Published at 18th of December 2022 3:50 pm

Volume 11, Chapter 1 – Continent’s Crisis, Part 2

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

In the north of the central continent―in the northern part of the Great Grantz Empire―there was a huge wall called the Spirit Wall.

About 500 years ago, there was an invasion by a foreign enemy called the barbarians. The emergency situation triggered by the invasion led to the deterioration of public order and political instability in the north, and the threat turned on the people of Grantz. Realizing the gravity of the situation, the twenty-second emperor of the Grantz, with the help of the third princess shrine maiden, succeeded in driving the barbarian tribes to the northern edge of the country. However, he was unable to completely eliminate the threat of the barbarian tribes, and he cooperated with the Spirit King, one of the gods known as the “Five Great Heavenly Kings,” to build the Spirit Wall. The high wall has protected the people from the threat of the barbarians to this day, even after the passage of 500 years.

October 27th, 1026th year of the imperial calendar.

Mellaren, a medium-sized city in the north.

This place has been ruled by the Heimdall family, known as the three great northern families, for generations.

The current head of the family was Hermes von Heimdall, who was one of the five great generals who supported the reign of the Great Grantz Empire, although he was old enough to be called an old general. He was also known as the guardian of the Spirit Wall, which was responsible for stopping the invasion of the barbarian tribes.

At present, the gates on all sides of Mellaren were open, and many people were leaving the city with their belongings in their hands. Cowering from time to time from the roar of the Spirit Wall, they cast an anxious glance in the direction of the sound and ran down the street.

Black smoke was about to cover the blue sky.

The smoke, which rose incessantly, seemed to taunt the people and showed no sign of abating.

Screams, shrieks, and angry shouts roared out and were crushed by the noisy roar.

The battle was being repeated on the Spirit Wall. Soldiers stood on the breastworks, and below them, a great number of ‘monsters’ formed a line and attacked the wall. They were trying to break down the wall with their siege weapons single-mindedly, ignoring the arrows that were raining down from the sky.

“General Hermes!”

The commander of the Spirit Wall defending force dropped to one knee, gasping for breath, at the feet of the old general Hermes.

“The monster’s momentum is unstoppable. They still haven’t been able to break through the wall, but they seem to be rushing to the gate to try to figure out how they got their wits about them.”

“They’ve targeted the gate, after all. Have you seen any of the Marked Tribe?”

“No, we found a few flesh-eaters who looked like troop leaders, but we haven’t been able to confirm their presence on the front lines, probably because they are in the rear.”

“Well, be on your guard. The monsters are becoming more disciplined. There must be a Marked Tribe on the front lines. Send reinforcements to the gate, and if you need more, take them from the breastworks.”

The commander bowed his head and immediately went into action. With his voice raised, he gave orders and disappeared into the crowd of soldiers. Hermes looked off at his back and sighed as if to ease the tension.

“I wonder how long I can keep it up…”

The bodies of many soldiers lay at their feet. Arrows fired from the other side of the wall had pierced their vital points, killing them. The breastworks were stained red with blood from the fresh corpses, and the corpses emitted a foul stench that invaded the air as if to lure monsters to them.

There was no longer any chance of victory if they stayed here. There was no hope of reinforcements, the morale of the soldiers was low, and they were outnumbered and depleted by the enemy. It was reckless to continue fighting. The situation was such that anyone would just throw up their hands and run away. However, if Hermes, the general in command, gave up, he would not be able to show the soldiers that he was still fighting. With his pride and determination as one of the five great generals, Hermes gripped his bow and approached the breastworks, rousing his weakened heart.

“…..Do creatures without intelligence form a military force like humans?”

Ahead of Hermes’ gaze, a great number of bonfires were burning.

The ground was burning like the fires of hell. The monsters stomped their feet and shouted in unison, overlapping the appearance of humans. The heat was so fierce that it melted the snow falling from the sky, but in the face of the blizzard, it had only a slight effect. The heat from within the monster was so intense that the wind that froze one’s body did not bother them.

“I never thought I’d see a monster inspiring others. This is what I get for living this long.”

The screams coming from far below are as loud as if they were being shouted in one’s ear.

An army of “monsters” stirring in the ground, they had no intelligence at all, but they were gathering at the Spirit Wall with a solid will. The drums, peeled from the skins of animals and stitched on in a messy manner, were making a menacing sound. Hermes broke off his gaze and tapped the young soldier next to him on the shoulder.

“Rookie, go to the city and help evacuate the population. Let them go as far east… or south as you can.”

The second prince Selene would not be able to afford to accept the evacuees if they fled east.

This is because he, too, is facing a difficult time due to the rebellion of the Bromell family.

“Can I leave my post, sir?”

A monster arrow shot from beneath the wall passed over the head of the new recruit as he bent down. It was a huge arrow, twice or three times bigger than a human could use. It was chilling to see the physical strength of the monster that was able to reach this far. The new recruit was actually frightened and would not move from his spot. Seeing him, Hermes smiled bitterly and, when the attack had slowed down, pushed him back.

“Go ahead. You can make it to the exit safely now.”

“Y-yes!”

With his back resting against the breastworks, Hermes looked up at the southern sky, praying for the safety of the new recruits as they rolled out of the way.

“Munin-dono didn’t make it in time, did he…?”

Stroking the beard on his chin, Hermes let out a disappointed sigh.

The hope he had placed in this young man, Munin, had not yet arrived.

“He did nothing wrong. It was I who was too late in making a decision. I should have asked the Black Dragon King for help sooner.”

The distance from the Six Kingdoms to the Spirit Wall was not so great. However, it was impossible for them to carry such a precious commodity as a spirit weapon on their person at all times. Even if the Black Dragon King, the master of Munin, accepted this proposal, it would probably be a long time before it reached him. It was not his fault. It was Hermes’ fault for being so slow to recognize the right time.

“But who could have imagined that the monster would attack so soon? …But above all, what is the matter with this discipline?”

They moved like humans. They attacked precisely where they were outnumbered and replenished their forces where they lacked manpower. They were attacking like a well-organized, disciplined army without a stitch of disruption.

As if in unison with each other’s breath, a large number of fire arrows flew from below. However, the height of the Spirit Wall prevented them from reaching their target. The wind was stirring, and many of the arrows stalled and fell to the ground. Still, some surprisingly reached the target, which resulted in many casualties. The garrison’s agitation could be seen as they were hit by the attack, which was a mixture of breath and slow and steady. This was not the vulnerable invasion of the past. It was definitely not an attack that was carried out with momentum. The monsters were trying to break down the Spirit Wall with all their might as if they were trying to release the resentment they had built up over the past 500 years against the humans.

“If this is their true ‘power,’ then… what was the battle until now?”

If they were testing their opponents, what was their purpose? Had they realized what they were trying to do earlier, they could have taken countermeasures.

“Would it be reasonable to assume that the attacks to date have been to probe our defensive situation?”

And it was certainly an effective strategy to catch them off guard and destroy them all at once. This was how Hermes and the others had been struggling. However, it was the monster and the Marked Tribe that succeeded in doing so. They thought they were less intelligent than humans. But they realized that they were wrong.

“I can’t… regret it enough. The old general should have retired early.”

Whatever caused the current struggle was probably caused by his own arrogance and pride. But remorse comes later. Making amends to the people and soldiers will also come later. First, he will have to get out of this critical situation and fulfill his responsibilities as one of the five generals.

“General Hermes! We are in trouble!”

His thoughts were interrupted by the soldier’s urgent voice. At the same time, a roar deafened his ears and shook his feet. The soldier who had called out to him fell over with a loud thud. Several people around him also fell down, unable to cope with the sudden shaking. Hermes barely lost his position, but he was clinging to the breastworks and looking down with a stunned expression.

“…..Arrows?”

A few moments after he muttered, there was a huge object that came flying through the air, snarling the wind and ripping through the sky, shaking his eardrums. As soon as the huge arrowhead, which was taller than him, pierced through the Spirit Wall, he was again hit by a huge tremor. Meanwhile, another huge arrow was shot from below. It rode up on the breastworks, and the soldiers were caught up in the arrowhead’s return, and they were crushed between the breastworks and the arrowhead. Their vision turned bright red, and their guts fell out of the blood smoke that rose into the sky.

“This is…”

Hermes’ expression was astonished when he saw the huge arrow piercing through the Spirit Wall. A long rope reaching to the ground was tied to the back end of the arrowhead. It is not hard to imagine a monster crawling up from there. Hermes, realizing what the enemy was aiming for, squeezed a voice from the bottom of his stomach.

“Pour as much oil as you can on the wall! Fire arrows at them and stop them at all costs!”

As the order flew, the breastworks became flustered. Some of the fallen soldiers were bleeding from the head. But they moved as if they had forgotten their injuries. They all understood that if the monster that had been running through the rope made it to the breastworks, it would not be able to do more than just injure them.

“Such as piercing the wall… what kind of material would make it possible…?”

The Spirit Wall, built by a special power, was impregnable. History proved this. It had perfectly prevented the invasion of the barbarian tribes until now. However, this history was about to be overturned. As one would expect, Hermes could not hide his shock. The special wall, which does not even get a scratch from a slash, allowed the enemy to attack so easily.

While they were busy dealing with the situation, huge spears were piercing the wall one after another, and the soldiers were shaking violently under their feet.

Hermes, who had been looking down at the soldiers without moving a muscle, drew the spirit weapon at his waist and scrambled up the wall to his feet. Slowly looking around at the frustrated soldiers, he raised his arm.

“Endure. Reinforcements from the second prince Selene will arrive soon. The Black Dragon King of Baum has promised to provide us with spirit weapons. We are almost there. We just have to endure a little longer! Do not be afraid of the monsters, but keep your eyes ahead to protect the people behind you!”

The voice that was heard gave the soldiers a certain courage and hope. Vigor began to return to their dead eyes. Seeing the soldiers’ faces light up, Hermes put away his spirit weapon. With a bow in his hand, he pierced the monsters climbing up the wall with arrows. The soldiers cheered at his brilliant archery. Morale is restored, but there was no telling how long this will last.

Because it was all lies. There was no hope for reinforcements.

When the soldiers realized that Hermes was lying, they would hand over control of the Spirit Wall, which the humans have defended for 500 years, to the monsters.

“All the worthless old dog can do is to keep struggling in shame.”

He was sorry that he had to lead innocent soldiers to hell. That was why he must purify himself by demonstrating all his strength and courage that he had cultivated up to this point. Even if it was only a matter of self-satisfaction, he must show his will as one of the five generals until the very end.

“Until Selene-sama wins against the Bromell family… is it possible to win if we can maintain the current situation?”

With time, they might have had a chance to win. That was why they must defend this place. If the Spirit Wall collapsed in addition to the rebellion of the Bromell family, the Silver Castle, located in the center, would be sandwiched. To avoid such a situation, a short-term decisive battle would be desirable. Selene must be thinking the same way. If this was the case, there was a good chance that they could make it in time.

“This is the time to test my ability to see if this is the place to die or a chance to make a breakthrough.”

Although he was on the brink of life or death, he was strangely free of fear. In fact, he was elated to be on the brink of death or life. Despite their verbal complaints, “warriors” were all the same when they found themselves on the battlefield, and there was a part of them that enjoyed the battle of life and death. It seemed that he, too, was unable to stay away from the battlefield.

If that was the case, the old dog had only two choices left, and they were very simple.

“No longer need to worry.”

He was staring at the crowd of ‘monsters’ spread out below with a calm face, which was unusual for someone who had been cornered, but still, he was looking at them without any carelessness at all. His expression was like that of a tiger that has found its prey and is vigilantly watching for it.

“I wish you good luck, Selene-sama.”

This was the last time he could afford to worry about others.

From now on, he will be a warrior who slaughters only the beasts that come at him.

Hermes roared as he slashed down the ‘monster’ that had climbed over the wall with a single slash of his sword.

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