The right side of the wall began to collapse with a thunderous roar.

Shards of split metal fell like hail, and the crushed wall emitted clouds of dust as it tumbled down. A dense cloud of dust enveloped the area.

The goblins below, witnessing this scene, erupted in cheers.

It was the result of sacrificing countless lives from their ranks. Finally, they had brought down the towering barrier behind which the humans hid.

Now, they could see the red blood of the humans...

As the tremors and collapse ceased, the goblins, unable to hold back any longer, rushed through the gaps in the broken wall.

Driven by an insatiable urge to destroy and kill, they surged forward.

And from within the thick dust...

A huge cavalry lance emerged.

With a thrust, the lance pierced through the bodies of the goblins.

Then, a large shield followed, crushing the bones of the goblins.

As the startled goblins hesitated and retreated, the figures of the human shield warriors became visible through the dust, with Evangeline stepping forward to lead.

"There's nothing changing here!"

Behind the five heroes with shields, hundreds of similarly armed soldiers appeared.

"We will be the wall! We will stand here and hold back the beasts!"

Evangeline's party, along with the hand-to-hand combat soldiers, had descended in response to the wall's collapse.

Firmly standing in the gaps of the crumbling wall, Evangeline shouted.

"As long as we hold, our allies will annihilate the rest! So..."

Gripping the handle of her lance tightly, Evangeline growled softly.

"Let's fight!"

The goblins, in a seemingly endless wave, roared and surged towards the narrow gap.

Evangeline and her heroes roared back, charging with shields raised.

Evangeline firmly believed that as long as they held on, the comrades on the wall and beyond would eliminate all remaining goblins.

That's why she had come here without hesitation.

But Evangeline didn't know.

How long this battle would drag on.

And how horrific it would become.

***

In the genre of video games known as Musou, players control characters who sweep through battlefields with ease, defeating weak enemies and winning wars in action-packed gameplay.

The pleasure of these games lies in the exhilarating sensation of defeating weak foes. However, even in such games, players commonly experience fatigue at a certain point.

At 1,000 kills.

Even in action games where enemies are effortlessly killed, players feel tired once they've downed 1,000 enemies. Thus, most stages are designed to allow victory around this count.magic

Imagine, then, in reality.

Even the mightiest heroes, facing weak goblins, would tire - physically and mentally - after defeating hundreds, let alone thousands.

"Hah... hah..."

How much time had passed since the battle began?

The charge of the offensive teams had long ceased. They had lost mobility and were now trapped in the midst of the Goblin Legion.

Seeing the wall collapse, urgency seized us all. We didn't slow our assault.

But the goblins were more numerous than I had anticipated.

The Goblin Legion lost thousands to our initial charge, yet there were still many more.

Their core was dense, and as we carved through, they replenished their ranks.

"Urgh!"

The heroes and I were in the thick of the goblin horde, fighting for survival.

The backlash of hastening our pace eventually caught up to us.

The heroes, having exerted their full strength since the beginning of the battle, quickly became exhausted and were eventually halted in the midst of the Goblin Legion.

Surrounded by the goblins, their blood-red eyes glared menacingly at us.

A cavalry without its charge is a delectable prey.

Yet, none of us mentioned retreating.

We all clung to our weapons, weariness in our grip, determination in our gaze.

Our offensive team was still drawing the attention of the goblins in the middle and rear.If we retreated, those goblins would join the ones attacking the collapsed wall, significantly increasing the defenders' burden.

Already strained by the wall's collapse, they would be overwhelmed...

'We must keep the goblins' attention here, thinning their numbers as much as possible.'

Unspoken, but it was clear we all shared the same resolve.

Yet, as bravely as everyone fought, their exhaustion was evident...

Kuilan, covered in greenish blood, groaned,

“Damn these creatures...”

His nature as a close-combat fighter exposed him to constant danger and minor injuries.

"Out of arrows..."

Verdandi, tossing aside her empty quiver, gripped a dagger in each hand. Having exhausted her supply of arrows and throwing knives, she had no choice but to engage in direct combat.

"Insufferable vermin..."

Dusk Bringar growled, her teeth bared in frustration. Notorious for poor stamina, her power waned as the battle dragged on.

Even her knights, accustomed to harsh battles, struggled to keep up.

And lastly, Lucas.

Even after his [Divine Descent] ended, he continued to fight fiercely. His kill count was astonishingly high, fitting for a protagonist.

But even a protagonist has limits.

I noticed his fatigue and waning magical energy, despite his efforts to conceal it.

'Would it have been different if the battle had gone as planned?'

Originally, the Leprosy Extermination Squad and Shadow Squad were to join the offensive. Their presence would have improved the efficiency and versatility of our attack.

But they weren't here.

The Leprosy Extermination Squad was severely injured during the Shadow Squad rescue mission and hospitalized, while the Shadow Squad was decimated.

‘Where did I go wrong?’

As I contemplated past decisions, the goblins began their unified attack.

Our movements had noticeably slowed, and sensing vulnerability, they surged forward.

Even with our group of hand-picked close-combat experts, prolonged exposure to relentless assaults in the heart of the enemy would inevitably lead to significant casualties.

So, clenching my teeth, I muttered a decision.

"...I proclaim it."

Unfurling a foldable flag in my hand, I prepared for a decisive action. Lucas, noticing this, shouted in alarm.

"Lord, no...!"

But my hand holding the flagstaff was already thrust into the ground.

"Declare this land as the territory of the Empire!"

Whoooosh!

The [Imperial Edict] was activated.

Boom!

The magic power emanating from me constructed a grey wall around us. Instantly, our attack force was under the protection of a magical fortress.

This would allow for more efficient combat...

Cough.

My vision turned alarmingly red. A ringing in my ears, a burning sensation in my stomach, blood trickling from my nose and mouth.

Perhaps, I had overexerted myself. Using this technique twice in one day.

My heroes and soldiers rushed to my side, but I bit down hard and bellowed.

"Fight on-!"

They hesitated.

"I’m fine. Keep fighting!"

I'm not a perfect player.

My moves are marred with flaws. There are undoubtedly countless oversights and missed opportunities.

But now isn't the time for regrets.

One by one, we must reduce the enemy's numbers.

If they cease only when the last one is annihilated, we must keep battling, one at a time.

We move forward.

Somehow, we advance.

"Fight on-!"Gritting our teeth, the heroes and soldiers positioned themselves at the edge of the magical fortress. Monsters poured in from all sides like a waterfall.

Gasping for breath, I opened the stage information window.

Thanks to our attack team and the firepower above the walls, the remaining goblins barely exceeded ten thousand.

If only the wall defenders can hold out, we can gradually reduce the remaining enemies...

Then, it happened.

Boom! Kaboom!

A terrifying explosion resounded, and I turned to look.

Towards our defense team, trying to seal the breach in the wall, a swarm of Goblin suicide bombers was rushing in.

Additional sections of the already weakened wall collapsed...

***

‘Huh?’

Buried in rubble, Evangeline blinked dazedly.

Her body ached as if beaten, and after a violent cough, she slowly realized why she was in this state.

‘Damn those suicide bombers...’

Despite the wall defenders' prioritization of ground-level suicide bombers, a group had managed to reach them and exploded spectacularly.

Not only heroes with shields but also ordinary soldiers were caught in the blast.

Having been thrown far away by the explosion, Evangeline was lucky to be mostly intact.

‘No limbs lost...’

Despite the bruising, all her limbs were functional – a testament to her extraordinary defensive capabilities.

Struggling to her feet, Evangeline immediately felt her legs give way under her.

‘Damn!’

Despite her impressive defense, the accumulated damage was overwhelming.

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself up using her spear.

‘Move, damn it... Move!’

Scattered around her were the bodies of soldiers and fellow heroes who had been at the forefront with her.

Tears stung her eyes, but she forced them back, focusing on the task ahead.

‘If the front line has fallen, the goblins will push through... I must hold them back!’

As she feared, the sound of countless goblin footsteps approached through the dust cloud.

Clutching her spear and shield, Evangeline braced for a desperate stand.

Then, someone grabbed her shoulder.

Startled, she turned to see a veteran of the Twilight Brigade, who had been leading the defense troops.

"You're safe, Miss!"

"Ahh...! You too, Captain!"

"Not now! We must retreat! We can't hold off the enemies here any longer!"

The veteran urgently pointed to both sides.

"Additional sections of the walls on both sides have collapsed! We can no longer block the gaps with our defense units!"

"Then..."

"I've already ordered the defense line to fall back! We must protect the firepower troops on the wall as the monsters will attack the nearest humans!"

Evangeline looked around at the bodies of her allies, clenched her teeth, and reluctantly started to retreat. The veteran shouted hoarsely, urging everyone to fall back.

"Retreat! To the walls, retreat!"

The surviving members of the melee troops, bloodied and battered, established a new line at the entrance to the wall stairs.

Evangeline, leading at the front, stared down the approaching goblin horde with exhausted eyes.

The goblins, screeching wildly, poured through the breached sections of the wall.

About half of them headed towards Evangeline and her soldiers at the wall stairs. The rest, however, were burrowing into Crossroads.

Looking at the monsters heading towards the city, Evangeline gritted her teeth.

"...All the citizens of Crossroads have evacuated, right?"

Per Ash's instructions, all civilians had been evacuated to the northern city. The remaining soldiers and alchemists had been gathered at the wall.

Though the thought of those vile creatures trampling the empty streets of Crossroads was horrendous, at least there would be no casualties...

"...The temple."

Evangeline's face hardened at the veteran's reply.

"In the temple... there are priests and wounded soldiers...!"

--TL Notes--

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