Church and the Black Mages, no one doubted the alarm.

Rather, the Dwarves were enraged.

"How dare they challenge us!"

"Spread the word! Inform the royal castle too!"

"Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!"

Hands that had been lifting bottles froze, and empty bottles were hurled aside.

The instincts of the Dwarves, dulled by laziness, awakened once more.

They were not only artisans but also born warriors.

The idle Dwarves immediately grabbed their weapons and rushed toward the wall.

"Activate the equipment! Everyone to your positions!"

On the wall, Dwarf-made machines began operating.

At a glance, they resembled the ballistae used by humans, but their internal structure was entirely different.

In addition to the massive central bolt, dozens of smaller projectiles were densely mounted on either side and around it.

Intricate design, overwhelming firepower, and rapid-fire capabilities.

The pinnacle of Dwarven engineering, the 'Tarbark,' was a steel beast that unleashed bolts in rapid volleys.

Even in the future, Ghislain had never seen such a weapon, one so ancient that no records of it remained.

It was a practical weapon that only the Dwarves of this era could create.

"Prepare!"

When this fortress was first built, the Dwarves had stained the entire mountain range with blood.

They wiped out all the monsters that threatened them, especially those that flew through the skies, leaving not a single one alive.

The memory of that time still lived on in the bricks and steel beams of Valskrum. They were prepared even for an assault from the skies.

Dozens of Tarbarks were stationed along the fortress wall.

Kkirik, kkirik, kkirik.

The moment the Dwarves turned the control levers, the Tarbarks slowly tilted skyward.

One Dwarf yanked on the operating handle roughly and shouted.

"You bastards! Do you have any idea where you’re trying to swarm into like a pack of dogs? I’ll smash you all to pieces!"

Papapapapapapapapapap!

In that instant, hundreds of bolts tore through the sky like a raging storm.

Each steel bolt pierced through multiple Undead at once. The shock shattered bones and scattered rotten flesh.

The destroyed creatures plummeted from the sky.

The sight of the monsters falling one after another looked like black rain pouring from the heavens.

"Fire! Keep firing! Shoot them down before they get any closer!"

The Dwarves shouted relentlessly. Their eyes burned with nothing but the will to destroy their enemies.

They were a race famed for having the finest hands on the continent. There was no hesitation or error in their reloading.

Paaaaaaah!

The sky was covered by countless bolts unleashed by the Tarbarks. Thousands of steel quarrels once again ruthlessly swept through the Undead swarm.

The monsters fell one after another without even mounting a counterattack. This place truly deserved to be called an impregnable fortress.

However...

There were simply too many monsters.

Where had all these Undead and Chimeras been hiding?

The endless waves of black shadows, as if they would swallow the sky itself, pressed in ominously.

"They’re approaching! Get ready!"

"It’s nothing! Just crush them!"

"Good! Smashing them up close feels better anyway!"

Even the Dwarves who had been operating the Tarbarks grabbed their weapons.

Now it was time to focus on close combat to stop the enemies from breaching the wall.

Though few in number, some Dwarves had also learned magic. They, too, gritted their teeth and glared at the monsters beyond the wall.

"Just hold on a little longer! The warriors will be here soon!"

The Dwarves encouraged each other and steeled their resolve.

Every Dwarf able to fight would come to this place. Their numbers were by no means small.

Among Dwarves, even the women fought as warriors. Only children and the elderly did not participate in battle.

They believed. And they vowed.

Until the warriors arrived, they could not, and must not, surrender this place to the enemy.

But then it happened.

Ddrrrrr…

A strangely ominous vibration resonated from somewhere beneath the ground, behind the fortress wall.

For the first time, the firm expressions of the Dwarves wavered slightly.

The Dwarves, as skilled with their hands as they were, were also a race with keen hearing.

The tremors of rock, the cracking of tunnels, the presence of approaching monsters.

To survive, they had to be able to detect all of these instinctively.

And so, they realized it quickly.

The sound they were hearing now was anything but ordinary.

Ddrrrrr…

"It’s behind us."

A Dwarf slowly turned his head.

"Something is rising... from below."

Their eyes began to waver.

This was a fortress built atop a rugged mountain range.

The underground was packed with solid rock. No one, no race, could possibly tunnel through from below.

Such a technique was unique to the Dwarves alone.

Therefore, no one ever considered the possibility. Their arrogance, stubbornness, and confidence had convinced them it was impossible.

But what was this sound they were hearing now?

Ddrrrrrrrrrr!

The vibrations grew stronger. The ground rumbled, and the rocks trembled.

The pride that had once filled the Dwarves’ faces turned into horror.

And finally—

Kwaaaaaang!

The ground split open. A pile of rocks erupted like an explosion, and a massive something burst forth from beneath the earth.

Grrrrrrr!

It resembled an enormous worm. One Dwarf stared at it, his face blank with shock.

"A sandworm? How can a sandworm be here...?"

The sandworm was a monster that lived in the desert. It burrowed through the ground and was strong enough to pose a threat even to Valskrum, but it was never a creature native to this region.

They quickly noticed its unnatural aspects and understood.

This was no natural lifeform. Its skin looked stitched together from the hides of various beasts, and crude bone structures covered its body.

When its round mouth, lined with dense teeth, opened wide, thick black smoke poured out.

From the cracks all over its body, the mist of darkness billowed forth, gradually obscuring the monster’s silhouette.

It was a weapon designed to spread death. A beast restructured through Black Magic.

Atop the creature’s head stood a figure, his black robe billowing in the wind.

The Prophet, Rahmod.

He, who had once fought against Ilaniel, the Great Chieftain of the Elves, had reappeared here.

From beneath his black robe, his violet eyes gleamed. His body slowly rose into the air.

Looking down at the Dwarves standing on the fortress wall, Rahmod spoke with a chilling whisper.

"Today, your flame will be extinguished. Valskrum will fall, and the Eternal Forge will become ash. Your bones and blood will become the foundation of eternal night."

The moment his words ended—

Paaaah!

A vortex of black mist spiraled out from around Rahmod’s body.

The intense wave of energy crushed the very air. Overwhelming power swept over the fortress.

The suffocating pressure turned the Dwarves’ faces pale. They realized that this was an opponent far beyond what they could handle.

One Dwarf muttered blankly.

"Goddess… please protect us from the demon…"

Kwaaaaaaang!

A massive black flash struck the fortress wall. The screams of the Dwarves echoed out.

It was the moment hell had opened.

* * *

The Julien Mercenary Corps was scattered across Valskrum according to the plan made beforehand.

Julien, Kyle, and Ereneth, each at the highest level, led separate squads.

Lionel, having lost his Divine Power, had weakened, so the somewhat stronger Osval was assigned to him.

Below them, each squad had five mercenaries attached.

Their mission was to buy time when the enemies attacked and to guide the Dwarves, regrouping near the royal castle.

Only Deneb remained at Ghislain’s side. She had to conserve her strength as much as possible.

Boom! Boom! Boooom!

Tremors and explosions echoed from afar. Without hesitation, Julien launched himself in the direction of the noise.

Dark quickly followed him and shouted.

"They’re here! The enemy has just attacked!"

Ghislain had assigned one Dark to each squad. They weren’t only for communication — he had infused them with plenty of mana to assist in emergencies.

Hearing Dark’s report, Julien nodded. They were stationed in the outermost residential area, so the distance was close.

It wasn’t long after running toward the direction Dark indicated that Julien saw the horde of monsters rushing in.

"...They really came."

Just as expected. The Black Mages were dropping hordes of monsters from the sky while modified Sandworms burst from underground.

"Mo-Monsters!"

"Aaaaah! What is that!"

"Run! Evacuate the children first!"

The Dwarves fell into chaos. The sudden assault had thrown everyone into panic, and only the elderly and children were barely being evacuated.

But Dwarves were a race of warriors.

Even amidst the confusion, most instinctively grabbed their weapons and tried to charge recklessly at the enemy.

Julien, having gotten close, shouted loudly.

"Run! You can’t fight here!"

"What! A human? What are you saying!"

"Enemies are attacking from all sides! If you fight here, you’ll be picked off one by one! You must regroup near the royal castle!"

"Don’t spout nonsense! Why should we trust you!"

The Dwarves refused to listen to Julien. They weren’t naïve enough to trust a human who suddenly appeared in this kind of situation.

Some of the Dwarves even looked at him with suspicion.

Gritting his teeth, Julien pulled out the metal rod Ghislain had given him.

"Dark!"

Dark's body, imbued with plenty of Ghislain’s mana, instantly swelled and grew larger.

Julien grabbed Dark’s leg as he floated into the sky. Dark then charged straight toward the monsters, while Julien extended the rod forward.

"Ghislain!"

 “Master! Now!”

Ghislain still sat in meditation atop the magic circle, eyes closed. But his appearance was different from usual.

Affected by the Mana Concentration Array absorbing excessive mana from the surroundings, Ghislain's body was floating in mid-air.

The moment he heard Julien and Dark’s call in his consciousness, mana burst forth from Ghislain’s body, shooting toward the direction where Julien was located.

Crackle!

A flash of blue light shot toward the nearby runestones embedded in the ground. The light then continued toward the next runestone placed farther away.

The runestones had been secretly planted all over Valskrum by the Julien Mercenary Corps.

Following the intricately designed magical circuit, Ghislain’s mana kept flowing.

Though it involved many processes and stages, it all happened in an instant.

The mana, moving almost at the speed of light, instantly reached the area where Julien was located.

And finally.

Crackle!

Ghislain’s mana reached the metal rod held by Julien.

At that moment—

Kwaaaaaaaang!

An enormous surge of lightning magic exploded from the metal rod.

A massive bolt of lightning tore through the air, striking the Sandworm directly.

From there, the lightning branched out, filling the sky and engulfing the oncoming monsters.

Boom! Boom! Kwaaaang!

The monsters’ flesh burned, and black smoke burst into the air like explosions.

"W-What the...?"

The charging Dwarves froze in their tracks. They stared blankly at the scene in front of them.

Grrrrrrr!

The Sandworm twisted its body in agony, letting out a shrill cry. It was not Undead but a modified Chimera.

The high priest of the Salvation Church, who stood atop the Sandworm, hurriedly released energy to shield the creature and retreated.

The Black Mages following behind him were also startled and quickly pulled back.

"W-What is this?"

The priest was flustered. The magic that had just erupted was powerful enough to wound even a Transcendent like him.

They had deliberately attacked the vulnerable outer residential area. Yet suddenly, such powerful magic had been unleashed.

Hesitating in the unexpected situation, the priest first assessed the situation.

The Dwarves, equally stunned, couldn’t even think of fleeing, and simply stood there in a daze.

Only Julien tightly gripped the metal rod, smiling with renewed hope.

"Amazing. As expected of Ghislain."

This was a magic executed remotely by Ghislain.

The comrades who didn’t know magic simply indicated the direction and timing, while Ghislain sent the mana accordingly to activate the spell.

The runestones planted throughout Valskrum acted as relays.

Of course, it was no easy feat.

It required a vast number of runestones, and Ghislain had to trust his comrades’ judgment while transmitting immense mana.

Although using the mana gathered by the Mana Concentration Array meant less personal mana consumption for Ghislain, enduring the recoil was no easy task.

But Ghislain chose this method.

Because only by stalling the enemy in as many places as possible could the Dwarves be evacuated.

 “Master! Again!”

Responding to Dark’s cry, Ghislain’s mana once again flowed into the metal rod.

Kwaaaaaang!

A thunderous roar erupted as powerful magic struck the enemies.

The Sandworm and the priest continued to retreat and endure, but the monsters surrounding them were instantly torn apart and scattered through the sky.

However, the number of enemies was simply overwhelming.

Even magic of this magnitude could only fend off a single wave.

Moreover, there was a clear limit to how much mana the metal rod could withstand.

Crack…

Finally, the metal rod couldn’t hold out any longer and began to fracture.

Soon, the broken metal fragments scattered from Julien’s hands.