I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 480

Tag (2)

One day prior.

During the strategy meeting.

“The core of the Gorgon sisters is the youngest, Medusa,” Lukas stated calmly.

“The eldest, Stheno, and the second, Euryale, are extremely unintelligent. However, under Medusa’s control, they can unleash their abilities to their fullest potential.”

“……”

“If these three sisters are together, we have no chance of winning. If they stand back-to-back and just fire their petrifying gazes, there’s no way to defeat them.”

Lukas looked around at the heroes and nodded.

“But if we can separate them, we have a chance of attacking. Without the youngest Medusa’s control, the other two are no different from dumb ogres.”

…Aren’t ogres strong enough?

The heroes exchanged glances, but Lukas cleared his throat and continued.

“Let’s say they’re like incredibly strong ogres with petrification abilities.”

“……”

“Anyway, the chances of defeating them are much higher than when they’re together.”

Tap, tap!

Lukas tapped the map attached to the side of the blackboard with his hand.

“Operation ‘Tag’ aims to separate the two from the intelligent Medusa. And once the three are dispersed.”

Lukas stared at Evangeline.

“I will face Medusa. And Euryale… Evangeline will face her.”

Lukas and Evangeline, who had awakened and enhanced their skills, and were equipped with almost end-game gear, had become exponentially stronger, and were now on a different level of strength than the other heroes.

That’s why they could face these monsters one-on-one, but the other heroes could not.

“The rest of you, those capable of melee combat, lure Stheno as far away as possible.”

“……”

“Remember. The purpose of this ‘Tag’ operation is only to separate the three. Block the petrifying gaze with mirror shields, lure them, but do not close the distance.”

Lukas spoke carefully to the other heroes.

“…And if, in the worst-case scenario, you are caught by them, don’t fight to the death, get petrified. If you are petrified, there is a chance of survival if you are released later. It will be quite painful, but it’s better than dying.”

It was a terrible story, but it was also advice that could help with actual survival.

Lukas looked around at everyone and asked.

“Any questions?”

“……”

Evangeline had been listening quietly.

Avoiding the petrifying gaze through urban warfare, and activating the conditions for individual attacks… it was certainly a reasonable plan.

Also, it made sense to evacuate civilians and regular soldiers from the entire area to minimize unnecessary damage from the wide-area petrifying gaze.

‘But the real intention of this plan that Ash left behind isn’t that.’

Evangeline had also seen the plan Ash had left behind.

Lukas… in order not to burden Ash, who had left for the capital, was forcibly twisting the true meaning of the plan Ash had left behind.

Evangeline looked at Lukas with pity. It was then.

“I have a question.”

One of the Blacklist heroes raised his hand. Lukas gestured with his chin.

“Speak.”

“The colored areas on the map are the areas to lure each monster, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But… why is that part of the map left blank?”

As he said, about a quarter of the Crossroads area on the map was not colored.

In other words, it was an area where monsters should not be lured.

Lukas closed his mouth tightly and then slowly answered.

“That area is where the evacuation of citizens has not been completed.”

“What? Why?”

“…There is a pregnant woman in the temple. She’s in labor.”

The eyes of the Blacklist heroes widened. Lukas just laid it all out.

“It’s a very difficult labor. It’s impossible to evacuate her, so a few people, including the priest in charge, have remained. …So, absolutely do not lure the monsters into this area.”

“……”

“Any more questions? If not, I will now give detailed tactical instructions.”

Lukas let out a soft sigh.

“…And I’ll also talk about the ‘last characteristic’ these monsters have.”

***

Present.

Thump… Thump… Thump…

A monster walks across the city.

Stheno, with her mouth agape, drooled as she walked towards the temple. Crushing the sidewalks in her path, throwing aside carriages and such.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Watching this scene from the rooftops, the five Blacklist members remained still, suppressing their presence.

While other heroes involved in luring Stheno were being torn apart and petrified, they remained hidden in safe locations, merely watching the massacre.

“Why would we risk our lives like idiots?”

A blind swordsman with a cloth covering his eyes among the five heroes grumbled.

“They said they’d give us gold just for participating, so we can just lounge around and run away.”

A muscular man with iron plates embedded all over his body and a woman with a candelabra crown on her head chimed in.

“Heh heh, there’s no reason for us to risk our lives just because they brought us here.”

“And to fight such terrifying monsters? This amount of gold isn’t worth it!”

It was then.

A child in a prisoner’s uniform, whose whole body was bound by chains, frowned as he silently observed the monster’s path.

“…But where is that monster going?”

The bespectacled man sitting in front of the child adjusted his glasses with his magical engineering prosthetic hand.

“That’s the direction the acting commander said we shouldn’t lure it during the briefing.”

“Then, in other words…”

“Yes. It’s the temple.”

Silence fell.

The five Blacklist heroes frowned in unison and looked in the direction the monster was heading.

The conspicuous white building – the temple was definitely in that path.

“…Shouldn’t we stop it from going there?”

“They said a pregnant woman is giving birth there, right?”

“Damn it, what are we supposed to do? It’s not my kid.”

“We’re not exactly heroes of justice.”

“Are our lives, as scum, not precious, but the lives of newborns are? Huh? That’s not fair, is it? Life is supposed to be equal?”

Thump… Thump… Thump…

The monster walks.

The five Blacklist members had clearly seen the monster destroy several other hero parties in an instant.

If that powerful monster reached the temple. The lives of the pregnant woman and the priests in the temple were obvious.

They would die.

Horribly.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Staring at the monster’s back as it moved further away, the five thugs’ mouths went dry.

“That damn monster doesn’t have any sense.”

“I told it not to go that way, damn it… !”

“Is there… anything we can do? Is there no way to stop that thing while we’re safe?”

They had lived in gambling dens, and any sense of compassion had long since dried up, but at least a minimum of pity remained.

But their own lives were heavier than that pity, so they couldn’t move.

It was then.

Thump!

Someone appeared on Stheno’s flank.

A man wrapped in bandages all over his body, wearing a helmet that completely covered his face, holding a thick square shield and a mace.

It was Torkel.

The five Blacklist members were bewildered to see Torkel, who didn’t seem afraid of the powerful monster, blocking it alone.

“Who is that fearless madman?”

“Huh? I know him. Isn’t that the demon from the Leprosy Eradication Squad?”

“Is he famous?”

“Of course, he’s famous. How could he not be famous when he and five lepers were biting and destroying everything?”

“But what happened to his subordinates? Why is he alone?”

“Ah, I heard a rumor. They said his subordinates all died here, and he was the only one who survived.”

Unaware that the thugs hidden here were whispering about him.

Torkel took a breath, then shouted.

“Hey, monster! Over here!”

Torkel stood on Stheno’s flank, deliberately starting to lure her to change her direction.

But Stheno didn’t care about Torkel’s provocation. With her hazy gaze fixed on the temple, she just kept walking forward.

From inside Torkel’s helmet, a grinding sound could be heard. Torkel slowly closed the distance with Stheno, continuing to shout.

“Look here, here! You damn monster. There’s a living person here!”

“……”

“Doesn’t a leper look like a person to you?! Look at me! Come and kill me!”

But Stheno didn’t seem to hear Torkel’s voice at all. It seemed she had already targeted the people in the temple, not even glancing at him.

In the end, Torkel chose to,

Thwack!

Charge.

Since the monster wasn’t looking at him, there was no other way. He had to take the risk and close the distance to lure her.

Torkel made that decision and rushed to Stheno’s flank-

Whack!

Suddenly, Stheno’s head turned sideways like a machine.

Her huge body was facing forward, but only her head was twisted sideways, which was truly bizarre.

With her head twisted like that, Stheno stared at Torkel emotionlessly.

Kiiiiing!

Following that, yellow magical light scattered from Stheno’s eyes. Torkel gritted his teeth and held his shield forward.

Crack! Crack, crack!

The petrifying gaze was fired, and the entire area was petrified.

Torkel had attached mirrors to his shield without any gaps, so his body covered by the shield was able to avoid the petrification effect.

However, Torkel was basically large and slow in his movements.

He couldn’t quite fit his entire body within the shield’s range, and his feet were exposed to Stheno’s gaze.

“Kuh?!”

Both feet, including his boots, turned white and hardened, turning into stone.

Losing his balance, Torkel tumbled to the ground. Even while fallen, Torkel tried to take a defensive stance in preparation for Stheno’s next attack.

“……?”

However, Stheno no longer paid attention to the incapacitated Torkel.

Thump… Thump… Thump…

She just continued walking towards the temple.

“…Hey. Where are you going?”

Gritting his teeth, Torkel pushed himself up, staggering, using his mace to support himself.

“I’ve only lost two feet. I can still catch you.”

“……”

“Look here, you damn monster! Don’t touch the temple!”

Torkel desperately took steps with his petrified feet, almost crawling, and followed behind Stheno.

“People dying there… is enough for once!”

Finally catching up to Stheno’s back, Torkel swung his mace with all his might. But.

Kiiiiing!

Without allowing that attack, Stheno, once again twisting her head grotesquely, flashed her eyes.

Crack, crack, crack…!

This time, his right arm was out of the range of the mirror shield as he raised his mace. Torkel’s right arm froze, still holding the mace.

“Kuh… Kugh!”

With a muffled scream, Torkel fell backward. Stheno turned her head forward again and started walking forward.

However, even Stheno eventually had to stop.

“Hah, hah, hah…”

Even with his two feet and right arm petrified, Torkel, who had desperately crawled on the ground, blocked Stheno’s path.

From inside the helmet, Torkel’s laughter, which was usually hard to hear, flowed out.

“Is that all? Sorry, but my skin hardened into something like a rock a long time ago.”

“……”

“Your petrification doesn’t even tickle.”

Thump!

Giving up on luring, Torkel seemed to have resolved to fight the monster head-on, and he took a defensive stance.

“You can’t go past here, monster. I’m the last line of this front.”

“……”

“I won’t let anyone else die behind me… !”

Torkel roared and charged at Stheno.

As he charged head-on, Stheno could no longer ignore him and swung her strong arms at Torkel.

Torkel was one of the strongest heroes in Crossroads.

As a hero that Ash had marked for main use, he had considerable natural stamina, growth potential, and potential.

However, there was a clear limit to fighting with one arm and two feet petrified.

In the end,

Thwack!

Torkel was hit by Stheno’s strong fist, spitting out blood and losing consciousness,

Grab!

He was grabbed by the collar with the other hand and lifted into the air.

“Kuh… !”

Torkel gritted his teeth.

He didn’t care about his own life.

But if he died, who would protect the people in the temple?

“Do you think… I’ll fall like this… !”

The face of Margherita, who had taken an arrow for him and quietly passed away in his arms… flashed through Torkel’s mind.

The face of the goddess statue, always looking down at him sadly.

Torkel uttered a desperate cry.

“I haven’t yet… repaid the debt that’s been placed on my life!”

Of course, Stheno didn’t properly understand the desperate cries of a human, and just lowered her other hand to kill her opponent.

And the next moment.

Clang!

Stheno’s wrist, which was being lowered after being raised into the sky, was suddenly cleanly cut off.

“…?!”

The monster’s hard forearm, made of ancient metal, was cleanly severed.

The severed wrist rolled on the ground with a hideous metallic sound.

Both Stheno and Torkel froze for a moment, unable to understand this phenomenon.

Then, a voice came from the side.

“Ah, sorry about that, monster.”

The blind swordsman of the Blacklist, who had somehow landed on the ground, fluttering his tattered clothes… was slowly putting his long sword back into its scabbard.

Click.

The blind swordsman, having finished sheathing his sword, grinned, revealing his yellow teeth.

“I was aiming for the neck, but as you can see, my eyes aren’t working properly… so I ended up cutting off your wrist?”