I Became The Tyrant Of A Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 506

“Because the path you are walking now is the path to the true ending.”

At Aither’s words, my eyes widened.

The path I’m walking? What is that?

I’m just… desperately struggling.

But Aither nodded with conviction.

“Even if that path is winding, and sometimes takes a long detour… the goal you’re looking at is definitely correct.”

“……”

“So don’t worry. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing.”

I wanted to ask for specific methods, but Aither was deliberately speaking indirectly, as if I shouldn’t.

Just keep going forward as I have been, steadfastly.

“There will be many more worries, many pains, many sorrows… but if it’s you, Lord, you’ll do well as you’ve always done.”

In front of me, who was silent, Aither smiled as carefree as usual.

“Please, take care of this world, and Myeong…”

***

And then Aither didn’t disappear again.

After acting like he was going to vanish forever, he settled back into his room in the Lord’s mansion. What the hell are you doing, you bastard?

He officially submitted his resignation as the Lord’s aide, saying he wasn’t feeling well. But I didn’t accept it, I just held onto the resignation letter.

“Rest and get better, then come back to help. You’re the director, after all. There will be times when I need your help.”

Aither just smiled without saying anything, but I wanted him to stay by my side.

There are only a few who know that I am a soul pieced together like this.

There are also only a few who know all the mysteries of this world, including the system.

This inscrutable director will definitely be needed in my journey someday. If possible, please don’t disappear again and just stay here.

As for the Lord’s aide position, Serenade had been handling most of the administrative work while he was gone anyway.

Let’s officially ask Serenade to do it this time.

“……”

I watched Aither’s back as he returned to his room and let out a soft sigh.

I felt tired from hearing too many abstract stories lately.

‘Sanctification, the darkness of another world, the true ending…’

What the hell are those things, you nerds! Can’t you give me some concrete, real-world stories that I can actually grasp?

I just want to protect this place, Crossroads, and live together with the people around me.

-So don’t worry. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing.

……Right.

In that sense, what Aither said just now is a bit helpful. I took a breath.

Just keep doing what I’ve been doing.

Kill monsters. Save people.

Using every means available.

Then I’ll find out. The trivial backstories, the identity of the true ending.

I will not look away, I will only walk straight ahead.

“Senior! Please bake me one more!”

“May I ask for one as well, my lord?”

The pigs, who had already eaten three toasts, came to me, squealing for more. I sighed and went into the kitchen.

“You’ll get fat. Just one more each and then go to sleep.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the two pig knights answer, “Yes~”.

Let’s do what we’ve been doing. With my people.

The third year of war. Continuing on.

Looking out the window, I saw snow falling.

It was the middle of winter.

***

A few days later.

Stage 24. The day of the defense battle.

On the snow-swept castle walls, my soldiers, wearing winter coats, were lined up densely.

The army, dressed in thick black coats with fur and leather, was a spectacle in itself.

I exhaled a white breath and looked around at the soldiers, then brushed the snow off my shoulder with a flick of my hand.

Currently, Crossroads was fully prepared for the defense battle.

Although Legion Commander Baekya had boasted that he would take care of the bird monster legion himself, that guy is a monster too. There was no reason to trust him.

We had thoroughly prepared an anti-aircraft fire network in case the bird monster legion attacked as planned.

The soldiers were also thoroughly trained in the relevant tactics. Even if Baekya didn’t keep his promise, there wouldn’t be any major problems with the defense.

However, the scale of the damage was hard to guarantee.

On average, the damage to regular troops is high when facing a flying monster legion. And above all.

“A night raid…”

The current time was night.

We did our best to improve visibility by lighting bonfires everywhere and installing lighting artifacts, but it was still a pitch-black winter night.

There were still several hours left until dawn.

If the bird monster legion attacked in this situation, the regular soldiers would suffer considerable damage, even if the heroes were fine.

‘Of all things, they fixed the invasion time with a dark event…’

The enemy made the first move.

They used a dark event – ‘Night Raid’ – that ensured the invasion would start in the middle of the night, so we couldn’t adjust the invasion time with [Goddess Blessing].

After much deliberation, the [Goddess Blessing] I used was ‘Night Vision’.

It expanded and corrected the night vision range of all allies. It wasn’t as good as daylight, but it was enough for long-range interception.

‘It would be nice if there was moonlight.’

Unfortunately, today was a new moon.

Moreover, the weather was cloudy and snowy. It was hard to expect even starlight, let alone moonlight.

It was expected to be quite a struggle. I swallowed hard and glared at the poorly visible southern sky.

“My lord! A report from the scouts!”

Lukas, wearing bone armor over his coat, shouted.

At first, he was uncomfortable with the bone armor, but now Lukas was wearing it willingly.

Since it had been proven to be equipment that countered the bird monster legion, he didn’t care about the appearance of the equipment in order to gain even a slight advantage in the battle.

“The first wave of the bird monster legion has crossed the southern forest. They will be in sight soon!”

“Good. All troops, prepare to fire-!”

At my command, the artillerymen loaded their cannons and ballistas in unison, and the light-emitting artifacts shone like searchlights into the sky.

The artillerymen’s firing lines were already aimed at the sky.

If the monsters entered the range, they could be melted down by our fire network, even in the sky.

And then,

Kieeeeeeeek-!

A hideous screech echoed. It was a high-pitched, sharp scream that sent shivers down your spine just by hearing it.

Along with that scream, from the sky in the distance, shrouded in darkness and snow… the shape of a giant bird appeared.

It was far and dark. At best, all that could be seen was a blurry silhouette.

Nevertheless, all the soldiers swallowed hard at the hideous form.

The wings that sprouted haphazardly and flapped in different directions were 12 on the left and 3 on the right.

The leg was a single leg, and the claws that sprouted from it swayed like giant spear tips.

And, the head.

Five heads with beaks that were split sharply as if they had been blown up by a bomb, emitting red glares.

Kieeeeeeeek-!

The five heads simultaneously opened their beaks and let out another screech.

Thanks to the earmuffs that blocked sound wave attacks, which were given to everyone in advance, no damage was taken, but it was still terrible.

“That’s not a bird, it’s just a dragon…”

I grumbled and glared at the legion commander monster of the bird monster legion.

The Bird King.

As a monster with ‘King’ in its name, it was a powerful individual. This guy accounted for about half of the entire bird monster legion’s power.

While the regular soldiers spread out a fire network to block the rest of the bird monster legion, the hero parties had to mobilize and carry out an aerial raid.

The giant body of the monster approaching from the darkness was a huge threat in itself.

The hero characters under my command all gripped their weapons with tense faces.

Soon, the bird monsters approached the range of our defense line. I raised my hand and was about to order the firing.

At that moment.

Flap-

The sound of clothes fluttering was heard, and then someone descended from the sky higher than the bird monster legion with a light movement, blocking the incoming bird monster legion in mid-air.

A crown with dangling beads, a face covered with a talisman. A wide robe.

The third-ranked Nightmare Legion Commander. The Great Magician Baekya.

《I’ve come to show my sincerity as promised. Player.》

Even though there was a great distance, his whispering voice rang clearly in my ears.

I frantically waved my hand. My soldiers did not fire the cannons and went into standby mode.

Kieeeek?!

The Bird King, surprised by the sudden appearance of the Nightmare Legion Commander, made a flustered sound. The red eyes on his five heads were filled with bewilderment.

Kiyaaaaaat-!

The Bird King let out a cry as if warning, but Baekya stood in front of the Bird King without budging.

The emotion in the Bird King’s red eyes changed from bewilderment to anger in an instant.

The Bird King flapped its wings fiercely, and the bird monster legion, which had slowed down for a moment, was shot forward again all at once.

Not towards our castle walls, but towards Baekya, who was blocking them.

Swaaaaaaak!

The entire bird monster legion flew at full speed, aiming at one point. Then Baekya chuckled.

《I’ll show you.》

Her long sleeves slowly crossed the air-

《Why I’m called the Great Magician.》

-The snow stopped.

Like a lie, the snow that had been pouring down from the sky suddenly stopped. We were all taken aback and looked up at the sky.

The dark clouds that had been filling the sky and pouring out snow had disappeared.

Instead, an alien darkness was cast there.

Rustle, rustle…

The sound of insects gnawing.

The same darkness that covered the Lake Kingdom was gathered like a cloud right above Baekya’s head.

Crack-

And that cloud began to split.

What was revealed between the split clouds was…

“…It’s white?”

Lukas muttered blankly.

“Why is only that night sky white…”

What was revealed between the increasingly splitting darkness was something pure white.

At that moment, I realized what it was.

I immediately shouted to the soldiers.

“Don’t look up at the sky!”

“Yes?”

“Everyone, lower your heads! You must never look at the sky!”

I had a hunch.

‘That’ is something that ordinary humans should not see.

The soldiers, not knowing why, but faithfully following my orders, lowered their heads. I gritted my teeth and looked at the slowly opening white sky.

No – it’s not the sky.

That is… ‘an eye’.

Crack.

From the sky shrouded in darkness, a huge eye opened.

The white of that eye was so huge that it gave the illusion that a white sky was opening.

The red pupil, which had been spinning in the darkness, positioned itself in the very center of the white.

《Witness.》

Looking directly up at that eye from below, Baekya murmured in a voice as if in ecstasy.

《This is the source of magic that I have reached after a lifetime of research.》

The Bird King did not back down.

Desperately screaming, it did not stop its charge towards Baekya, who was now right in front of it.

The monster instinctively knew that the only way to block that unidentified eye was to defeat the magician in front of it.