I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 573

Dozens of mages simultaneously unleashed their attribute-based joint magic, a torrent of power surging forth.

The swarm of flies that had been rushing towards the human defense line was almost instantly annihilated. The magic, showing no signs of weakening, continued its assault, crashing down upon the Fly King’s main body.

Currently, the Fly King’s magic defenses were down, thanks to [Elemental Disassembly].

In this vulnerable state, being directly hit by a joint magic attack of this scale would inevitably cause massive damage.

‘This is going to work!’

Junior was confident. That huge monster would surely fall with a terrible scream…

However.

Peeeeeeeng!

The mythical era monster responded.

The two remaining halos above the Fly King’s head began to spin furiously, the outer one glowing with an intense white light.

The Fly King stretched out its hundreds of legs in all directions, then,

Clap-!

Brought them together in front of its chest as if in prayer.

Thuuuuuung!

Immediately, an enormous shockwave erupted from the Fly King.

The formless shockwave collided directly with the magic unleashed by the human mages.

And,

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

Clang…!

The magic dissipated as if it were being disassembled.

The fierce flames that seemed to swallow the world, the endless tidal wave, the landslide that seemed to turn the world upside down, the tornado that seemed to tear the sky, and the lightning as dazzling as the primordial flash—all of it…

Scattered in vain.

“…This is…”

Junior, staring at this phenomenon with her mouth slightly open, stammered.

“This isn’t just a simple dispel, this is… !”

The fragmented magic particles scattered in the atmosphere, shining with a dazzling light and forming hundreds of rainbows.

In the center of that rainbow cluster, the Fly King slowly extended its hundreds of legs around it and calmly stood still in the air.

In the clear, prism-like shimmering light, the huge, glistening Fly King suddenly looked divine.

And at the same time, it was utterly blasphemous.

Swish-

The halo that had been shining white above the Fly King’s head turned to dust and disappeared. Now only one halo remained.

The next moment, the Fly King stretched all of its hundreds of arms forward.

Whooooom-

Screeeeeeeeeech!

A massive number of flies, far greater than the previous swarm, poured out from the Fly King’s entire body.

Seeing the swarm of flies rushing in, Junior knew instinctively.

They had to retreat.

Otherwise, they would die here.

“Everyone, retreat-! Retreat!”

Retreat drills had been done in advance. Junior shouted at the top of her lungs, leading the mages to the teleport gate.

“Everyone, to Crossroads! Retreat-!”

Ding, ding, ding, ding-!

The retreat alarm sounded, and mages and soldiers hurriedly jumped into the teleport gate.

The area in front of the teleport gate was a chaotic mess. Reinforcements arriving late, soldiers screaming and trying to escape quickly… everyone was mixed up in a jumble.

The good thing was that everyone was well-trained. Since it was a defensive operation designed for a hit-and-run, the retreat was swift.

Soon, the Crossroads side recognized the retreat situation and stopped sending more troops, and the chaotic lines on this side gradually calmed down, allowing everyone to enter the gate in order.

The problem was that the flies were getting closer even during this time.

Crack-!

The flies slammed their heads into the temporarily installed barrier magic circles and protective artifacts.

These were barriers and protective artifacts focused on physical defense. They were not something that could be broken by the simple body slams of flies.

However, the number of flies was beyond normal. Far, far beyond normal.

Crack, crack, crack…!

As countless flies stuck to and pushed against it, the barrier began to crack in an instant…

Clang-!

And then it broke.

The barrier magic set up at the base was dozens of layers thick, but it was torn apart from the outside to the inside in an instant, like paper.

People screamed and jumped into the teleport gate.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit! This is fucking scary!”

A black mage, chained and desperately creating two legs with black magic to run to the teleport gate, gritted his teeth.

“I swear, from now on, I’ll clean up the trash on time, I won’t pile up fruit peels, and I’ll never do anything that helps flies breed! Shit!”

Chain, having reached the teleport gate, let out a sigh of relief and looked back.

The terrifying sight of the last barrier being torn apart was now visible.

Screeeeeeeeeech!

Through the torn gap, swarms of flies, wriggling like crane flies, pushed their legs in and invaded. It was a horrific sight that would haunt dreams.

Chain turned back to jump into the teleport gate quickly.

And at that moment,

“…?”

Something caught his eye.

When Chain, startled, turned his head back, he saw Candler, huddled and trembling behind the collapsed outer wall in the center of the defense line.

“Candler?!”

Chain shouted in alarm.

“What are you doing there, you old hag! Hurry up and come here-!”

“…”

But Candler, as if she couldn’t hear Chain’s words, only trembled while huddled up.

The fear of monsters that had been etched into her during the Gorgon Sisters battle had completely overwhelmed her in the face of this enormous swarm of flies.

“Tch!”

Chain, gritting his teeth, dashed towards Candler.

Junior, who was checking the personnel until the very end next to the teleport gate, was horrified.

“Chain?! What are you doing-”

“Candler is over there! I have to save her!”

Chain shot out, and Junior, gritting her teeth, looked up at the sky. The insect monsters were pouring down, wriggling like boiling tar.

“Seriously… this isn’t easy… !”

[Lord of Crimson] in Junior’s hand emitted a blood-red flash, unleashing pre-casted attack magic in all directions.

Flash-!

A huge lightning bolt crossed the sky, burning all the monsters it encountered to a crisp.

While Junior bought time, Chain reached Candler in an instant. Chain shouted.

“Candler! Snap out of it, you idiot! Do you want to die here?!”

“Ah, uh…?”

“Okay, that’s it, just stay still!”

Chain grabbed Candler by the scruff of her neck and lifted her up, then sprinted towards the teleport gate.

Black magic uses stored life force as fuel.

Thanks to this, Chain could move explosively, but his face was changing from a boy’s to an old man’s in real-time.

And even though he moved with all his might, he couldn’t make it in time.

The monsters fell like a waterfall, taking the brunt of Junior’s magic interception.

Chain felt death approaching right above his head. The black mage muttered bitterly.

“Man, my luck is just terrible today…”

Following that, Chain moved his hand made of black magic and threw Candler by the scruff of her neck into the teleport gate with all his might.

Only then did Candler snap back to her senses.

Candler and Chain’s eyes met as she was thrown into the gate.

Chain, with his face now wrinkled and old, spat out a curse.

“Get your head on straight, you-”

Kwaaaang!

The next moment, Chain was buried under countless flies without even being able to scream.

Flash! Flash-!

Junior, who was desperately trying to unleash magic to save Chain, realized that she could no longer hold out and tried to throw herself into the teleport gate.

At that moment, a swarm of flies pressed down on the teleport gate with their bodies.

Crack!

The teleport gate, simply crushed by mass, was destroyed in an instant. Junior closed her eyes tightly, watching the magic door close in vain.

“This is…”

That murmur was the last word Junior left behind.

Thud!

Kwaaaang!

The teleport gate was completely destroyed.

Candler, who had been thrown out to the Crossroads side beyond the teleport gate, got up from the floor, her body trembling, and looked ahead.

Thud, thud…

Several pieces of rubble that had passed through with her bounced on the floor and rolled to Candler’s feet. Following that, the magic stones that made up the gate collapsed with a rumble.

Junior and Chain did not come out until the end.

“…”

Candler, with her mouth slightly open and unable to speak, was approached by Ash and Diermuid, who rushed over urgently.

Ash turned his head to look around and shouted.

“What the hell happened… Junior! Report the situation!”

“…”

“Where did Junior go? Hey, does anyone know where Junior is?”

Candler covered her mouth with both hands, as if she was about to throw up.

Because of her foolish actions,

What had just happened?

***

“…”

The lord’s mansion. My room.

I was silent, my forehead resting on my hands.

Just a moment ago, two mages failed to return from the second defense line battle.

Junior, and Chain.

Two awakened mages from the front lines.

Their deaths were not confirmed, but… in this situation, I had to make a cold judgment.

Missing In Action during an operation against monsters was practically the same as death.

When Candler, who had been mobilized for the defense line construction, fell behind, the two mages who had gone to save her failed to escape.

Candler, crying that it was her fault, fainted and was taken to the temple.

Many heroes glared at her as if blaming her… but whose fault was this situation, really?

The situation was so urgent that even ordinary people, not just mercenaries, had to be mobilized for construction, with the enemy’s advance imminent.

In this situation, the monster also increased its advance speed and launched a surprise attack.

It was not uncommon for ordinary workers or retired mercenaries to be terrified in the face of the Fly King, who exuded a morale that even the heroes on the scene were sick of.

And the good intentions of Chain and Junior, who threw themselves to save their old comrade who had fallen into panic, were also not wrong.

Kellyson, who had recklessly deployed to add firepower to the front lines, and Kellybay, who had recklessly tried to save his fallen son…

No one had malicious intent. They were just fighting their best.

But the situation was sinking into a quagmire.

‘This reminds me of the Goblin God King times.’

They were struggling to save each other, but the war situation was deteriorating.

It was an irony of the battlefield that I should be used to by now, but it was painful every time I experienced it.

‘How much have I lost in just one day?’

With a slightly trembling hand, I picked up a quill and wrote down the lives and supplies lost today.

‘Kellybay, Kellyson, 50 dwarven artisans and crew members, two airships, and now Junior and Chain…’

Thinking of Junior made my head go blank.

She was my mage, who was particularly helpful among the many heroes. Countless battles and adventures we had shared flashed through my mind.

I never thought I would lose her so meaninglessly in a place like this…

“My lord.”

At that moment, Lucas, who had entered my room, reported in a businesslike tone.

“The Fly King’s advance has stopped.”

“…”

“It has stopped in the air above the fallen second defense line. As you know, it is a day’s journey by foot from Crossroads.”

As I listened silently with my head in my hands, Lucas said calmly.

“My lord. Do not blame yourself. It is not your fault.”

“…What are you talking about? It’s all my fault.”

“You ordered an operation to engage and then safely return. The airship fleet and the mages were capable of carrying out that operation.”

“…”

“You cannot command the troops on every front. Do not try to take responsibility for the losses caused by the mistakes of the field commanders and soldiers.”

“Variables occur on the battlefield.”

I pressed my forehead with my fingertips.

“It is my role to issue orders so that the operation can be carried out safely even with those variables.”

“…”

“That the overall framework of the operation is shaken so much just because a monster I don’t know the strategy for has appeared, I am…”

“My lord.”

Lucas looked straight at me with his clear blue eyes.

“The opponent is a monster that almost destroyed the world once. And the monsters we will have to face in the future are the same.”

“…”

“There is no safe and perfect strategy for dealing with such powerful enemies. We have no choice but to fight, accepting the losses.”

I know that too.

Until now, and in the future.

This front line will be made into a wall that blocks the enemy by piling up deaths. But.

It can’t be helped that it feels like I’m spitting blood…

“In one day, the Fly King will reach the monster front. Right now, finding a way to defeat it is the priority.”

I nodded.

Yes, the end of the world is imminent.

Even this time of counting the lost subordinates and feeling the pain is a luxury.

“You’re right, Lucas.”

I took a breath and got up. And I opened the drawer of the desk where I had been sitting.

“There is no such thing as a safe and perfect operation. We just find the most likely option… and do our best.”

It was an incomplete and dangerous operation, but.

I had no choice but to bet on it now.

“We have no choice but to embrace the risk.”

What I took out of the drawer was…

A device that looked similar to a tablet PC from Earth.

***

Beep.

The device turned on with an activation sound.

The next moment,

《Huh?!》

A white skull-shaped data appeared on the screen, taking a deep breath.

《Huh, huh… What is this…? Where am I…?》

“It’s been a while, brain in a jar.”

Immediately, I corrected the name of the other party.

“No… Baekya.”

Facing the data mass lich trembling and looking at me, I asked coldly.

“How is your purgatory life, can you endure it?”