I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 22

Grrrroooaaar-!

A giant wraith clad in massive armor.

The Stage 1 boss monster, the ‘Wraith Knight,’ let out a chilling roar.

Thud-!

As the creature that had been floating in the air landed on the ground, the entire area shook as if there had been an earthquake. We all staggered.

‘Damn it!’

Seeing the thing standing on the ground, my fingertips trembled involuntarily.

It’s huge.

Its height must be about that of a three-story building. It’s just a bit shorter than the fortress walls.

The eye level of us standing on the walls is almost the same as that of the thing standing on the field.

“Prepare the cannons! Prepare the ballistae!”

I yelled at the soldiers who were dumbfounded by the boss monster’s massive presence.

“We have to kill it before it reaches the walls! Hurry!”

The bewildered soldiers rushed to the cannons and ballistae and began loading them.

However, most of the defensive equipment had been moved back due to the close combat, and by the time they were reinstalled and loaded, the Wraith Knight was right in front of us.

Blue flames blazed menacingly within the creature’s massive helmet.

‘Damn it, don’t be scared!’

I almost took a step back but barely managed to stop myself.

Don’t be intimidated by its appearance, damn it! Even if it looks like that, it’s just a Stage 1 boss. No matter how much of a boss buff it has, it’s only level 25!

“Fire! Don’t hold back, pour everything you’ve got!”

The frozen soldiers simultaneously lit the cannons and pulled the ballistae strings at my command.

Boom! Thud thud thud!

Thump thump thump…!

The cannons roared, and arrows were fired from the ballistae.

Clang! Clang clang clang!

The target was so large that the accuracy was incredibly high. Dozens of cannonballs and ballistae arrows slammed into the Wraith Knight’s body.

Flames and smoke swirled over the massive armor.

But the creature’s armor was thick. It didn’t take any significant damage.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The Wraith Knight took steps forward, even while being bombarded with fire.

‘That thing is damn tough!’

But the purpose of the cannons and ballistae was to slow down its movement as much as possible. I quickly turned to the side.

“Lily!”

“Y-yes?”

Lily looked pale from using fire magic just a moment ago. But she still had a job to do.

“What about the third artifact? Is it still being adjusted?”

“It was just adjusted a moment ago!”

“Activate it right away!”

Lily gestured to the alchemists. The alchemists activated the artifact that had been undergoing final adjustments.

Whoooosh-!

Magical light faintly emanated from the light blue magical engineering device.

The third artifact that had been repaired.

The R-grade artifact, the Magic Amplifier! [R-grade refers to a specific ranking of items, with R being a relatively high grade]

The effect is simple. Increases the magic effect of one target character by 100 percent. The number of uses is one.

It’s just a one-time magic boost, but depending on how it’s used, the possibilities are endless.

“Jupiter!”

I turned around. Jupiter was narrowing his one eye, glaring at the Wraith Knight.

“Have you rested enough?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

Zzzzzap!

Electricity crackled from the electro mage’s fingertips.

“I’m more than ready.”

Jupiter was in perfect condition. I pointed at the Wraith Knight’s chest with my hand.

“Concentrate your firepower on its chest plate. Hit it with the most powerful attack you can.”

Whoooooosh-!

The Magic Amplifier was activated. The target is Jupiter!

Light blue light swirled around Jupiter’s body. Jupiter closed and opened his eye once.

“…Excellent. It’s like the feeling of my prime.”

Jupiter, who had received the artifact’s effect, clenched his fist and grinned wickedly. I nodded.

“I’m counting on you with all your power.”

“Please be careful of lightning accidents, Your Highness.”

As Jupiter walked forward, thunder rumbled in the distance. Rrrrrr…

“I won’t compensate you even if you get electrocuted!”

As Jupiter stretched out both hands, dozens of bright yellow lightning bolts fell from the sky.

KABOOM-!

Jupiter’s 1st skill [Bleaching Zone] struck the Wraith Knight. [Skills are special abilities characters use in combat]

It was originally a wide-area skill, but since the Wraith Knight was so huge, all dozens of lightning bolts fell on it.

Grrrraaah…!

The blackened Wraith Knight let out a groan of pain.

The lightning struck the chest plate accurately while also battering the Wraith Knight.

The chest area of the giant armored knight was torn to shreds.

Inside the chest where the armor had fallen off, the silhouette of a wraith flickered. And its weak point, the spirit core, was clearly exposed.

The spirit core cannot be damaged properly by the attacks of ordinary soldiers. Only by magic attacks or,

“Damien, shoot!”

Only with cheat-like traits like [Clairvoyance] can it be hit. [Clairvoyance is the ability to see the future or things not visible to the naked eye]

Damien had been stationed at the ballista in advance.

A white flash flickered in Damien’s large brown eyes, and his slender fingers pulled the ballista’s trigger.

Thwack-!

The fired arrow pierced the Wraith Knight’s spirit core accurately.

Clang…!

The spirit core shattered into pieces, and it felt like I heard the sound of breaking glass. The Wraith Knight twisted its entire body in pain.

Grrrraaaaaaah!

A painful roar swept across the battlefield.

‘Did we kill it?!’

No, it endured.

The flames burning inside the Wraith Knight’s helmet flared fiercely. It looks pissed?

“Damn it, was it not enough!”

Grrrroooaaar-!

The Wraith Knight let out a furious roar and raised the massive sword in its hand.

I couldn’t help but gape at the sight of the sword casting a shadow over the wall.

If that thing falls, the wall will be destroyed!

“Jupiter! Hit it one more time!”

I shouted urgently, and Jupiter, who was charging his next magic, raised his hand.

“Raising your weapon up in lightning weather… Do you want to die by electrocution, you idiot!”

KABOOM!

2nd skill [Bleaching Again].

There’s no artifact, but the power is enough with just the party synergy and my trait buffs. [Party synergy refers to the combined strength of the group, and trait buffs are enhancements to the character’s abilities]

Dozens of blue lightning bolts pierced through the Wraith Knight’s entire body. Even the already tattered spirit core was completely destroyed.

Grrr… aaaaah…

But even as it fell, the Wraith Knight managed to slam the massive sword in its hand downwards.

The massive sword was about to crash into the wall.

I gritted my teeth. This can’t be stopped!

“Everyone, get out of the way! Run away from the sword’s trajectory!”

The soldiers screamed and ran from the wall.

“Aaaah!”

“Get out of the range!”

Damien and Jupiter grabbed Lily’s wheelchair and ran away together in a hurry.

Lukas rushed towards me, who was still standing on the wall.

“Your Highness! You must get away… !”

KABOOM!

Immediately after, the Wraith Knight’s massive sword slammed directly into the wall.

Lukas quickly covered me, but fortunately, there was a distance between where the sword fell and me. I avoided a direct hit.

However, the vibrations caused by the sword slamming into the wall were enough to send me and Lukas tumbling to the ground. Oof!

“Ouch, my back…”

“Are you alright, Your Highness?”

“I’m fine! More importantly, what’s the state of the wall?”

Thump thump thump…

As the thick dust gradually settled, the Wraith Knight’s sword, half-stuck in the wall, came into view.

The Wraith Knight holding the sword was kneeling and slumped outside the wall.

The spirit core was completely destroyed, and the ghostly flames flickering in its helmet were extinguished.

The stage boss had finally fallen.

Clank, clatter…

At the same time, pieces of armor fell from the Wraith Knight’s entire body. The armor was collapsing in an instant.

Kyaaaaaaah!

After all the armor pieces had fallen to the ground, the wraiths inside the armor poured out all at once.

Hundreds, thousands of wraith masses spread out like a thick fog, then flew towards the nearest human all at once.

The human closest to it on the wall.

Towards me.

Kyaaaaaaah-!

The scene of hundreds and thousands of wraiths rushing in a swarm was terrifying.

Hundreds of distorted eyes, noses, and mouths and thousands of bizarrely bent arms and legs flailed around in search of a victim.

But I was calm. Because I knew this pattern.

The Wraith Knight inflicts a wide-area fear and confusion effect when it dies. It’s like a last-ditch effort before death.

It’s not an attack that deals damage.

It’s just a status ailment attack that lowers morale. If you get caught in it, your mind can be destroyed.

“Your Highness! It’s dangerous!”

“It’s okay, Lukas.”

However, mental status ailments are no threat to me.

Lukas, terrified, tried to block me, but I pushed him away.

And I stood straight, staring at the onrushing wraiths with wide eyes.

“From here on, this is human territory.”

All the wraiths rushed at me, but,

Kiiing-!

My passive skill [Unyielding Commander] activated, scattering white light, and completely nullified their curses. [Passive skills are abilities that are always active without needing to be activated]

The wraiths could not pass through me and shattered in front of me.

Standing firm and blocking the wraiths with my whole body, I shouted.

“Get lost, you monsters!”

Kyaaa… aaaaah…

The last wraith rushed at me, but it all scattered like smoke.

After all the wraiths had disappeared, silence lingered in the area.

“…”

“…”

The soldiers who had been hiding in various parts of the wall raised their heads one by one. Those who had fled below the wall also came up one by one.

“That huge monster…?”

“The ghosts?”

“The Prince eliminated them…”

“I-is it… over?”

As the wraiths disappeared and Jupiter withdrew his lightning magic, the dark clouds in the sky cleared.

And sunlight shone through the gap.

As if the darkness that had fallen was a lie, bright sunlight illuminated the top of the wall.

“…”

I stood on the ruined wall, looking down at the soldiers who were staggering up.

Looking to the side, I saw the Wraith Knight’s sword, which had broken through half of the wall.

How to repair the wall that was so badly damaged, what to do about the loss of troops today, countless worries flashed through my mind.

Instead of such anguish, I smiled brightly and raised one hand up.

“We have won!”

I added emphatically to the soldiers who were staring blankly at me.

“We have survived!”

The sunlight pouring through the clouds fell on my head.

“And we will continue to win! And we will continue to survive!”

The fear gradually disappeared from the soldiers’ eyes.

I clearly saw the joy of victory filling that void.

Whether it was thanks to my passive skill or my silver tongue, it didn’t matter.

“Defeat the monsters!”

I just shouted with all my might, with all my heart.

“Let’s live!”

***

[STAGE 1 – CLEAR!]

[STAGE MVP – Jupiter(SR)]

[Leveled Up Characters]

– Ash(EX) Lv.8 (↑3)

– Lukas(SSR) Lv.29 (↑2)

– Jupiter(SR) Lv.36 (↑1)

– Lily(R) Lv.19 (↑2)

– Damien(N) Lv.20 (↑5) (First Job Change Available!)

[Deceased and Injured Characters]

– Jupiter(SR) : Minor Injury

– Tain(N) : Deceased

– Ron(N) : Deceased

– Jiya(N) : Deceased

– Peke(N) : Deceased

[Acquired Items]

– Living Armor Magic Stone : 172

– Wraith Knight Magic Core(SR) : 1

[Stage Clear Rewards have been distributed. Please check your inventory.]

– R-Grade Reward Box : 2

– N-Grade Reward Box : 3

>> Get Ready For The Next STAGE

>> [STAGE 2 : Steel Knight]