Chapter 503 The Fall of the Fortress

The easternmost coast of the continent.

The open seas were shrouded in gloomy, heavy mists all year round.

Raging black waves beat endlessly against the shore.

Along the beach, one could often find fish that had been hurled onto the sand by the violent winds and waves, stranded and gasping.

Their mouths opened and closed repeatedly, hoping only that a fiercer storm would carry them back to the sea—for the alternative was not a kind fate.

Shlick! Shlick! Shlick……

Amid the roar of the surging tides,

a creature unlike the stranded fish suddenly clambered onto land from the waves.

“Uluulu……”

Its massive, pitch-black frame let out a low, bone-chilling growl from its throat.

“Roar……”

Its hideous mouth split open in a gruesome gape, revealing curved, blade-like fangs in an instant.

Saliva dripped incessantly from the gaps between its teeth onto the sand.

Sizzle……

The sand corroded at the touch of the saliva, letting out a sharp, acrid sound.

Sniff——!

Sniff——!

It lifted its nostrils to the sky, scenting the air in all directions.

Before long, its bloodshot eyes locked onto the Coastal Outpost not far away.

“ROAR——!!!”

It let out a thunderous roar toward the heavens,

then charged straight for the outpost.

Deep footprints, and pits corroded by its saliva, marked its path along the beach.

Thud!

In the next moment,

another massive black foot stomped down onto one of those pits.

“Gururu……”

A new enormous shadow emerged onto the beach, its throat also rumbling with a terrifying growl.

Swooosh——

The perpetually raging waves fell still at this moment.

Not even the faintest breath of wind could be heard in the air.

And then……

countless hideous figures poked their heads out from the sea.

They emerged along the endless coastline, stepping onto solid land.

“ROAR——!!!”

Roaring, they charged toward every outpost lining the shore.

As far as the eye could see,

a pitch-black “tsunami” had appeared along the entire coastline.

This “tsunami” swept inland at a terrifying speed.

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Wail——! Wail——!

On this day, urgent alarm bells rang out across the eastern coast of Bongisto……

— 23rd of July, 792 New Divine Calendar —

A Demon Vanguard Legion staged a forced landing and surprise attack on the eastern coastal defenses of Bongisto.

The entire coastal defensive line fell completely in a single night.

After that,

the Demon Vanguard Legion marched unimpeded, penetrating deep into the continent’s interior……

Boom! Boom! Boom……

Fire and thunder roared through the largest fortress-city in the world.

Blood and corpses littered the city’s streets and outer walls.

“Demons are breaking through from the west! Men, with me!”

“Hurry! The eastern wall can’t hold much longer……”

“It’s no use! The underground defenses have been breached—demons are appearing in the city center!”

“What!? Send reinforcements at once! We cannot let them take the heart of the city……”

The battlefield, awash in blood and fire, descended into chaos.

Demons crashed against the walls like a tidal wave, yet the defenders stood their ground, fighting to the last to protect the city they had struggled so hard to hold.

And yet……

a single figure appeared in the sky.

A flash of pitch-black light.

For a heartbeat, all sound on the battlefield vanished.

The next instant,

BOOM——!!!

A deafening explosion shook the entire battlefield.

The defenders stared in stunned silence as fully half the eastern wall crumbled away. Despair and powerlessness welled up in their hearts.

“So this is…… a Demon Lord-Class being……”

A tide of demons poured through the massive gap in the eastern wall.

“Run, Russell! We can’t fight any longer!”

Eileen, Frots, and Lucien dragged Russell with all their might, retreating toward the rear.

“Let go of me! There are still people who haven’t evacuated!”

“Snap out of it——”

Eileen shouted directly into his ear.

“We have lost! And you—you cannot die here——!!!”

Russell’s head spun at her words. His voice caught in his throat, unable to escape.

He lifted his head, slowly gazing out over the battlefield, where the sounds of clashing steel still rang out.

At last,

he stared up at the figure in the distant sky,

and ground out through clenched teeth:

“Damn you! I will return——!!!”

Suddenly, the figure in the sky seemed to sense something, and its gaze snapped toward them.

“Look out——!!!”

Lucien’s face paled.

In the next second, his dread came to pass.

Shriek——!

A jet-black beam burst from the being’s eyes, streaking straight toward the four of them.

Just as the attack was about to strike home,

Shwish——!

A violet figure blurred into view, yanking all four out of the line of fire.

“……”

A flicker of surprise crossed that figure’s eyes. It watched the fleeing violet shape, but chose not to give chase.

Rumble……

A massive explosion erupted where they had stood a moment before.

Eileen glanced back at the spot, trembling with relief, and let out a long breath.

She looked up to thank her savior.

“Thank you, Alice!”

“You’re welcome…… My brother is waiting ahead. I’ll take you to him.”

Whoosh——!

With those words, the violet figure accelerated,

vanishing from the battlefield in the blink of an eye……

— 7th of August, 792 New Divine Calendar —

The Demon Vanguard Legion marched upon the fortress-city of Bongisto.

The unassembled Allied Forces of the Four Races fought in haste. After three days and nights of brutal battle, a Demon Lord-Class entity appeared out of nowhere.

Bongisto fell.

In this battle, countless adventurers of Bongisto stood their ground and fought to the death, defending the city with their lives.

In the end, more than half perished on the battlefield.

— 2nd of September, 792 New Divine Calendar —

After successive defeats and retreats against the Demon Vanguard Legion,

the Allied Forces of the Four Races finally established a defensive line at the Witch Hills—a natural stronghold deep within the eastern kingdoms—and successfully repelled the vanguard of the demon army.

The demon offensive was halted.

The two sides entrenched themselves here, locked in a standoff.

……

……

In the northern Lidoyar Kingdom,

within a courtyard, the elf maiden Prarlulu focused intently on practicing her magic.

“O light, strike true and shatter!”

Hum——!

A flash of golden light blazed,

and the rock before her was shattered instantly.

“Very good—your casting speed is much faster than yesterday~.”

Irus, sitting nearby and sipping tea, set down her cup and praised her with a smile.

“Ehehe, really~?”

Prarlulu beamed with joy at the compliment.

“Then I’ll catch up to Hena and the others soon, right?”

“Hmm~……” Irus tilted her head, thoughtful. “Who can say?”

“Aww……”

The elf maiden’s shoulders slumped at once.

“I’m only teasing. You’re improving very quickly, Prarlulu~.”

“Ah! Lady Irus, you did it again! You’re so mean!”

“Sorry, sorry—I couldn’t help myself. But are you sure you want to stop practicing? You’ll fall behind again.”

“Ah, right!”

Prarlulu yelped, quickly raising her Divine Staff to resume her training.

Just then, Hulim Heyerar stepped into the courtyard.

“Irus.”

“Ah, Hulim. You’re up early today~.”

“……”

“Ahem…… I’m only joking~.”

Irus stood up.

“Let’s speak somewhere more private.”

With that, she gently guided Hulim toward the courtyard’s exit.

Prarlulu glanced over as they left, unable to resist peeking.

“You’re stopping your practice again.”

“Eep?!”

Caught red-handed, Prarlulu snapped her gaze back, flustered and scrambling to resume her stance.

Irus only smiled, then left the courtyard with Hulim.

……