Chapter 590
The battle had truly begun.
In fortress wars, when monsters invade human strongholds, the odds are heavily in favor of humanity.
Monsters, with their low intelligence, couldn’t possibly possess siege weapons or proper siegecraft. If they tried to climb up the walls by brute force, they’d only be cut down by a rain of arrows, piling up corpses neatly at the base of the walls.
A fortress, in truth, is humanity’s most reliable bulwark.
This deterrent is one of the greatest reasons mankind manages to maintain its territory against monsters, who far surpass them in strength, size, and speed.
Thus, while monsters may plunder villages and lay waste to the land, rarely does an entire fiefdom fall into their hands. Many border zones exist precisely because fortresses stabilize the lines between monster and man.
But this time…
“What the hell is that?!”
The enemy they faced—the Mimickers—were unique. They had captured battering rams and were actually using them, and some even lashed together wooden ladders to climb the fortress walls, just like humans.
It was as if they were truly fighting a human army.
“That much is only natural.”
Loraine muttered.
“They’ve seized thirty-nine out of forty fortresses. Of course they’d learn human siegecraft.”
“Creepy… Ahhh! There’s a ladder here too—they’re climbing!”
“Leave it to me!”
Eshu swung her arm bravely.
Her tiny curse dolls scurried forward, seized the ladders, and scuttled downward—then stopped midway.
<Decay>
The curse engraved into the dolls activated, rotting through the wooden joints. The ladders crumbled and collapsed helplessly.
“Nice one, Eshu!”
Simon was also sprinting along the wall, fighting fiercely.
Thud!
Crack!
With dazzling kicks, he hurled Mimickers off the parapets.
At his next gesture, bones danced downward, tearing through enemy bodies and slashing the ropes that anchored the ladders, sending them crashing down.
Since it was only the start of the battle, Simon refrained from using powerful techniques like the Royal Guard or Chaos. Instead, he relied mainly on Magical Combat and Bone Armor.
“Corpse Explosion.”
As he clenched his fist, explosions erupted below, rocking the wall. Zombies he had sent down detonated en masse, annihilating hordes of monsters.
Nodding in satisfaction, Simon turned his head.
“Loraine! I’m leaving the left wall to you!”
“Got it.”
Loraine was mounted on a Skeletal Horse.
Clutching its reins of Darkness, she galloped across the parapet, her lance infused with Darkness slashing down. Each sweep left a black afterimage, decapitating Mimickers and piercing hearts as they climbed the ladders.
The Skeletal Horse itself lashed out with its hooves or shifted to align with her strikes, moving in perfect unison with its rider.
“Haaaahp!”
Toto wasn’t far behind.
He drew a magic circle on the ground, summoning several small Death Worms. Though stationary, they spewed corrosive fluids, melting away Mimickers attempting to climb.
“Ðⴆŀº!”
“ⴆŀⴘⴝ!”
The unexpected prowess of the necromancer students brought roars of approval from the Gahal warriors. Their morale surged, and they pressed on with renewed ferocity, thrusting spears and firing arrows.
Though not knights wielding aura, many reinforced their bodies with mana, making them formidable.
‘Our defenses here seem solid enough.’
At Simon’s command, sharp bone shards impaled monsters one after another.
—Requesting aid at 1-A!
—3-B’s in danger too!
Through the comm-crystal, he heard other squads’ desperate calls.
Monsters didn’t attack the walls evenly. Some areas faced overwhelming assaults, while others were weaker.
—6-D! Eleven ladders are hooked on—we’re swamped!
Meanwhile, the defenders had spread their forces evenly, needing to guard every direction.
For effective defense, their strategy had to adapt.
—From now on, those I call will form the support squad. Leave your assigned sectors and reinforce whichever side calls for aid first.
It seemed Hector had reached the same conclusion.
—Simon Follentia, Aseraz Mikel, Guinevere Venners, Chendra Glivice.
Hector reassigned the strongest students into a support force.
Glancing back, Simon met Loraine’s nod.
“Don’t worry. We’ll hold this side.”
With Loraine watching over Toto and Eshu, Simon felt reassured. He gave a nod, cloak fluttering, and sprinted off.
‘Closest first!’
He dashed toward Squad 4’s sector.
What he saw made him grimace—on the brink of collapse.
“Aaagh!”
The Squad 4 leader, who had played cards with him the night before, was struggling valiantly but failing against the Mimicker horde flooding in like a tidal wave. The Gahal warriors were being cut down, and one squadmate lay unconscious on the ground.
‘Send in the fastest!’
From his subspace, Simon released four ghouls at once, sending them charging. The Mimickers converged on the fallen student, blades raised.
‘Focus!’
Simon’s perception expanded, time itself seeming to slow.
Four magic circles shimmered before his eyes.
At the peak of concentration, power surged into his gaze.
‘Lino’s Golden Line!’
The four circles split in two like precise fractures.
The ghouls’ eye sockets blazed, Darkness venting from their wounds like steam engines as they rocketed forward.
Just as a blade was about to descend on the unconscious student, Simon clenched his fist.
‘Corpse Poison Explosion!’
BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOOOM!
The ghouls detonated mid-charge, shockwaves tearing through the Mimickers. It wasn’t Kabara’s poison from the old evaluations—the initial blast of corpse gas alone sent enemies flying.
“Hhhhp!”
Sliding into the fray, Simon swung both arms outward like snapping laundry lines.
Shraaaak!
Shraaaak!
Dozens of white fragments shot out like light beams, latching onto wounded warriors and the downed student. Bone Armor enveloped them, animating their bodies just enough to carry them out of danger.
“Wow!”
The Squad 4 leader turned, wide-eyed.
“President Simon’s here!”
One arrival—and the tide turned instantly.
Drawing a deep breath, Simon bellowed,
“Ðⴆŀº!”
The Gahal warriors’ eyes went wide—then they raised their spears and roared in reply.
“Ðⴆŀº!!!”
“Waaaaahhhh!”
With renewed courage, they charged, cutting down Mimickers on the walls.
Simon stretched the fabric of space and opened a massive subspace portal.
“Fire! Mages!”
<Dark Blaze>
Black fire surged forth, engulfing Mimickers in ash.
Finally catching his breath, Simon strode toward the Squad 4 leader.
“What was that, Simon? Do you actually understand their language?”
Simon shrugged.
“No, I just bluffed. Been observing them—they seem to use that word to mean ‘fight’.”
“...Ugh.”
Just then, the unconscious student groaned and lifted his head.
“You okay?”
Simon asked gently, slashing his left hand across the air. The scattered bones snapped back, reforming into Bone Spears that pierced through enemies in rapid succession.
The student chuckled weakly.
“...Damn, that’s flashy. Anyway, thanks.”
“Think you can hold this wall on your own?”
“Yeah.”
Having pushed back the monsters, the wall stabilized.
Simon received another call through the comm-crystal and rushed off again.
* * *
Outside the fortress walls.
“They fight well. They fight very well.”
The butcher, carrying two massive cleavers slung over his shoulders, muttered under his breath. He stood still, staring at the fortress wall.
“They’re holding on—barely, but holding. Strange. Are those really just kids?”
“I told you.”
His partner, a one-eyed gentleman, approached.
“Even if we meddle, monsters alone cannot bring them down.”
“So.”
The butcher turned back.
“You mean to meddle once more. This is it, huh?”
Behind them, a group of masked assassins dressed in black crouched low in hiding. The butcher whistled softly, adjusting his grip on the cleavers.
“But didn’t they say only you and I would be going in?”
“That was the plan at first.”
“These things aren’t necessary. Forget skill—just look at them. They scream, ‘I’m an assassin!’ If we drag them along and the commotion grows…”
“There’s no need to worry.”
The one-eyed gentleman nodded. The assassins each pulled a potion from their robes.
“For the cult.”
“For the cult.”
They uncorked the bottles and swallowed without hesitation.
“Ghhhk!”
Thud!
Crash!
Dropping the vials, they clutched their throats in agony, saliva pouring as they writhed violently.
Crunch!
Crack, crackle!
Their bodies convulsed, as though something inside was trying to burst out.
“Gaaaaahhhhhh!”
“Aaaaaghhhh!”
Whud!
Smash!
Skin peeled away, faces twisted, torsos shrank, limbs withered.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
The butcher chuckled in disbelief.
“Now then.”
The one-eyed gentleman straightened his hat and continued.
“I’ll explain the plan.”
* * *
“Hahahahaha! Now that’s refreshing!”
Chrrrk!
Grerion, clad in Chimera, had been rampaging outside the fortress, thinning out monster numbers before returning.
Landing atop a rooftop, he tugged at the protruding handles on his torso. With a wet, sloughing sound, the Chimera’s flesh peeled away, reverting to its original baglike form.
“My muscles have already wasted this much? I’ll have to rebuild again.”
He smacked his lips. His body was now gaunt compared to his previously hulking physique.
“Well fought, Professor Grerion.”
Aron said as he approached.
“You’re as formidable as ever.”
“Hahaha! Of course! Of course! No trouble inside the fortress, I trust?”
“Yes, but… something feels off.”
Aron brushed his disheveled hair back.
“Monsters from other fortresses are converging here. What’s more, Mimickers are displaying unnatural behaviors never before observed. This has to be…”
“How far have you seen, as a professor?”
“Pardon?”
Grerion plopped down on the roof edge, chuckling.
“Back in my day, during an outdoor lesson by the coast, a twenty-meter tsunami struck.”
“……”
“At the time, the Kingdom of Carlos and the Kingdom of Baldwin were at each other’s throats. Carlos sent mages to drown Baldwin’s crown prince. He was the rallying point of the anti-Carlos faction. If he graduated and became Baldwin’s core, Carlos couldn’t afford the risk—so they tried to eliminate him early.”
“They disguised an assassination as a natural disaster.”
“They once even sent a hundred assassins to attack the students’ lodgings. That’s what Keyzen is. Even if things are quieter these days, I could tell stories like that all night.”
Grerion wagged his fingers.
“Remember this: Keyzen is strong, but it is not a monolith. Within it are countless factions and splinters. It functions because all bow their heads before Lady Neftis’ power, but each member’s goals, profits, desires—are all different.”
Aron nodded in agreement.
“Four kingdoms and seventeen powers, forced together into the system called the Dark Alliance. A shared pillow, but different dreams. It’s bound to shake.”
“The Pontifex was clever, forging an empire called the Holy Federation on religion. Though, I hear they have plenty of their own issues—heresy trials and the like… In any case.”
Grerion stroked his chin.
“My point is this: anything can happen to the students. Natural disasters. Monsters driven to gather here. Assassins sent directly.”
“……”
“We must be ready for all of it—and overcome.”
Aron nodded firmly.
“I’ll contact headquarters. It’ll be hard on the Gahal warriors, but I’ll request authorization for teleportation circles back to Keyzen.”
“When Carlos sent those hundred assassins…”
Grerion grinned broadly.
“I killed seventy. Ten more fell to wandering students. The last twenty—the crown prince slew alone.”
“……”
“Act like Keyzen. We came here under its name. We cannot abandon civilians. If you want to keep your professorship, don’t take your eyes off the students. And…”
Grerion pulled out a new bag, fastening it to his body.
“Trust the students you’ve taught.”
* * *
“Haaah! Huff!”
Simon sprinted madly along the wall, having already reinforced two other sectors.
—President! Sorry, but could you come to Squad 11 too?
“On my way!”
He answered through the comm-crystal, then switched to another, shouting,
“Toto!”
—Yeah! It’s safe to drop now!
At that, Simon vaulted from the wall into the fortress interior. His body plummeted like a stone.
KWAAAAA!
A Death Worm burst from the ground, gulping him down whole. It then tunneled at high speed beneath the earth.
—We’ll reach the opposite wall in five minutes.
“Thanks.”
Toto’s summons were invaluable, if a little smelly.
Simon spread a Darkness barrier, shielding himself from saliva, preparing for battle.
‘……’
Then his expression froze.
“What was that?”
It wasn’t from the Death Worm.
A strange tremor pulsed through the underground.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters