Caaaack!
The outsider-species magical beasts let out deafening roars as they charged toward the Thermo Fortress.
Leo leaped down from the watchtower to the ramparts.
He and Daria's expressions hardened at the horrific sight of these outsider-species magical beasts, which differed starkly from ordinary ones.
At that moment, Helen Draker, the supreme commander of the allied forces, rushed over to where Leo and Daria stood.
Helen had also hurried out upon the sudden appearance of the magical beasts.
She approached Leo and said, "Commander, those magical beasts are an unfamiliar type."
Leo nodded in agreement with Helen's words. "That's what worries me. The fact that these completely different magical beasts from the Legion of the Undying have suddenly appeared feels ominous."
Helen gazed at the magical beasts advancing toward the outer defensive line, her face grave.
Rumble rumble rumble!
Unlike the typical beast-shaped ordinary magical beasts, the outsider-species magical beasts had no fixed form.
Some were humanoid, others beast-like, and there were even hybrids or completely amorphous ones without defined shapes.
The horde of magical beasts in every conceivable form was now on the verge of clashing with the outer defensive line.
The outer defensive line of the Thermo Fortress consisted of iron bars infused with mana.
It was the most effective barrier against beast-type magical beasts, but its impact on these outsider-species magical beasts was unknown. Helen, Leo, and Daria watched the situation in tense silence, hoping for a positive outcome.
The lead outsider-species magical beasts charged straight at the iron bars without hesitation.
Crunch crunch crunch!
One slammed its body directly into the bars.
Sizzle crackle!
The mana flowing through the bars enveloped the charging magical beast.
An ordinary magical beast would have been struck down and immobilized by the mana, but this outsider-species magical beast was different.
It endured the mana surging through the bars and kept smashing its body against them.
The other magical beasts following behind did the same.
Crackle sizzle!
Ignoring the mana coursing through the bars entirely, they focused solely on their charge.
Daria, watching from above, furrowed her brow and said, "They're markedly different from the magical beasts we've faced before. Their resistance to mana is so strong they might just break through the bars." That was when it happened.
Roooar!
A massive roar echoed from the rear, and a gigantic magical beast resembling the Origin appeared.
Surprisingly, its upper body was in the form of the Origin, but its lower half resembled a spider.
Clatter clatter!
Wielding its multiple legs, the magical beast swiftly advanced and extended a hand to seize a nearby rock-type magical beast.
It tore off the rock-type magical beast's head and hurled the severed body at the iron bars.
Boom boom boom boom!
The iron bars, charged with mana, crumpled and shattered under the force of the Origin's immense strength hurling the sturdy rock-type body.
Leo's eyes widened as he watched from the ramparts.
"H-How can a magical beast act like that?"
Magical beasts typically acted on instinct alone, driven solely by slaughter without any intelligence to perform complex maneuvers.
Yet the ones attacking the Thermo Fortress now displayed organized behavior and even used tools to clear obstacles.
This meant the methods they had used to repel magical beasts so far would be ineffective against these.
Growl growl growl!
With the obstructing iron bars gone, the magical beasts began pouring through the gap.
Gritting his teeth, Leo turned to Daria. "Corps commander, the outer defensive line has been breached. Prepare the first defensive line and brace for impact."
Daria nodded at Leo's command and immediately descended from the ramparts.
Helen, too, ordered her adjutant to ready the allied forces.
If the magical beasts broke through the first line and advanced past the second and third to reach the main walls, they would have to deploy troops directly to engage them.
The magical beasts swiftly overran the outer defensive line and approached the first defensive line, which consisted of earthen ramparts.
At the same time, the mage unit stationed atop the walls exchanged signals.
As the magical beasts neared the first defensive line, the mages channeled their mana.
"Fire!"
Magic circles rose from the ramparts, unleashing a barrage of offensive spells toward the magical beasts.
Boom boom boom!
Roar roar roar!
Crackle crackle!
Flame magic, explosion magic, lightning magic—spells of every type rained down on the encroaching horde.
The magical beasts caught in the sudden magical onslaught exploded, their bodies riddled with holes as they collapsed.
Roooar!
The beasts' cries echoed around the first defensive line.
The mages withdrew, and another group took their place before the magic circles.
They waited for the next wave of magical beasts to enter range.
The trailing magical beasts trampled over the corpses of those felled by magic and charged toward the ramparts.
Roooar!
As the mages activated their spells again, another bombardment poured from the ramparts.
The ramparts, capable of long-range magical attacks, were one of Hades's defensive innovations.
In siege warfare, mages expending all their mana up close risked counterattacks, so this method had been developed as a countermeasure.
The Legion of the Undying had never reached the first defensive line, so it had only been tested in drills, but fortunately, it proved highly effective in real combat.
Leo and Helen monitored the magical beasts under the magical barrage from the walls when they noticed unusual movements among the retreating ones.
Crunch crunch crunch!
Protrusions emerged from the surfaces of the rear magical beasts, from which long tentacles burst forth.
Swoosh!
The tentacles coiled around the scattered chunks of flesh from the fallen magical beasts and pulled them back, attaching them to their own bodies.
Gurgle gurgle!
The magical beasts that affixed the corpses grew larger and took on even more grotesque forms.
Some even reshaped the attached remains into massive wings.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
They spread their wings and took to the skies, bypassing the ramparts.
These flying magical beasts soared over the first defensive line straight toward the walls.
Caaaack!
The airborne magical beasts roared as they descended from the sky toward the fortress.
But at that instant, a massive light flashed in the air.
Boom!
With a tremendous crash, the descending magical beasts slammed into an invisible wall, recoiling from the impact and plummeting to the ground.
Splat!
The ones that crashed onto the hard surface burst into pulp.
The second defensive line's barrier had activated, blocking the aerial intruders.
The Thermo Fortress had evolved into an iron bastion capable of defending against the dark mages of Narak, magical beasts, and the Legion of the Undying through countless assaults.
The second defensive line's barrier was the fruit of those hard-fought battles.
At that moment, Daria and the knights of the Inmagung appeared atop a mobile watchtower in front of the walls.
They nocked arrows aimed at the magical beasts.
Daria, at the forefront, drew her longbow and loosed the first shot at her target.
Twang!
Her arrow whistled sharply toward the clustered magical beasts.
The Inmagung knights followed, firing their arrows.
Swish swish swish swish!
Dozens of arrows flew in unison.
Thud thud thud thud!
The sturdy arrows pierced the magical beasts without fail.
The struck beasts recoiled backward.
But then, something began to seep from the arrows.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle—
A greenish smoke billowed from the arrow shafts, spreading around them.
The magical beasts' surfaces bubbled and boiled where the smoke touched.
Kieeeek!
The arrows fired by the Inmagung knights were laced with a deadly biological toxin.
Ineffective against the undead Legion of the Undying, but devastating against living, moving magical beasts.
Ordinary knights might have hesitated to use bows and poison, but the commoner-born knights of the Inmagung were prepared for pragmatic warfare.
Survival and victory mattered more than knightly honor.
Sizzle sizzle—
As the lethal toxin spread, the magical beasts writhed in agony and began collapsing.
Seeing this, Daria loosed another arrow to mark the next target.
Swish swish swish!
The Inmagung knights' arrows and poison inflicted successive mortal blows on the magical beasts.
The horde started retreating behind the outer defensive line to evade the poison.
That was when it happened.
Eeeeeeeng—
A bizarre sound reverberated from beyond the horizon.
The surviving magical beasts turned and fled toward the source in a panic.
Against an enemy knight order or legion, pursuit might have been warranted, but chasing magical beasts was riskier.
Sending a pursuit unit into direct confrontation could lead to unpredictable reactions from the beasts, potentially increasing allied casualties.
Leo watched the magical beasts withdraw beyond the horizon and finally exhaled in relief.
But this was far from over.
'If the initial raid is this intense... the main force, composed of even stronger ones, will come next.'
They needed to identify who was controlling these magical beasts and directing the assault on the fortress first.
At that moment, someone appeared behind Helen.
It was Shadia, vice captain of Nemesis.
She approached Helen and whispered something in her ear.
Helen's expression darkened upon receiving the information from Shadia.
As Shadia vanished once more, Helen took a deep breath and turned to Leo.
"Commander, we have a problem."
"A problem? Has something happened in Rom?" Helen shook her head at his question.
She spoke slowly. "Those magical beasts... it seems they're not appearing only here." Helen's brow furrowed as she continued. "Reports are coming in of similar raids on major kingdoms and cities across the Central Continent."
*
Thud!
A massive golem blocking Baron and Harvey Draker's path crashed to the ground with a resounding noise.
Behind them lay the wreckage of dozens of fallen golems.
Harvey Draker glared at the shattered remnants and said, "Something's off."
Baron, slipping on his gauntlets, asked in response, "Off? What do you mean?"
Harvey Draker pointed at the golems. "There are too many guardians. As I recall, Rʼlyeh is a city that's long since lost functionality. With the custodian, the city's administrator, gone, even a secure zone shouldn't have this many guardians..."
He clenched his teeth and continued. "Zeke Draker must have pulled some trick. No doubt about it."
Baron replied to Harvey Draker in a flat tone. "Do you really believe Zeke Draker has the ability to do that? To activate a long-defunct ancient city?"
Harvey Draker's red eyes gleamed as he glared at Baron. "You still don't get it. Zeke
Draker's power has long surpassed the rank of a transcendent. It's greater than even Arthur Draker's..."
At that instant, an overwhelming pressure emanated from Baron's body.
Rumble rumble rumble!
Harvey Draker grimaced under the crushing aura.
Baron looked down at him and said, "Do not sully the name of a god with your petty judgment."
Harvey Draker bristled at Baron's attitude but ultimately backed down.
He realized arguing with a zealot would only harm himself.
Clicking his tongue, he shifted his gaze and said to Baron, "The Book of the Lion is over there."
Harvey Draker and Baron wove through the golem wreckage and proceeded inward.
Soon, an arched entrance appeared.
Harvey Draker raised his hand to the arch, and a strange sigil emerged on the back of his hand.
Creak creak creak—
He had secretly stolen an authentication key from the custodian during their escape and implanted it into his hand to breach the secure zone.
Hum hum hum!
Once authenticated, the invisible protective barrier over the arched entrance vanished.
Harvey Draker and Baron entered immediately.
A vast cavern opened before them, with a single glass case in the center.
Baron approached the case slowly.
'So that's it.'
Inside the glass case at the cavern's heart lay a single book with a black cover.