Chapter 278 - Chapter 277: The Defense and Attack of the Protective Wall
The first month of Water, the third week, Moon Day. Morning.
Mika stared at the rising cloud of dust from atop the stone wall he had constructed in front of the protective barrier.
The imperial masses, which had closed in to approximately five kilometers, began to move, and instantly, clouds of dust started to rise.
The soldiers lined up on the stone wall silently gazed at that scene.
The deployment of the Kingdom Army was already complete.
The Kingdom Army’s strategy was simple.
First, long-range attacks from atop the stone wall using the longbow unit.
If they broke through that, the archer unit would attack.
When they closed in to about fifty meters, the mages would use [God’s Miracle].
And if they reached the wall, they would be attacked with heated stones, oil, and spears.
Knights and soldiers were also positioned behind the protective barrier to hold back the flooding masses if the barrier was breached.
While they held the line, Mika would seal the protective barrier to stop the influx.
The flow was for the soldiers to annihilate those who had invaded.
On the stone wall stood one hundred thousand soldiers.
Four thousand gathered mages stood in formation.
The main forces in this defensive battle were bows and [God’s Miracle].
Ideally, they wanted to prevent the enemy from reaching the protective barrier, but realistically, that would be difficult.
More importantly, the enemy had mages as well.
If the mages hidden among the masses used [God’s Miracle], the stone wall Mika had created would likely be destroyed.
It was as if they were being told to pile corpse upon corpse to climb over, but in reality, he thought that was impossible.
The greatest threats were undoubtedly [God’s Wrath] and [God’s Miracle].
■■■■■■
"Fireeeeeeeeeee!"
With a single command.
Thousands of arrows drew parabolas and rained down upon the masses filling the ground.
In other locations, commands were also issued, and thousands more arrows were loosed.
"[Explosive Flame], reaaaady!"
"[Explosive Flame], ready!"
"[Explosive Flame], reaaady!"
While raining down arrows, they timed their movements to prepare [God’s Miracle].
The voices of the commands were transmitted, reaching the mages positioned at intervals of about twenty meters.
"""Oh great god of fire, seed of creation. You who envelop all, your great power. The hellfire that burns all things, the power to return them to ash, here and now."""
The mages began to chant in unison.
"""Fireeeeeee!""""
"""Gather, concentrate, intensify, explode. Flame!""""
Zudododdon! Zudodododooooon!!!
Dogadogaaaaaan!!!
Explosions occurred in succession fifty meters ahead of the stone wall.
The explosions, lined up horizontally, formed a single line created by over forty [Explosive Flame] spells.
They rained down arrows one after another, blowing the enemy away with [Explosive Flame] in between.
From the Kingdom Army’s perspective, the early stage of the battle was going smoothly.
The masses, who simply charged forward, made for good targets.
Thanks to their dense formation, the efficiency of [Explosive Flame] was high.
Not even ten minutes had passed since the start of the battle, and the imperial masses had already lost over one hundred thousand lives.
■■■■■■
The battle had finally begun.
Emperor-Pope Hildinlander gazed at the protective barrier of the Kingdom of Ektrem from behind the masses.
Sitting on his throne atop the palanquin, he snorted.
"............ Compared to the reports, it is quite high."
He had heard the protective barrier was five meters high, but it seemed even taller.
"Even so, they will eventually cross it, but it would be boring if they suffered too much attrition."
If they were delayed by such a wall, they would lack the numbers to wreak havoc within the kingdom.
It did not matter if it was not there, but if possible, he had wanted to see a scene of collapse, where people were thrown into chaos, fleeing in panic amidst flying shouts of rage.
Well, even if he could not see it here, he could simply leave the continent next time and wreak havoc across the world.
Hildinlander slowly stood up and thrust his right hand forward.
"Advance! Faithful servants of God! That evil wall is your trial! It is God’s trial! Cross it splendidly and show your loyalty to God!"
Yes, show it to this Hildinlander.
"Do not fear mere bows! Do not fear mere swords! Eventually, the arrows will run out, and both bows and swords will break! Before God, such things are powerless! Proceed on God’s path! Advance without looking aside!"
"""Oooooooon......!""""
As Hildinlander preached forcefully, a roar rose from the masses.
Rising up were rage, joy, reverence, shame, hatred, and praise.
A chaotic, dense "Will (Voluntas)" overflowed.
Hildinlander raised the corners of his mouth.
And then, he inhaled that "Will" deeply into his chest.
"Behold! This is God’s Miracle! It is God’s Will! It is God’s Love!"
Light gathered in his outstretched right hand.
The dazzling light grew larger and larger.
"Habeo Lumen (Light-bearer)."
These were words that described Hildinlander, and currently, they were interpreted as such, but the actual meaning was slightly different.
While this certainly referred to Hildinlander, it contained a different meaning.
When that hand was clad in light, disaster struck.
It was a warning that if one saw that figure, they should flee immediately.
"Habeo Lumen (One who holds light in their hand)."
When that hand glowed, people and villages vanished instantly.
They were burned away.
Three thousand five hundred years ago.
The parchment fragments had warned of that existence, which had plunged people into the greatest terror.
"[Let there be light]!"
Flash!
From Hildinlander’s outstretched hand, a single beam of light was released.
That light swallowed tens of thousands of the masses and headed straight for the protective barrier.
The earth was gouged out red by the intense heat, causing part of the protective barrier to vanish.
"""Oooooooon......!""""
From the masses, "Will (Voluntas)" welled up once again.
"[Let there be light]!"
Flash!
Shifting his position slightly, he released the light again.
While engulfing tens of thousands of the masses, it pierced a hole in the protective barrier.
Each time, "Will" welled up.
"Now, go forth! God’s world is before your eyes!"
Hildinlander’s words spread instantly through the masses.
The surging masses increased their speed and charged at the protective barrier.
Crushing those at the forefront.
■■■■■■
Although the battle had begun, Mika was waiting behind the protective barrier.
Flying in the air made it easier to grasp the situation, but for movement itself, running on the ground was faster than flying.
Therefore, he decided to wait in the rear until instructions for repairs and the like came from the communication command center.
"So far, according to plan?"
'Yes, things are proceeding without issue. There have been no expected catapult attacks; it seems they are simply charging forward.'
"What about [God’s Wrath] or [God’s Miracle]?"
'At present, none have been confirmed.'
What was the Empire trying to do?
It really seemed like they were just charging forward.
They were so densely packed that they could not move, simply coming to die.
(............ Well, even so, the way they press forward without fear is, in a sense, horrifying.)
Like in a typical zombie movie, the sheer act of pressing forward was terrifying.
It was fine when things were going well, but once the line broke, their numbers became the greatest threat of all.
Zuzun.......
At that moment, something glowed at the edge of his vision.
Had something happened in the distance......?
He looked in the direction of the light, but it was too far to see clearly.
"Something just glowed, didn’t it? What happened?"
Mika manifested his "Telescope" and looked closely in the direction of the light.
He could see soldiers moving frantically.
"......What!?"
Mika was speechless at the unbelievable sight.
Part of the protective barrier had been gouged out along with the ground.
Was the cross-section of the ground and the barrier red because it had melted?
"Hey! The protective barrier has been breached!"
Mika ran while keeping the receiver to his ear.
'Where is it!?'
"Probably around Two-Two or Three!"
The protective barrier was divided into four sections from north to south, numbered one to four.
Each section was further divided and numbered.
By doing this, they could roughly determine "which area" just by the first number.
Zuunnn......!
As Mika ran, the area behind him glowed, and a sound came from the spot he had just passed through.
Zuzazazaaaaaaaah!
He hastily stopped and looked back to see that both the stone wall Mika had created and the protective barrier behind it had been gouged out along with the ground.
"""Gyaaaaaaaah!?" """
"What is it!? What happened!?"
"Hey! Hold it together!"
The knights and soldiers stationed behind the protective barrier had lost limbs, and some had collapsed, having lost the right half of their bodies.
"Laser weapons!?"
He had never heard of such high-output lasers.
The output was absurd, like something from the world of movies or anime.
"It’s Three-One! A hole has been opened!"
Mika jumped up to confirm.
Piercing through the imperial masses, a red path extended in a straight line.
"If we keep taking hits like this, we won’t last!"
He had thought there might be a [God’s Wrath] that engulfed the masses, but was this also [God’s Wrath]!?
The imperial masses surged forward one after another onto the ground that had melted like lava.
"""Gyaaaaaaaah!!!" """
"""It’s hoooot!?" """
"""Help meeeeeeeeeee!" """
People screamed as they burned.
However, they were mercilessly pushed from behind, forced one after another onto the lava-like ground.
The smell of burning flesh began to drift through the air.
The masses mercilessly stepped on those being burned, pressing forward and forward.
They piled corpses on the lava, creating a path of burnt bodies.
"Ugh......!?"
Mika felt nauseous as he stared blankly at the masses that had broken through the protective barrier.
But he quickly shook his head once and remembered what he needed to do.
Mika concentrated his mana and created a huge stone above the heads of the invading masses who were stepping on the burnt bodies.
"Seaaaaaal!"
As Mika swung his arm down, the huge stone fell.
Crushing those who were trying to invade, the five-meter-high stone landed with a Doon!
He created more stone to match the height of the stone wall.
For the collapsed protective barrier, he created huge stones to temporarily make it passable.
After that, he created a huge "Waterball" around the red, scorched ground to cool it down roughly.
He could not afford to spend time only here.
Rather, in the protective barrier that had been destroyed earlier, the masses were flowing in increasingly.
Mika hurriedly rushed over and repaired the stone wall and protective barrier in the same way.
He put the communication device, which he had been holding, to his ear.
"Sorry, the repair is complete!"
'......Thank goodness! Are you alright, Apostle-sama! Where are you now?'
"I am at Two-Two! I also repaired Three-One before that!"
'In that case, please proceed to Three-Six next.'
Hearing that, Mika hurriedly returned.
The ground was already in great chaos, making it difficult to run toward his destination.
"How many places are currently breached!"
'There are two more places. Three-Six and Four-Three.'
As Mika hurriedly flew, the edge of his vision glowed.
Beyond the masses.
It was where a dazzling light had been released.
Zuzun!
The area near where Mika had flown past was attacked by a laser.
Just as before, the stone wall and protective barrier were gouged out in one strike.
"Damn it! It’s around Two-Six! Right in front of me! I’ll fix that one first!"
'Understood!'
He hurriedly returned and sealed the stone wall and protective barrier.
Then, he headed toward Three-Six.
However, while he was heading there, the area beyond the masses glowed again.
A single beam of light pierced through the masses and penetrated the protective barrier.
"It’s happening again! At this rate, it’ll never end!?"
Shaken greatly from side to side, he could not keep up with the repairs.
The pace at which holes were being opened exceeded the pace at which he could repair them.
He had heard that [God’s Wrath] could only be used once per day by one person.
Even using [God’s Miracle], breaking down the wall at such a high pace was far beyond expectations.
"Propose this to the strategy department! The one making holes in the protective barrier is beyond the masses! If we let them do as they please, we’ll be driven into a corner! I want to go strike them directly!"
'P-please wait a moment!'
"Hurry up!"
Mika rotated through repairs while waiting for a response from the strategy department.
And so, he repaired the two locations he had been told about earlier.
However, during that time, three more locations had been attacked.
'Apostle-sama, permission to attack has been granted! However, you are not permitted to leave the protective barrier.'
"Hah!?"
He was allowed to attack.
But he was not to leave the protective barrier.
In other words, he had to deal with it right there.
"You want me to mimic the enemy!? I’ve never attacked from this distance before!"
'However, if you, Apostle-sama, leave the protective barrier, this place will not hold!'
That might be true, but!
Mika gritted his teeth and glared beyond the masses.
(If the one firing this laser is one of the "Cursed Children (Imprecatio)," they will just possess someone else.)
At this distance, dispelling was obviously impossible.
Even so.......
"I might be able to buy some time......!"
There was a possibility they would possess someone else and attack again.
But if it took even a little time to possess someone, he could repair the protective barrier in the meantime.
If they attacked again, he would just defeat that one too.
"I’ll do it......!"
Mika used his "Telescope" to search for the source of the light.
He had been searching while waiting for the strategy department’s response, but he had not been able to identify it.
And so, while searching for the one firing the laser, Mika gathered and condensed his mana.
He had tried it for a few hundred meters, but he had certainly never tried it for several kilometers.
(I need to raise the output as much as possible, or the attenuation in the atmosphere will make the power insufficient.)
He gathered mana in his outstretched left hand.
He gathered mana to the point where it seemed it might explode even with a mana stabilization magic tool, and searched for his target.
At that moment, he saw the light.
He quickly adjusted his direction and aimed at a man lounging on a chair placed on something like a palanquin.
"Dieeeeeeeeeee!"
Pyun!!!
A thin laser released from Mika’s hand.
It accurately pierced the glabella of the man whose right hand was glowing.
The man leaned his body back, and then, bending forward, he tumbled off the chair.
"Hah......, serves you right."
This might buy him a little time.
Mika wiped the sweat from his forehead and hurriedly moved to repair the breached protective barrier.
■■■■■■
["Humus" Perspective]
"Humus" looked at the masses and snorted with boredom.
"............ Such a trivial battle......."
He wanted to rush into the kingdom right now and tear to pieces the user of [Dispel] who had killed "Ventus."
He understood that gathering "Will (Voluntas)" was important.
However, there was a limit to suppressing the boiling anger in his guts.
For the sake of the plan, he had endured and endured until now, but they had already reached the stage of invading the kingdom.
More than anything, was not an absurd amount of "Will" already overflowing?
If he suppressed his anger any further, "Humus" felt he would go mad.
At that moment, "Humus" suddenly lifted his face.
And glaring into the void, he muttered.
"......"Lumen"? What are you doing?"
"Humus," who had muttered that, widened his eyes in surprise.
"Really!? The one who killed Big Brother is over there at the protective barrier!?"
"Humus" glared at the protective barrier with ferocious eyes.
And then, he nodded several times.
"............ Understood. I can do as I please, correct?"
Making his brutal eyes, reminiscent of a carnivorous beast, shine fiercely, "Humus" raised the corners of his mouth.
"Tell "Ignis" as well. Do not interfere."
"Humus" muttered in a chilling, low voice.
"I will kill the user of [Dispel] with my own hands! I will tear them to pieces, connect them with their entrails, and stuff their limbs into their stomach......!"
No sooner had he said that than "Humus" dashed off.
Toward the protective barrier.
"Eviiiiil maaaaagiiiiiccccccccccaaaaaaan———!"
Scattering the masses blocking his path, "Humus" ran.
And then, leaping up, he stepped on the masses this time, fiercely approaching the protective barrier.
""Ventus"! Big Sister will surely avenge you!"
"Humus" glared at the protective barrier, searching for the insect fluttering about on top of it.
And then, he found a single insect flying around in a distant place.
"Youuuuu baaaaastaaaaaarrrrrdddddddddddddd———————!!!"
The people trampled by the fiercely running "Humus" had their neck bones broken or their skulls crushed as they fell.
"Gaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
However, "Humus," who did not care about such things in the slightest, simply ran while raising a war cry.