Chapter 42: The Giant’s Signal

It’s incredible. Monsters invading without any distinction between species, all mixed together. Is such a thing even possible?

Furnel’s reaction was that the monster waves themselves were astonishing.

Even those creatures who were so desperate to eat each other that they couldn’t stand it would, come spring, invade as if possessed by something… This is worth researching.

Unlike Hio, who often encountered this in the game, in Furnel’s era such a thing was impossible.

“No matter what, the fact that we have to hunt them all down remains unchanged.”

It’s been a while since you said something sensible, my friend.

As I stood on the highest watchtower of the fortress, looking down, Furnel spoke cheerfully.

“In my day, dealing with waves of monsters was a frequent affair. When I answered a call for support, I was treated with utmost respect, ‘Ah, mage sir!’ But when they found out I was a necromancer, their expressions soured.”

The old ghost’s endless stories had no end if started, so I let them slide and focused on the scenery below.

The fortress gate was wide open, and soldiers busily moved this way and that.

Their commanders directed them.

Thanks to their efforts, a new line of defense was being established well ahead of the fortress walls.

Once the battle begins, piles of monster corpses will stack up like mountains around there.

• “Alright, enough sightseeing. You still have your work to finish, don’t you?”

At Furnel’s words, I turned around.

Inside the watchtower, fist-sized stones were stacked high.

• To be able to stockpile these expensive things like this and still use them freely… Losing magic had some benefits.

These are all mana stones.

Stones inseparable from magicians.

• “So, how about it? You can now easily extract mana from mana stones, right?”

“That’s easy enough since it falls within my range of handling mana…”

Using mana stones as auxiliary batteries was something I could manage easily even without Furnel’s teachings.

“This, however, is very complicated.”

The problem was the pattern being drawn inside the watchtower.

No, it was a single massive Magic Circle made by connecting multiple patterns.

It was a Magic Circle.

• “Heh heh heh. Complicated as it is, think of it all as studying and understand it perfectly. If you want to spread Darkness over such a wide area, you naturally need the help of a Magic Circle.”

At first glance, it resembled the form of magic Verga used, but looking closely, there were differences in precision and scale.

Every arrangement of the patterns, even every single line, had a reason.

“Ouch, my head.”

It was a headache.

• “Stop complaining and hurry up and bring the mana stones. Place them on that pattern I just showed you. You recognize that one, right?”

“That’s a Necromancer’s Insignia. It serves to draw in death energy.”

The reason the Magic Circle was so complicated was because there were patterns I, Hio, had never seen before in my life.

Some ancient high-tier patterns that I couldn’t even carve right now.

• “This is a good opportunity. With mana stones this big, this Magic Circle is possible. Let’s keep a few of the most efficient ones aside, just in case. For emergencies.”

Even without Furnel’s words, a few high-quality mana stones were already inside my pocket’s Extra-Dimensional Space.

A side income like this makes hunting monsters all the more worthwhile, doesn’t it?

Besides, even if these got into other hands, there wouldn’t be anyone capable of using them properly. Better that they become my emergency mana chargers, benefiting the world.

“What kind of pattern is this?”

• “That’s the concept of spreading. It’s complicated, so explaining it would take ages. Just memorize it like that for now. When you get to the higher Circles, you’ll have a chance to encounter it again.”

I spent hours drawing the Magic Circle across the entire floor of the large watchtower, placing mana stones, and studying the meanings and principles.

Hours of grinding like that.

Suddenly.

“Ma-mage sir!”

A soldier called out to me from below the watchtower.

“The monsters are approaching! This is a message to prepare!”

The war was about to begin.

“Goblins, orcs, gremlins.”

The soldier gripping a spear muttered.

“Gnolls… and is that an ogre back there?”

Countless monsters approached, kicking up thick clouds of dust.

Tension lingered in the eyes of all who watched.

The weary war that happens every spring.

Every year, so many comrades had died.

But this year felt different.

No, it had to be different.

Thud—

The sound of a drum raised the tension.

Thud— thud—

The drums quickened, my heart raced, and excitement overtook my body.

• Kieeeek!

A non-human sound echoed from afar.

The endless dust clouds stretched before us.

Sweat trickled down the brow of the soldier holding the bow, and the spear wielder tightened his grip.

The tremor from the earth’s pounding was so fierce it shook bodies.

Thud— thud— thud— thud—

The drums pounded faster.

The battle was imminent.

“Load!”

The sound of horns filled the battlefield.

The earth vibrated.

Among the voices of excited commanders and the shouts of company captains,

“Fire!”

Arrows soared.

Thousands upon thousands of arrows covered the sky, raining down like a storm upon the monsters’ heads.

• Kieeeek!

Monsters fell instantly, their throats pierced and arrows embedded in their skulls, dying on the spot.

Their bodies collapsed, and those behind them tripped and fell like dominoes.

But that was only a small fraction.

Before long, they were climbing over and trampling corpses, rushing forward again.

“Load!”

Even in that terrifying scene, the soldiers calmly drew their bowstrings.

They were veterans in their own right; though afraid, they did what had to be done.

“Fire!”

Once more, a volley of arrows soared.

The arrow storm was a disaster for the lowly goblins.

The lead monsters fell again and again.

Even shooting arrows multiple times, the rate of monsters falling was far slower than the rate of monsters pressing forward.

And then.

“Bugbears!”

Large monsters began to appear.

Monsters shaped like bears, tossing aside kobolds obstructing their path without hesitation, advancing relentlessly.

“Don’t worry about them! Reload!”

Despite their ferocious appearance, the soldiers weren’t shaken and drew their bows.

They knew those weren’t their real opponents.

• Kuaaah!

The Bugbear’s relentless advance suddenly halted.

“Now!”

The knights, who specialized in intercepting large monsters, stepped forward.

They used skills to stop the movement and quickly finished them off.

It didn’t take long for the Bugbear’s head to hit the ground.

“Fire!”

Arrows rained down.

The knights slaughtered monsters while protecting the soldiers.

Judging by the current situation, only monsters were dying without human casualties, but that wouldn’t last long.

More and more monsters broke through the arrow storm and charged inward, increasing the number the knights had to face.

Though it seemed humans were overwhelming now, if even a little time passed, they would be unable to hold back the flood of monsters and collapse in an instant.

“Count, are you sure about this?”

From the fortress walls, the watchers cast uneasy glances at Yohn Torno.

“This is a plan we all agreed on, but… why is there still no signal?”

“Shouldn’t we check if the plan has gone wrong?”

“If we miss the timing, retreating will become impossible.”

Hearing these worries, Yohn Torno looked up at the watchtower.

There was a strange energy felt from the mage in the tower.

But it was delayed longer than expected, which caused these anxious voices.

“I’ll go check.”

Sylvia stepped forward.

“No, Your Highness, you shouldn’t…”

Despite the noble’s protests, Sylvia was resolute.

“He is my man, and I approved this plan. If something goes wrong, I am responsible, so I must go see for myself.”

Saying she would take responsibility if things went wrong meant her influence would grow if things went well.

The die was cast.

Sylvia was once again impressing upon the nobles that Hio was her man.

Yohn Torno nodded at Sylvia’s determination.

“That’s best.”

He had caught on to her intentions.

“Understood.”

Sylvia headed for the stairs to the high watchtower.

Though she spoke calmly, inside she was uneasy.

She trusted Hio enough to push forward with this plan.

Countless soldiers and knights were out fighting now.

But… what if something was wrong?

If Hio failed here, Sylvia’s future would collapse alongside his.

So she quickened her pace.

If something was wrong, she wanted to confirm it with her own eyes and make a swift decision.

She climbed the stairs and reached the top of the watchtower.

What greeted her eyes was—

“Finally! We’re all gathered!”

The mage’s back burst into a wild smile as he looked out.

Hio Pavlenko smiled, looking up at the sky, joy clear on his face.

A Magic Circle drawn on the floor radiated a bursting, bright light.

“Now, try to stop this one from working. Goddess.”

He raised his staff high into the sky.

The Magic Circle glowed even more fiercely.

Power surged and vibrated the ground beneath.

Then, with a casual whisper:

“Darkness.”

The world plunged into darkness.

Black smoke billowed from the watchtower, blanketing the sky.

It blocked the clouds and hid the sun.

The battlefield was instantly shrouded in the black smoke, hiding everything inside and throwing it into chaos.

A space where not even a trace of light entered.

Black smoke that completely cut off the sky.

Everyone was in confusion, stumbling blindly.

Then suddenly, a bright golden light shot upward.

Golden light illuminating the darkened space.

From the direction of the fortress, golden light pierced through the darkness, taking shape.

Hio’s Shout Magic manifested as a skill.

• “Fall back.”

A voice and golden light spread widely, resonating through the air.

Everyone’s gaze turned to that place.

At the highest watchtower on the fortress wall.

Against the backdrop of the spire stood a golden giant.

Though only its upper body was visible behind the spire, its massive size was impossible to gauge.

• The plan succeeded.

The golden giant looked down on the battlefield with arms crossed.

Its deep, booming voice filled the air, shaking it.

The overwhelming gaze of its enormous eyes made bodies tremble.

So then, was the Eye of God blinded?

Before its majesty, no one dared to move.

The sky was dim.

Beneath it stood the giant and the cryptic words it uttered.

And then.

• Azure Flame.

Suddenly, the world brightened sharply.

Those who instinctively looked up couldn’t believe their eyes.

Beneath the still-present black fog, a blue sky of flames stretched out.

• “Burn the enemies.”

The sky cracked open.

No, the blue flames floating in the sky fragmented.

They divided and fell like a meteor shower.

All who stood on the ground watched in awe as the fire rained from the sky.

The flames seemed to have will, avoiding people and falling upon the monsters below.

And when the flames reached their target, surprisingly, no loud noise followed.

Only the sound of dry ashes crumbling.

Blue flames fell upon the horde of monsters, and the quiet sound of death came.

Crack— crack— crack— crack— crack— crack— crack— crack—

The endless waves of monsters vanished meaninglessly.

This was overwhelming violence that should never have been allowed.

Unrestrained cruelty that should have been stopped by its own overwhelming power.

Knowing this, the giant burst into laughter.

The booming laughter tore through the air and shook the black fog.

· Ha ha ha ha ha!

Such genuine joy in that laughter made people kneel.

Their heads bowed low.

The already massive voice grew even larger, ringing in their ears.

This was something impossible within the bounds of common sense.

It was terrifying.

Things outside common sense always frighten people.

So they prayed fervently.

What they prayed for, no one knew.

Whether it was a prayer for the blue flames, like divine punishment.

A prayer for the giant, a messenger of the gods.

Or simply a wish for this overwhelming violence to end quickly.

No one knew, but—

• One thing was certain.

The Eye of God has been blinded!

The gods cannot see this place now.

• Ha ha ha ha!

That trembling laughter continued until the black fog began to clear.

The black fog gradually faded.

The golden giant’s form slowly dissolved.

The laughter lessened accordingly.

And when all of it vanished, sunlight poured back onto the battlefield.

The Eye of God shone down.

What it saw was probably…

The charred remnants of overwhelming violence.

[Hidden Trait – No Violence! (Endurance: 391 / 1000)]