I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 716

The subsequent battles were easily resolved using the King’s Scepter for a while. We designated enemy legions that could be targeted for their weaknesses, applied dark events that amplified those weaknesses, and then used appropriate strategies to take them down one by one.

***

Stage 42.

The designated nightmare monster legion was the ‘Shadow Land’ legion. Similar to the Wraith King legion, they were a type of ghost-like monster that could hide in shadows. In other words, they were weak to light, and also… they were extremely vulnerable to divine power. This meant it was a battle where the Jenice and Rosetta duo, equipped with the ‘Oath’ set, would play a major role.

“So, you just threw us into the front lines, Your Highness?!” Rosetta shouted in a sharp voice, while Jenice flailed around, wielding a spear of divine power. “No, is this okay?! No, why is this working?!” The two were surrounded by shadows, but they were literally grinding down the swarming shadows, putting on a display of unmatched power. The shadow legion was the type that pushed with numbers, with each individual being weak. Each individual had low health and not very strong attack power.

Rosetta’s steel whip tore through a shadow, and as much damage as it dealt, the [Oath of Protection] healed Jenice’s minor injuries, and as much as she was healed, the [Oath of Healing] unleashed damage, attacking another shadow… Jenice’s spear pierced a shadow, and the same process repeated. Rosetta and Jenice were each unleashing this infinite chain. From the bracelets on their wrists, beams of divine power constantly shot out, burning the shadows. The surrounding shadows burst, and nearly half of the shadow legion was burned away by the priestess duo’s performance. The remaining half was easily finished off by us.

“Even so, please refrain from putting us on the front lines in the future, Your Highness…” The priestess duo, drenched in cold sweat, returned. Rosetta muttered with a pale face. Even if the Oath set’s effects were excellent, the experience of being surrounded by a horde of monsters was not pleasant. I nodded and patted them both on the shoulders. “This battle was special, and you will be deployed according to the time and situation.” From the start, this battle was intentionally set up this way to verify the effects and limits of the Oath set. At that moment, Hannibal, who was staggering from fatigue, jumped between the two exhausted priestesses and led them away, saying, ‘Let’s go have dinner together!’ towards the city of Crossroads. “Hmm…?” Hannibal, that guy, had a very cunning look in his eyes… “Alright, whatever! Anyway, another one solved!” Stage 42, cleared!

***

Stage 43.

The designated nightmare monster legion was the ‘Iron Horse’ legion. Literally a legion made up of horses made of steel… and the boss, the Iron Horse King, was a monster that looked like a train. This train-like creature could only run on a fixed ‘railroad,’ and the regular iron horses that guarded the Iron Horse King would transform their bodies to lay down the railroad. And after the Iron Horse King passed over the railroad, they would transform back into horse form, following the group. It was a rather bizarre way for a monster group to advance, but their speed was incredibly fast. They could travel from the Black Lake to Crossroads in a day and a half. ‘What kind of era was the ancient world of this world…’ What kind of monsters were roaming around? It’s absurd. At that moment, Junior, who was standing next to me, added an explanation. “There are records in history books that say they were magical creatures developed as a means of transportation in one of the ancient magic kingdoms… After that kingdom fell, they lost their masters and went berserk, becoming monsters.” “A Terminator of magical civilization, huh? Robots are scary…” We were currently aboard the airship ‘La Mancha,’ calmly muttering like this. The Iron Horse legion, which had just emerged from the Black Lake, immediately began laying down railroads and running, and La Mancha, which had been waiting in the sky, immediately began chasing them. “Just follow the plan I explained earlier.” I turned around. There… my captured monster, the Dullahan Legion Commander, was standing awkwardly, fidgeting with the boomerang in his hand. Having lost his body, he had assembled some armor parts he had obtained in Stage 41, and was using it as a body by attaching his head to it. “Go! Dullahan!” 《I, really… will this work…?》 “Yes, it definitely will! Now, go!” The Dullahan Legion Commander seemed reluctant, but eventually, as I ordered… Pop. He detached his head and attached it to the boomerang. His crown was attached to the boomerang, and his neck was facing the sky. “…” “…” “…” Watching this bizarre scene, the people around us had strange expressions. And they looked at me, who had ordered this operation, with bewildered expressions. No, don’t look at me like that, call it a stroke of genius! “I’ll explain the plan one more time!” I crossed my arms and explained. “When you throw this head-boomerang at those steel horses, Damian will snipe at the right time and blow off the steel horse’s head. Then you attach your head to the empty neck!” 《…….》 “By switching heads like that, you can take control of the monster’s body with your special ability. After that, you actively interfere with their advance! You can do it, right?!” The Dullahan Legion Commander’s head on the boomerang squeezed its eyes shut. 《…I’ll try.》 “You can do it, Dullahan! Your commander believes in you! Let’s show them what you’ve got!” The Dullahan Legion Commander, who was standing awkwardly, raised the boomerang with his head attached to it, and then threw it forward. Whoosh! The boomerang spun and fell towards the Iron Horse legion. The Dullahan Legion Commander’s head also spun, making sounds like ‘Ugh, I’m getting dizzyyy’. “Damian!” “Yes!” Damian, who had been waiting, observed the sniping point through the rifle scope… Bang-! He fired a magic bullet. The magic bullet flew past the boomerang by a hair’s breadth and shot forward, accurately blowing off the head of one of the leading iron horses. Just as the steel horse was about to lose its balance after losing its head, the boomerang-head flew in at the perfect timing and stuck to the empty neck. Click! “Take this, Horse-Man! New head!” As I was excitedly spouting a joke that no one understood, the bewildered looks around me grew deeper. No, isn’t the result all that matters?! 《Uooooooo!》 The Dullahan Legion Commander, who had taken over the iron horse’s body, roared. With a bizarre appearance, like a human head on a horse’s body, he kicked the horse behind him, hitting another iron horse. Crash! The iron horse that was knocked away rolled on the ground, and other iron horses were swept away, losing their balance and crashing to the ground. And it was crushed under the Iron Horse King that was coming right behind. “Good job!” At the same time as I cheered, the Iron Horse King moved. This runaway train, with a huge horse head ornament, rapidly increased its speed and quickly covered the Dullahan-Iron Horse from behind. “That’s enough! Recover! Send the retreat signal!” As I shouted, looking to the side, the Banshee Legion Commander, who had been waiting, sang in a high-pitched voice. Thanks to [Heavenly Voice], it was a very beautiful voice. 《Come back~ to the airship~》 Oh, that’s a song! I like listening to it. The retreat signal echoed throughout the area, and the Dullahan Legion Commander manipulated the boomerang with his head attached to it to separate from the iron horse’s body, and soared into the sky. Boomerang, the special ability of [I’ll Get You Back]. It always returns to the user’s hand. The boomerang spun and returned to the airship, and as soon as the Dullahan Legion Commander’s head was detached, the Iron Horse King’s massive body trampled the traitorous iron horse’s body. “Good timing!” Looking at the Dullahan Legion Commander’s head that had been successfully recovered, I gave a thumbs up. 《…….》 《…….》 Somehow, both the Banshee and Dullahan looked noticeably depressed, but hey, isn’t it all good in the end! “Your Highness. That Iron Horse King’s front… the horse head ornament part.” At that moment, Damian suggested. “I think I can destroy it with a sniper shot, and if we attach the Dullahan Legion Commander there, wouldn’t we be able to seize control?” “…!” I turned my head towards Junior. Junior nodded hesitantly. “Normally, it wouldn’t be a monster that would stop with just destroying the head ornament… but Dullahan has the power to seize ‘headless bodies.’ It seems theoretically possible.” This time, I gave Damian a thumbs up. “Nice idea, Damian! I’ll give you the ‘Stroke of Genius’ title!” “Huh? Ah, thank you…?” Damian tilted his head, but he smiled, knowing it was a good thing. Originally, the plan was to repeat the previous method and continue to chip away at them, but the plan was changed according to Damian’s suggestion. Bang-! Damian’s sniper shot destroyed the horse head ornament attached to the Iron Horse King’s body, and the Dullahan Legion Commander’s boomerang head flew in and clicked into place. “Is it a success?!” At the same time as I shouted, 《Uooooooo!》 The Dullahan Legion Commander, who had seized control of the Iron Horse King, roared and turned the runaway train’s course. Crash! Kuguagwagwagwang! The other iron horses that were caught in this derailment accident were smashed, making tearing metal sounds. Good job, little train Dullahan! Soon, the enraged iron horses rushed towards the Iron Horse King. The nightmare legions had a tendency to be particularly unforgiving of traitors. The monsters roared and struggled to kill each other. 《Go for it~ Go for it~》 The Banshee Legion Commander hummed a support song in a strangely weak voice, and I clapped my hands and swayed my shoulders to the support song. ‘I love it when monsters fight each other!’ This is called monster infighting in game terms, and I really love situations where they cause chaos among themselves like this! “…” “…” “No, why are you looking at me like that! Anyway, we solved it!” I protested in front of the blank stares around me. The Iron Horse King, which had stopped because no more railroad was being laid, was seen rolling on the ground. The other iron horse legions trampled and kicked the Iron Horse King. We watched them fight each other until they were exhausted, and then dispatched the troops we had preserved to easily finish them off. Stage 43, cleared!

***

Stage 44.

The designated nightmare monster legion was the ‘Kun’ legion. They were giant fish that came from the Eastern Continent, and the problem with these guys was that they transformed into giant birds called Peng. In the northern sea, there is a fish, and its name is Kun. Its size is unknown, but it is said to be several thousand miles long. The Kun transforms into a bird, and its name is Peng, and its back is also said to be several thousand miles long. When it gathers all its strength and flies up, its wings spread out like clouds covering the sky. This is the famous first passage from Zhuangzi’s Xiaoyao You chapter [a foundational text of Taoism], but why is this kind of creature actually existing… Of course, it’s not as ridiculously large as the legendary creature, but it’s still a super-giant monster that transforms from a fish into a bird. ‘It’s best to take them down in their Kun state before they transform into Peng.’ The problem is that they are Kun until they come out of the Black Lake, but they transform into Peng as soon as they come out. So… I prepared something simple. Bubbling, bubbling, bubbling… The surface of the Black Lake was boiling, Kwaaaaaa! A giant fish, Kun, popped out. And as the fish’s scales shone, about to transform into a giant bird, Peng, as it met the air of the human world… “Jormungandr!” I shouted, throwing the water snake with all my might. “You transform too!”