I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 739

Flicker, flicker…

The lights in the damaged hallway are flickering.

From deep within the hallway, stained with blood and vomit, a faint roar echoes.

The cries of the infected, the desperate screams of those not yet infected…

‘Ugh, I’m terrible at horror games.’

I rubbed the goosebumps on the back of my neck.

If we recklessly charged forward, got bitten by the infected, and were all wiped out, it would be the worst-case scenario.

So, we’re advancing cautiously, not rushing.

As we descended the stairs to the lower floor, I asked McMillan behind me,

“Where’s the engine room?”

“It’s at the very bottom and rear of the ship.”

For reference, the bridge where we started is located at the very top center of the airship.

That means we have to go down and back quite a bit to reach the engine room. The airship La Mancha is quite large, so the distance is longer than I thought.

“Let’s hurry. Time is running out.”

Is it just me, or does it feel like the airship’s altitude is gradually decreasing?

And it’s probably not a delusion. The main magic engine’s output is decreasing, so it must be slowly lowering its altitude to prepare for an emergency landing.

We moved towards the engine room as quickly as possible while staying alert.

And then, at the end of the hallway leading to the stairs on this floor.

Kuaaaaah!

Bang!

Crash-!

The doors on both sides of the hallway burst open simultaneously, and the infected ambushed us.

“… !”

Mikhail, who had been walking at the front, maintaining his focus, quickly threw a punch, hitting the left infected’s jaw,

“Noooo!”

With a now-familiar, frail scream, Diermuidin unleashed a magic shockwave, blowing away the infected on the right.

Thwack! Thud!

The suppression was over in an instant. Mikhail, sweating, examined the infected he had punched.

“…I was too surprised and hit him too hard. This guy lost a tooth?”

“It’s better than dying. It can’t be helped.”

Diermuidin, clutching his chest and panting, complained.

“Haa! Haa! This is really bad for an old man’s cardiovascular health…! I keep getting startled…”

“Think of it as getting your blood circulating after a long time…”

And so, after subduing the infected we encountered several times, we continued to move forward.

“…”

I suddenly thought.

The current situation, where we are piloting a ship full of infected people back to humanity’s last line of defense.

‘Is this really the right decision?’

What if this decision causes the infection to spread to Crossroads?

Wouldn’t it have been better to make an emergency landing far from Crossroads, as McMillan said, and deal with the infected slowly?

For the sake of all humanity, wouldn’t it have been more efficient to just give up on all these infected?

We don’t even have enough time to fight the zombie monsters.

Are we wasting time trying to save the infected patients…?

“If it were me normally,”

At that moment, Diermuidin, who was at the very back of the group, suddenly spoke. As if he knew what I was thinking.

“I would have said to eliminate all the infected. Wouldn’t I?”

“…”

I smiled wryly and glanced back.

“Does that mean you’re not the ‘usual Diermuidin’ right now?”

“Can I be honest?”

“Of course, please feel free.”

“Prince Ash. I want to believe in your convenient magic.”

Diermuidin was staring at me with eyes full of deep trust.

“Always bringing about miraculous reversals in impossible situations… your brilliant solutions that I never even thought of.”

“…”

“I want to look forward to it again.”

I closed my mouth.

Suddenly, the famous problem called the Trolley Dilemma came to mind.

There are two paths in front of a trolley running along a track. Five people are tied to one path, and one person is tied to the other.

If left as is, the trolley will head towards the five people and crush them to death. But if I pull the track switch, the trolley will switch to the opposite path and kill one person.

In this situation, what would you decide?

Would you pull the track switch, or leave it as is? That kind of problem.

“…”

Battles on this monster front have always been a fight against dilemmas.

Who to save. Who to abandon.

Every time, my choice has always been consistent. I have always repeated the same choice.

Save everyone who can be saved.

Sometimes I succeeded, sometimes I failed. Some lived, some died.

I celebrated with the survivors and shed tears in front of the graves of the dead. I was never a perfect commander, and my record was stained with as many defeats as victories.

But, yes. It is because of this arduous process that I have paradoxically kept one thing.

My belief that ‘I will save everyone I can save.’

I think back on the path I have walked.

The journey so far has been marked by luck and miracles. If luck hadn’t been on my side, my decisions would have destroyed this world several times.

But I also know.

That all that luck, all those miracles.

It can’t all be attributed to luck.

The karma I have built, the connections, and the will of the people I am with…

Right now, today, until this moment. It has allowed us to endure this front, this world, and our hearts.

‘I will save them.’

Everyone I can save.

Even the people who were infected after bravely going out to the enemy lines. Even the people trembling in fear of the monsters coming from behind the front lines.

I will do my best to save them all.

My determination solidified, and the hesitation in my steps disappeared. As if noticing that, Diermuidin, who was following at the very back of the group, chuckled.

***

After advancing relentlessly for a long time, we reached the stairs leading to the lowest floor.

And because of the commotion we had caused while coming here, we were already being chased by the infected. The horde of infected people rushing towards us had grown enormously.

“They keep coming from behind!”

“Subdue them gently, Diermuidin! Gently!”

“Gently… gently…”

Diermuidin, who was preparing his magic while repeating those words, gritted his teeth.

“Damn it! My firepower is too overwhelming, it’s impossible to subdue them gently!”

“Then moderately… just enough to break one bone!”

“Just one bone?! Alright! I can do that much!”

Diermuidin unleashed shockwaves continuously, and the infected who rushed in were sent flying back and tumbling like autumn leaves.

But perhaps because the impact was insufficient, they got up again and rushed at us, screaming. Diermuidin gritted his teeth and shouted.

“I’ll hold them off here, so go quickly!”

“Diermuidin… !”

“Don’t worry about me! Now, go!”

Diermuidin is not good at these kinds of situations.

This non-magic user is an extreme firepower-type mage. How long can he keep subduing the infected who are trying to bite him, while deliberately holding back?

But there was no time to be considerate.

Time is running out. The flight time is already at its limit, and ominous cracking sounds could be heard from all over the airship.

“Then we’ll go ahead! Be careful, Diermuidin!”

Trusting Diermuidin, we decided to leave him to block the stairs, and we ran down to the lowest floor.

“The engine room is close!”

McMillan pointed ahead.

“We just need to get through here!”

And the large space that opened up before us… was a hangar.

The engine room is behind the hangar. So, we have to go through the hangar…

Kyaaaaah!

Kyaaaaaaaaah!

As soon as we entered the hangar, the sharp screams of the agitated griffons echoed, piercing our eardrums.

“Wait a minute.”

I looked over there, sweating.

“Could it be, the griffons too…?”

“Even the monsters are all infected.”

McMillan said, also sweating profusely.

“Why would the griffons be okay…?”

Clang! Clang clang!

The infected griffons twisted their bodies, glaring at us with bloodshot eyes.

Crack!

…No, it wasn’t just twisting.

The iron fence of the hangar, which was used as a stable, was broken like a reed. And the infected griffons flew in all directions.

“…Good heavens.”

The Sky Knights who came to support La Mancha were 50 people.

In other words, there are 50 griffons.

Fortunately, not all of them are infected, and about half of them are hiding in the corner of the hangar, trembling quietly… No, even 25 is a huge threat!

Swoooosh!

The griffons, soaring to the top of the hangar ceiling, which wasn’t very high, swooped down towards us all at once.

I hurriedly took out a low-grade magic core from my subspace and threw it.

“Summon!”

It was a defense tower summon after a long time. I called out its name.

“Shield Turret-!”

Whirr!

The broken fences and outer walls gathered in the air and landed in the center of the hangar.

A defense tower with a simple cuboid shape and shields attached all over it, the Shield Turret.

It is a tank object with no attack power, but its defense is quite outstanding. Moreover, it has a wide-area taunt function [a game mechanic that forces enemies to attack it]!

Thud! Thwack!

The griffons, with their aggro focused, began to pound on the Shield Turret all at once. The Shield Turret was instantly torn to shreds, but it still bought us time!

“I’ll calm them down!”

At that moment, Mikhail rushed forward like a ray of light.

No, wait a minute. Calm them down? How is he going to calm down infected griffons…?

“Huuuup-!”

Mikhail, with a smooth motion, climbed onto the back of a griffon, and then crossed his forearms… and began to choke the griffon’s neck.

Kyak… Keek.

The griffon, gasping for breath, eventually stuck out its tongue and collapsed on the floor.

“It’s originally a method to subdue overexcited griffons. I’ve done it like eating rice [meaning it’s a routine task].”

Mikhail shouted as he ran towards the next griffon.

“I’ll take care of this, Prince Ash! You go to the engine room quickly!”

“But, Mikhail!”

Even so, dozens of infected griffons are too dangerous…!

“Go! There’s no time! Hurry!”

“Tch… !”

I gritted my teeth, nodded, and ran towards the door at the back of the hangar.

“Don’t die, Mikhail!”

“Do you think I’ll die!”

Mikhail shouted as he subdued the second griffon.

“It would be too unfair to die like this on our honeymoon!”

You, you didn’t seem like it, but you were actually looking forward to the honeymoon…?!’

‘I will definitely make Crossroads an amazing tourist city someday! And make it bustling with honeymooners!’

Thinking about my still-unabandoned grand plan for a tourist city, I renewed my determination.

For that dream, and for Mikhail’s honeymoon, I have to normalize the airship’s main magic engine…!

“If you open that door, there’s the last hallway, and then the engine room!”

“Alright!”

I nodded at McMillan’s guidance and kicked open the door, entering the last hallway. We’re really almost there!

And then.

Ggrrr…

Ggrrr.

In the last hallway, familiar infected people were gathered.

Silver armor, crimson capes.

It was about 50 Sky Knights.

“…Ah.”

No wonder I didn’t see them on the way here, they were all gathered here…

All of them are hero-level powerhouses, and all of them are infected, their bloodshot eyes turning towards me.

The 50 infected people, with their knightly discipline ingrained in their bodies, turned towards me at the same time. The feeling of those fierce, trained gazes focusing on me at the same time… was not pleasant, even as a joke.

“…”

No, Diermuidin and Mikhail, they stayed behind, making all sorts of poses, saying they would block the dangerous enemies for us.

‘Isn’t this the most dangerous place?!’

McMillan, who noticed my pale face, asked cautiously.

“…Should we tell the bridge to just make an emergency landing?”

“No.”

I let out a low sigh and took a step forward, deploying my armor.

“Let’s just do it roughly.”

Whirr-!

The black chainmail armor made from Baalzebub’s magic core.

[The Master of the High Tower] covered my body seamlessly.