I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 547

Because spiritists can harmonize with nature, they are the most adept at moving stealthily among magic-based classes. Thus, it took the Scarecrow Legion Commander a moment to realize his hostage had vanished.

《Huh?》

The Scarecrow Legion Commander, patting his empty chest, turned his head in a hurry and saw Mikhail and Hannibal, the two boys, fleeing on earth spirits.

《That damned crow, stealing the wheat before the harvest is even over…!》

Behind the Scarecrow Legion Commander, who was muttering in anger, a sudden surge of heat rose.

《……?!》

The Scarecrow Legion Commander slowly turned around and saw:

Kooooooo…!

Dearmhidin, who had summoned a massive pillar of fire behind him, Chain, who had shed all his chains and merged with darkness, and Lucas, who was emitting golden light using his ultimate skill [Full Body Descent], were glaring fiercely.

Lucas, wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, gritted his teeth and spat out,

“Without a hostage, a guy like you is just a pushover.”

《Hoo…》

Creak. Creeeeak.

Tilting his half-severed neck, the scarecrow grinned, his mouth torn wide open to the top of his straw head, and asked,

《Really, do you think so?》

***

“Haa! Haa! Haa!”

Hannibal gasped for breath.

Hannibal was not the type to summon spirits directly to fight; he was more of an enchanter, more talented at imbuing items or people with spirits. He also had little combat experience, and this was his first time facing a monster legion commander head-on.

In this situation, moving stealthily in front of the monster legion commander while enduring his immense evil energy had taken a huge toll on his stamina.

The speed of the earth spirit carrying Mikhail was gradually slowing down.

“…It’s no use anyway.”

Despite this, Mikhail murmured sadly to Hannibal, who did not stop running forward.

“Even if you save me like this, I’m going to die when I return home.”

“……”

“I’m a failure… There’s no reason to risk your life to save me. You should leave me behind, even now…”

Thud!

At that moment, a hand lifted Hannibal and Mikhail up.

The two boys looked up in surprise and saw Zenis. Zenis had a boy tucked under each arm and started running forward.

“You say it’s no use saving you because you’re going to die anyway?”

Zenis chuckled.

“Hey, Crown Prince. Have you ever seen someone who doesn’t die?”

“……”

“Of course, everyone dies eventually, since we’re all human. But are you not going to live because of that?”

While carrying them, Zenis continued to speak, casting healing magic on the two boys.

“Defeat is bitter! The death of comrades is sad! You might die when you return home! I understand your situation, but saving people is my job.”

“I…”

Zenis grinned at Mikhail, who couldn’t speak.

“You’re too young to die yet.”

“……”

“Then you should live.”

It was then.

Whoosh-

A sound of something falling from above was heard.

Zenis didn’t turn around. Just seeing the faces of the two boys in his arms turn pale was enough to guess what was falling from above.

‘Damn it…!’

Zenis threw the two boys in his arms forward and gathered all his divine power to create armor.

Crack-!

The scarecrow that had flown down above Zenis’s head struck him, swinging his hand down.

It was a careless motion, as if swatting a fly, but the power was immense. With a single blow, Zenis was smashed into the ground, then bounced back up.

Certain that Zenis had fallen, the Scarecrow Legion Commander creaked his neck and approached Mikhail.

《You shouldn’t leave any leftovers. You have to think about the farmers’ blood and sweat. Huh?》

“Kuh, ugh…!”

《You have to scrape up and eat every last bit. Understand?》

The Scarecrow Legion Commander, who was approaching with a creaking laugh, suddenly stopped.

The commander looked down and saw a hand grabbing his leg.

It was Zenis. He was lying on the ground, reaching out to stop the commander.

《You’re so tenacious. I have to exterminate you, you sea bird bastards…》

“Hehe, have you ever farmed…? Pests are always tenacious, you know?”

Zenis forced himself to his feet, using healing magic on his own body to mend broken bones and torn muscles.

And he sensed it.

Ah, yes.

Now is the time.

Flash!

Zenis poured all his divine power into forming armor that covered his entire body and created a long spear in his hand.

“Hannibal, go! Hurry!”

The Scarecrow Legion Commander sneered and charged.

Barely dodging the attack, Zenis pierced the back of the Scarecrow Legion Commander’s hand with his divine power spear, pinning it to the ground.

“If you go a little further, His Highness will save you. So hurry!”

“But!”

“I told you, you’re both too young to die yet.”

At this moment, for the first time, Zenis looked directly at Hannibal and carefully observed him.

With clear golden eyes and light brown hair, inherited from his parents.

He had nothing in common with him… his son.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be a proper father.”

“……!”

“Go quickly! I can’t hold him for long!”

At that moment, the Scarecrow Legion Commander roared, pulled his hand out of the ground, and swung it.

The tip of his hand barely grazed Zenis, but it completely shattered his divine power armor. Zenis’s divine power helmet was smashed, leaving a long scar on his face.

But without retreating, Zenis gritted his teeth and was about to engage in the final battle when.

“You’re young too, young man.”

With a red magical glow, a magic-formed hexahedron [a six-sided geometric shape] appeared, trapping the Scarecrow Legion Commander like a prison.

Everyone looked in surprise and saw Dearmhidin, covered in blood, flying through the air and staggering to his feet.

“You’ve only lived for thirty or forty years, and you’re calling yourself an old man. To me, you’re still a boy.”

“Dearmhidin-nim… !”

“It’s an ancient sealing magic scroll. It’s one of the only ones we have in the Ivory Tower.”

Crack! Crrrack!

The Scarecrow Legion Commander thrashed wildly inside the hexahedron seal, and cracks immediately appeared in the magic seal wall.

Dearmhidin focused his mind and poured his magic into repairing the seal wall.

“I’ll hold him like this, so go quickly.”

“But!”

Dearmhidin glanced at Zenis, who was about to say something, and suddenly twitched his mouth.

“No, wait a minute.”

“Yes?”

“Before you go, let me give you one last lecture.”

“……?”

He suddenly started lecturing.

“First of all, young priest, you. Is excommunication a big deal? Does that mean your life is over?”

“Yes? No…”

“So what if you caused some trouble, made the people around you a little tired? People are supposed to be a burden to each other. It’s natural to live by causing trouble.”

“……”

“Even in the moment you think you’re completely ruined, there’s a way, and even when you think it’s all over, life will continue on and on. So, if your leg joints are still working, walk more!”

Zenis opened his mouth slightly.

Dearmhidin turned his head sharply towards Mikhail.

“And Crown Prince Mikhail. You’re going to die because you lost one battle? Don’t you know that victory and defeat are common in war? Do you know how many defeats I’ve experienced and still lived?”

“……”

Mikhail also had a blank expression. Dearmhidin continued with a stern expression.

“You must be hurting from your first failure. But there will be more failures in your life. The world will knock you down again and again.”

Dearmhidin nodded firmly.

“Get up shamelessly.”

“……”

Mikhail clenched his fist with a trembling hand.

Finally, Dearmhidin looked at Hannibal and spoke softly.

“Don’t be afraid of failure, young boys. Don’t be ashamed either. Just learn one lesson from each failure and move forward.”

The old man smiled.

“That failure is your life.”

Crack! Crrrack!

The sealing magic could not hold and began to collapse. Dearmhidin poured all of his remaining magic into it.

“Thank you for listening to my last lecture. I feel much better now. Now, go!”

“Dearmhidin-nim… !”

“You’re all too young to die here.”

Dearmhidin shook his head as if he wouldn’t listen anymore.

“Sacrificing is the role of the old.”

***

And at that moment.

“No, Dearmhidin-nim.”

I intervened.

“Dearmhidin-nim is young too.”

“……What?”

“In the rest of our lives, today is the youngest we’ll ever be.”

Everyone turned to look at me.

Shouldering a flag, panting from running so fast.

Wiping the sweat from my chin, I grinned.

“We’re all… too young to die today.”

The cliché of blocking the retreat and dying heroically while sending allies away… it’s a cool role that everyone wants to play at least once, but.

It’s not my style.

Dearmhidin was dumbfounded by the fact that he was still young, or maybe it was because my timing was too perfect, but anyway, he gaped.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I just finished clearing out the regular scarecrows at the forward base and came straight here.”

I planted the flag on the ground and bent over, panting. Ugh, what terrible stamina. I feel like I’m going to die just from sprinting.

“Now that the raid leader is here, let’s start the boss raid.”

“No… Don’t you understand the situation, Prince Ash?! We can’t face this monster with just us! I’ll hold him with my remaining magic, so run away far away!”

“You’re right. It’s a bit much for just us.”

Usually, a raid can’t be solved with just one party.

Crack! Crrrack!

The Scarecrow Legion Commander began to rampage more violently inside the seal. I slowly reached into my pocket.

“So… let’s increase the number of participants.”

What I took out of my inner pocket—my inventory—was a blue-burning torch.

The [Blue Flame Torch], which had been destroyed last time, but had been repaired.

Clang-!

At that moment, the Scarecrow Legion Commander finally broke the seal and jumped out.

Dearmhidin shouted something, but ignoring him, I threw the blue flame torch at the Scarecrow Legion Commander who was charging towards me.

Whoosh!

《This little thing!》

The Scarecrow Legion Commander angrily swatted it away. The blue flame torch, hit by the monster’s arm, spun in the air.

As if drawing a circle.

And the next moment,

Thwack…!

A firing sound was heard from afar, and then,

Thud-!

A magic bullet slammed into the center of the Scarecrow Legion Commander’s chest.

《……?!》

The Scarecrow Legion Commander, who had been charging towards me, was thrown backward as if he had been flung away.

Rolling on the ground, the monster looked around, bewildered.

And my companions were just as confused. I just smiled silently at them.

From Crossroads to this forward base, it takes three days by horse.

From the nearest teleport gate to here, it takes a day by horse.

But-

Thud thud thud…

What about an airship?

From Crossroads to here, it’s a blink of an eye.

Thud thud thud thud!

The sound of propellers grew closer, and then, with a sound of cutting through the wind, our World Guardian Front’s flagship—the Geronimo—came swooping down from the sky.

“Your Highness-!”

Demian, perched on the open hatch, shouted at the top of his lungs while taking a sniper stance.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness! We came as soon as the gate was destroyed, but the Geronimo was under repair, so it took some time-!”

“We’ll talk later, Demian!”

I shouted, pointing at the monster.

“Fireeeee!”

Demian pulled the trigger instead of answering.

Thwaaaang!