Shadowed Gaze: The Highserk War Saga - Chapter 57

“The Flame Emperor Dragon Appeared! Repeating, The Flame Emperor Dragon Appeared! Ahh! Its Breath——”

The old Felius Front Army Headquarters, cut off from communication with Dandurg Castle, was enveloped in a heavy atmosphere. Their plan had been to lure the enemy’s main force to the old castle and reduce the number of monsters attacking the remaining two invasion routes. They had been on the verge of successfully annihilating the monsters.

“Dandurg has been overrun by the Flame Emperor Dragon!”

“The Flame Emperor Dragon is heading straight for the Imperial Capital! It’s mowing down everything in its path—mountains, valleys, everything!”

“Not even a company-sized unit of magic soldiers can stand against it.”

“Why is this happening…”

“Monsters that escaped from Dandurg are now circling around to our rear.”

The defense plan was collapsing. Although Gerald still had nearly 20,000 troops at his disposal, they were now facing over 300,000 monsters and the Flame Emperor Dragon itself, advancing towards the homeland.

The Highserk Empire’s army neither had the strategy, equipment, nor the personnel to face the dragon. Only the three great nations were prepared for such a threat, capable of destroying such a beast with either the help of “Crumbling Giant,” “Great Spirit Magic,” or the “Merciful Sea Dragon.” Against dragonkind, nothing less would suffice.

The eyes of the soldiers and officers at the command post, facing imminent destruction, turned to Gerald, seeking salvation. After deep contemplation, Gerald slowly spoke.

“Order the Jeyf Cavalry Battalion to return to the homeland for a diversion. With their speed, they can outrun the rampaging beast.”

“Our precious mobile forces?”

Even in the frontline, Gerald spoke with a heavy tone.

“We can no longer defend the homeland. Even if we dismount and prepare for a defensive battle, we won’t be able to utilize half of our true strength. While we hold back the monsters, we must evacuate as many people as possible out of the country. The archipelago, our friendlies among the three great nations, won’t be targeted by that cunning Flame Emperor Dragon.”

“We’re abandoning our homeland, Highserk?”

One of his subordinates confronted Gerald as if accusing him.

“Yes. We abandon our beloved Highserk, our Empire.”

Gerald spoke clearly, without evasion.

“We are already dead soldiers. We’ll lure as many monsters as possible, bury them, and then die.”

To the speechless staff, Gerald continued.

“If we all flee at once, some soldiers might survive. But if we escape in disarray, even more of our citizens will die. Our country’s families, relatives, lovers, friends, acquaintances, those who share our values and landscapes—if they survive, the lifeline of Highserk will be preserved. We cannot let them all turn to dust.”

Gerald was aware that this was nothing more than a desperate struggle, akin to a death sentence. Yet, he declared.

“To our dying homeland, may our last loyalty, and blessings be upon the remnants of the Empire.”

Though there was no cheer or applause to welcome his words, no one opposed him either. Everyone understood the necessity of playing the role of a sacrificial pawn.

◆

The castle rampart had vanished over a span of 30 meters. Ironically, according to Walm’s estimation, the angle of the breach was fortunate, as the bottom 2 meters of the 10-meter-tall wall remained intact, albeit melted.

The problem was that the monsters, previously keeping their distance, had resumed their siege.

“Any platoon leaders here?! Squad leaders will do as well!”

About six people gathered, and Walm began assigning about 30 soldiers to each, conveying their roles.

The large number of civilians were instructed to gather materials from within the castle—anything that could serve as an obstacle. Ironically, the partial collapse of the tower and the rampart had made the search for materials less difficult.

“Those with earth attribute magic, form earth walls. Other magic soldiers, get on the rampart and continue to block the monsters!”

Walm rapidly issued instructions. In the face of the approaching monsters, the issue of succession in the chain of command was a minor concern.

“Archers, don’t hold back your arrows. If they breach here, the castle falls!”

Within about 10 minutes, a fragile 4-meter patchwork earth wall was erected. They could hope for no more, especially with the enemy almost upon them.

The magic soldiers began their support with assorted spells like Ice Spear, Earth Bullet, Wind Blade, and Fireball, confronting the leading group of monsters. Among them were adventurers Walm had recently welcomed.

For every arrow shot by the skilled archer Amy, a monster was knocked back and fell. The large shield user Fleck, using “Iron Wall” to strengthen his shield, knocked away the upper half of a leading Werewolf.

Al, who had once crossed swords with Walm, was cutting down approaching monsters with a wind magic infused sword.

A Highserk soldier, cornered by a Silver Wolf and trying to prevent it from tearing out his throat, defended with his arms.

Before Walm could reach him, the blue-haired adventurer Al skillfully beheaded the Silver Wolf, saving the soldier.

“It was the right decision to keep you alive.”

When Walm expressed his admiration, Al twisted his face and said,

“Those are kind words indeed.”

No further words were necessary, and Walm refocused on the demonic creatures.

The positioned archers began firing arrows at will, rather than in a volley. Stones hurled from slings crushed the heads of the monsters.

Yet, the monsters began to cling more aggressively to the hastily constructed walls. Soldiers stabbed at them indiscriminately with long spears as they tried to scale the walls.

Walm himself sliced the throat of an ascending orc with his halberd and thrust the blade into the temple of a kobold at his side.

One soldier was grabbed by the leg and dragged into the midst of the monsters, his blood spraying as he was torn apart, like ingredients in a blender.

Another soldier was pounced on by a wolf, which tore out his throat.

Walm swung his halberd upwards from below, smashing into the ravenous wolf. As its entrails flew up into the air, the wolf vanished among the monsters.

A lizardman, presumably armed with a stolen shield and sword, leapt out onto the wall. With eyes reminiscent of a reptile and a long tongue, it menaced Walm.

Walm, who had no desire to see a lizard at that moment, channeled magic and activated “Strong Strike,” cleaving the lizardman from right shoulder to waist, armor and all.

“Begone, lizard scum!”

Aware that he was lashing out, Walm hooked the upper half of the still breathing lizardman with his halberd’s blade and slammed it into a goblin.

Kicking away the lower half, Walm turned his gaze to a massive figure pushing through the surrounding monsters.

It was a Horned Grizzly, covered in thick fur, fat, and muscle. Low in intelligence, but a direct confrontation could cause unexpected damage.

“Fire Lance.”

Manifesting a spear of fire in his left hand, Walm hurled it at the bear. The fire lance struck the Horned Grizzly in the chest, spreading flames that engulfed the nearby monsters, causing it to writhe and die.

Before mastering Demon Fire, Walm’s fire magic was red. After mastering it, it turned blue and became significantly more powerful.

A formidable enemy seemed to have judged Walm’s presence, landing in front of him. A headless knight, a Dullahan, poised with a two-handed sword.

Walm faced off with his halberd but was interrupted by an orc leaping at him with a war cry.

Walm, prepared for the ambush, was about to counter when the orc was bisected by a single stroke.

It was the Dullahan’s “Strong Strike.”

“Even in death, you cling to a duel!”

It was mere speculation by Walm, but he drew his sword, thinking the ghostly knight sought a proper sword fight.

The demon face on his blade trembled innocently. As blue flames enveloped the blade, inscribed words appeared.
Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum (If you wish for peace, prepare for war).

The two-handed sword clashed with Walm’s mithril alloy sword. The collision of “Strong Strikes” resonated across the battlefield.

Winning the blade lock, Walm swung horizontally at the Dullahan’s left arm but was parried and deflected with the two-handed sword.

Changing the angle of his blade, Walm aimed for the fingers, but was repelled at the base of the hilt.

The absence of a clear weak point, the head, made this adversary far more troublesome than anticipated.

Expert swordsmanship and sturdy armor made the Dullahan even more formidable. Being dead, it wasn’t slowed by minor wounds, and targeting its joints was ineffective.

Regardless of the Dullahan’s intentions, Walm couldn’t afford a prolonged fight.

As his thrust sword was repelled, Walm closed the distance with wind magic and leaped into the Dullahan’s range.

His downward strike was caught by the sword, but he managed to sever the hand at the last moment.

The Dullahan skillfully wielded the two-handed sword with its remaining hand, but Walm overpowered it with sheer strength and magic.

Cut diagonally from shoulder to waist, blue flames poured from the cut. The Dullahan stood motionless, then collapsed onto the wall like a puppet with its strings cut.

“Go to rest now.”

Hoping the Dullahan would find its way to the afterlife by the pyre, Walm dropped the body over the wall. It was enough to draw attention. Walm then focused solely on maintaining the “Demon Fire.”

The monsters, rushing forward, began to retreat from the wall, pushing against those trying to advance, spreading the blue flames.

“Sir Knight is holding back the monsters with ‘Demon Fire’! Regroup now!”

A platoon leader, understanding the intention, shouted to his soldiers. Once they started moving, the Highserk soldiers’ movements were efficient. Walm only needed to concentrate on maintaining the demon fire.