The First and Last Fortress of Humanity, Crossroad.
The southern plains stretched out before it.
The Kill Zone — a barrier area surrounded by countless wooden fences.
“Enemy monster corps, vanguard!”
A scout observing the area shouted urgently.
“Entering the Kill Zone-!”
“…!”
The ground rumbled faintly.
Rustle…
The winter forest spread across the southern plains seemed to shudder, and then the next moment.
Crash-!
Monsters poured out of the entrance to the plains.
Like an overflowing muddy stream, black monsters endlessly surged forth, filling the southern plains.
Lucas, aboard the airship Blue Pearl, took a small breath as he looked down at this scene.
“They’ve come this far.”
Earlier, the operation to topple the ultra-giant monsters — ‘Titan Fall’ — had succeeded.
They were able to devastate both the ground and air completely. The ground, in particular, was split and shattered, effectively hindering the advance of the monsters following behind. Moreover, an enormous number of monsters had died and fallen in this process.
Nevertheless, they were infinite.
Nevertheless, they advanced.
Clinging to the collapsed land and sky, the endless horde of monsters crawled northward over several days. And they finally succeeded in reaching this southern plain where Crossroad was clearly visible.
Throughout this process, delaying tactics were continuously deployed, but it was literally just a delay. Complete blockade was impossible from the start.
The vanguard of the monster horde that had stubbornly advanced finally arrived here.
‘In the end, we must defend from the main fortress.’
In the ‘Lightning and Tidal Wave’ operation, the lightning had ultimately been pierced through.
But the final barrier, the tidal wave — the main fortress of Crossroad — remains.
‘We’ll try to hold them off.’
Lucas took a breath, steeling his resolve to fight.
‘Because it’s what my lord ordered, and also…’
His bright blue eyes stared directly at the incoming monsters.
‘Because I, too, want to protect this world…!’
Bang! Boom boom boom…!
A distant sound of artillery fire rang out from Crossroad’s main fortress, and the next moment.
Kwa-gwang-gwang-gwang-!
Artillery shells rained down on the Kill Zone.
Lucas was in charge of commanding the guerrilla forces aboard the airship Blue Pearl.
Evangeline was in charge of commanding Crossroad’s main fortress defense line.
Evangeline had also become thoroughly experienced as the captain of the infantry unit, and she was the rightful heir to Crossroad. The defense command of the future lord was flawless, without a single gap.
“It seems we don’t need to worry about the defense of the main fortress.”
Lucas looked around at everyone on the bridge.
“Let’s do what we need to do.”
The heroes organized into the guerrilla unit all nodded in unison.
The ‘Lightning and Tidal Wave’ operation is still ongoing.
And the heroes on this ship are the final lightning.
The defense battle of the southern plains began in the same manner as previous defensive battles.
The monsters that had advanced northward crashed their forces into the entrance of the southern plains — the Kill Zone. While they were caught in a bottleneck, tangled in obstacles, cross-fire from Crossroad rained down, grinding them to pieces.
But soon, everyone realized.
It was different.
This battle was different from before.
Bubble bubble bubble…
The monsters, tangled and clumped together, continued to pour out like a seething swamp mixing from within.
Endlessly, continuously, without stopping, they crawled out from the south, filling the plains.
They had faced terrifyingly large numbers of monsters during the previous zombie march, but this was on a different scale.
Literally infinite.
It was a truly enormous scale befitting the monsters’ final all-out offensive.
“There’s no end to them, really…”
Evangeline, directing the artillery while looking through a telescope, groaned as if appalled.
By now, the entire area south of the plains was completely covered with monsters, to the point where there was no space that wasn’t black.
A massive black wave, a black tsunami, no…
A black world itself was pushing towards Crossroad.
However.
“We’re fully prepared for this…!”
They had anticipated this situation from the start.
They entered the battle knowing the enemy would be infinite. They had stockpiled enough ammunition to fire for a week straight, expanded the artillery positions to be wider and higher, and prepared manpower including reserves.
“Artillery! Continue to-“
Raising the cavalry lance in her hand and waving the black flag tied to its end, Evangeline shouted with all her might.
“Fire-!”
Bang! Boom boom boom-!
As if answering her cry, the neatly fired barrage split the sky and fell on the entrance of the southern plains.
Kwa-gwang-gwang-gwang-!
It exploded.
Currently, Crossroad’s artillery was set up in a structure where 3 units fired in rotation. By shooting, loading, aiming, and shooting again, these artillery units could create an uninterrupted barrage that could devastate the impact zone without a moment’s pause.
Moreover, it didn’t end with just 3 units; 3 more reserve units were also on standby.
A total of 6 units could alternately create barrages and rest, theoretically allowing for an infinite curtain of fire.
Additionally, even the people from the production guild, who were usually evacuated for safety, all remained in the city to help produce and repair war supplies.
‘The enemy is infinite?’
Evangeline smiled fiercely.
‘Then we’ll just pour out infinitely too…!’
The monsters appeared endlessly, invading through the entrance of the southern plains, but.
Bang! Bang! Boom boom boom…!
They were pounded by the endless cross-fire pouring down from above, melting and collapsing.
Quite some time had passed since the battle began, but not a single monster had even made it halfway across the southern plains.
‘The experience from the zombie incident was good practice!’
After repelling up to 100,000 zombie monsters at that time, various improvements and ideas were proposed within Crossroad.
Ash adopted several of these for application in this final battle. This system of expanding the artillery and setting it up for infinite rotational firing was one of them.
‘At this rate, we should be able to keep repelling the small fry indefinitely…!’
And just as Evangeline thought that.
Thud thud thud thud-!
A series of monsters broke through the cross-fire and charged out.
Small, high-speed monsters that could dash through without being swept away by the barrage.
Large monsters advancing with thick armor that could withstand the cross-fire.
And flying monsters that appeared in the sky, piercing through the thick smoke of explosions.
‘Oh no!’
Evangeline hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand.
This mouth of hers is always the problem! How does it happen right after she speaks…
‘No, I didn’t even say it out loud?! I just thought it!’
Anyway, she shouldn’t even think such things.
The group of swift small monsters that safely escaped the Kill Zone created at the entrance of the southern plains, the group of large monsters armed with thick armor, and the group of flying monsters approaching through the air.
As she glared at them while tapping her forehead, Evangeline’s lips eventually curled up slightly.
Carelessness is not good.
But there’s no need to cower unnecessarily either.
“We’re fully prepared to deal with this level of situation!”
Evangeline waved the end of her cavalry lance with the flag attached as she ordered.
“Sniper unit, target the approaching small monsters! Mage unit, handle the large monsters unaffected by artillery fire! And artifact team, prepare anti-air artifacts!”
As soon as the order fell.
Click! Click! Click!
The sniper unit led by Damien aimed their guns and bows, then opened fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang…!
With each slow gunshot, the speed-type monsters frantically rushing towards the castle walls fell one by one.
The marksmanship of Damien, the world’s best sniper, and the elite snipers he led was already transcendental.
While Damien with his Thousand-Mile Eyes was exceptionally extraordinary, the snipers now under his command were all top-class archers and hunters from around the world.
Each of them was renowned under aliases like Hawk Eye, Sharpshooter, Baba Yaga, and Smoking Gun — the best snipers of the current era.
Add to this the original snipers that Damien had trained and drilled from the beginning.
When the sniper unit of thirty members opened fire, the monsters’ heads began to explode en masse even from an incredible distance.
Of course, Damien stood out even among them.
Bang-!
With a single rifle shot, he penetrated and instantly killed four monsters simultaneously, then prepared for his next shot with an nonchalant expression.
The snipers around Damien all wore dumbfounded expressions.
“We’ve lost, we’ve lost…”
The other snipers grumbled as they continued sniping.
Then there was the mage unit led by Junior.
“Use magic that consumes little mana and is highly efficient as much as possible!”
Junior carefully coordinated the mages lined up in formation.
Humanity’s strongest tactical weapon. Mages.
They had not yet exerted their full power. To conserve mana for a prolonged battle, they formed ranks and fired even the smallest spells in resonance with each other.
And that was enough.
When the basic elemental magic shot by the mages, who were now completely skilled in joint magic, intercepted the large monsters, the large monsters collapsed and perished without much resistance.
Arrows of flame, rain of ice, and blades of wind flew alternately, and the large monsters that had broken through the barrage all fell to the ground with screams.
Additionally…
“Activating anti-air artifacts!”
Lily and the alchemist team activated all the artifacts they had prepared.
The artifacts took effect across the entire airspace of Crossroad. The flying monsters that had been pouring down, blackening the sky, all flinched at once.
Speed reduction, defense reduction, disorientation…
Though the effects were minor, they were applied to an overwhelming range. All the flying monsters were afflicted with harmful effects at once.
And towards these flying monsters, humanity’s strongest aerial force rushed in.
“Let’s go!”
The Sky Knight Division led by Mikhail launched from the airship ‘Blue Pearl’, plunging into the front of the pouring flying monsters.
“The sky belongs to all of us! Don’t let the monsters violate it-!”
Behind Mikhail was the healing priest Zenis, riding along. This was to heal the knights and griffins on the spot.
The entire Sky Knight Division was equipped with holy power armor on their bodies and various elemental enchantments on their weapons.
They had showered beneficial effects on the griffin riders, who already possessed combat power far beyond ordinary flying monsters.
Conversely, they had showered harmful effects on the flying monsters.
The difference in combat power became overwhelming.
Kwang-!
Like lions leaping into a flock of sheep, the Sky Knight Division tore through the flying monsters as they dove in.
‘We are strong.’
Evangeline unconsciously clenched her fist.
‘We are… strong!’
Pouring six-shift cross-fire to completely block passage through the Kill Zone.
Enemies that break through are crushed by snipers, mages, artifacts, and air forces.
The movements of the first-rate troops working in perfect coordination were beautiful to behold. As a knight and an officer, Evangeline was moved almost to tears for a moment.
Humanity’s efforts honed on the monster front over the past 3 years were not in vain. They had blossomed so magnificently.
It was then.
“Reporting-!”
A scout’s shout that completely dispelled that emotion pierced Evangeline’s ears.
“The ‘Sleepless Lake Princess’ has appeared-!”
“…!”
Evangeline hurriedly raised her telescope.
Saa-aa-aa…
Far away at the southern end.
Scattering thick darkness, fluttering the ends of a white dress burned at the edges… the incarnation of nightmares appeared.
A burned veil fluttered in the wind, revealing the face behind it.
The pale face was expressionless.
So much so that it was hard to believe it was once the woman they had shared joys and sorrows with.
“…”
Finally.
The worst enemy commander had arrived at Crossroad.
After quietly observing Nameless, who had completely become an enemy.
Evangeline slowly raised her telescope upwards.
The threads of darkness connected to the body of the ‘Sleepless Lake Princess’ crossed the world vertically… reaching the end of the split sky far away.
Beyond the grotesquely torn sky were countless glistening eyes.
The greedy gazes of Outer Gods watching the final battle unfolding on this earth.
‘Senior.’
Evangeline lowered her telescope with a resolute expression.
‘We’ll keep their attention well, so…’
She smiled with all her might.
“Go all out, as much as you want…!”
With the rebellion Ash had incited, and the opening of the Spirit Realm Showdown.
Here in the human world too, the great monster invasion had entered its final stage.
–TL Notes–
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