I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 680

Southwest from Crossroads.

Damian, newly stationed at the observation tower, frowned as he ascended the stairs towards the top.

“Huh?”

A flash of light flickered far to the south, shrouded in damp darkness.

‘Light?’

Damian narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the area.

From the south, continuous bursts of flames, flashes, and roars echoed.

‘What’s going on…’

As Damian urgently reached the top of the observation tower, the flash transformed into a massive pillar of light, soaring upwards.

“What in the world… is that…”

Damian saw it clearly.

The pillar of light, reaching an incredible height, touched the curtain of darkness covering the sky.

The curtain of darkness, where the pillar of light touched, vibrated violently. The sky trembled, and the atmosphere roared. The air at the top of the observation tower also surged violently for a moment, making it difficult to breathe.

The observers, who were already looking through telescopes, gaped at this bizarre phenomenon. Damian desperately strained his eyes, trying to discern what was happening at the source of the light pillar.

However, darkness and light, flames and heat, and ominous ancient magic were mixed together… even with the best clairvoyance, he couldn’t clearly see inside.

Eventually, the pillar of light slowly subsided, and the area, which had briefly brightened, was once again submerged in dim darkness.

“…”

Damian glanced at the curtain of darkness that the pillar of light had touched, then observed the darkness again.

The other observers also raised their telescopes, peering into the darkness, but nothing was visible in the pitch-black gloom. However, Damian remained motionless, trying to see through the darkness.

In that landscape where time seemed to have stopped, everyone waited with bated breath for several hours.

Thump…

A sound echoed.

The unidentified sound shook the entire earth. The other observers, hearing only the sound and seeing nothing, were agitated and flustered.

But Damian could see it clearly.

Thump… Thump… Thump…

From the depths of the darkness, the black dragon began to advance again.

No, it wasn’t the black dragon that was moving.

Thump…!

It was the entire night of this world.

The entire massive wall of darkness hanging in the south, like fingers, like tentacles, like claws, endlessly extending and expanding its power…

It was crawling up towards the north, covering the entire world.

***

Time flowed relentlessly.

The time for the next breath was approaching. And the Dusk Bringer, who was supposed to block that breath, had disappeared beyond the teleport gate and had not returned.

As soon as the Dusk Bringer disappeared, an emergency meeting was held, and the decided course of action was as follows.

“Please leave it to me.”

Torkel.

The captain of the Leprosy Eradication Squad, now the vice-commander of the World Protection Front’s melee combat unit, a shield warrior.

Using his ultimate skill, he could withstand any attack for 10 minutes—the sturdiest man in the World Protection Front.

Torkel would take the breath head-on.

“I will endure it.”

“…Mr. Torkel.”

“It’s a way to repay the kindness I’ve received on this front. I’m honored to have this opportunity.”

Torkel was pleased, but Evangeline, who was in the same melee combat unit, felt a pang of unease.

She knew that while he wouldn’t take damage, he would still feel the pain.

“But I can only endure it; to ‘block’ his breath, we need other measures.”

Torkel’s ultimate skill, [Humans Are Not Born to Lose], was a miraculous power, a blessing from the goddess, that made him immune to any damage for a certain period.

But it only prevented him from taking damage himself.

While Torkel could nullify any attack he could personally withstand, it was woefully inadequate to block the black dragon’s breath that could incinerate an entire city.

Even if Torkel could block some of the breath, the rest would likely destroy the city.

So, a plan was devised.

Thump!

Kellybay brought the massive Siren statue [Steadfast Belief], a ship artifact he possessed, on a cart.

“This Nightmare Slayer has the property of being ‘absolutely indestructible.’ It should be able to withstand the black dragon’s breath.”

Kellybay looked up at the statue with a complex gaze.

It was a memento of his son, Kellyson, and the last fragment of the airship Geronimo, which was like another child to him.

“I’ll attach a handle and modify it to be used as a shield. No other shield will hold up anyway. Take this.”

“Thank you.”

During the previous battle against the Fly King, Torkel’s body had endured the Fly King’s attacks, but his armor and shield had been completely shattered.

The same would happen against the black dragon’s breath. An indestructible shield was the best thing he could hope for.

Kellybay cautiously asked,

“You’ll be handling two Nightmare Slayers at the same time; are you sure you’ll be alright?”

The helmet Torkel was wearing was also a Nightmare Slayer, [Original Sin], forged from the magic core of the Goblin God King.

Using two Nightmare Slayers at the same time would place an immense burden that an ordinary person couldn’t handle.

“I’m fine.”

Torkel smiled bitterly.

“I’ve already given myself to the darkness.”

“…”

Everyone was grieving over the loss of Ash.

Even Torkel, who had always been silent and dedicated to the World Protection Front, was seething with a desire for revenge.

“The Night Bringer’s breath has been steadily increasing in power with each new firing, every 12 hours.”

The mages and alchemists who had been analyzing the Night Bringer’s breath flipped through charts filled with numbers as they explained. Lily, who attended the meeting as their representative, spoke.

“If it increases at the same rate this time, even if Mr. Torkel blocks it initially, the ricochet… I don’t know if ‘ricochet’ is the right word. Anyway, the dispersed breath alone could destroy Crossroads entirely.”

“Then?”

“We need to set up a secondary defense line, anticipating the ricochet path. We need a defense measure to stop the black dragon’s breath at this secondary line…”

Thump!

Behind them, someone approached and placed large shields on the floor.

It was Miller Arian, the king of the Arian Kingdom. He had changed into armor with white fur attached.

What he had placed on the floor were a large ice shield and several small ice shields. They had a unique structure that could be transformed into a giant axe by attaching a handle.

“These are the treasures of our kingdom, the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow and the Thousand-Year Snow, shields and axes. Legend says they are ice taken from the top of the world in the distant past.”

Miller tapped the surface of the shield and axe blade, which emitted a white chill.

“They boast near invulnerability to all kinds of flames. Even the breath of the black dragon should be able to withstand it to some extent.”

“Are you offering these treasures?”

“Not only offering them, but I will also participate directly.”

To Evangeline’s question, Miller silently lowered his head with a desperate look.

“In the first place, no one but the king of the Arian Kingdom can handle the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow.”

“…”

Among the defensive tools available on the front lines, the shields provided by Miller had the highest chance of withstanding the black dragon’s breath. Miller’s proposal was adopted.

Lily continued her explanation.

“Alright. Then, we will place the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow and Thousand-Year Snow at each predicted ricochet point, forming a secondary defense line.”

“Can we accurately determine the predicted points, Senior Mage?”

“Of course, Acting Commander. The waveform of the black dragon’s breath has already been analyzed.”

At Lily’s gesture, Bodybag brought a large piece of paper and spread it on the table.

The breath, analyzed by all the mages and alchemists on the front lines over the past two days, was meticulously interpreted with complex formulas.

“His breath is powerful, but even so, after being hit five times, we can see a few things.”

Lily pointed to the south on the map and drew a straight line towards Crossroads.

“And the trajectory of the black dragon’s breath, from firing to impact, is almost a perfect straight line. If Damian, the sniper team leader at the observation tower, provides the exact coordinates, we will place Mr. Torkel at the end of the southern field to block the breath initially.”

Lily explained the plan quickly and concisely.

“The shield Mr. Torkel will use, [Steadfast Belief], is indestructible. And since the breath’s waveform has been analyzed, predicting the ricochet trajectory itself is not difficult.”

Lily then placed her hand near the center of the southern field.

“We will set up a secondary defense line at this predicted point and withstand it with the ice shields.”

“Can we block it with that?”

“No. It will ricochet and disperse once more here. We need to set up a third defense line as well. Here.”

Lily pointed to the southern wall of Crossroads.

“Artifacts have already been installed here. All the barriers and barricades remaining on the front lines have been deployed.”

Hundreds of artifacts that had been stockpiled were all consumed, and now even those were depleted. But it was not the time to save them.

“Let me summarize. This is the plan to defend against the black dragon’s sixth breath. First, Mr. Torkel will endure it with [Steadfast Belief]. Second, the ricocheted breath will be guarded by the ice shields. Third, the ricocheted breath will be blocked by mobilizing all remaining barriers and artifacts.”

“…”

“This is a plan to disperse, ricochet, and fragment the black dragon’s breath in three stages, ultimately neutralizing and blocking it.”

The kings, who were listening to the reckless plan, groaned.

Emperor Traha of the Empire, who had been listening quietly, asked,

“What is the probability of success?”

“Low.”

“And if we fail?”

“The city will burn, and we will die.”

Lily said, trying to sound calm, and cleared away the charts and papers.

“Humanity, the world, will be destroyed.”

“…”

“But if we can somehow block it this time, then next time, we can… give the black dragon a taste of our own medicine, right?”

Next time, the black dragon will reach Crossroads directly.

Finally, they would be able to face the monster at their original front line, the fortress city’s walls.

And the last hope of the World Protection Front—the special task force led by Lucas—would have the opportunity to plunge the blade of revenge into the black dragon.

“…”

Traha, who had been silent, looked around.

To continue the last possibility, a small number of kings and troops had been sent north… but all the remaining kings and troops remained here in Crossroads.

If they could withstand this breath, they could launch the final counterattack with all of them.

If they could just withstand this breath…

“…Sir Torkel.”

The Emperor called out softly.

But Torkel didn’t realize he was being called for a moment. It was because he had never heard the title ‘Sir’ before.

“Sir Torkel.”

Torkel, who had been blinking blankly, was startled when the Emperor called him again, and he quickly knelt down.

“Yes, yes! Your Majesty! I apologize. Please command me.”

Traha approached Torkel, placed his hand on his shoulder, and whispered softly,

“The fate of the world rests on your shoulders.”

“…The grace that His Highness the Crown Prince bestowed upon me, the joy that this city has given me.”

Torkel bowed his head deeply.

“And to protect the warmth of this world that the Saintess has awakened in me… I will do my best.”

The words flowed out so smoothly that even Torkel was surprised.

Traha, smiling and squeezing Torkel’s shoulder once, made eye contact with everyone inside the meeting room, nodded, and then left the meeting room.

Snowflakes were falling heavily in the sky above Crossroads, which had become a winter landscape.

As Traha exhaled white breath, looking at the sky, his adjutant, who had quietly approached, whispered softly.

“Your Majesty. The emergency repairs on the flagship Alcatraz are complete.”

“…”

“Although it has been decommissioned, if Your Majesty pilots it directly, it can fly to New Terra. Please leave now.”

Traha turned to his adjutant with sunken eyes. The adjutant spoke in a steady voice.

“This place is too dangerous.”

“…”

“The supreme ruler of the Empire must not recklessly throw away his life. If you truly care about the world, Your Majesty must be in a safe place. Therefore…”

“…”

Traha did not answer immediately and closed his eyes for a moment.

After a long pause, the Emperor’s lips slowly opened.

“…Alcatraz, it can fly immediately?”

***

Time passed.

Sixty hours since the black dragon’s descent upon the world.

Now, from the thick darkness not far from the city to the south…

Whoosh-

Inexorably, the black dragon had finished preparing to unleash its sixth breath.

And all of this was being accurately captured by Damian on the observation tower.

Even if he had become one with the endless night, Damian’s eyes could see through the essence. Even in the fog-like darkness, Damian could discern how the black dragon was gathering its breath, where it was aiming, everything.

“Urgent report-! The Night Bringer’s sixth breath, preparing-!”

That information was relayed directly to Crossroads, and to Torkel, who was preparing with his shield at the end of the southern field.

After confirming the predicted path of the breath, Torkel and the shield installation team immediately moved the shield and fixed it to the ground again.

[Steadfast Belief] was a statue large enough to be attached to the bow of a ship. It was a shield in name only; in reality, it was like a massive wall.

No matter how strong Torkel was, he couldn’t lift and swing it. So, Kellybay and the other dwarves quickly fixed it to the ground and hammered it in.

“Good luck.”

Kellybay, having finished his work, said as he left the area and gave a thumbs up. Torkel silently nodded.

“Hoo…”

When Torkel took a breath and looked up, facing forward.

Kwaaaaaaaah-!

The final breath that Crossroads had to block was already being fired fiercely towards the city.

It was a black flame of tremendous force. Even Torkel, who had endured attacks from all sorts of legendary monsters, felt a chill run down his spine for a moment; the breath was filled with terrible hatred.

“Ugh…!”

Without realizing it, Torkel became afraid and closed his eyes tightly.

Then,

– Welcome to Crossroads!

The innocent face of the Crown Prince, smiling as he said that, flashed through his mind.

“…!”

His eyes opened.

Then, with his teeth clenched as if they would break,

He grabbed the massive statue-shaped shield, which was fixed to the ground, with both hands, and let out a huge roar, squeezing out every last bit of strength he had.

“Come on-!”

Crack!

Over the massive shield that Torkel had raised, an even more massive breath crashed down.