"They're swarming like insects!"
Martha was the first to leap down from the castle wall,
raising her sword high. Kuwaaaang! The Titan's Aura that
burst from her blade fell like a giant's fist, smashing the
heads of the Orcs climbing the wall.
"It's the Division Leader's order. All of you, disappear."
Runaan followed Martha, drawing a semicircle with her Snow
Flower. The frost imbued in her blade spread like a wave,
freezing the Trolls and Orcs standing before the gate solid.
Kyaaang! As she tilted her sword, the frozen monsters
shattered into dozens of pieces and collapsed.
"Don't move alone, maintain formation."
Burren thrust his sword between Martha and Runaan. The
icy gale that bloomed on his silver blade mercilessly tore
apart the monsters charging towards the castle wall.
"They're coming from your side too, Squad Leader!"
Krein stuck close to Burren's back, cleaving the heads of
Wolfbears and Gnolls charging from the right. His sword
moved like a feather, showing his familiarity with Astral
Energy manipulation.
"Eeeeek!"
Despite being frightened by the countless monsters, Dorian
leaped down from the wall without hesitation to rescue
dying soldiers. Mark Goetun unleashed lightning-infused
sword strikes, creating a wide space to prevent the Light
Wind division from being ambushed.
Yua sang the Sword Mantra she learned from Raon,
suppressing the monsters' Fighting Spirit and boosting the
morale of the Light Wind division.
Julius never left Yua's side, cleaving the incoming monsters
in half. Other Light Wind swordsmen also extended their
Astral Energy, the symbol of Masters, cutting down all the
monsters targeting the walls and gates. However, the Light
Wind division had not yet revealed their true power.
"Deploy!"
At Burren's shout, the scattered Light Wind members
gathered in front of the gate. Instead of their usual circular
formation, they formed a triangular formation resembling a
sword.
"Break through!"
As Martha advanced at the forefront, the swordsmen
supported her rear, raising their swords. Above the charging
formation breaking the enemy lines, the wind of the Gale
Wind Style, made of Astral Energy, blossomed.
Wherever the Light Wind Formation advanced, monsters
were pulverized without a shred of flesh remaining. It was
overwhelming Martial Prowess. A spectacular scene
unfolded, like a green wave shattering against a breakwater.
"Th-that's the Light Wind division...?"
Wendy swallowed hard as she watched monsters being split
to the bone without even being able to resist.
'All of them are Masters....'
She had heard many rumors about the Light Wind division
growing stronger, but she never imagined they would
achieve such growth.
'They're not just simple Masters. Each one of them is
strong.'
The swordsmen were massacring monsters with complete
control over their Astral Energy, proving they hadn't become
Masters by chance. The intense glow emanating from their
various swords was chilling.
"Ah...."
Wendy stared blankly at the Light Wind division crushing the
monster army, then looked to her right. Their leaders, Raon
and Rimmer, hadn't even moved yet.
"R-Raon sir. Thank you."
She approached Raon and bowed.
"I didn't expect you to come so quickly. I'm truly grateful...."
"Zieghart and Arianne are not strangers. There's no need for
such formalities."
Raon gave a faint smile to Wendy, who was biting her lip.
"Ah...."
Wendy gripped her wrist tightly. Hearing Raon's considerate
words, her tension eased, and she felt a lump in her throat
without realizing it.
"You've been continuing your cultivation. I can sense that
you've grown stronger."
Raon nodded, instantly grasping the level of Wendy's Martial
Prowess.
"I thought I had been working hard, but seeing those kids
makes me feel ashamed."
Wendy sighed briefly. She thought she had been training her
best while handling the head of house's affairs, but seeing
the Light Wind division made her feel embarrassed.
"There's no need to compare yourself to others. As long as
you're not ashamed of yourself, that's enough."
Raon waved his hand, comforting Wendy.
'It's a change worthy of confidence.'
Wendy might feel helpless having to handle the situation of
monsters swarming from above and below alone, but her
actual Martial Prowess is strong. With her balance of
cultivation and practical experience, she could rise much
higher.
"Please wait a moment."
After reassuring Wendy and the other swordsmen, Raon
descended below the castle wall. In that short time, the
Light Wind division had completely pushed back the
monsters around the wall and was even advancing forward.
Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched the monsters
fighting to the end without fleeing.
'They're not retreating.'
Despite feeling the overwhelming difference in Martial
Prowess with the Light Wind division, the monsters never
turned their backs. Their Fighting Spirit conveyed a
determination to fight to the death.
'Then I'll have to create fear.'
Raon stepped forward in front of the Light Wind division and
drew his Heavenly Drive sword that he had kept behind his
back. Flames surged from the sword tip, forming a shape
like a rising dragon, bringing forth a massive wave of fire.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation Heavenly Drive. Flame and
Ice Unification.
The enormous storm and tidal wave of flames covered the
sky and ground, instantly reducing dozens of monsters to
ashes.
Krururu.... Keuruk.... Only then did the monsters seem to
feel fear, stopping their advance and beginning to retreat.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Martha stomped her foot, unleashing Astral Energy as if to
end it here. Krein and the other swordsmen leaned forward,
following Martha's lead.
"Stop."
Raon shook his Heavenly Drive sword and blocked the path
of the Light Wind division.
"That's enough for now."
"Why...?"
Martha furrowed her brow, seemingly unable to understand.
"You don't even realize how exhausted you are right now."
Rimmer pointed out the ragged breathing of Martha and the
swordsmen in Raon's stead.
"You've overexerted yourselves trying to break through in
one go. We've opened a path, so withdrawing now is the best option."
Raon nodded, agreeing with Rimmer's words.
Although the Light Wind division had shown absolute Martial Prowess,
there were limits. Now was the time to conserve aura and
stamina for what might come next.
-You stopped them well.
Wrath nodded towards Raon.
-War devours both victors and losers. It's dangerous to lose
your composure.
'That's not the only reason.'
Raon frowned as he looked into the depths of the forest.
'You'd know this of course, but there's a monster in there.'
Using the Perception of the Snow Flower and extending his
Aura Perception to its limit, he sensed the presence of the
one controlling the monsters in the forest. Judging by realm
alone, it seemed to be on par with his current self.
'The bigger problem is that it's not alone.'
Behind the one controlling the monsters, he sensed two
more presences of extremely high-level experts. They were
too far to identify specifically, but at least Grandmaster
level. It seemed like conditions similar to Hollam's arena,
but his honed senses detected an ominous feeling. It was
just a feeling, but they seemed much stronger than Tugui.
-Three of them....
Wrath smiled, stroking his chin.
-Now that you mention it, it does feel that way.
He chuckled, muttering incomprehensible words.
'Hmm....'
Just in case, he extended his senses again, but couldn't
detect their presence, as if they had retreated far away.
"The Division Leader is right."
Burren nodded, exhaling a heavy breath.
"We've consumed a lot of aura defending the walls and
pushing back the monsters. Let's retreat for now."
He slowly stepped back, telling others to follow Raon's
words.
"Okay...."
Runaan frowned as if unexpectedly wanting to fight more,
but didn't argue and stepped back beside Raon.
"Tch."
Martha clicked her tongue briefly and sheathed her sword.
Raon led the somewhat disappointed Light Wind division
back to House Arianne.
"Thank you."
"We are grateful!"
Wendy and her subordinates bowed their heads as if they
had been waiting.
"It's alright, please rise."
As Raon smiled and waved his hand, Wendy and the
swordsmen stood up.
"Let's assess the situation first. I heard there was still time,
so why did the war suddenly start?"
"I'm not sure either."
Wendy shook her shoulders, her head lowered.
"The monsters moved as if they had become a single entity,
and they struck all at once...."
She exhaled a long breath, saying they were able to hold
out a little thanks to their prior preparations.
"Did you see the King?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't see it. I should have moved on my own...."
"No. You did well."
Raon nodded slightly as he looked at Wendy.
"Because what's there isn't the King."
"What? What do you mean...?"
"The one controlling the monsters now isn't the King, but..."
He muttered roughly, looking down at the quiet night forest.
"It's the Ghost of Eden."
There couldn't be three Monster Kings. The monster
controlling the monsters in that forest was clearly the Ghost
of Eden.
"Ah...."
Wendy swallowed dryly as she turned her gaze.
"To think the Ghost of Eden could control so many
monsters...."
"It must possess a special ability."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the land filled with
corpses.
"Burren. Report to the house that it's Eden's doing."
"Understood."
Burren nodded and began writing a temporary report to
send to Zieghart.
"The war hasn't started yet. Let's start with repairs."
Raon pointed to the torn-down gate and the cracked walls.
"W-we can repair the cracks in the walls, but the gate is
impossible. We went out to get war supplies a day ago, so we're short on iron...."
Wendy bowed her head, saying she was ashamed.
"It's alright."
If it was a day ago, it meant they had prepared immediately
after sending the request for support, so there was no
reason to blame Wendy or House Arianne.
"Dorian."
"Yes!"
At Raon's call, Dorian stepped forward as if he had been
waiting.
"You've swum enough underwater, right?"
"Of course! I paddled so hard I practically scraped the
bottom!"
He nodded confidently, unlike during the battle.
"Then bring it out."
"Yes!"
Dorian went down below the wall with a bright smile. He
reached into his belly pouch and started pulling out huge
iron plates.
-Hmm, those iron plates should be enough to repair the
gate. That pouch is certainly thorough in its preparations.
'Indeed. The iron plates we bought in Mirtan village... Huh?
What?'
Raon's smile turned to shock as his jaw dropped. What came
out of Dorian's belly pouch wasn't iron plates, but an entire
steel gate.
-Urk....
Wrath also seemed astonished, smacking his lips before
falling to the ground.
"Uhhh...."
"A-a steel gate? And it's the right size for this castle...."
"It even looks thicker than the original."
"This is insane...."
"Good heavens...."
Both the Light Wind division and the people of House
Arianne were stunned, their jaws quivering at the shadow of
the steel gate looming over them.
"A-as expected of the Light Wind division. You're all
amazing...."
Wendy let out a breathless sigh as she looked at the gate
that fit perfectly for the castle of House Arianne.
"..."
Raon didn't respond to Wendy's words and called out to
Dorian instead.
"Why do you have a castle gate...?"
"It's a necessity, isn't it? It fits perfectly!"
Dorian smiled happily as he pulled out equipment and
materials to repair the walls as well. He looked happier than
ever.
-This king is now a bit scared of that pouch....
Raon swallowed dryly and nodded.
'Me too....'
***
Tsk. The Twin-Headed Demon clicked his tongue as he
watched House Arianne begin repairing the walls and gate.
'Were we detected while we were in the dungeon?'
He hadn't sensed anyone's gaze before, so they must have
been detected when he entered the dungeon with the Green
King.
'Seems the head of house is quite capable.'
He had heard that House Arianne was in decline after all its
executives died, but contrary to expectations, it seemed to
be running well.
"Raon Zieghart and the Light Wind division, huh...."
The Twin-Headed Demon twisted his lips as he watched
Raon and the Light Wind division carrying out the repairs
themselves.
'Certainly an impressive talent.'
Recalling that powerful flame that swept away the monsters
in an instant sent chills down his spine. Normally, he should
retreat now, but the situation was too interesting to resist.
"What do you two want to do?"
The Twin-Headed Demon turned to look at the Green King
and the Severing Sword who had stepped back.
"..."
The Severing Sword remained motionless, his hand on his
sword hilt as if protecting the Green King. Grind! A sound
like grinding teeth came from within the black Orc helmet
worn by the Green King. She emanated a chilling killing
intent, as if furious about the slaughter of the monsters.
"You want to fight, don't you?"
The Twin-Headed Demon nodded slightly, as if he had
expected this.
"Fine. I'll accept your fighting spirit. Kill them all."
He flicked his finger and stepped back. The Green King
stomped her right foot. A blood-red Fighting Spirit spread
from beneath her feet, enveloping the monsters in
concentric circles.
The monsters, hearing the King's call, raised their weapons
with earth-shaking roars. A military spirit that seemed to
reach the sky rose as if they were an elite order of knights.
As the Green King raised the Lion Sword and pointed it at
House Arianne, the monsters advanced in unison like
disciplined soldiers. They marched forward, treading on the
corpses of their fallen comrades and drinking their blood,
towards the cracked castle walls.
If the previous advance was just a mindless charge, now the
Green King was using the corpses of their fallen comrades
to raise the morale of the monsters.
"As expected...."
The Twin-Headed Demon raised his chin and curled his lips,
as if impressed beyond his expectations.
'Fate sure is interesting.'
He couldn't help but smile, amused by a situation that only
those who knew could find enjoyment in.
"..."
"You don't need to go."
As the Severing Sword was about to follow the Green King,
the Twin-Headed Demon waved his hand.
"Let's see how far she can go."
The Twin-Headed Demon licked his lips as if he had his own
plan. The monster army advanced relentlessly but stopped
just out of arrow range.
"..."
The Green King didn't hide among the monsters but
advanced to the front, raising her gaze. Her blood-red eyes
met Raon's crimson eyes.