I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 362

The entrance to the Black Lake.

The goblin army, deviating from their usual monster routes, bypassed the teleport gate traps and surged to the surface.

Once their forces were somewhat reorganized outside the lake, Kali-Alexandros immediately launched an attack on the teleport gate.

They succeeded in destroying the gate covering the lake entrance.

Only then could the troops properly emerge.

《Haaah…》

Kali-Alexandros sighed, observing the significantly reduced size of the army compared to the beginning.

However, this was not a sigh of lamentation, but one of relief.

《Thank goodness.》

They had lost one-third of their entire force right from the start.

It was a critical loss, but Kali-Alexandros thought differently.

《If I had led the army from the beginning, we would have been caught in that trap without a chance.》

If the Orc army hadn’t rebelled.

If the Nameless One had been properly marked by the Orc army.

If the goblin army had deployed as usual. If Kali-Alexandros had led his race from the front as he always did.

They would have advanced to the surface without even knowing about the trap, been sucked into the teleport gate, and died a miserable death.

Then, the goblin army, having lost its leader, would have disintegrated like a flock of lost migratory birds. Just as it had hundreds of years ago.

《The ways of the world are truly unpredictable. A misfortune has turned into a blessing.》

The Orc army rebelled,

There was a gap in the forces marking the Nameless One,

Kali-Alexandros had no choice but to lure out the Nameless One,

Because of that, he didn’t stand at the front, and thus avoided the trap.

By a series of coincidences, Kali-Alexandros survived the human trap. The conquest continues.

And in return, the lives of 15,000 ordinary goblin soldiers were a very cheap price.

‘This one trap almost annihilated the entire army.’

When he shook off the Nameless One right in front of him, he was chilled to the bone by the fear that came from his instincts.

But this time, after being caught in Ash’s trap, the feeling was different. It felt unreal, and the shock didn’t quite register.

It was only after barely accepting the void left by the troops that had disappeared as if they had never existed that a sharp pain ran through his head.

‘To know that our monsters can’t use teleport gates and then use the gates against us…’

Kali-Alexandros looked north.

The human forward base, built not far away, was visible. The enemy commander who set up this trap must be there.

‘…You’ll do anything to win, Ash.’

But, however.

Ash’s strategies and tactics, while twisting and overturning the rules, did not abandon them. In the end, he was still operating within the existing rules.

It was still human.

‘I’m curious, Ash. How far will you go to protect your world?’

Stepping on the wreckage of the destroyed teleport gate, Kali-Alexandros thought.

The face of the enemy commander who had recited poetry to him.

The expression of the tender young man who still carried the warmth of a human.

‘For your world, for your race, can you… become like me? Can you wallow in the mud, have your soul buried in darkness, and become a monster?’

Now, he would find out the answer.

Whether the last guardian of humanity, who knew the beauty of poetry, could remain human until the end, or….

Behind his mask, the Goblin God King smiled bitterly.

And he waved his arm grandly.

《All troops, form ranks! Advance north-!》

***

Booooo-!

The sound of a horn echoed harshly across the area.

The goblins were preparing to advance. I clicked my tongue and lowered the binoculars from my eyes.

The massive teleport gates that I had worked my butt off to install at the lake entrance over the past few weeks were all destroyed.

But it was a worthwhile trade. Without losing a single soldier, and only investing money and manpower, we were able to annihilate 15,000 goblins.

‘It’s a bit of a shame that we didn’t kill many high-ranking troops.’

But lamenting missed opportunities won’t earn us any points. What we need to do now is defeat the remaining ones with maximum efficiency.

“All troops, prepare for defense!”

I shouted, looking around at my heroes and soldiers lined up on the ramparts.

“Just like we trained beforehand!”

The heroes, gripping their respective weapons, and the soldiers, having finished loading their cannons and artifacts, looked at me with tense faces.

“Unleash all the firepower you have without holding back! Then, the moment the goblins cross the defense line and reach the forward base, everyone retreats through the teleport gate! Return to Crossroads!”

The operation here is simple.

Inflict as much damage as possible on them, hold them back as much as we can, and then abandon the forward base and retreat.

Since we’re going to abandon it anyway, there’s no need to hold back.

Fire cannons until the barrels melt, shoot ballistae until the strings break, and activate artifacts until the magic cores are destroyed.

“When I signal, open fire all at once! Got it?”

“Yes!”

“Good! Prepare for battle!”

“Prepare for battle!”

“Await His Majesty’s signal!”

The soldiers relaying my orders echoed loudly.

I looked south again. I didn’t even need binoculars anymore. The sight of the swarming green wave approaching was clearly visible.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

They were advancing.

The Greenskin army.

They filled the road densely, flowing like a flood of water bursting from a broken dam.

‘…Even after taking out 15,000, there are still this many?’

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms [a classic Chinese historical novel], which I enjoyed reading as a child, armies of hundreds of thousands were common.

So, before coming to this world, I used to underestimate armies of a few thousand or tens of thousands.

But after coming to this world and standing on the battlefield myself, I finally realized.

A few thousand is an enormous number. It’s a scale that makes you breathless just by looking at it.

And tens of thousands is an insane number that fills your entire field of vision.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The goblin army of 32,000.

Although not properly listed in the enemy information, the general goblin army is composed of various troop types.

Archers armed with composite bows.

Spearmen wielding long spears.

Cavalry riding mountain goats.

Chariot troops pulled by large water buffalo.

And the most numerous, shield troops positioned with shields as big as their bodies.

The goblin janissaries, placed throughout, lead them, the goblin amirs command those janissaries, and the goblin god king controls those amirs.

Booooooo-!

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

Raising clouds of dust, they quickly positioned themselves to the southwest, south, and southeast of the forward base.

I thought they would just rush in without thinking, but they didn’t. They were ones who knew how to properly exercise their rights as attackers.

The right to choose when to attack.

They were planning to come in after completely organizing their siege formation.

“….”

Suddenly, I remembered the time of Stage 2.

The defense battle where a swarm of 3,000 sewer rats attacked. When the Margrave of Crossroads sacrificed his life to protect the city.

We have developed overwhelmingly in both quality and quantity since then.

But- the monsters have also become stronger.

Watching them equip themselves with good gear and form an attack formation in perfect order, I muttered without realizing it.

“Shit- why are you guys playing a different game again….”

This is a defense game, you monster bastards. Don’t have fun playing strategy simulations among yourselves…!

Then, a different sound came from their formation than before.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sound of drums.

Suddenly, the goblin camp became as quiet as a mouse, and then,

Whack!

The goblin god king, standing in the center of their formation, was seen waving his arm.

Then, in time with that motion, their flags fluttered,

Booooooo-!

A horn sound, much longer and grander than usual, filled the battlefield at the same time.

That was the signal.

Kyaaaaaaaa-!

Kilik! Kiriririk!

Letting out terrible screams, the goblin army began to rush in unison from the three directions to the south.

The calm and disciplined appearance they had shown until now was not at all the true nature of goblins. This was their true nature.

With murderous intent gleaming in their bloodshot eyes, they were about to slaughter the humans hiding behind the flimsy ramparts not far away-

The goblin army, numbering in the tens of thousands, began to pour like a tsunami towards this small forward base.

“….”

I’ll admit it honestly.

For a moment, I froze.

I was so mesmerized by the spectacle of these ridiculously large monsters forming waves and surging forward that I was completely stunned.

The only thought that first crossed my mind was whether we could take these bastards down with a normal exchange ratio.

Can we win?

Really?

With this difference in numbers?

“My lord!”

Lukas called out to me urgently, and I, snapping out of it, belatedly waved my arm forward.

“Turn those monster bastards into mincemeat-! All troops! Fire!”

My heroes and soldiers were also frozen stiff.

But, even if people freeze, machines still work properly.

Click.

The vanguard of the goblin army stepped on the landmines we had laid.

Kwaaaang!

With a spectacular explosion, green monsters were shattered and scattered in all directions. And this first explosion became the signal.

“Fire!”

“Fire-!”

We didn’t bring that many ordinary soldiers to the forward base. Since it was an operation where we had to retreat anyway, too many numbers would be cumbersome.

Bang! Bang!

Thud! Thud!

We brought mainly artillery and archers who were skilled from the many defense battles we had fought. The soldiers smoothly fired cannons and ballistae.

Ziiiiiing!

The artifacts densely installed on the ramparts of the forward base also emitted light all at once.

They were mostly N-rank and R-rank artifacts, which were relatively more costly to use and discard, but even these were different when you gathered dozens of them.

The artifacts each spat fire, shot ice, buffed our firepower, and debuffed the enemy.

And, our hero party.

Thududududu!

The Shadow Unit, fiercely throwing explosive arrows and iron nets.

Thud! Thudududud!

The Holy Grail Exploration Team, all five of them armed with longbows, firing arrows non-stop.

Bang! Bang! Bangbangbang…!

The Sniper Party, led by Damian, all armed with magic rifles, unleashing firepower.

Finally,

Thududududung!

The defense towers I had installed, even the automatic defense turrets.

Firepower, firepower, firepower! More firepower!

Traditionally, the Korean military has a tendency to be obsessed with firepower. I, too, inherited that blood, so it’s the same for me.

I prefer to sweep everything away with our overwhelming firepower, a crossfire, before the enemy even gets close.

But, however-

‘There are a lot.’

This is, shit.

‘There are too many.’

It’s a violence of insane numbers.

The goblins, with their eyes bloodshot and saliva dripping from their mouths, were- unbelievably, maintaining their formation, and approaching the ramparts of the forward base in an orderly manner.

Our firepower was powerful. Every time the turrets installed on the ramparts spat fire and the heroes unleashed their skills, dozens of monsters were blown apart and fell.

But- there were more behind them.

Tens of thousands more.

Even after being killed, they were not afraid, and scattering their bloodthirsty intent- with their small and nimble bodies, the monsters quickly rushed towards the forward base.

“You bastards….”

I gritted my teeth, my lips trembling, and then I turned up the corners of my mouth and smiled.

“Do you know what one of the greatest joys of a defense game is…?”

There are many joys in a defense game, but one of them is.

“It’s barely managing to block everything at the end of the defense line with just enough damage, you monster bastards…!”

Just before the monster wave reaches the gate.

It’s to wipe them all out with a precise calculation of damage…!

“Junior-!”

I turned to the mage party, who were still conserving their strength in this chaos.

“It’s time to show the true worth of the mage party! Are you ready?!”

Then, Junior and the young mages under her command nodded in unison.

It was time for the strategic weapons of the fantasy world to show their power.