Chapter 435
Chapter 435: Just Keep Going Like This. (2)
<Kaaaak!>
As the stones falling into the Rift Area increased, so did the screams of the Cracked Beings.
The area was so vast and the number of Cracked Beings so numerous that even shooting with eyes closed was feasible.
Ghislaine watched the encroaching blue fog and shouted.
“Don’t stop attacking! Keep preparing to prevent stones from falling！”
There were hundreds of stones prepared in the fortress, but that was hardly enough. So, he had troops gather stones from the surroundings.
That was not all.
<Kung! Kwang! Kwang!>
The soldiers inside the fortress destroyed everything they could break.
After all, if they were consumed by the Rift, it would be the end. The broken things could be rebuilt.
Thus, an enormous amount of materials for the catapults was created.
<Kwaaaang! Kwaaaang!>
At first, they only attacked with the catapults due to the distance. However, after a day, the blue fog had approached perilously close to the fortress.
Seeing this, Ghislaine frowned.
“Definitely an abnormal speed. It’s definitely over 500,000.”
It could even be close to 1,000,000.
In his previous life, such rifts had never been created in such barren lands. The Salvation Society had a hard time creating rifts in such locations.
But since the rift was made, it was greedily consuming the energy of the Great Nature and expanding at an incredible rate, further expedited by the absence of any hindering structures.
“Even they can’t handle this mess.”
If Perdium were to perish, the barbarians who claimed the North would have to fight against that rift.
But could those barbarians face it even if they all gathered?
Woroka had foolishly only considered the immediate gains.
As the blue fog drew closer, everyone could see countless flickering black shadows within it.
<Kaaaak!>
The soldiers were writhing at the sight of the Cracked Beings charging towards them.
“Is that… a Cracked Being…?”
“Those are real monsters.”
“It looks endless.”
Wrapped in the blue fog, those with keen eyesight could catch glimpses of the hideous forms of the Cracked Beings.
If seen closely, they would surely be more revolting.
“Archers! Get ready!”
The soldiers snapped to attention at Ghislaine’s shout. It was now close enough for ranged attacks to be effective.
Under the command of the elf Lumina, the archers raised their bows high.
Everyone in the Penris Army could shoot a bow. And thanks to that influence, the knights and soldiers of Perdium had also learned archery.
Though they weren’t as skilled as the Penris Army, they could at least aim and shoot.
“Fire!”
<Paaah!>
Tens of thousands of arrows flew simultaneously into the blue fog region.
Precise targeting wasn’t necessary. There would be some misses, but most should hit.
Unlike the stones from the catapults, arrows couldn’t be resupplied from the surroundings. Once they used what they had stored in the fortress and the ones sent by Claude, they would be out.
Yet, Ghislaine didn’t stop the assault.
“Don’t hold back! Shoot!”
After all, the number of arrows was limited, so in the end, they would have to face close combat. Better to whittle down the enemy before that.
<Paaah!>
Countless arrows poured into the blue fog. The Cracked Beings, who emerged from the fog, were left defenseless.
<Kaaaak!>
Some Cracked Beings had their limbs protruding before that part disintegrated.
The soldiers alternated their attacks while taking sufficient breaks. They needed to conserve their stamina, as they would soon have to engage in serious combat.
<Shh…>
Two days later, the blue fog finally reached the fortress walls. By then, they were almost out of arrows.
Penris had constantly produced arrows in preparation for war, bringing them all to the Northern Fortress.
Yet, in just three days, they were running low.
The Penris Army had 20,000, while the Perdium Army, amid a food shortage, had just under 10,000.
With 30,000 soldiers continuously firing arrows, three days felt long.
“Stop! Only the elves shall use arrows now!”
Under Ghislaine’s command, the arrow fire ceased, distributing the remaining arrows solely to the elves.
<Shh…>
Finally, the blue fog enveloped the fortress wall and touched the soldiers’ faces.
It felt eerie, like being drenched by a chilly, damp rain in the cold dawn.
“Shields!”
Suddenly, Ghislaine shouted. The soldiers atop the wall snapped back to reality, lowering themselves and tightening their grips on their shields.
And in that moment.
<Kaaaak!>
Cracked Beings sliced through the fog with long claws.
<Taang!>
The shields of the soldiers were violently shaken from the force of the Cracked Beings’ powerful strikes.
But the blue fog hadn’t fully covered the wall yet. Some of the Cracked Beings’ hands turned to dust.
<Kaaaak! Kaaaak! Kaaaak!>
Now the thunderous howls of the Cracked Beings could be heard, resonating alarmingly close.
And when the blue fog finally covered about half of the wall.
<Kaaaak!>
<Creak! Creak! Creak!>
The Cracked Beings began to climb the wall using their claws.
With gray skin devoid of fur, long arms, bloodshot eyes filled with intent to kill, and mouths shredded open displaying sharp teeth.
“Ugh!”
The soldiers, seeing the Cracked Beings for the first time, gasped. Hearing of them was one thing, but seeing them was utterly terrifying.
Yet, as trained elites, they gripped their shields tightly and steadied their stances.
<Kaaaak!>
In an instant, hundreds of Cracked Beings surged forth, wildly swinging their claws and opening their mouths.
Many had arrows embedded in various parts of their bodies. They wouldn’t die from one or two arrows unless their heads were completely punctured.
<Taang! Tatang! Taang!>
The front-line soldiers holding shields held their ground reasonably well. The sheer number of incoming Cracked Beings posed limits to their assault.
However, it wasn’t long before the Cracked Beings began to climb over the shields. There were simply too many, and they pressed upon each other to surge forward.
As the Cracked Beings began to land on the wall one by one, Ghislaine shouted loudly.
“Strike!”
Soldiers who had been a step away thrust their spears at the Cracked Beings.
<Thump! Thud! Thump!>
The defensive capabilities of the Cracked Beings were no different from those of ordinary people. The waiting soldiers’ attacks pierced them, but they didn’t die easily.
<Wrrrr!>
Hundreds of magical spears materialized around Ghislaine.
They soared through the air, piercing the heads of the Cracked Beings that had landed on the wall.
<Kwaang! Kwang! Kwaang!>
Ghislaine’s close associates and knights also struck down the Cracked Beings. Having fought the Cracked Beings, they realized how to distribute their power effectively.
Battles with the Cracked Beings were endurance fights. With their sheer number, the side that could hold on the longest would prevail.
While fending off the Cracked Beings, Ghislaine shouted.
“Vanessa!”
Finally, Vanessa, who had been waiting at the back, cast her spell.
“Earth Wall!”
<Kuhhhhhhhh!>
A massive wall appeared between the Cracked Beings attempting to ascend and those following behind.
It was large enough to completely block the front of the fortress.
<Kaaaak!>
For a moment, the Cracked Beings were separated into two groups. Those at the back scrambled to climb over the wall that obstructed them.
As the isolated Cracked Beings became the targets, the remaining wizards unleashed spells on them.
<Kwaaang! Kwang! Kwaaang!>
Flames and lightning rushed in, incinerating the Cracked Beings that had been charging towards the fortress.
The soldiers with shields did their utmost to push the Cracked Beings climbing the wall back down. Any Cracked Beings that managed to bypass their defenses were killed by the knights and soldiers behind.
The elves who had moved to the high watchtower surveyed the entire battlefield, providing arrow support for any dangerous areas.
The catapults continued to hurl stones, striking down the Cracked Beings at the back.
It was a perfect cooperation. With Vanessa blocking the Cracked Beings from overwhelming the fortress, they employed a steady strategy to eliminate them.
“Hold on! Just keep this up!”
At Ghislaine’s encouragement, everyone steeled themselves. As they acted according to what they had learned and prepared, it wasn’t too difficult yet.
Before long, the area in front of the fortress was filled with the corpses of Cracked Beings. Being in the Rift Area, the dust didn’t disperse, and they began to pile up.
The wall made by Vanessa slowed the influx of Cracked Beings coming over.
However, the problem was the heap of corpses piling up in front. While the wizards kept incinerating them, there were so many that a hill was beginning to form.
<Kaaaak!>
The Cracked Beings charged forth, even through the flames. They didn’t care if arrows stuck into their bodies or if they caught fire.
You could feel the hatred and obsession in their intent to kill.
The soldiers gritted their teeth. They couldn’t let themselves be intimidated by that momentum.
There were far fewer of them here. If either side faltered, their formation would collapse in an instant. So, they had to hold firm.
The dirt wall they had painstakingly erected began to collapse under the weight of countless Cracked Beings clinging to it.
At that moment, Vanessa stepped forward again.
“Fire Pillar!”
<Kwaaang!>
Huge columns of fire erupted in front of the fortress, shattering the corpses of the Cracked Beings.
Thanks to that, the Cracked Beings had to start climbing up the wall again.
“Earth Wall!”
<Kurururung!>
Once more, the earthen wall rose, blocking the oncoming path of the Cracked Beings.
And again, the same process repeated. Maintaining this pattern was the first strategy to hold on.
“Keep holding on!”
“Don’t fall back! We can do this!”
“Stay strong!”
Across all locations, commanders’ encouragement echoed. If they could just hold on a little longer, they could eventually deal with the Cracked Beings, no matter how long it took.
<Shhh…>
But the Rift had expanded beyond the wall into deeper territories. Naturally, Cracked Beings began to scale the side walls as well.
“Block it!”
The catapult attacks ceased. Since their numbers were relatively small, every single person had to engage in the defense.
The troops carrying stones for catapult support now blocked the side of the fortress.
<Boom! Boom! Boom!>
The knights rushed to support both sides. The defenses up front had loosened somewhat, but it was still manageable.
<Kaaaak!>
“Die! You bastards!”
Both sides exerted every ounce of strength they had to prevent being pushed back. The momentum of the Cracked Beings, who only held an intent to kill, showed no signs of wavering.
<Kwaang! Kwang! Kaaang!>
Corpses of Cracked Beings began to pile up atop the fortress wall. As time wore on, the soldiers found it increasingly challenging to move.
The one to resolve this issue was Ghislaine.
<Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!>
Hundreds of strands of mana extending from his body grabbed the corpses of Cracked Beings and flung them around indiscriminately.
The incoming Cracked Beings were smashed by flying corpses.
<Thud! Thud! Thud!>
Thanks to Ghislaine’s immense contributions, that tense balance could be maintained.
Whenever a wall broke down, Vanessa would rebuild it. As a level 7 circle wizard, she even constructed walls curling around the sides of the fortress.
As corpses piled high to form a hill, the wizards incinerated them.
All the while, they never forgot mana distribution. Equidema was still in play, and the duration of this battle remained uncertain.
If they kept repeating this, they would eventually take care of the Cracked Beings. Everyone believed that.
Until a day passed.
“I-I can’t move my arm.”
“I have to hold on!”
“Damn… how many are there?”
As humans, they had a limit to how long they could keep moving.
If it were a war against humans, there would be a momentary lull in fighting. After all, the enemy would need to rest as well.
But the Cracked Beings just kept coming endlessly. No one could eat, sleep, or rest.
Only then did the soldiers realize the true terror of the Rift.
They would have to fight until one side perished.
Seeing the soldiers becoming exhausted and sluggish, Ghislaine bit his lip.
“Indeed, holding on is a problem.”
When the rift expanded significantly, this was precisely what was terrifying. There were far too many Cracked Beings.
At this rate, hundreds of them must still be springing forth from the rift. There was no army to suppress them, and the Cracked Beings were piling up too high.
They couldn’t afford a moment of respite to retreat.
Few could fight uninterrupted for days on end. Facing an enemy that kept pouring in without end was bound to breed despair.
The knights would occasionally sip water mixed with powder whenever they found a chance, but the soldiers standing against the Cracked Beings didn’t even have that luxury.
<Kaaaak!>
<Kwaaang!>
Ghislaine stepped forward, sending dozens of Cracked Beings flying and shouted.
“Recover!”
At his command, the waiting priests unleashed their divine power.
<Paaah!>
Holy light erupted from all directions, enveloping the soldiers. The surrounding Cracked Beings screamed as they were incinerated.
Thanks to that, the soldiers who regained some strength were able to move again.
They needed to maintain their current tactics for as long as possible. But even that had its limits.
“I need a break.”
No matter how many priests they brought, healing tens of thousands of soldiers was no easy task. Naturally, they couldn’t heal multiple times, so they had to conserve their use.
The priests must have felt fatigued after their first use.
“There’s no help for it.”
Once they were healed, they would need to eat and drink water, to rest even a little longer.
And that time, Ghislaine intended to buy for them.
“Grant me your blessings!”
The priests’ divine power enveloped Ghislaine.
Soon, Ghislaine’s body began to shine brightly. The goddess’s blessing invigorated him and mitigated external attacks.
But Ghislaine wasn’t thinking of using it for that purpose.
<Paaaah!>
The eyes of Ghislaine, who had been distributing power while fighting, reddened.
There was no need to activate to the third stage core. The second stage could hold them off for a while.
Ghislaine gripped a spear and channeled his mana into it.
<Drdrdrdrdr.>
A dark red aura seeped into the spear, causing the air to tremble. The spear, now filled with immense power, soon shot forth toward the fortress.
<Kwaaang!>
An enormous explosion resonated, bursting apart the Cracked Beings that had surged toward the fortress.
And at that moment, Ghislaine jumped into the fray.
Upon witnessing this, Skoban recalled the past.
“Here we go again.”
The only difference from before was that Ghislaine had gone down alone.
