I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 525

“They’re approaching within firing range!” I nodded firmly at the scout’s shout. “Good! Prepare for a crossfire!” It was time to show the new recruits, and the new monsters, another specialty of our Crossroads. Thump! Thump! Thump! The skilled artillerymen expertly aligned and aimed the cannons. And the moment the monsters entered the firing range- “Fire!” I shouted, extending my hand forward. “Pour it all out! Ruthlessly, without holding back!” Boom! Boom! Boom! With thunderous roars that seemed to split the eardrums, the cannons set up on the ramparts unleashed fire all at once. My favorite moment in a siege battle. In an orderly barrage of firepower, flames bloomed in the sky in an instant. The vanguard of the beetle monsters, advancing in formation, was completely shattered by the fire net. The cannons had also been consistently maintained, reinforced, and researched, so their tier upgrades were sufficient. Moreover, various enhancement materials and scrolls farmed during autonomous exploration were enchanted as they became available. Furthermore, I had obtained the blueprints for the new-style cannons of the Imperial Capital during my last visit, and that technology was also being applied sequentially. Anyway, long story short… Even if the monsters of the third year have become stronger, we have more than enough firepower to melt them! Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom! The beetle monsters were torn to shreds in the air. “I, insane… !” “The vanguard of the monsters at once…?!” It was hard to see a scene anywhere in the world where an artillery unit of this size would unleash such precise and powerful firepower. The new recruits were as bewildered by the artillery’s preemptive strike as they had been terrified by the appearance of the monster legion. Regardless, I gave the next order. “Lily! It’s your turn!” “Yes! Activating artifacts in sequence!” Whirr! Whirr! Lily and the alchemists activated the artifacts, and the artifacts installed on the ramparts emitted light in sequence, with their unique operating sounds. Various debuffs were applied to the monsters, and direct attack artifacts melted the monsters with flashes of light. For the monsters that passed this artifact barrier, another barrage of cannons was ready. Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom! With tremendous explosions, the monsters up to the second wave were all burned away. Up to this point, it was a typical defense battle routine that we had always carried out. The difference was that they were flying monsters. Whoosh! Whoosh! Piercing through the thick smoke, the third wave of beetles flew towards the ramparts in an instant. If they were ground monsters, the corpses of the monsters that had fallen earlier would have served as a barrier, and we could have delayed them with various ground combat tactics, including kill zones. But aerial combat doesn’t have such options. So, we have to use various tricks. ‘From this time on, a new option is available.’ That was because the Sky Knights, the flying cavalry, had newly joined our front. Now, shall we send out the newly arrived bait unit? “Knights of the Vermillion Kingdom!” At my call, the knights of the Sky Knights, including Mikhail, flinched and looked at me. “Are you just going to keep watching?” I smirked, not hiding my intention to provoke, and raised one corner of my mouth. “Aren’t you going to show off your boasted skills?” “Tch!” Mikhail bit his lip with a youthful face, then lightly mounted his griffon. “Let’s go, Sky Knights! Let’s show them what we are!” “Hah!” “Hyah!” With Mikhail in the lead, about twenty knights mounted on griffons took to the sky all at once. ‘It’s a spectacle.’ The griffons with their huge wings spread, and the knights on top, with their cloaks fluttering. They took to the air in formation, then charged straight at the beetle monsters. Whoosh! Whoosh! The sound of the griffons cutting through the wind was fierce. “Haaah!” With a clear shout, a sphere of magic formed around the rapier that Mikhail had drawn. The moment Mikhail swung his rapier horizontally, the magic spheres were fired forward- Bang! Boom! Boom! Direct hits on the beetles blocking the path of the Sky Knights. Following the charge, the griffons and knights plunged into the middle of the enemy lines, crushing the monsters. Thud! Thud! Thud! The griffons’ heavy charge was followed by the knights’ simultaneous lance charge. The beetle monsters’ carapaces were thick, but the monsters were crushed by the overwhelming physical force that exceeded their defense. “Retreat immediately!” After breaking through a corner of the enemy lines with a simultaneous charge, Mikhail led his subordinates out of the airspace without hesitation. Whoosh! Whoosh! With the sound of cutting through the wind, the griffons and knights exited the enemy lines while maintaining their momentum. I whistled as I watched. ‘Not bad.’ The charge attack using the speed and weight unique to cavalry, followed by a retreat from the enemy lines. The Sky Knights were performing this tactic well even in the air. “They said they’ve been catching all sorts of monsters in the northwest of the continent, and it seems it wasn’t just boasting.” I was grateful that such an excellent immediate force had joined us. As I smiled contentedly, Lucas sent me a dumbfounded look from the side. “…Are you just going to watch, my lord?” “Don’t worry. I don’t take bets I’m going to lose.” The role of the Sky Knights in this battle was bait. Thud! Thud! Thud! Behind the Sky Knights, who were attempting a hit-and-run, the beetle monsters followed closely. Due to the nature of the monsters, they showed hostility to the closest human, so the aggro was focused on the Sky Knights who had approached momentarily. Nearly half of the monsters that were flying towards the ramparts turned their direction, drawn to the Sky Knights. This alone greatly reduced the burden on the rampart defense team. “Now, warriors of the world’s front lines!” I lightly slammed the flag in my hand down. “Let’s go wild too!” Whoosh! My ultimate skill, [The Foremost Flag], was activated, and a magic rampart began to form. Our melee combat personnel quickly climbed onto it. The rampart was created in the air above the artillerymen. It was a position where they could protect the artillerymen while they maintained their fire net and engage the approaching monsters. “We can’t lose to the new recruits!” “Come on! You bug bastards!” My melee heroes shouted cheerfully and prepared for close combat. “Waaah! Waaah! Bugs, bugs!” Except for Kuilan… Next to Kuilan, who was letting out weak screams as the beetles approached, Yoon swung the large axe he was carrying on his shoulder and split a flying beetle in two. Then, he looked at Kuilan and smiled meaningfully. “If you don’t do it right… I’ll punish you later.” “Hiii!” Kuilan, more terrified of the person next to him than the bugs, straightened his battle stance. Good, good. Thud! Thud! Thud! Thwack! Thud! The melee warriors on my magic rampart began to fight off the beetles that had broken through our fire net. Originally, it would have been a slightly difficult number to handle. But thanks to the Sky Knights, the aerial bait unit, the burden of numbers was reduced. We were able to block them easily. This battle pattern continued for a while. The Sky Knights were drawing aggro in the air and repeating hit-and-runs, while the beetles that were not drawn to them were being dealt with on the ramparts, and our artillerymen were diligently firing cannons. ‘It’s working well.’ My direct party, which I had designated to match the twenty or so Sky Knights, consisted of Kuilan’s Punishment Unit, Verdandi’s Holy Grail Exploration Team, Dusk Bringer’s Dragon Blood Knights, and my main party. Although they couldn’t fly like the Sky Knights, their kill counts were roughly matched. At this rate, it seemed like it could be a pretty good, close match. The problem was, “Tch?!” “They’re catching up, Crown Prince!” The fact that the Sky Knights were gradually being consumed. After the initial charge and retreat, they were able to shake off the beetles without any problems, but with each hit-and-run, their speed gradually decreased. Griffons and knights are living beings, so their stamina cannot be infinite. Rather, as cavalry who have to perform strenuous movements throughout the battle, their consumption rate is faster than other troop types. Thud! Thud! Thud! The beetles, which they had been leisurely shaking off, were now right behind the Sky Knights. The bewilderment on the faces of the Sky Knights was clearly visible from afar. “Tch!” Mikhail clicked his tongue and momentarily slowed his griffon’s speed to move to the rear of the knights, then swung his rapier down towards the back. Then, dozens of small magic spheres were created and scattered behind, Boom! Boom! Boom! They exploded when they reached the beetles that were following behind the Sky Knights. It was an excellent attack. If they were the typical monsters they had faced in the northwest, that one blow would have cleaned them up. However. “-?!” On this front, that was not enough. To deal with a large number of beetles, Mikhail lowered the power of the magic spheres but scattered many of them. As a result, the attack was wide-ranging, but even though they took the damage, the beetles were still intact. The beetles break through the check and follow. In the end, they were caught. The beetles that caught up grabbed the griffons with their legs and began to attack the Sky Knights with their horns and pincers. “Tch…?!” “Shake them off!” The Sky Knights easily defeated the monsters that had attached to their rear, but their speed inevitably decreased. And more and more beetles were sticking to their backs. If they had been caught near the ramparts, they could have retreated and landed on the ramparts, but they were caught by the monsters quite far away. At this rate, they would not be able to retreat to the ramparts and would be attacked from all sides by the monsters. The end of a cavalry unit that has lost its mobility is obvious. ‘Still, they lasted longer than I thought.’ The Sky Knights, now completely caught by the monsters and beginning to struggle. As I was calmly evaluating the battle while watching them, the other soldiers and servants of the Vermillion Kingdom urgently requested my help. “Y, Your Highness!” “Please save our Crown Prince! At this rate… !” “Huh? Why would I?” When I asked nonchalantly, the faces of the people of the Vermillion Kingdom turned pale. I shrugged. “It was you who requested a duel for command. And we’re still in the middle of the duel. If Crown Prince Mikhail hasn’t declared surrender, I can’t interfere first.” “B, but!” “This monster front is a place built with lives as the price.” I said coldly. “Death is equal in front of monsters. Whether you’re a knight, a soldier, a royal, or a commoner. Anyone can die with one mistake.” “…” “You demanded to take over the command of this harsh front, but didn’t you have the resolve to risk your life? If you bet against monsters, it’s natural to lose everything when you lose.” To have command also means to take responsibility. If Crown Prince Mikhail truly wanted command of this front, it was natural that he would also take responsibility for his own life according to that choice. I gave a bright smile to the pale and trembling people of Vermillion. “Just kidding, just kidding.” There’s no way I’d let them die just because they were reckless once. Not with such a good card. It’s best to give them a good lesson and use them well as my own card. Turning towards the battlefield, I shouted. “Main party! Help the Sky Knights!” I knew this would happen, so I had the main party on standby. “Damien! Junior!” “Yes, Your Highness!” “We’ve been waiting, Your Highness.” When I called the names of my two tactical weapons who had been waiting, they jumped forward as if they had been waiting. I smiled at the sniper and the mage. “Shall we show those youngsters the spicy taste of our front?” Instead of answering, Damien grabbed [Black Queen], and Junior grabbed [Lord of Crimson]. I had the two preparing for sniping and magic on standby, and I looked next to them. “And Lucas! Evangeline!” My knight duo, who had also been on standby, immediately came to stand in front of me. I nodded to them. “It’s time for aerial combat.” I had given the operation instructions in advance. Evangeline snorted as if she was looking forward to it, and Lucas looked up at the sky with a cool gaze – and at the battlefield where the Sky Knights were struggling. It was time to let those fledgling knights know. That you don’t necessarily need wings to fight in the sky.