Chapter 110: Plague Giant (1)

An even denser, ominous energy than usual seeped through the sky.

All those under the Garden’s protection could clearly feel that darkness.

At last, the third generation Plague Monster appeared.

Even though the castle’s commanders didn’t bother to say it, the entire fortress was already tense.

The soldiers closed their eyes and prayed to Hor.

“Please, please. O Lord Hor……!”

Especially the exhausted reinforcements prayed desperately, tears running down their cheeks.

The auspicious light that once illuminated the sky.

The widely whispered power of Hor.

Having experienced such a miracle firsthand, they had no choice but to believe in the divine, even if they wished otherwise.

It was the only power that could drive away such horrifying malice.

As they prayed and remembered the light, a faint vigor returned to their bodies.

Perhaps because of that.

Riot Castle did not fall into the same listless gloom as before.

“Ha. Still a long way to go.”

Meanwhile, Richard von Bartenberg clicked his tongue as he watched them.

Though they received a portion of the Elves’ mercy and the Watcher’s privilege, the reinforcements still hadn’t fully realized what they now possessed.

Even while wrapped in light, they feared the distant darkness, imagining the grotesque visage of the Plague Monster they’d never actually seen.

“Sometimes, imagination is scarier than reality, you know.”

Gide, standing beside Richard, spoke up.

“Humans are always afraid of the unknown. Especially if that unknown is a plague.”

Gide, his gaze deep and steady, swept his eyes over the reinforcements before turning to Richard.

“They’ll become fine regulars after a few battles.”

“That’s true.”

Richard agreed, his voice carrying a curious heat.

Even the royal soldiers, now battle-hardened, had once been no different from these timid recruits.

In fact, compared to the greenhorns of the past, today’s reinforcements were somewhat more reliable.

“Looking again, these kids are quite something.”

Richard let out a soft chuckle.

Still, he couldn’t help but hope this half-trained force would be forged into proper soldiers as soon as possible.

They were, after all, Baren’s strength and foundation.

Thus, the days of tense calm before the storm passed, and at last, the tempest arrived.

In the middle of the night, the deep blare of a horn echoed through the darkness.

The sentinel watching from the spire turned pale.

BWOOOOOO—!

The sentinel blew the horn again.

The mood of the fortress shifted abruptly.

“We’re under attack!”

“All troops, battle stations!”

Commanders bellowed orders and rushed to action.

Following behind, the fortress soldiers hurriedly lined the walls.

And all fell silent.

KONG! KOONG!

Heavy footsteps shook the earth.

A stench so foul it burned the nose.

“Mercy, please…”

One soldier, upon seeing the Plague Giants, muttered in terror.

The Legion of Plague was advancing from afar.

I pressed against the wall and strained my eyes.

To see the row of crimson giants marching relentlessly forward—it was as if a blood-red fortress itself was bearing down on us.

And it wasn’t just giants.

Behind the twenty giants surged thousands of plague monsters, filling the night with their monstrous howls.

This third generation was even more vicious and terrible.

KWOAAAARGH—!

The giants at the vanguard roared.

It felt as if they were trying to intimidate us.

How dare they.

“We can’t lose.”

I drew up all my faith from deep within.

KONG. KUNKING.

A sound heavier than even the giants’ march rumbled from all around the fortress.

It was the resolute knights, pounding their armor with grim faces.

“We are the Watchers who guard the Garden, followers of the divine, executors of justice!”

Brave men shouted out the duties of the Garden.

Their voices, full of resolve and purpose, sent tremors through every blade of grass.

Suddenly, the spirit of the fortress rose sharply.

At the same time, a wave of Holy Power surged from the Temple Knights stationed along the battlements.

“The Light passes on the flame.”

Aaron, the Lowest-Ranked Paladin, intoned solemnly.

“And we who stand in that line are the light as well!”

Moritz, face alight with zeal, sang the next verse.

“The darkness can’t swallow even a sliver of the flame!”

“In the end, it withers away by its own hand!”

The men who had protected the fortress until now spoke with one voice.

The reinforcements could only stare in awe.

But the fire flickering in their eyes now showed nothing but determination—there was not a hint of fear left.

“Whew—”

Someone beside me whistled softly.

Turning my head, my eyes met Sig’s.

“A splendid sight, isn’t it?”

He watched me with a quiet, intense gaze, a faint note of stickiness in his eyes.

“Just thinking… What would the Lord Patriarch feel if he saw this right now?”

Despite the murderous enemy at the gates, Sig seemed utterly composed.

Truly fitting for the next heir of Bartenberg.

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder how Ludwig Bartenberg would feel, were he here.

“Well. I can’t even imagine.”

Even as we exchanged a few words, the Legion of Plague was steadily advancing.

KONG! KOONG!

From a distance, the giants’ features grew clearer.

Crimson skin and mouths full of fangs.

They looked just like Legion Commander Kal Gos himself.

Soon the creatures crashed into the Garden’s barrier.

“Prepare for battle!”

The commanders barked orders.

The knights drew their swords; the regulars gripped their spears and bows tight.

It was Adele who moved first.

CRACK—!

Without warning, thick tree roots burst from the ground, ensnaring the ankles of the twenty giants.

A keen decision.

These hulking monsters could not be stopped by walls alone. We couldn’t let them get any closer.

“KWOAAARGH!”

The giants, bound by Adele’s roots saturated with her unwavering faith, howled and thrashed.

The earth-shaking roar of those mountain-sized brutes sounded as if thunder was splitting the heavens.

“Fire!”

At that, someone on the wall shouted as if to meet their roars, and the archers all released their bowstrings at once.

True battle had begun.

Instead of oil, thousands of Light Arrows streaked through the air.

From the muzzles of cannons came not iron, but Light Spheres (3680).

FLASH, FLASH—!

Elves wielding staffs channeled their magic all at once, scattering radiant spells into the horde.

“Good grief…”

Sig, who had been nonchalantly watching, shook his head in amazement.

It seemed he was quite impressed with Riot Castle’s faith-forged arsenal.

No wonder—the holy investment into munitions these past few days had surpassed a hundred million.

“Hor favors this castle especially.”

I smiled at Sig, who seemed lost in complicated thoughts.

Then it happened.

“KWOAAARGH!”

The giants, their ankles seized, let out savage howls.

Despite the storm of arrows and concentrated fire, only two had fallen.

Driven mad by pain and fury, the remaining giants seized monsters behind them and hurled them straight at us.

“Knights, hold the wall!”

“Shoot down the monsters!”

The flying monsters arced toward the wall, struck midair by arrows and crashed to the ground.

Yet even more monsters came soaring through the sky.

SPLAT!

One crashed into the wall and slid down, leaving a trail of blood.

A thick crimson line ran down the battlements.

“They’re coming!”

With a thunderous crash, dozens of monsters slammed into the walls.

Some even managed to land atop the battlements.

“KYEEEAAAK!”

A reinforcement shrieked at the sight of a monster plummeting from the sky, and shouts from the officers and knights erupted all along the walls.

It was chaos.

On the confused ramparts, Sig quietly watched Richard.

While the Temple Knights and other elites of Riot Castle hurried about, his younger brother stood still, eyes fixed only on the distant giants.

Then, Richard reached out and touched the wall.

From that spot, a brilliant shimmering haze erupted.

FWAAAASH—!

Faith coursed along the chaotic battlements.

“The Lord Hor is with us!”

Wherever the light passed, only men blazing with morale remained.

The knights, who had been thrown off by the monsters’ sudden appearance, regained their composure.

“Archers, keep firing!”

“Knights, take care of the monsters on the wall!”

Sig suppressed another gasp as he surveyed the ramparts.

The Temple Knights, even stronger than when they’d once wielded Bartenberg’s Third Sword, shone in every quarter.

And the allied knights supporting them were no less than the Knights of Bartenberg themselves.

The archers, still firing even as monstrous roars echoed from behind, showed incredible resolve.

The spearmen, dashing forward to save comrades surrounded by monsters, held nothing back.

Sig, who’d thought even these men would struggle against third-generation monsters, was caught off guard by their resilience.

KWOAAARGH—!

The giants’ wild howls shook the world. Sig, having gauged their power, frowned deeply.

It was said that giants possessed some intelligence.

Which meant they were that much more dangerous than other monsters.

Binding them with roots could only hold them for so long.

“Richard. We need to deal with those things first, or…?”

Sig’s voice cut off.

For some reason, Richard was standing in the midst of the chaos, eyes tightly closed.

Yet in that moment, he looked sacred and dignified.

A true Saint, living up to his name even amidst the battlefield.

RUMBLE—

Suddenly, the sky darkened.

“Damn…”

Worry creased Sig’s face.

As if the battlefield wasn’t chaotic enough—if a storm hit, things would turn disastrous.

“Richard, now’s not the time to just stand there!”

Concerned for their own casualties, Sig called out to Richard.

But Richard remained unshaken.

KRAK-BOOM—!

Lightning writhed through the thunderclouds that filled the sky.

Never had there been such a wretched storm.

“Situation’s bad. If it pours, it’s to our disadvantage—”

“It’s not a storm.”

Richard cut off Sig’s words.

RUMBLE—!

The sky thundered louder and louder.

The fortress soldiers, distracted by battle, began to look up one by one.

And then, they all widened their eyes.

Serving Hor, they were first to sense it.

What lay within those thunderclouds was no ordinary storm.

K-KWOAAARGH—!

Then, perhaps the giants sensed it too.

Suddenly, they started to rampage even more wildly.

Some seemed to tremble in fear.

「Divine Intervention of Weather」

“Heaven’s Wrath.”

At some point, the thunderclouds turned pure white.

A sacred judgment descended upon the howling, thrashing giants.