I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 559

Lake Kingdom.

Deep within the darkness. Somewhere.

“……”

The masked court jester, ‘Pied Piper’ – Crown, stood silently in the darkened street.

Before him, leaning against a stone wall, was the exhausted Muyeong, dozing off.

As if she hadn’t slept properly in a while, Muyeong was oblivious to the presence right in front of her. Crown quietly observed his younger sister.

The darkness swirling around Muyeong’s body was growing increasingly dense.

“……”

Crown tightly gripped the flute in his hand.

It was then. Muyeong, who had been nodding off, suddenly flinched and quickly drew her sword, pointing it forward.

“Haa, haa, haa!”

“……Calm down. It’s me.”

Crown raised both hands, indicating he meant no harm.

Muyeong, breathing heavily, rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand several times, as if she couldn’t see clearly. After a moment, Muyeong recognized Crown and smiled weakly.

“Brother… no, Crown. It’s been a while.”

“……”

“I’m sorry. I was a little… tired. I must have dozed off.”

Crown, looking at his panting sister with a hint of pity, cautiously asked,

“Did you have a nightmare?”

“I always do, always… every single day.”

“When was the last time you had a proper sleep?”

“……”

Staggering to her feet, Muyeong re-sheathed her old iron sword.

“In this hell, a good night’s sleep is a luxury, isn’t it, Crown?”

“……”

“It’s alright. I can still endure it. Just like the past hundreds of years.”

Crown quietly observed his sister, who was trying hard to appear strong.

He knew. That the end was approaching.

That his sister’s attempts to hold on, pretending to be strong, were also reaching their limit.

‘Soon, everything will be destroyed.’

No matter who fights, no matter how they resist. The destruction that will eventually come is inevitable.

Crown’s lips tightened behind his mask.

It was then.

“……Still.”

Muyeong, whose face was covered in cold sweat from the aftermath of her nightmare, suddenly smiled.

“Hehe. Still, there have been some enjoyable things lately.”

“……?”

Crown stared blankly at his sister, his eyes wide open.

He swore, since this country had fallen into this state, this was the first time he had seen his sister smile like this.

That unique, petal-like smile that had been worn away over hundreds of years in this hell…….

“Enjoyable things? What kind?”

“I went to a party on the surface.”

“……A party?”

Crown’s face was dumbfounded.

A party……?

He knew what the word meant, but it had been so long since he had actually experienced one. His sister’s words felt unreal.

Knowing this herself, Muyeong cleared her throat awkwardly.

“Yes. It sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed. I’d like to ask if you saw a hallucination.”

“Hehe…… but it’s true.”

Muyeong chattered excitedly. Like a girl who had gone to a party for the first time in her life.

“I was introduced to people from the surface, ate food I had never seen before, joined a strange gathering and drank alcohol. I listened to the music played by the band, and……”

Muyeong paused, then slowly lowered her gaze.

“I danced.”

“……”

“With a man who, for some reason, made my heart ache when I looked at him. I danced.”

Recalling that night, Muyeong awkwardly smiled and fanned herself with her hand.

“It’s really strange, even as I say it. Could I have been dreaming a midnight dream?”

“……No, surely, it must have been something you actually experienced.”

That was because.

The only dreams Muyeong could have now were nightmares.

If she had a happy memory, it must have been something that happened in reality.

Even if dreams and memories were both fleeting dust that would eventually disappear.

“Ahem!”

Clearing her throat repeatedly, Muyeong regained her composure and faced Crown with a blank expression.

“I’ve been rambling on… So, what brings you here today, Crown?”

“I heard that the monsters went out for the last attack, but this time you didn’t even try to stop them. I was worried, so I came to see you.”

For the past hundreds of years, Muyeong had never rested, always stopping the monsters from advancing.

But this time, she hadn’t even shown her face. As Crown, he couldn’t help but worry about his sister’s condition.

Even if her end was predetermined. She was still his sister.

“Ah, about that, this time……”

Muyeong answered sheepishly.

“Ash came to me and told me to rest this time. He said he had a plan……”

“……”

“I said I would reduce their numbers, but Ash was so adamant. He asked me not to interfere for the sake of his plan, so I did.”

She stretched, saying that she felt a little better after resting.

Crown let out a hollow laugh.

“You believed his words?”

“Ash is an undefeated commander as far as the front lines are concerned. If I don’t believe him, who should I believe?”

“He too will eventually know defeat.”

“That won’t happen.”

Muyeong said with conviction.

“Because I will protect him.”

No.

‘It’s not Ash you should protect. Not me, nor even the people of this country.’

You must protect yourself, my sister.

But the words swirling in his throat failed to take shape and eventually scattered within him. Crown sighed.

“Alright. Either way, it will all be decided soon. We’ll see if your way of resisting until the end was right, or if my way of giving up and surrendering was right……”

“……”

“Or perhaps, if neither of them had any meaning.”

As Crown muttered bitterly, Muyeong calmly spoke.

“Crown… no, brother. Even if our paths are different, I always respect you.”

“……”

“Please don’t forget that.”

Muyeong awkwardly raised the corners of her mouth into a smile.

“Thank you for worrying about me, and for coming to see me.”

“……”

“See you again, brother.”

Muyeong bowed lightly and disappeared into the darkness ahead.

“……See you again, huh.”

Crown didn’t know.

Whether he would ever see Muyeong again.

And even if they did meet again, whether Muyeong would be…….

……Not a completely different being.

“Hoo.”

Crown sighed and walked into the darkness on the opposite side.

In the distance, he heard the sound of something collapsing with a thud-thud. Looking in that direction, he saw the battle unfolding in the royal castle.

The second-ranked, Demon Guardian Corps.

The first-ranked, Black Dragon Legion.

It was a bloody civil war between the two strongest nightmare legions over the royal castle. Watching the royal castle pillars crumble, spewing thick smoke, Crown grumbled.

“Those monsters are making a mess in someone else’s country. Without a King of Kings, all they think about is killing each other……”

Crown walked forward, swaying. It was then.

《Court Jester, Crown!》

Suddenly, a small imp popped out in front of him. Crown was taken aback as he looked at the little devil who had called his name.

“What are you?”

《I am Low, the Imp Legion Commander, acting on behalf of the King of Kings in the Inse offensive! I request your cooperation!》

Low, holding up the royal scepter in his hand, cut to the chase.

《You can control monsters with that flute, can’t you?》

“……So?”

《Your ability is needed for this offensive!》

Low explained the outline of the thirty-fourth offensive.

They had decided to send out two monster legions at once, which could complement each other’s weaknesses. And they needed Crown’s help with this.

“……Well, I understand the intention.”

Crown nodded.

“Seeing you holding the royal scepter, it seems I can’t refuse to cooperate… But sending out two legions at once will cause several problems.”

Only one legion invades Inse at a time.

This was the ‘rule’ set by the Demon King.

Violating the rule itself was possible, but there would be penalties for doing so.

Just like how the Wolf King Lunared had his heart torn out as punishment before.

Did the little devil in front of him know that?

《Minor problems don’t matter.》

In Low’s eyes, as he answered, an unknown desire was swirling.

《If we can win this battle, we will pay any price……》

“……”

Crown, who had been silent, gestured with his chin.

“What exactly do you need me to do?”

《Monsters don’t get along well. It’s hard for two different legions to work together.》

Low raised his index finger towards Crown.

《So, please use your flute to control the two legions and make them cooperate.》

“Hmm, I see……”

Crown trailed off, lost in thought for a moment, then chuckled.

“Well, fine. Go ahead and carry out your strategy as planned, Imp Legion Commander.”

《Really?! Thank you! Thank you for your help!》

“But, I’ll tell you in advance.”

Crown twirled the flute in his hand and whispered softly.

“No matter what happens later, don’t blame me.”

***

A few days later, on the day of the thirty-fourth offensive.

The main gate of the Lake Kingdom.

The two monster legions that Low had chosen were the Armor-Lion Legion and the Dandelion Legion.

The Armor-Lion Legion had overwhelming defense and swift mobility, but their attack power was not very high.

They were monsters that were not suitable for an offensive.

Conversely, the Dandelion Legion was a siege monster that took root and bombarded from a distance with countless seed-shaped magic bullets.

However, despite their powerful attack, their defense was virtually non-existent, and once they were approached, it was over.

Both legions were not highly rated, and strictly speaking, they were lower-tier monster legions. But Low focused on the fact that these two legions could offset each other’s weaknesses.

《The Armor-Lion Legion will protect and move the Dandelion Legion. And the Dandelion Legion will safely unleash their bombardment!》

“Alright, let’s go.”

Peep-peep-

Crown played the flute, and the two monster legions actually began to move together without hostility.

Muyeong, who was blocking the main gate again, indiscriminately slashed the two monster legions, but still, a considerable number of monsters passed through the gate and advanced into Inse.

Low clenched his fist tightly. Now, all that was left was to see what the outcome would be.

***

The battle went according to plan.

The Dandelion Legion took root and unleashed long-range bombardments, and the Armor-Lion Legion protected them.

When human heroes approached to intercept the Dandelion Legion, the Armor-Lion Legion would defend some, and the rest would quickly uproot the Dandelion Legion and carry them on their bodies to move to another location.

By dividing the roles of attack and defense, the combination of monsters became surprisingly powerful.

The human forward base was devastated by the continuous bombardment, and the human heroes could not break through the defense of the Armor-Lion Legion in time.

However.

The monster side’s attack went according to plan for only a very short time.

The Dandelion Legion had an instinct to take root anywhere indiscriminately.

They even tried to take root on the bodies of the Armor-Lion Legion that were moving them.

Roots pierced through the armor and into the flesh.

And the Armor-Lion Legion, taking this as an attack, tore the Dandelion Legion apart by the stem.

It was instantaneous for them to turn against each other. The Dandelion Legion and the Armor-Lion Legion bombarded each other and bared their teeth and claws.

And the Inse defense forces were able to easily devour these two legions that had fallen into infighting.

《…….》

Low silently read the battle report.

Next to him, Crown shrugged.

“Didn’t you feel it when you saw the Demon Guardian Corps and the Black Dragon fighting? Monsters are inherently incapable of cooperation. Everyone except their own legion is an enemy.”

《…….》

“My flute can suppress their instincts for a while. But the moment one side can’t hold back and acts on its instincts, they will immediately kill each other.”

The reason why only single legions had been dispatched so far was fundamentally due to the rules set by the Demon King according to his preferences. But the monsters’ tendencies were also a major reason.

They would kill each other, but cooperation was impossible.

Crown chuckled, clasping his hands behind his head.

“But well, I’ll give you credit for fighting by hiding each other’s weaknesses with two weak monster legions. The damage to Inse was significant, even if it was for a short time……”

《……I understand now.》

“Huh?”

Thud-

Low put the report down on the desk and slowly rose from his chair.

《How to destroy Inse. I realized it after the failure of the last four offensives.》

Crown looked at the little devil as if he was talking nonsense, but the adjutant standing next to him was different.

The adjutant noticed.

That Low was now more serious than ever.

Like a legion commander leading a legion, no.

……Like a monster who wanted to tear humans apart and kill them.

《Next, the thirty-fifth offensive – the time of the Great Flood.》

The Imp Legion Commander, Low, with his red eyes gleaming, spoke in a voice filled with joy.

《I will destroy Inse with my own hands……!》