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The battlefield’s ebb and flow must only occur when one has the capacity to absorb shocks head-on. The clash of hundreds of ogres against ten thousand humans. It’s not a fight that can simply be judged by numbers. If it’s the elite troops of the Imperial Army led by Walter, they could easily devour those hundreds of giants.

However, the situation is different for the Southern Coalition forces, who have little combat experience and are essentially seeing giants for the first time. They cannot recklessly initiate encirclement maneuvers, as any hasty moves could lead to a breakdown of formations.

The Grand Mage battles on the mountain fortress, dealing with orc foot soldiers while also engaging with the Gargoyle Queen. The Great Sage from the Magic Tower has unleashed a barrage of attacks but is now almost out of mana and can’t intervene further in the battle.

The moment the ogres and the Southern Spearmen clash, a fierce standoff ensues where neither side can gain the upper hand. The giants swing their clubs wildly, sending several soldiers flying back at once.

As the front-row soldiers are knocked back, the second row steps forward, thrusting their weapons at the giants. Even those soldiers who were hurled backward, thanks to their armor, manage to rejoin the line if they haven’t sustained severe injuries. A stagnant power struggle continues where neither side pushes forward or retreats.

At that moment, as if the giants were merely preparation for something greater, goblins riding a giant wolf monster split to the sides and charged toward the Southern Army’s flank. Koesernis, who was desperately directing efforts to hold back the giant in front of him, caught sight of the goblin bandits and grimaced.

“They’re coming in from the side! Prepare to engage!”

But could they actually respond effectively? Jenis, who was bracing against the deck railing, shook her head in despair at the sight. With trembling hands, she held up her cross necklace and called for Jeongjae.

“Professor, professor. Let’s finish this quickly. Sort out the situation over there fast and help us out from this side…”

Only after hearing Jenis’s message was Jeongjae able to sneak a glance at the battlefield below the fortress. The gargoyle’s attacks were fierce, and he saw no way to avoid this duel. On the other hand, the Southern Army, caught in a disadvantageous position, was being attacked from three sides and was on the verge of collapse.

Jeongjae admitted he needed to curb his ambitions. The Gargoyle Queen was formidable and not easily killed. Though he resolved to kill the gargoyle right here and now, if it meant sacrificing the lives of those soldiers while struggling, it would mean nothing.

The gargoyle noticed Jeongjae’s change in fighting posture and smirked.

“What’s this? Feeling like you can’t win, so you’re trying to show off?”

Jeongjae activated his muscle enhancement spell and lunged at the gargoyle with both arms outstretched. The Grand Mage caught the Gargoyle Queen before she could respond and hurled her toward the opposite side of the fortress—between the empty first and second defensive lines.

The gargoyle tumbled down, shouting curses as she rolled down the slope. Jeongjae’s actions were more about avoidance than actually killing the gargoyle. As the gargoyle tried to claw her way back up the hill, Jeongjae placed his hands on the soil and began incanting a spell.

“Slide down like it’s covered in oil. Smoother than a sheet of ice. Rise up as a slope so that lizards, spiders, and even that demon lord can’t climb!”

It was a hastily memorized spell, carelessly crafted, yet it had real effect. The Gargoyle Queen, who was trying to climb back up, was sent tumbling down once again by Jeongjae’s magic. Seeing the gargoyle extend her wings, Jeongjae shot a binding spell at her wings.

With a clinking sound, magical chains wrapped around her wings. Naturally, the gargoyle attempted to flap her wings to break free, but unfortunately for her, in terms of wing strength, she wasn’t that strong compared to the Succubus Queen.

With no way to ascend the mountain, the gargoyle looked up at the fortress and yelled.

“Scared, are you? Huh? Because if not, there’s no way you’d be avoiding the fight like this!”

“Fine, let’s call it that then!”

If Jeongjae wanted to settle things with the gargoyle, one option was to unleash a fiery attack right above her. However, even bound, the Gargoyle Queen could adeptly evade Jeongjae’s attacks. He couldn’t afford to waste more time. Jeongjae began moving again with telekinesis to confront the goblin bandits attacking the coalition army from the air above the fortress.

The tactics were simple. There was no need for various types of magic. Overly powerful spells could endanger the allies. Jeongjae repeatedly summoned the magic circle of “Star’s Flash,” delivering frenzied, targeted strikes at the backs of the Demon King’s Army.

Blue mana beams began to rain down on the heads of the giants and goblins like meteors raining down or a judgment from above. The Demon King’s forces were on the verge of breaking through the coalition’s lines, but in just a matter of seconds, Jeongjae shattered their offensive power entirely.

Seeing the chaos unfold in the Demon King’s ranks, Koesernis gave the command.

“Now! Charge forward! Let’s take the fortress and smash this defensive line!”

Jeongjae staggered quietly toward Koesernis. He wasn’t exhausted to the level of Jenis, but he was weary and felt all his strength ebb away.

“Don’t get your hopes too high, Duke Koesernis. There’s another castle beyond this one.”

“A castle? What kind of castle?”

“A castle just like this one. It’s a double defensive line. Even if we take this fortress, we’ll need to go over another wall.”

“What kind of insane talk is that, Baron?”

“It’s true. So even if we take the fortress, don’t be too… shocked. We still have to go over another castle like this one.”

“Then this war is lost.”

“…Let’s wait and see. At least until Jenis wakes up. She’s a Great Sage. There might be contingency plans even for this situation.”

Whether they were aware of the two men’s conversation or not, the coalition soldiers were fiercely driving the goblins and giants back. Many soldiers had become trapped in the earth piles, speared painfully as they perished.

The giants met a pitiful end right there, but the goblin horde, swift in movement, retreated with a relatively larger number of survivors scaling the mountain.

The goblins showed no intent to hold ground at the first defensive line, where their magic defenses were exhausted. As the goblins leaped over the mound and scampered down the mountain’s opposite side, the coalition soldiers sensed something was off.

“Those guys aren’t even trying to hold their position?”

“They all seem to be running away somewhere.”

“What is it? Is there some sort of stronghold beyond the fortress?”

Many soldiers arrived at a conclusion that edged toward the truth. However, those at the front, who had climbed to look at the fortress, reacted with despair.

“There’s… another one.”

A soldier who had barely managed to climb up the mound dropped his weapon and shook his head. Originally around fifteen thousand Southern Army soldiers had arrived by ship. They hadn’t lost a single man in the fight against the kraken, but due to this fierce battle on the coast, about two thousand coalition soldiers had died or been seriously injured.

They had suffered losses to the point where a single legion was nearly annihilated, barely capturing one fortress. But before them stood another fortress, identical in appearance, blocking their path.

To prevent panic from spreading among the soldiers, Koesernis ordered the secure capture of the walls and the elimination of any enemy hideouts that might remain atop those walls. As the soldiers scattered left and right under the Duke’s command, Koesernis quietly approached Jeongjae and asked.

“If we attack that fortress right now, do you think we have a chance, Grand Mage?”

“With no artillery support? No, that would be impossible. I clearly tossed the Gargoyle Queen down that hill, but now I see she’s missing. She’s probably fled to the second defensive line to regroup. If that’s the case, the scale of the soldiers that will converge there is on a whole other level compared to what we just faced.”

“How many enemies are gathered at that line?”

“Eighty thousand orcs. Twenty thousand goblins. Three thousand Shadow Knights. Five thousand skeletons, and even one lich squad. The Gargoyle Queen is huddled up inside that fortress.”

The Baron and Duke turned to Harker, who simultaneously raised his voice. Jenis had climbed up to the fortress, looking pale and leaning on her staff.

“There’s no way we can break through with our forces. Is this information from Reina’s red-eyed reconnaissance?”

Jeongjae inquired, and Jenis nodded as she caressed her staff.

“This is inside Demon King’s territory, so the staff is operating at full capacity. Thanks to that, we can accurately gather information about the enemy’s troop strengths. The numbers I provided are all based on reality, not mere speculation.”

“What about reinforcements coming towards the enemy?”

“Within a month, three hundred thousand. The landing point has been identified, and they are currently gathering all troops spread across the coast towards Febria Bay. At least until next month, the siege surrounding this coast and the fortress will be complete.”

“It’s a desperate situation.”

“I was going to celebrate a victory once we took this fortress, but it doesn’t feel like a victory at all.”

Koesernis nodded with a troubled expression. Jenis slumped to the ground, exhaling a deep sigh.

“We have no choice. We must place value in having barely taken this fortress and construct a stronghold in this bay area to hold our ground. We need to establish a supply system with Eramenia for continuous resources via the shortest route. We must mobilize all timber, stone, and available resources to build a formidable iron fortress surrounding this bay.”

“That’s exactly what Walter did at Nomember.”

“Following in his footsteps. We need to turn this bay into the eastern Nomember. But… hmm, sigh…”

Jenis seemed to want to explain something but just sighed in frustration.

Jeongjae could easily guess the reason. Jenis’s situation was far worse compared to the moment Walter had decided on the Northern Expedition.

First, the gap in troop strength. Currently, there were merely ten thousand soldiers stationed in this bay, in stark contrast to the hundred thousand army Walter had at his disposal when he decided on the Northern Expedition.

Moreover, compared to Walter’s situation, which involved borrowing Eramenia’s legions and including the Royal Knight Order in his ranks along with skilled commanders, Jenis’s situation was infinitely weaker without proper heavy cavalry, just having ten thousand foot soldiers to rely on. Even if she gathered all the allied forces remaining in the South, that would maximize at only forty thousand. There was no certainty they could defend Febria Bay effectively with that strength.

The supply issue was also grave. As Jenis herself mentioned, while trapped on this coast, they could only rely on maritime support for all supplies. It was tantamount to tossing ten thousand soldiers into the ocean, making farming impossible. Of course, if they were stuck here long enough to attempt any farming, it would also be dangerous.

The enemy’s siege was likely to grow stronger over time, and Jenis had no reinforcements to rely on. The only glimmer of hope was to swiftly push back into Eramenia’s gorge and clear a path for their troops to ascend, but the unanticipated double defensive line had dashed any dreams of a “quick advance.”

Every circumstance pointed to an undeniable disadvantage. The Northern Expedition undertaken by the hero, based on years of strategizing, could not be equated with Jenis’s hastily planned offensive executed in a matter of months. Even Walter’s Northern Expedition had been thrown into chaos by numerous variables, teetering on the edge of success or failure. Expecting Jenis to cruise along smoothly was either arrogant or foolish.

However, they were also in no position to acknowledge outright failure and retreat. Killing the kraken was an excellent headline, but if they couldn’t achieve further success because of it, they would eventually face the question, “Why kill the kraken then?”

What good is control over the seas? If the possibility of a landing operation is blocked. At present, humanity had no particular trading nations they needed to engage in maritime trade with. Since the Demon King’s fleet had practically been annihilated during the defense of Harriet, the consensus was that the enemy wouldn’t attempt a landing for a while either.

In that case, killing the kraken, while indeed a remarkable feat, could be seen as merely a “display of power.” To secure the kraken’s slaughter as an achievement and solidify Jenis’s position, this operation needed to yield some notable results.

“At the very least, it’s crucial to fortify the area around this bay and establish it as a region of our domain.”

No matter how much she racked her brain, Jenis concluded that she couldn’t think of a better method. Jeongjae did not oppose her view, but offered one piece of advice.

“Think carefully. If we build structures that are then taken from us, those could serve as coastal strongholds to defend against our re-landing.”

“It’s not that I hadn’t thought of that. But if we’re too afraid of losing them, we can’t build any fortifications at all. We must hurry. Before the enemy completes their siege, let’s establish a huge territory connecting the fortresses they leave behind to encircle this area. If we can set up our military base in their blind spot, this attack will have sufficient tactical value.”

 

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