I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 139

The five vampires slowly approached to finish off the remaining Old Hunters mercenaries who were still alive.

‘Heh, heh heh…’

Seeing the approaching figures, Yenich, whose limbs were torn apart by blood magic bombardment, chuckled.

The other fallen tanks also giggled. One of the vampires frowned at this sight.

《Why are you laughing, human? Aren’t you afraid of death?》

‘Of course, dying is scary. But, you pathetic mosquito bastards.’

Krrr, krrr…

Thunder rumbled in the sky.

The vampires, startled by this phenomenon, looked up at the sky. Yenich burst into laughter.

‘You guys should be afraid of lightning too!’

Krrrrrr!

With a ferocious thunderclap, a flash of light illuminated the area—

‘……Hoo.’

The figure of the old mage, standing at the far end of the ramparts, was revealed in that flash.

White hair flying in the gale, a cigar dangling from his mouth, exhaling a long stream of smoke, and a single eye emitting a sharp blue light.

SR-Rank Electro Mage. It was Jupiter.

Above Jupiter’s raised right fist, a magic orb floated, crackling with sparks of bright yellow lightning.

‘Being a mage is tough for this reason.’

Jupiter growled, chewing on his cigar.

‘No matter how many allies die, we can’t deploy until the situation is right. Because mages are more precious than other soldiers who maintain the front lines with their lives.’

Rain poured down from the dark clouds, soaking Jupiter’s old Imperial uniform.

The rain extinguished the cigar in his mouth.

‘Tch!’

Jupiter spat the cigar to the ground without hesitation and grinned wickedly.

‘It’s a real shitty job for a mage too. Damn it.’

Blood flowed from Jupiter’s nose and mouth as she forcefully gathered magic power.

Junior, standing next to her, placed a hand on the old woman’s shoulder.

‘I’ll assist you, Grandma.’

‘Going full power. Keep up.’

Jupiter shouted, looking to the side.

‘Lily! Activate the mana amplifier, target me!’

Lily, who had been waiting, activated the mana amplifier artifact. Immediately, a faint blue light enveloped Jupiter’s body.

‘Hey, you leech-footed bastards.’

Holding up the magic orb, trembling as it was filled with more mana than it could handle.

Jupiter roared and thrust her fist forward.

‘Let’s see how strong and tasty you are!’

And then, lightning struck.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!

The bright yellow lightning that fell from the sky struck the five vampires precisely.

Jupiter’s lightning was an area-of-effect spell. It was difficult to precisely target a small number of targets.

However, if silver swords were embedded in their bodies.

If there was a clear magical catalyst to guide it. And if that catalyst was a metal that conducted electricity.

‘What’s so hard about precision strikes?!’

With Jupiter’s hearty shout, the five vampires were pierced by lightning.

《Krr-?!》

《Kuh…?!》

《KAAAAH!》

The five vampires screamed hideously.

Normally, they could have withstood this level of attack.

But, the silver swords.

The silver swords embedded in their bodies acted as catalysts, amplifying the magic.

The lightning that struck the silver swords multiplied in power within the vampires’ bodies, burning the monsters’ insides black.

Moreover.

‘One more shot!’

Jupiter’s 2nd skill, [Bleaching Again], was an additional strike on enemies marked by the 1st skill!

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!

This time, blue lightning struck the vampires.

It was a fierce blow, as if to evaporate every last drop of blood left in the vampires’ bodies.

As a result, the vampires’ unique, unstable cores materialized, clearly appearing in their chests or heads.

And the snipers did not miss them.

‘—I see it.’

Damian, who had been waiting, fired his crossbow.

Fwish! Fwish! Fwish!

Three holy arrows flew and pierced the cores of three vampires precisely.

The three vampires, their cores torn to shreds, died instantly without even a proper scream.

《Ugh, krrghhh!》

《With this, you, you insignificant things…!》

The remaining two vampires quickly regenerated their bodies and tried to crawl out of the line of fire, but—

‘Not so fast.’

‘We were waiting.’

Old Girl and Skull, who had arrived earlier, stood in their path.

In their hands were the magic guns borrowed from Damian, the Woodpecker and Cerberus.

《Eee…!》

《You bug-like things! Soon, the Lord will—!》

Tu-ta-ta-ta-!

Tang! Tang! Tang!

Skull and Old Girl unleashed a barrage of magic bullets at the cores of the vampires, who were trying to say more.

The magic guns were difficult to handle without Damian’s transcendent aiming ability, but the Woodpecker and Cerberus were low-grade and small, so they could use them without much difficulty.

After a while, when the hazy smoke cleared, the two vampires, riddled with magic bullets, were revealed.

‘Five common vampires. Core destruction confirmed.’

Damian, who had been watching from afar, confirmed the deaths of the five vampires. He then clenched his teeth as he looked at the bodies of his allies.

‘And the losses of our allies…’

‘Don’t look at this side, Damian.’

Jupiter reached out and covered Damian’s eyes.

‘There’s more work to be done.’

‘…’

‘The deaths of our allies are not something you should bear. So, rest your eyes… and join the battle over there.’

‘…Yes.’

Damian quietly closed his mouth and turned aside.

Then, with a face trying to hold back tears, he slowly began to head towards where the other party members were fighting the vampire general.

‘Right. The bodies of our allies… it’s not your job to clear away the guilt.’

Swallowing the blood welling up inside, Jupiter walked towards the mountain of corpses of her allies.

‘It’s the job of old folks like me.’

Junior rushed towards Jupiter with a worried expression.

‘Grandma, come here. I’ll help you manage your mana.’

Having just assisted Jupiter with her magic, Junior had grasped the state of Jupiter’s body and was filled with concern.

However, Jupiter shook her head vehemently.

‘Don’t worry about me, you go too. Move with Damian.’

‘But, Grandma’s body…’

‘These guys are just small fry. The real monsters are over there, and the battle has just begun.’

Jupiter grabbed Junior’s shoulder and gently pushed her back.

‘And you’re needed in that battle.’

‘…’

‘Go now!’

Junior’s hesitation was brief.

‘See you later, Grandma.’

Junior nodded and turned to quickly run towards the battlefield over there.

‘…Hoo.’

Pressing a hand against her aching chest, Jupiter walked among the corpses of her allies.

The bodies of the allies who had fallen earlier were also charred black by Jupiter’s lightning. There were almost no survivors.

The Old Hunters, Jupiter’s party, were the same.

‘Yenich.’

Jupiter called out the name as she looked down at her comrade, who had been battered by blood magic.

Yenich’s limbs were torn apart. It was an injury that could not be survived. Yenich chuckled with a pale face.

‘Don’t look at me like that.’

‘…’

‘We knew this would happen when you gathered us, Jupiter.’

The four mercenaries of the Old Hunters that Jupiter had gathered were all people who had a grudge against vampires.

That was why they had come running at Jupiter’s call. At the promise that they could fight vampires.

‘I’m glad I could get one last hit on those vampire bastards.’

Yenich, smiling faintly, slowly turned his head.

‘But…’

At the end of his gaze were the corpses of the Dion Mercenary Company, who had died tragically.

‘It’s a bit sad that the young ones died…’

Cheek—

Jupiter quietly put a cigar in her mouth, lit it, and then placed it in Yenich’s mouth.

Yenich, who had quietly inhaled the smoke, coughed and gestured with his chin.

‘The Dion Mercenary Company, these guys did it.’

‘…’

‘We almost ruined everything, but in the end, they did it by sacrificing their lives. The credit for defeating these vampires belongs to these guys.’

‘What good is credit? They’re dead.’

The young men who had been laughing cheerfully just a few minutes ago were now gone.

Only cold, fragmented corpses remained.

‘This front line can move one step further with these guys’ deaths. But what good is that?’

Jupiter covered her face with a gloved hand.

To Jupiter, the deaths of the Dion Mercenary Company did not seem like something that only belonged to them.

All the young people.

And the death of her granddaughter that would come someday… it was overlapping.

‘Dreams, ambitions… all gone in vain. What meaning is there in credit?’

‘You shouldn’t say that, Jupiter. We’re mercenaries.’

Yenich mumbled in a fading voice.

‘The credit we get by going this far is what has meaning.’

‘…’

‘Isn’t it the life of us moth-like mercenaries to hope that there is meaning in the light we barely reach while burning our whole bodies?’

Yenich could no longer inhale the cigar and coughed.

Jupiter, taking the cigar out of his mouth, mumbled calmly.

‘May there be meaning in that death. In the deaths of those young ones, and in the deaths of us old ones.’

Yenich chuckled weakly, his voice fading.

‘Our era, the era of old soldiers, is coming to an end. Now, it’s the new era that those young ones… will open.’

‘…’

‘May there be light in that future…’

Yenich closed his eyes and muttered.

‘Young children, bloom flowers…’

Soon, Yenich’s breath stopped.

Jupiter did not agree with everything Yenich said, but she deeply sympathized with one thing.

The era of old soldiers was coming to an end.

From now on, the battlefield of the young would unfold.

Life, death.

Glory, defeat. Victory, humiliation. All would belong to the young.

The time when they could share that heavy burden was no longer much left.

Thud. Thud.

The remaining mercenaries of the Old Hunters came and stood next to Yenich’s corpse.

They were all injured. Arms were lost, sides were pierced, and shoulders were blown away.

But they did not die.

‘Those who are still breathing, go to the healer over there, get some treatment, and return immediately.’

Jupiter turned her gaze. The other mercenaries also looked in that direction.

Kwang! Kwa-kwang…!

A fierce battle was taking place on the other side of the ramparts.

Two vampire generals and the elite heroes of this side must be engaged in a decisive battle.

‘The battle with the real monsters is still a long way off.’

As if offering incense, Jupiter placed the half-smoked cigar in front of the pile of corpses of her allies.

Jupiter gritted her teeth and turned her body.

‘We can’t be a burden if we old folks can’t even be of help, can we?’

***

N-Rank heroes must prove themselves.

The opportunity is only once.

The moment they are thrown onto the battlefield. They must seize that first and last opportunity.

Their usefulness. Their value. The worth of their lives. They must show it.

To escape the shadows and step into the light.

To receive even a sliver of the spotlight on the stage.

…….

The Dion Mercenary Company was annihilated.

They could not withstand the horrors of the battlefield. They could not overcome the pressure of real combat.

They broke formation and disobeyed tactics. As a result, they all died.

However, the Dion Mercenary Company accomplished their mission.

They managed to embed silver swords into the bodies of the vampires, and using this, they were able to kill all the vampires.

They received an opportunity, proved their usefulness, but in the end, they died.

And they would never get a second chance.

The dreams they held were extinguished along with their cold corpses.

…….

I will never forget their names.

But even if I don’t forget them… what meaning would remain?

《What are you thinking so deeply about?》

Selendion spoke to me. I was startled and looked ahead.

The Vampire King was smiling and shaking the wine glass in his hand.

《What will you do by counting the number of your already dead subordinates?》

As if seeing right through me, he scanned me with his crimson gaze.

The Vampire King spoke calmly.

《The friends you truly cherish will start dying from now on.》