We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Those Who Fight
Those who appeared were not just black, spherical monsters.
Grotesque monsters resembling giant slugs clung to the fortress walls and roofs. Then, with a sizzling sound and emitting smoke, they began to melt the outer walls.
In addition, giant moth-like monsters flew around, scattering scales.
A male adventurer who touched the scales screamed.
“Be careful! What looks like scales is actually a swarm of extremely small monsters!”
Everyone shuddered.
Several giant moth monsters flew over the fortress roofs. All of them were scattering extremely small monsters that looked like scales.
“Damn it, prioritize and shoot down the moth monsters! The damage will spread!”
Shouted a warrior of the beast race. However, they had few means to attack the moths flying overhead.
Those with bows and spears attacked, but even when they inflicted wounds on the giant moth monsters, they couldn’t shoot them down.
Nevertheless, the human adventurers and beast warriors struggled to defeat the moth monsters while avoiding the scattering minuscule monsters.
However, the monsters they had to deal with were not just the moth monsters.
While everyone was distracted by the appearance of large monsters, normal monsters also swarmed out.
Furthermore, the slug-like monsters clinging to the castle walls finally began to melt the walls and roofs, and started to invade the interior.
“Defend the fortress! If the monsters begin to converge through the interior, the front line will collapse!”
Currently, the monsters appeared and rampaged in areas divided by courtyards. But if they were to invade the fortress like this, they might reach the living quarters and endanger non-combatants.
They had to somehow eliminate the slug-like monsters and fill the holes in the fortress.
However, the situation only worsened.
An adventurer swung their weapon at a slug-like monster. However, the weapon they attacked with was melted, and the adventurer’s skin, on which the viscous fluid had splashed, burned.
The adventurer screamed and writhed in pain.
“Get back! These things melt things!”
A little while ago. In the village of the beast race living in the northern land, a yokai appeared that melted and absorbed everything. These were like the monster version of that.
The slug-like monsters invaded the fortress with slow movements. But the adventurers and beast warriors had no way to impede them.
Furthermore, insect-like monsters, grinding their teeth with a high-pitched squeal, began to invade through the holes in the walls.
“This is bad. Let’s retreat for now and regroup.”
“But if we don’t hold our ground here…!”
The adventurers hesitated, unsure of how to assess the situation.
Meanwhile, the monster swarm continued to invade the fortress.
“You guys, get down!”
Just then, a valiant voice echoed from behind the adventurers. At the same time, something passed by the adventurers at high speed.
The “something” that passed by at blinding speed struck the slug-like monsters precisely.
Immediately after, the area where the monsters were concentrated exploded.
“Wounded individuals, return to the central medical facility and receive healing from the miko.”
“Leave the rest to us.”
The dragon race warriors, who appeared calmly from behind the stunned adventurers, asked what had happened.
“Blow away the slugs with your arts! Eliminate all other stragglers one after another!”
The dragon race warriors moved swiftly.
They mercilessly killed the monsters that had invaded the fortress with weapons and fists.
They unleashed dragon arts, blowing away the slug-like monsters clinging to the walls and roofs.
That “something” earlier was a dragon art that resembled a spear.
Once the dragon race joined forces, the tide of battle quickly turned.
“Amazing…”
The adventurers were dumbfounded by the overwhelming combat power of the dragon race warriors.
And then, their faces clouded over with complex emotions.
“Damn it. Are we useless now…?”
The battle intensified with each passing moment.
Initially, the adventurers and beast warriors had been fighting advantageously against low-level monsters. But now, facing monsters that physical attacks couldn’t harm, the appearance of large monsters, and being overwhelmed by numbers, they were beginning to feel a sense of powerlessness.
Then, a dragon race warrior scoffed at the disheartened adventurers.
“Hey, you lot. Are you still volunteers gathered by the Eight Dragon Kings of Elnea?! Don’t spill such pathetic complaints over something like this! If you have time to lament what you can’t do, then do what you can with all your might!”
Instead of gently comforting them, the dragon race warrior admonished the disheartened adventurers without hesitation.
“Elnea never gave up, you know? She constantly searched for what she could do and moved forward. You are all of the human race like Elnea, aren’t you? Then, fight to the end without giving up, just like Elnea!”
Listening to this, I felt kind of ashamed!
But I think what the dragon race warrior said is true.
I never invited people who would give up so easily.
Rather, I intended to summon those who would show their hidden strengths even in worse situations.
Therefore, this is not a difficult problem or a wall. It’s just a small pebble on the path ahead.
With the dragon race warrior’s scolding, the adventurers’ fighting spirit began to return.
“Sorry, we showed you a pathetic display.”
“It’s fine. Thanks to your efforts until now, we were able to take it easy.”
The dragon race warriors laughed, saying it was a give-and-take.
“Well then, we’ll take it easy and rest for a bit, relying on the dragon race. But we’ll definitely seal the holes in the fortress walls, so protect this place until then, okay?”
“Leave it to us!”
Defeating monsters isn’t the only aspect of fighting.
The fortress was being destroyed by the monsters’ attacks.
If physical attacks were ineffective or the monsters were too large to handle, they could simply switch to repairing the damaged fortress.
In the areas where the dragon race warriors joined the fight, the situation began to turn in their favor.
However, dragon race warriors were not deployed in every section of this vast fortress.
In the sections without dragon race warriors, the struggle continued.
“Watch out for roots popping out from underground!”
“You idiot, don’t let your guard down! Those buds are packed with fangs to prey on their victims!”
In the area without dragon race reinforcements, the Doran group was fighting valiantly.
From a distant land to the east.
They were hired adventurers whom I met in the hometown of Dragon Knight Anya. They saw the request I made and came running.
“Damn it. If this weren’t the situation, I’d be a millionaire picking flowers!”
Whipperton-san, who chuckled bitterly, watched the courtyard while fending off tentacles with his short sword.
“Oh dear. There’s no time to pick flowers.”
Tontack-san, wielding his spear beside Whipperton-san, also chuckled bitterly.
“Whipperton, if you have time to chat, go help those struggling with those monsters over there!”
“If you’re going to say that, why don’t you provide support with Beneil’s curse magic?”
“Batton, shoot an arrow at those buds to keep them in check!”
Here too, the Doran group showed excellent cooperation.
However, the battle situation only worsened.
Flower monsters emerged one after another, breaking through the courtyard ground. Then, they ensnared adventurers and beast warriors with their roots and tentacles, easily flinging the captured individuals away.
No matter how hard the Doran group fought, they could only handle one or two flower monsters at a time.
But now, the courtyard was overflowing with monsters, as if it had become a forest of plant monsters.
Screams echoed.
An adventurer whose legs were entangled by tentacles was about to be devoured by a flower monster.
No matter how hard the Doran group tried, they couldn’t save those out of reach.
Desperate!
Everyone fighting in the courtyard grimaced at the adventurers’ screams.
It’s over. Everyone expected a casualty. Just then.
“To come all the way to the west and end up picking flowers!”
With a deep voice, a giant mass of iron descended from the sky.
No, that was wrong.
A battle axe with a thick blade was swung down with great force from above the heads of humans and beastmen, and then slammed down, crushing the fanged flower monsters!
A giant hand grabbed the roots entangled around an adventurer’s legs. Then, it roughly tore the roots away, rescuing the adventurer.
Those in the courtyard, including the Doran group, looked up in astonishment.
In their line of sight were giant men, several times the size of a human.
“It’s not child’s play. If I go back to my hometown and tell the women that I picked flowers at this age, they’ll laugh at me.”
Hahaha, the giant warriors laughed boisterously.
While doing so, they stepped into the demonic forest created by the plant monsters without hesitation.
In front of the astonished human adventurers and beast warriors, the giant warriors began to swing their massive weapons.
With each swift swing, plant monsters were mowed down.
Some monsters entwined their roots and tentacles around the giants’ bodies. However, in the face of the giants’ overwhelming physical strength, their movements were not hindered; instead, the roots and tentacles that had entwined them were torn away one after another.
Some monsters bit with fangs lined up in their flowers. But they couldn’t pierce the thick skin. Moreover, those that approached the giants of their own accord were unceremoniously punched away, scattering their flowers.
The giant warriors trampled through the forest of plant monsters.
“Wow, amazing…”
Through the fortress roofs, I could see giant warriors rampaging in other sections as well.
Fierce attacks unleashed from their well-endowed bodies. Even large monsters screamed and began to flee from this.
“Warriors, now is the time to let this land know the might of the giants!”
Boehm’s war cry, leading the giant warriors, echoed beyond the massive fortress.
As if in response to Boehm’s war cry, the warriors scattered across various sections of the fortress shouted.
Just that alone made the fortress walls tremble.
“How noisy.”
Old Man Sleigsta chuckled bitterly.
“But with that war cry, the adventurers and beast warriors regained their fighting spirit.”
“We won’t lose to the giants!” The people regrouped, ready to fight again.
However, as if to crush their will, flying monsters launched an offensive.
What had been raging in various places since earlier were the moth monsters.
With each flap of their wings, they scattered minuscule monsters, tormenting those fighting on the ground.
Furthermore, long, slender monsters flew around eerily, dropping acidic saliva from above. The saliva withered plants and corroded clothing and equipment.
In addition, formless monsters floating with flat wings, incomprehensible monsters with human hands growing wings, and many other異形 monsters appeared, filling the sky.
Dragon race warriors unleashed dragon arts, and those with ranged weapons fired, but the number of monsters appearing far outnumbered those they could defeat.
If this continued, they would lose control of the sky!
I considered calling back the wyverns and looked into the distance.
Not only wyverns, but also earth dragons and many other dragon races preferred to operate outside the fortress rather than fight in confined courtyards.
Many dragon races remained in a passive stance, but some, bored, were hunting monsters outside the fortress.
As I was thinking of asking those dragon races for help, a reliable person appeared.
“Oh dear, how pathetic. This is why those who cannot fly…”
With a *swish*, Louvent, the Heavenly Race, flapped his white wings and descended into the fortress sky.
“Louvent!”
We shouted.
“Be careful!?”
Because, around where Louvent descended, there were countless flying monsters.
Moreover…!
A harsh scream of *gyaahh* came not from Louvent.
Louvent looked around, wondering what was happening. Then, he hurriedly fled.
Not from the monsters, but from a swarm of magic beasts!
A squadron of Great Eagle magic beasts scattered the flying monsters.
Owl magic beasts approached silently from behind the monsters, delivering fatal blows.
Various types of bird magic beasts appeared in support.
And then, they, along with Louvent who had landed in the midst of the monsters, became prey for their vicious claws and beaks.
“See, I told you so. Don’t get in the way of the magic beasts.”
“Gueguegue, sta…upid…”
Momo-chan also laughed at Louvent’s pathetic appearance.
Clicking the heart allows you to easily express your support. (Login required)
Support
Log in if you have an account
Learn more about the reading experience on Kakuyomu
