Episode 367
“A portal suddenly appeared, and monsters started pouring out?”
Hearing Muhammad’s words, Zeke recalled something. It was the video Hoshgar had shown him before—a massive gate opening, unleashing a torrent of monsters and demons.
Zeke frowned and asked Muhammad, “How many monsters are we talking about?”
Muhammad, looking pale, replied, “Countless. They’re swarming like a black tide…”
Zeke realized Muhammad was in a state of panic, making it difficult for him to assess the situation clearly. “I need to see this for myself,” he thought.
Leaving the unconscious Julius in Muhammad’s care, Zeke summoned Hades and Yellin, who were resting on the top floor. Despite the awkwardness between Yellin and Zeke from the previous day, the gravity of the situation wiped away any hesitation.
“Are you saying an army of monsters is invading?” Yellin asked, her mouth agape.
Hades clicked his tongue. “Those lunatics from Narak must be behind this.”
Zeke nodded. “It seems so. We need to assess the situation. Can you both assist me?”
Hades and Yellin nodded and followed Zeke. He led a group of Ishtar’s sorcerers and the Black Sword Knights, including Zeros, out of the hotel.
They were in the bustling casino city run by the Zayed family, the most vibrant part of the Dortha Republic. Alarms blared throughout the city, warning of the impending danger. Outside the hotel, chaos reigned as tourists scrambled to reach shelters.
Zeke surveyed the scene and turned to Hades. “Riding horses won’t do. We’ll have to fly.”
He summoned Bucephalus, mounted Yellin in front of him, and took the reins. As Zeke held her from behind, Yellin blushed, recalling the previous day’s events.
Unaware of her reaction, Zeke instructed Zeros, “We’ll go ahead. Meet us at the outer wall.”
“Understood, my lord,” Zeros replied.
Zeke soared into the sky, with Hades flying alongside him. From above, Zeke could see beyond the city.
“There it is…” he muttered.
The gate from Hoshgar’s video had materialized beyond the city, spewing an endless stream of monsters marching toward them.
Hades shook his head. “Twisting karma to pull off something like this… Those Narak bastards have lost their minds.”
Zeke nodded, urging Bucephalus to fly faster. They soon reached the outer defensive wall. The city, protected by the wealthy Zayed family, boasted sturdy walls and magical defenses, with guards equipped with the latest gear. Even the southern cartel’s magic-powered tanks were stationed behind the walls.
As they landed near the wall, a man who seemed to be the guard captain rushed toward Zeke.
“Are you Sir Zeke Draker, the Knight of Salvation?” he asked, his voice trembling.
Zeke nodded. “I am. Are you in charge here?”
The captain nodded vigorously. “Oh, thank the heavens. Having the Knight of Salvation here is a blessing amidst this disaster.”
The guards, seeing Zeke, clasped their hands in prayer. Zeke frowned and shouted, “Get a grip, everyone!”
Startled, the guards stepped back. Zeke fixed his gaze on the captain and asked firmly, “How many enemies are approaching the city?”
Caught off guard, the captain stammered, but his lieutenant answered, “We estimate ten colossal monsters, five hundred large ones, and about three thousand medium and small ones.”
The lieutenant wiped his brow and continued, “The problem is that monsters keep emerging from that portal.”
Zeke frowned. “That’s more than the monsters in the Ghetto region.”
He realized that Abel’s side knew of Julius’s betrayal and planned to invade the neutral Dortha Republic first, aiming to pressure the central continent by attacking from the north and east.
Zeke thought of the mastermind behind this plan. “Ramon Jimenez. So, he’s finally showing his true colors.”
Knowing that Ramon Jimenez and Narak’s ultimate goal was the Demon King, Zeke understood that the time for the king’s revival was drawing near.
“They’ve been abducting people from the Holy Kingdom too. Are they planning to use the Dortha Republic as a sacrificial offering for their invasion?”
If they allowed the Dortha Republic to fall, the enemy would summon stronger demons, creating a demonic army. They had to stop them here, no matter what.
Zeke asked the captain, “How many troops do we have?”
Again, the lieutenant answered, “We have six hundred guards and fifty mages. The main forces, including the knights, will take at least an hour to arrive.”
The guards were sufficient for maintaining order within the city, but they were far too few to fend off an external threat. Fortunately, the walls and defenses were robust.
“An hour… If we hold the fortress, we might manage…”
But just then, something flew in from the sky.
Screech—
A beast resembling a wyvern swooped down, spewing flames at the wall.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the guards on the wall were engulfed in flames. Zeke drew his sword and flew into the air on Bucephalus.
Slash!
Zeke’s blade cut through the air, severing the beast’s wing. It spiraled down, crashing to the ground. But then, it rose and charged at the iron-barred defense wall.
Screech—
The beast slammed into the bars, triggering the defensive magic, which sent electricity coursing through its body.
Crackle—
Writhing in pain, the beast let out a final screech before exploding.
Boom!
The explosion sent bone fragments flying, damaging the wall, the guards, and the cannons and ballistae atop it. Worse, part of the iron bars was blown away, leaving a gap in the defense.
From above, Zeke gritted his teeth. “Damn it, they’ve brainwashed the beasts.”
Ordinary beasts wouldn’t self-destruct like this. If these large beasts continued to charge and explode, even the sturdiest walls wouldn’t hold.
Then, the monster army began to crest the hill.
Roar—
The sight of the black mass of monsters was overwhelming. Being ancient demonic creatures, they were larger and fiercer than those of the current world. Even ogres and minotaurs appeared twice their usual size. Among them, colossal monsters resembling rhinoceroses emerged.
“If those monsters self-destruct at the wall…”
They wouldn’t last an hour; the city would be overrun in minutes.
Zeke descended to where Hades and Yellin were.
Yellin asked urgently, “Sir Zeke, can we stop all those monsters with our numbers?”
Zeke shook his head. “We don’t have enough people.”
He turned to Hades. “Can you use your magic to evacuate the people?”
Hades frowned. “Do you think dragon magic can do everything? I need a portal device for something on that scale!”
Even dragons had their limits. Zeke asked again, “Can you at least put a shield over the wall?”
Hades hesitated, then clicked his tongue and nodded. “I can manage that within karma’s limits. But maintaining it for an hour is impossible. If they keep ramming like before, thirty minutes is pushing it.”
“That’ll do. Please, put up the shield.”
Grumbling, Hades ascended and extended his hand, casting a massive shield spell.
Shimmer—
A translucent dome formed, enveloping the wall in a protective barrier.
“At least this should hold off aerial attacks,” Zeke thought.
Zeke quickly prepared to move and addressed Yellin.
“When the reinforcements arrive, position them on the walls to help the guards fend off the approaching monsters.”
Yellin, now equipped with the elf-specific Hershion crafted by Hades, nodded, her dagger drawn.
“Understood, Sir Zeke.”
Gone was the innocent woman from yesterday; in her place stood the infamous sorceress of Ishtar, her eyes gleaming with determination.
Leaving the wall in Yellin’s capable hands, Zeke mounted Bucephalus and soared into the sky. He unleashed a radiant hammer of light against the beasts blocked by Hades’ shield, preventing them from entering the city.
Boom!
The monsters struck by the light exploded violently.
“If every monster could explode like that, we’d be in real trouble,” Zeke mused, steering Bucephalus toward the monster horde.
With such a large number of creatures, there had to be a demon or sorcerer nearby controlling them. He scanned the area with his dragon’s gaze but found no trace of any such presence.
Zeke retrieved a green sword from his inventory and called out to Arataso.
“Arataso.”
The spirit within the sword stirred at Zeke’s call.
[Hmm, what is it? This feels familiar.]
Sensing the massive energy of the monster horde, Arataso was taken aback.
[What is this place? Have we stumbled into the demon realm?]
“No, the Netherworld’s forces have summoned these monsters.”
Arataso inhaled sharply at Zeke’s words.
[Summoning a horde of this size… There must be at least one high-ranking demon involved.]
Zeke frowned at Arataso’s assessment.
“Are you saying they’ve summoned a high-ranking demon?”
[Without one, managing a horde of this scale would be impossible. If they’ve brought a high-ranking demon with its full power, then yes.]
Zeke’s expression hardened. If a high-ranking demon had indeed been summoned with its full strength, the situation was more dire than he had anticipated.
“On the other hand, if we eliminate the demon commanding them, the monsters might scatter.”
Trusting in the shield Hades had created, Zeke decided to bypass the monster horde and head toward the gate. If there was no sorcerer within the horde, there was likely a magic circle controlling them near the gate.
Dismissing Bucephalus, Zeke summoned the spirit of the Silver Will and flew stealthily toward the gate with dragon wings.
From above, he could see the plains outside the city teeming with monsters.
“Is it really possible for a single high-ranking demon to control so many monsters?” Zeke asked Arataso.
Arataso scoffed.
[You underestimate high-ranking demons. In the demon realm, moving this many monsters would be child’s play. In my domain, I command thousands of death knights…]
Ignoring Arataso’s boasting, Zeke reached the gate and spotted something unusual.
“What is that?”
A massive, suspicious-looking altar stood before the gate, and atop it was a sorcerer in a black robe. It was the very sorcerer who had created the black portal in the Forest of the Forgotten, bringing the orc horde into the mortal realm.