Chapter 439 Collapse (4)
Uuu, uuugh.......
The sounds made by the corpses intimidated people.
Indeed, the bodies of the soldiers of Pervache were stiff and frozen.
“O-O God. Look down upon this small lamb.”
“Do not let the wicked things harm me, and.......”
The devout soldiers offered prayers to their god, while others—
“Ha! At the end of the day, they're just corpses. What's most frightening is living people, isn't it?”
“It’s just sheer numbers. If we prepare in advance, there’s nothing we can’t stop.”
“Just look at how they move. They’re slow as slugs.”
—tried hard to hide their fear and bolster morale.
Crack, snap.
As the flare illuminating the night sky went out, darkness settled over the plains once more.
And then, as if it had been a lie, the sounds the corpses had been making ceased.
Considering their last confirmed position and their movement speed, there was at least ten minutes of time before they would reach the wall.
Amidst the breath of soldiers watching the pitch-black plain—unable to see even an inch ahead—filling the ramparts.
“Let’s fire another flare.”
At Oscar’s words, Gerud turned his head.
“Our supply isn’t that plentiful; wouldn't it be better to fire it a little later?”
“We have to fire it now.”
Hearing that voice full of certainty, Gerud hesitated before speaking.
“Fire the flare.”
Fwoooosh!
The second flare soared into the air.
And upon the illuminated plain.
Clatter-clatter-clatter-clack!
A legion of corpses could be seen sprinting madly toward the fortress walls.
“Wh-What?!”
“Crazy...... Those things could run?!”
“P-Prepare for battle! Archers! No, mages first!”
One could feel the panic seizing the soldiers of Pervache right down to their skin.
Even Gerud, who should have quelled this atmosphere, was merely staring at the plain with dilated pupils.
There was no intention to reproach him.
That they could run was something Oscar himself had only learned after experiencing it firsthand in his past life.
“Phew.”
Exhaling a light sigh, Oscar lightly stamped his foot.
Wuuuung!
Seven mana circuits burned hot like fireballs, and the air of the plain distorted.
Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble!
As if gravity had reversed, dozens of undead charging at the vanguard floated up into the empty air.
The corpses, which had risen swiftly into the sky as if knowing no ceiling.
“Fall.”
Kwwaaaash!
Like meteors, they plunged all across the plain, sweeping through the surrounding area.
With just a single spell, over a hundred undead were rendered incapable of combat.
“M-Magic. And high magic at that.”
“Did our city have a high mage who manipulates wind?”
Seeing the wavering, half-doubting soldiers, Gerud did not miss this opportunity.
“Do not be afraid! A high mage of the White Tower, Oscar Crucian, is with us!”
“Oscar Crucian? That young lord?”
“I heard he’s a genius who reached the Master realm in barely a single year.......”
“Anyway, that kind of incredible person is fighting alongside us, right?”
“Waaaaah!”
The morale that had plummeted straight down to the depths reversed in an instant.
Gerud approached Oscar, who was observing the scene.
“Thank you so much. And I apologize for showing you such an unsightly display.”
“It’s fine. I only knew they could run thanks to the records left behind in the White Tower.”
“Ah, of course. So that was it.”
Oscar asked Gerud, who had finally resolved his doubt.
“How many minutes do you think you can hold out against their all-out offensive?”
“Mmm.”
He wasn’t asking if they could fight or win, but how many minutes they could hold out.
Grasping the grim reality from that question alone, Gerud responded.
“I do not know. I have never faced that old monster during a war, so.......”
“He won’t move seriously from the start.”
Oscar said, still looking toward Silgrim at the very rear of the corpse army.
“Due to my magic just now, he will try to test the waters even more cautiously. So, please just buy me some time.”
“......That sounds as if you intend to go somewhere.”
“Yes, I will be absent for a moment.”
Watching Gerud’s expression quickly darken, Oscar continued.
“I must use my magic to bring reinforcements.”
“Reinforcements, you say......?”
“We need more Masters of at least the 7th level.”
At those words, Gerud tilted his head in puzzlement.
“Is our fighting force not already sufficient? There are you and I, and though it is a non-mainstream school, there is also a 7th-level mage who manipulates the earth.”
One 7th-level knight and two mages.
At a glance, it seemed a fighting force on par with an 8th-level black mage.
After all, conventional wisdom held that if three or four 7th-level combatants gathered, they could sufficiently face a single 8th-level.
However, Oscar, who had faced Silgrim before, asserted flatly.
“The three of us will fall far short.”
Even having two more people like himself, who had reached the absolute peak of the late 7th-level, would be touch and go.
He looked toward the old man at the very rear of the corpses, whose four pupils were gleaming.
“You must not think of that thing as an ordinary 8th-level mage.”
Because that man was Silgrim Fonerth.
Called the greatest genius in the history of the Black Tower, his talent was rivaled only by Oscar himself.
Indeed, in his past life, when he had risen to prominence, that man had been the mage most compared to him.
‘Above all, Silgrim is.......’
Smacking his lips, Oscar spoke quickly.
“In any case, we need more reinforcements.”
“Mmm. Then do you mean you will bring reinforcements using your space magic?”
“That is correct.”
Gerud, who had been lost in thought for a moment, slowly nodded his head as he watched the rapidly approaching corpses.
“Then what we must do is buy time.”
“......It will be difficult, but please give me ten minutes, no, twenty minutes.”
“Leave it to me with confidence.”
Flashing a grin, Gerud raised his voice.
“Mage Corps! Break their vanguard with wide-area magic! Archers will intercept any units that survive the bombardment! Soldiers and knights, prepare boiling oil! And wake the citizens too! Right now, we need everyone’s strength!”
“Wooooo!”
A situation where the enemy was already right under their noses.
Code Red or whatever no longer held any meaning.
It was time to think only of waking even a single citizen more to defend this city.
Oscar subtly signaled the Commander with his eyes and moved down the stairs.
The Commander, following quickly behind, asked.
“Where are you going? What about the reinforcements?”
“There is an order to everything. You should not be in a position where you don't know that, right?”
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Oscar quickly returned to the Emperor's secret safehouse from which they had emerged.
There, he fiddled with the communication crystal and said.
“Hide here for now. I will bring those who can protect you as quickly as possible.”
“You aren't telling me to help them.”
“Are you crazy? The moment you use demonic energy, the demons will chase you down and sprint here, which will only make things harder for this place.”
Besides, just because Silgrim had appeared didn't mean the Empire had given up on hunting him down.
The priorities had merely shifted; if he was right before their eyes, there was no reason not to capture him.
[Oscar? What is the matter?]
[Your Majesty, the situation has changed.]
Oscar quickly shared the situation in Pervache.
[Silgrim Fonerth, you say? Did We interpret that correctly just now?]
[Yes, surprisingly, it is true. That old monster has returned.]
[However, if it is a figure of that caliber, the outpost in the Red Mountains should have...... No, the time where such things matter has already passed. What is the situation there?]
[Not good.]
Pervache was a small-to-medium city with a population of barely two thousand.
On the other hand, the opponent was an 8th-level necromancer, possessing an army of corpses swallowed and absorbed from Starfall.
[I do not know how Starfall fell, but with them having collapsed, it would be best not to expect Pervache to hold out well.]
[......We shall divert a portion of the Central Army there immediately.]
The reason the Emperor was diverting only a portion and not the entire military force was simple.
Now that they had lost track of all demonic movements in the Red Mountains.
There was no guarantee anywhere that Silgrim was the only one who had crossed over into this vast land of the Empire.
[What do you plan to do with the Commander?]
[I intend to hide him in the secret safehouse and drop by the White Tower.]
[Because you need reinforcements.]
[Yes, that is correct.]
He had already thought about whom to bring.
Frankly, it wasn't as if he hadn't considered the troublemakers of the Special Operations Division, but this time was a no-go.
A battlefield where Silgrim was present was far too dangerous for guys who hadn't even reached the 7th level yet.
[I plan to bring Elder Maxim, Chester, and Gilliot.]
[Even assuming Sasha must guard the Magic Tower, what about Lloyd? He would be the greatest asset.]
[Regrettably, I only know that he is in the Yan Empire.]
Seeing that he had obtained a fortuitous encounter, it was certain he was undergoing some kind of training.
The problem was that even Oscar himself didn't know the fellow's exact location.
[I intend to bring only those who have some age and experience, and who can become an immediate fighting force.]
[Understood. In that case, We will also instruct the Security Bureau to join you in Pervache.]
[Yes, and you must also take care of Your Majesty's own safety.]
At Oscar’s words, the Emperor responded quickly.
[We know what you are worried about. In such a chaotic situation, one never knows what might occur.]
[Yes, we do not know how the First Finger, who can exert influence even within the Imperial Family, will move.]
In the worst-case scenario, they might take advantage of this opportunity to target the imperial uncle.
[How is the security regarding the executives of the Black Finger?]
[As soon as communication with Starfall was confirmed severed, they were transferred to a separate sector, and all access privileges were closed off. Two Masters will guard that place in 24-hour rotating shifts.]
With that level of security, it wouldn't be easy to sneak the Black Finger out from the inside, at least.
Of course, it wasn't as if the demons would raise an army for such wretches, but there was always the off chance.
[As expected, your handling of affairs is neat. Then please only look after your own safety now, Your Majesty.]
[Understood. The army will arrive in Pervache within three hours.]
Three hours.
If three 7th-level combatants joined from the White Tower, that would be enough.
Moreover, that fellow Gilliot had reached the late 7th-level.
[I will contact you again.]
After the communication crystal turned off, Oscar looked at the Commander.
“You can manage on your own, right?”
“......I will pass on being treated like a child. Human.”
With those words, the Commander crossed one leg over the other and sat down on the plush sofa.
Seeing this, Oscar tugged at the cord of space.
“I’ll be back soon.”
As the sub-space opened, countless pieces of information still being inscribed could be seen.
Stepping inside, Oscar immediately opened a portal heading toward the White Tower.
When he went straight to find Sasha and explained the situation, her face hardened.
“......Since there is no way Master would make such a joke, it must all be true.”
“That’s right. A battle is likely in full swing in Pervache.”
“In that case, I will also—!”
Sasha’s two fists resting atop her knees clenched tightly.
Then, meeting his eyes, she shouted.
“I am coming too!”
“Of course not. What nonsense are you talking about?”
Oscar firmly rejected that request.
Normally, he would indulge and agree to whatever Sasha said, but this was the one thing he could not allow.
“Why?! I might seem lacking to you, Master, but I am an 8th-level. I will definitely be of help.......”
“You would be. And I’ve never once thought you were lacking, Sasha.”
Oscar’s soft, calm voice settled her excitement.
“However, we cannot leave the White Tower empty. We still do not know exactly what their objective is, and I.......”
Because he had no intention of repeating the same mistake.
Noticing that sentiment, Sasha’s lips pursed.
“......That’s unfair. If you put it like that, I can’t even throw a tantrum to let me go with you.”
“I didn't say it for that reason, but in any case, you can't.”
Pushing away the urge to complain, Sasha spoke.
“I understand. Then I will guard the White Tower, so please fight in my place, Master.”
“Of course I will. That is why there’s something I want to ask of you.......”
Soon after, Chester and Elder Maxim were summoned through the Magic Tower’s internal speakers.
Since he couldn't call Gilliot—or the Mad Demon—over the official announcement voice, he had brought that fellow along separately.
“Now then, everyone understands the situation, right?”
“Of course. An army led by Silgrim Fonerth...... My blood boils.”
“I, too, shall fight with all my might.”
“Chester. Oscar is by far your junior, so why are you using honorifics?”
“......Hmph.”
Flashing an incomprehensible victor’s smile, Chester rose from his seat.
“Tower Master, then we shall be off.”
“Everyone, please return safely without getting hurt.”
As the four people disappeared, Sasha let out a faint sigh.
For she had never imagined that an all-out war with the demons would begin in such a manner.
‘In this situation, the way I can be of more help to Master is.......’
Looking toward the top of the desk, she quickly picked up the communication device.
“Yes, it's me. Send a courier bird to the Nine Dragons Gate. Tell them to find a single person. Use the fastest method available.”
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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