Episode 24 – The Monster at the Frontier (4)
—
“It’s too late to run! Fight until the end; it’s better than dying disgracefully.”
—
Even amidst the dire situation, Bekins did not lose his fighting spirit.
While it’s difficult to say he was handling the situation well, at least he still had some semblance of courage.
But ultimately, what matters is not one’s mindset, but the result. No matter how well we fight or how gloriously we meet our end, we’ll all end up being digested as nourishment for them. So what’s the point?
“Cast defensive spells! Reinforcements will surely arrive from the surrounding areas!”
Still, Bekins’ determination seemed to give some strength to those around him.
Effectively, they had become the last resistance force of this city, yet they were surrounded by my soldiers, outnumbered by dozens of times. Even now, they were holding on with their magicians’ spells.
The spells acted like a massive defensive barrier surrounding them. Flames were roaring at nearly 2 meters high, and they didn’t seem like ordinary fire.
I tried sending a few sacrifices to charge at it, but as soon as my soldiers touched the flames, they caught fire too, making the flames grow even bigger instead of dying down.
“Magic-infused fire.”
To withstand this fire fueled by magic, one needs magic power as well.
In other words, it means Syla and I, the only ones in the army with sufficient magical energy, must step forward.
But even if Syla manages to break through, she can’t possibly handle the hundreds of enemies inside alone.
“There’s no other way.”
I grimaced as I watched our soldiers’ acid projectiles being blocked by the wind spells cast by the enemies.
It seemed like I would have to intervene directly this time.
“What are your plans?”
“I’ll break through that defensive spell and open a path. Syla, you lead the soldiers in an assault.”
I wasn’t entirely thoughtless. I smirked slightly at Syla’s question and slowly awakened every single cell that composed my body by spreading my arms wide.
[You’ll cause the cells to collapse if you overdo it.]
“I know my own body best.”
Even as the system message started warning me, I ignored it. In my estimation, my current power was more than enough for this.
“Hn…”
All my cells began to rapidly divide, causing my body to grow larger. The skin tissue melted away, and as the cells divided, they reshaped into an entirely new form.
It was as if my entire body had been absorbed into that of a different organism.
Using all the genetic information we had absorbed and analyzed so far, I constructed the most fire-resistant body possible.
*
“What… What is that thing?”
One of the monsters surrounding the city began to undergo a mutation, a sight now visible not only to the city’s survivors but also to Bekins.
Bekins, on the verge of losing his voice, muttered in disbelief as he watched the massive transformation.
Under the dim night sky, amidst countless monsters, the rapidly growing creature resembled a massive plant encircled by wriggling tentacles.
However, as its form gradually revealed itself, what emerged was a colossal Chimera the size of a dump truck.
It was covered in thick armor, and its long, thick arms had massive pincers attached to them.
The pincers were not its only feature; four spider-like limbs protruding from its shoulders and back moved freely, resembling long and sharp spider legs. Its sturdy hind legs bore a resemblance to those of a frog or a toad.
Witnessing the grotesque monster grow before their eyes, none could avoid being in shock.
“Here it comes! It’s coming!”
As soon as the mutation completed, the Queen began to charge, pounding the ground, her massive body making a thunderous sound.
She charged through the magic-infused flames as if the numerous soldiers she had already incinerated meant nothing, trusting solely in her bulky body and thick armor.
“It’s breached!”
The fiery defensive spell, which had seemed so formidable, was utterly shattered by the Queen.
Using her body to suppress the flames, the Queen swung her massive claw, effortlessly crushing a Hobgoblin knight who had tried to block her path.
“Stop… Stop them! They’re pushing through!”
With the trusted protective spell now breached, the survivors no longer had the option to keep resisting.
They were forced to engage in what might be their final desperate struggle against the monsters now pouring in through the path opened by the Queen.
“Get that thing! You must be the leader!”
Bekins, gritting his teeth, personally joined the battle.
Wielding his staff, he hurled a spell towards the Queen who was suppressing the protective spell with her massive body. He was convinced, seeing the Queen crush the spell with her sheer might, that she was the leader of the legions.
[Partial body destruction]
Bekins’ spell struck the Queen’s shoulder, exploding and tearing off a part of her body.
Yet, while hurling one of the spider-like limbs growing from her shoulder towards Bekins, even as one of her arms was torn off, the Queen showed no signs of pain.
“You monster…”
Bekins, gripping the thick limb that had pierced his leg and stomach, gasped for breath, squeezing out his last ounce of willpower. He had one final attack left to prepare.
Even if it meant self-destruction, he aimed his last spell at the face of the creature, the presumed vital spot.
“Just what are you?”
However, as that supposed facial area shattered, scattering flesh and bodily fluids, the massive body behind it refused to crumble.
As Bekins’ vision began to blur, he saw, amidst the broken fragments of the giant monster, a silver-haired woman with glowing red eyes looking directly at him.
[City of Ruin has fallen. Survivors: None. Allied casualties: Approximately 5100.]
“Looks like more than half the losses were from the turrets.”
After the intense battle, what remained in the city were only piles of corpses scattered on the ground and an overwhelming silence.
Only those who fled survived. Those who were unable to escape and those who fought till the end were cruelly slaughtered.
“My Queen, it seems none of the wounded have survived. The nerve toxins scattered in all directions were too lethal for the wounded.”
“There’s nothing we can do about it. We’ll have to capture whoever may yield useful intelligence separately.”
Syla approached the Queen who was shedding the enormous body hastily assembled for the night’s battle after removing her mask.
Drenched in sticky bodily fluids, the Queen cut open the belly of the massive body and returned to her original form, shedding the monstrous flesh like an old garment, smirking as she did so.
Though it was merely discarded flesh, she could recover a portion of her expended resources by digesting it.
“Now it’s time to harvest the spoils of war. We’ll build a new nest in this city.”
She smiled at nothing in particular. Even though it was a small frontier city, Loen was still territory ruled by a faction of the Demon Realm.
If we had managed to successfully wage war and defeat them, there had to be significant rewards.
The corpses and nourishment scattered everywhere were not the only rewards.
‘It’s certain. Through this war, we will evolve to a higher level.’
Only she could see the shower of rewards pouring onto her system screen right now.
—
“How does it feel? The satisfaction of personally ripping apart those who sold you to the goblins.”
“…It’s incomparably ecstatic.”
Although it was Bekins who she killed, far more demons and soldiers had fallen to Syla’s spear during the invasion.
Syla shuddered as she recalled the moment. While she had calmed down a bit now, back then, she was literally a berserk warrior.
She wondered if vampires who had once been nobles and eventually fell into corruption by craving blood might have felt the same way.
“I… want to fight more, even now.”
Syla no longer denied the faint curve of her lips.
Since joining the legion, she had experienced a rebirth into an entirely new existence. Just as vampires crave blood, craving war and carnage as a member of the legion and a knight to the Queen was utterly natural.
“But my Queen, forgive me for speaking out, but we must carefully consider setting up a new nest in this city.”
“Afraid of retaliation?”
“Yes. The true powers of the Demon Realm far exceed the level of a mere city.”
Having fully dedicated her heart to the legion, Syla no longer hesitated to speak her mind directly to the Queen.
To Syla, the Queen was not an ordinary living being. She was not someone who could be judged or defined by the common knowledge Syla possessed during her time as an ordinary demon.
Moreover, Syla believed she could not fully understand the workings of the Demon Realm’s hierarchy and the nature of the demons. After all, the Queen had grown up in the northern forest since her birth.
“I know as well.”
Contrary to Syla’s assumptions, the Queen smiled, indicating she understood what Syla was concerned about. Though the game dynamics change often, there are still several constant elements when played over time.
