I Became The Tyrant Of A Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 675

Night Bringer and Dusk Bringer,

The first Black Dragon and the last Red Dragon.

Looking at the point where the two dragons’ breaths collided, people briefly had such thoughts.

Wasn’t there such light and heat when the world was created in the beginning?

That much dazzling light and suffocating heat poured out from the collision point of the two breaths.

Kwaaaaaa-!

Against Night Bringer’s mythical breath, Dusk Bringer desperately unleashed a counter-breath.

However, the difference in output between the two breaths was significant. The collision point was pushed back in an instant.

The heat source, emitting tremendous heat and light, drew closer to Crossroads. To the people’s eyes, it looked like the end of the world.

The endlessly pushed-back collision point now reached right in front of the walls of Crossroads. The red-hot walls lost their shape and crumbled like snowmen under the sun.

“Ah…”

However,

“Aaaaaaaaaah-!”

Faced with the destruction before her eyes, Dusk Bringer held on.

Even as her horns, melted by the tremendous heat, fell to the ground like candle wax, her skin melted, and her blood evaporated, creating a red mist—she continued to unleash her breath.

The ancient bandages wrapped around her body endlessly emitted ominous light, supplying her body with curses. Dusk Bringer died, revived, died, and revived, continuously unleashing her breath.

The destruction stopped right in front of the gates of Crossroads. The destruction knocked fiercely, but the Dragon Lady holding the doorknob did not open the lock in the end.

Even if she had to burn to death with the gate, she did not let the destruction in.

Saaaaaa…

Night Bringer’s breath, which had felt like eons, finally stopped.

Dusk Bringer, who had held out until the very end, collapsed on the horribly ruined southern wall.

Thud!

At that moment, someone grabbed her burning body as she was about to fall.

“Sister.”

Although she couldn’t see anything with her eyes burned by the light and heat, she immediately recognized who it was upon hearing the other’s calm yet weighty voice.

“…Traha.”

“Are you alright?”

Dusk Bringer chuckled at the Emperor’s question.

To ask that after seeing her in this state.

“Yes, I’m fine. If I rest a little, my body will regenerate again with the curse of immortality, and then the next breath… I will block it.”

“…”

“So, put aside your unnecessary worries, and as you always do to your people, use me harshly.”

“Sister.”

“Until Ash returns, I will do whatever it takes… to protect this city…”

To Dusk Bringer, who was muttering in a fading voice,

Traha uttered words colder than telling her to protect the city even if she died.

“It seems we must abandon this city… Crossroads.”

“…”

Her eyes opened.

Her blood rapidly cooled, and her consciousness, which had been sinking, surfaced. Dusk Bringer gritted her teeth and raised her head to face Traha.

“…What did you say?”

On the charcoal-like wall, where the heat was still blazing… Traha was holding Dusk Bringer, wrapped in his cloak, in his arms.

The man who ruled half the world spoke once more in a cold, even voice.

“We must abandon Crossroads and retreat. Immediately.”

***

The kings’ intentions were already aligned.

“Let’s abandon Crossroads.”

Except for a few dissenters, everyone was of the same opinion.

“There is no longer any justification for us to stop him in this city.”

The reason they had been stationed at Crossroads to stop the monster was that it was the best place to stop the monster.

But what about now?

In the face of the Black Dragon’s ultra-long-range breath, Crossroads had lost all its strengths and functions as a fortress. It was just a large target that couldn’t move and was being battered.

Moreover, the World Guardian Front was currently in a state of annihilation, with even the main forces and the air fleet destroyed.

There was no reason or power to stop the Black Dragon here. Retreat was the right thing to do.

“It seems better to lure him further into the continent and then surround and defeat him all at once.”

“Let’s move north to gather our forces and reorganize our troops at a nearby fortress.”

“He’s already close. He’ll reach Crossroads in a day and a half. Before that, we need to transport personnel and supplies to the rear as quickly as possible…”

Bang!

At that moment, someone opened the bunker door where the kings were gathered.

As the kings turned around, they saw Dusk Bringer, radiating heat from under her cloak, and Traha slowly walking behind her.

“I will!”

Dusk Bringer suddenly shouted.

“I… will continue to block his breath!”

“…Grand Duke Bringer.”

“I blocked it this time, and I can withstand it any number of times in the future! So, this city…”

Dusk Bringer, her legs giving way, leaned against the wall and collapsed to the floor.

“Must not be abandoned. This city is… that child’s…”

“Grand Duke.”

But the kings’ opinions did not change.

“You must retreat with us, Grand Duke.”

“…”

“There are not many means left for humanity to fight against him. Grand Duke, you must not be wasted here. Recover your strength and prepare for the final battle together…”

“He is getting stronger as he moves north.”

Dusk Bringer tried hard to make her voice sound fierce, but everyone noticed that her voice was trembling.

“As time passes, he will become more assimilated with the night and endlessly increase his power… Retreat from here? Then he will become even stronger. How are we supposed to fight the final battle then?”

“Then, do we have a way to fight him now?”

“…”

“All the troops are dead or injured. All the countermeasures we had prepared have been broken. And above all, Crown Prince Ash, who has been leading us… is no longer here.”

Dusk Bringer gritted her teeth. The kings continued.

“There is no one to fight, and no way to fight. Retreat is the best option now, and fighting to the death is the worst. Don’t you know that, Grand Duke?”

Ash will return.

Because he promised me.

So, please stay here, everyone.

Stay here with me, and die on this front line…

She couldn’t bring herself to say those words. Dusk Bringer slowly lowered her head.

Because she herself didn’t know for sure.

Whether there was any meaning in all this death.

Whether Ash, who had walked into the thorny path of death himself, could really return…

Dusk Bringer lowered her head and remained silent. The kings left her alone and began to plan the retreat again. Traha stood quietly behind Dusk Bringer.

It was then.

“Y-Your Majesty!”

A soldier came running in a hurry and knelt before Traha. Traha looked down at the soldier with a puzzled expression.

“What is it?”

“T-That is…”

The soldier, stammering, gave a flustered report.

“The people who left for the north earlier… are returning.”

“…What?”

At the unexpected report, all the kings looked this way. The soldier continued.

“All those who left Crossroads for the north are returning. With the people of the Arian Kingdom leading the way…”

“No, what does that mean? Didn’t the Arian Kingdom lead the defection?”

Wasn’t it the Arian Kingdom and its King Miller Arian who had shouted and protested that they could no longer fight in this battle, and then actually withdrew from the World Guardian Front and returned to their homeland?

Following this lead defection by the Arian Kingdom, quite a few minor kingdoms and forces had left together.

That was already 12 hours ago.

But they were returning?

“Why are they coming back after running away? Did a coup d’état happen? What about Miller Arian?”

“That is…”

The soldier hesitantly continued his report.

“King Miller Arian is leading everyone at the very front.”

“…?”

Everyone in the room had a dumbfounded expression.

“No…”

Even the mighty Traha, with an absurd expression, said this.

It was a single word that represented everyone’s question.

“Why?”

***

6 hours ago.

North of Crossroads. On a snow-covered road.

“…What?”

Miller Arian, who was leading the forces that had fled from the World Guardian Front, had his mouth agape.

He repeatedly asked into the large communication magic device in front of him.

“What did you say…? Report again, clearly.”

「A tremendous blizzard and avalanches are continuing, Your Majesty!」

It was a device that could use emergency communication magic. Just as the priests of the Goddess Church secretly used communication magic, the Arian Kingdom also operated this device. When Yoon was ordered to return home earlier, they also communicated with the home country through this device.

At that time, he was in a position to issue orders from the home country, but now Miller Arian was in a position to hear about the situation in the home country.

And the situation in the Arian Kingdom was urgent.

「Just yesterday, the day disappeared as far as the central part of the continent, and this morning, the north was also covered in night…!」

“We just have to endure a few days without light! It’s not a big deal-”

「As soon as the day disappeared, the temperature began to plummet! The snowfall seemed to be increasing, but now the snow is pouring down so much that we can’t see ahead!」

Miller Arian’s already pale face became even more bloodless.

「The snow has piled up so much that the weight is causing buildings to collapse, and the snow that has accumulated on the mountain ranges is also unable to bear the weight and is pouring down in avalanches!」

He thought that this Black Dragon invasion was only a problem in the south. He believed that the southern continent was burning, and the lives of the southern people were disappearing, but it would eventually end. He had judged that he could not shed the blood of the northern people for a problem that had to be solved in the south, and he was returning home while being cursed.

But it wasn’t.

The Black Dragon had cast a curtain over the sky of the entire world and had taken away the day from the entire world. Then, the damage from the Winter General, who had arrived, began to be received first by the north, which had lost the day the latest.

Miller Arian realized belatedly.

It was his misjudgment.

The world was never divided by defense. That was just a human standard. The destruction that covered the entire world was coming equally to everyone without discrimination.

「At this rate… we won’t last long, Your Majesty! The entire kingdom… is freezing…」

The communication began to crackle,

「At this rate, everyone will die… Your Majesty, what should we do-」

Click.

It was cut off.

“…”

He slowly put down the communication device that had become unresponsive.

Miller Arian slowly turned around. His subordinates, and the kings who had fled with him, were looking at him with pale faces.

The eyes of the King of Arian were tightly closed and then opened.

He was a short-sighted man who hated to lose even a little bit, but he was not a fool.

“…The Black Dragon.”

He knew well what he had to do now.

“We have to defeat the Black Dragon.”

“Y-Your Majesty…”

“Everyone, we have to go back! To Crossroads!”

The other kings who had come this far with him protested.

“What are you talking about, Miller…?”

“The blizzard is a problem in the north. It’s none of my business as a westerner!”

“We have already lost our will to fight. You go back! We will return to our homelands as we are…”

Swish!

But they couldn’t finish their words.

Miller Arian, who had already taken out a large axe, was pointing its blue blade at the kings.

“All of you must go back and fight on the front lines against the Black Dragon.”

“Hey, Miller! Get a grip! This won’t solve anything-”

“Shut up. I’m always in my right mind.”

Miller Arian was a selfish king.

He hated the idea of his country losing even a little bit more than other countries, and he couldn’t stand the situation where he had to sacrifice for other regions that his country didn’t belong to.

That’s why this was the most ‘selfish’ decision he made for his country.

“We’re going back to the World Guardian Front!”

Miller Arian roared in a cracked voice.

“We have to save the world… we have to save the world!”

***

《Going back?》

Looking at the Arian Kingdom and other minor kingdoms who were hastily preparing to turn back.

Scalian, the Black Dragon’s scale, had a look of amusement on his face.

They had been fleeing north together, but in just a few hours, they had changed their attitude as if flipping their palms and were going back to fight again.

Would this be how it feels to watch ants scurrying around in an ant nest that is collapsing from a downpour?

Scalian, who was covering his mouth and laughing, turned to the side.

《Did you do this, Violet?》

By spreading an illusionary domain, showing illusions to the kings, giving them a reason to fight again, and making them turn back.

Perhaps Violet had followed this evacuation procession for that purpose?

Scalian had asked because he had that thought.

“Huh?”

Violet, who was lying flat on Parekian’s claw,

blinked her eyes in confusion while chewing on jerky.

“I didn’t do anything? Oh, by the way.”

Violet put her finger on her lips and made a shush- sound.

“Are we still running away? Should we hide here for a bit?”