A curtain of water poured down from the sky, turning the world into a chaotic gray.
The swamp's water level was rising at a visible rate. Murky waves were already lapping at the base of the black vine wall.
The plateau had become an island.
"SCRAPE... SCRAPE... HISS..."
That scraping sound, originating from the depths of the swamp, cut through the rain, growing closer and closer.
Suddenly, the distant water's surface exploded in a massive spray.
A furious roar, unlike that of any crocodile, drowned out the thunder.
Everyone on the wall had their gazes drawn to it.
In the downpour, a massive beast, larger than a freight wagon, struggled amidst the muddy waves.
It was covered in a thick hide like flagstones, and a single horn on its head churned the water.
"It's a Rock-Breaking Rhinoceros! A Level 3 Magical Beast!" an old Mercenary cried out in alarm. This was already beyond what they could handle. "What is it doing here?!"
The next second, he had his answer.
Five giant crocodiles of astonishing size clung to the Rock-Breaking Rhinoceros's body like a fatal plague, their jaws locked onto its limbs and neck.
"ROAR—!"
The Rock-Breaking Rhinoceros let out a ferocious roar. Its eyes were bloodshot, its survival instinct overpowering its fear.
It twisted its body violently. The horn on its head began to glow faintly as it thrust viciously upward!
"SQUELCH!"
One of the giant crocodiles was impaled by the horn through its lower jaw and up into its skull. Foul blood and brain matter exploded outward.
A desperate counterattack.
But this desperate counterattack ironically doomed the rhino. By a stroke of bad luck, the dead crocodile remained firmly impaled on its horn. The Rock-Breaking Rhinoceros tried several times but couldn't shake the corpse free.
The largest of the giant crocodiles seized the opening. Its muscles instantly knotted as it unleashed the killing move etched into its bloodline.
The death roll!
A sickening sound of snapping bones and tearing ligaments followed.
A huge spray of water erupted as the Rock-Breaking Rhinoceros's thick hind leg was brutally twisted like a rope. Its massive body crashed down.
More giant crocodiles swarmed it.
They latched onto different parts of their prey and began to roll, one after another.
The water's surface boiled with chaos.
In less than five minutes, the formidable, terrifying Rock-Breaking Rhinoceros had been torn to pieces while still alive.
Its tough hide was barely even broken. The Rock-Breaking Rhinoceros had become a giant, bobbing sack of shredded meat.
On the wall, a deathly silence fell.
The patter of raindrops on armor and the chattering of teeth merged into a single sound.
"We... we can't hold them..."
A young militiaman's spear fell to the ground with a CLANG. He turned and tried to run.
"We'll be torn apart just like that rhino!"
His breakdown triggered the other cowards, and a few more people started to flee.
Old Walker stood frozen, his clouded eyes reflecting the twisted faces of the panicked men.
He saw a young boy, barely a man, who had wet his pants in fear and was now collapsed in the mud, crying for his mother. He saw a man who had once boasted of hunting wild boars now drop his weapon, scrambling and crawling to push through the crowd.
His own heart sank, inch by inch, into a pit of ice. 'We can't hold them.'
This was the true face of the swamp. This was the fury of the "Crying Moon"—a natural disaster that no human strength could resist.
He silently turned his back to the wall, his murky tears mixing with the rain, ready to melt into the fleeing crowd like an old dog that had accepted its fate.
Just then, his gaze inadvertently fell upon the top of the wall—on the young lord, Velin Klein. He was still standing there, like a javelin nailed to the watchtower.
The rain washed over his youthful face as he continued to wave his arm and shout something at the Mercenaries.
'Why isn't he panicking?'
'Why isn't he running?'
'What does it matter to him if we live or die?'
'Why is he risking his life to defend this place, to defend these villagers, to defend... me, this old fool who was about to run?'
A burning wave of shame and anger washed away the fear in old Walker's heart.
'What right does he have not to run? What right does he have to stay and defend us... a bunch of cowards and old fools ready to flee!'
"AHHH—!"
Old Walker let out a beast-like roar. He whipped around, grabbed the collar of a young militiaman trying to squeeze past him, and with a surprising burst of strength from his withered arms, slammed the man onto the slippery ramparts.
"Run? Where the hell are you running to?!" Old Walker's eyes were Crimson Red. "Look at the Lord! Look! Do you want your wife and kids to die in the jaws of these beasts?!"
He slammed his cane into the mud, his voice hoarse but resolute. "All of you... get back behind the battlements! If we fall into chaos, we're all finished!"
The commotion was briefly quelled by his furious shout.
At that very moment, the stretch of water where the Rock-Breaking Rhinoceros had just been slaughtered began to churn once more.
A dozen pairs of cold, merciless, vertical-slitted pupils rose from the water, locking onto the highland in unison.
They had been drawn by the denser aura of life here.
"SCRAPE... SCRAPE... HISS..."
The scraping sounds merged into one as the giant crocodiles slowly sank beneath the water.
A dozen wakes cut through the water, slowly approaching the camp.
Barrett stood behind Velin. He watched the horde of giant beasts below as they surrounded the camp like a pack of wolves on a hunt. His hand, gripping his sword hilt, had turned white from the force.
He had once been a decurion in the Empire's border army and had been through countless brutal sieges.
But not once had he felt as helpless as he did today.
'Can a wall woven from vines really withstand the astonishing bite force of these giant crocodiles?'
He looked at Velin's back.
"My lord," he said, his voice low, "the Crossbow Arrows have limited penetration. Their skulls are too hard."
"I know," Velin replied coolly.
"If the wall is breached..."
"It won't be."
Velin cut him off.
Rainwater slid down his bangs, streamed across his calm face, and ran over his palms, which were slick with cold sweat.
His eyes were fixed on the system panel that had finally identified the giant crocodiles.
[Gray Swamp Giant Crocodile]
[Level: Level 3]
[Bloodline: Decaying Dragon Crocodile (Silver Tier) 33%, Mixed Bloodline 67%]
[Abilities: Death Roll, Underwater Breathing, Heavy Armor]
[Overall Evaluation: A powerful Magical Beast with pack-hunting tendencies. Possesses extremely strong tearing ability, high defense, and excels at underwater combat.]
His gaze swept over the scene below.
The giant crocodiles finally reached the base of the highland. They crawled up to the foot of the wall, which was not yet submerged. Just as Velin had anticipated, they were naturally funneled by the sharp-angled bastions. A unified pack attack had turned into scattered assaults by groups of two or three.
They could now only crawl forward along the angles of the wall, exposing their vulnerable flanks to the ramparts' field of fire.
'The star-shaped structure is working, but will the material be strong enough?'
Velin wasn't sure. But he still had an ace up his sleeve. They were just a group of slightly stronger crocodiles; he was far from helpless!
He raised his hand, the cold rain washing the sweat from his palm.
At that moment, it was as if a mute button had been pressed on all the cries and screams in the camp.
Every desperate, terrified, and lost gaze converged on the young Knight standing at the top of the wall.
"First group," Velin's voice was loud, piercing through the storm and thunder to reach the ears of every Mercenary.
"Prepare to fire!"