I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 744

It was still dawn, before the sun had fully risen. A time when light and darkness transitioned, when the world was shrouded in a dim, hazy light.

Groooaaan!

Groaaaaaaan-!

The tide of corpses was surging towards Crossroads.

The corpses swarming under the dawn sky were gray. The horde of zombies, writhing and filling the earth, looked like fluttering cloth or a mass of caterpillars clumped together.

《Kuaaaaaaa!》

At the forefront was a giant reindeer.

With antlers that had grown as large as a world tree, the monster kicked off the ground with its massive body, the size of a hill—no, a small mountain—and charged forward.

Cromwell.

This nightmare legion commander, a demon, a zombie, and a monster, charged straight ahead, reaching the first line of defense set up in the southern field of Crossroads.

‘Kill Zone.’

A fence barrier set up to restrict the movement of monsters.

Through the accumulated skill of the carpenters and constant upgrades, this kill zone was sturdy enough to rival a decent stone fortress, but…

Kwaa-kwa-kwa-kwang-!

It was meaningless in the face of a legion commander-level monster’s rampage.

The fences forming the kill zone shattered. Cromwell let out a fierce roar and nonchalantly crushed the fences, entering the southern field.

Groaaaaaaaan-!

While Cromwell, who had rushed ahead, slowed down for a moment to destroy the kill zone, the zombie horde poured in, crossing the shattered fences and barricades.

Now, Cromwell’s subordinate zombies were pouring in ahead of her, intertwining and filling the southern plains of Crossroads.

“The kill zone has been neutralized!”

“Kill zone neutralized-!”

I responded calmly to the soldiers who were shouting reports one after another.

“Don’t panic! Isn’t this what we predicted!”

The kill zone was set up to have some fun if small zombies came first.

It’s a shame it was breached, but it was within the expected range from the start.

The zombies, having crossed the kill zone, moved their legs menacingly and entered the next area. A scout shouted.

“They’ve entered the first area of ‘Party Hall’!”

“Good! Then let’s have some fun!”

The area right after the kill zone.

We named it, Party Hall.

The meaning, of course… is that it’s a fun party place.

What kind of party?

“A bomb party, of course-!”

The foremost zombie stepped onto the ground of the Party Hall area, and,

Beep-

The sound of a mechanical device activating rang out, and then,

Kugwagwagwagwang!

A fierce explosion pierced the earth and erupted from the ground.

That’s right, landmines!

The place where all the landmines left in Crossroads were buried was this ‘Party Hall’ area.

Bang! Kwagwagwang! Pubububung…!

The landmines stepped on by the zombie monsters activated in succession, instantly covering the southern field with smoke and flames from the explosions.

Waaaaaaaah-!

Seeing the front of the monster horde engulfed in the flames of the explosion, the volunteer soldiers who had joined relatively recently cheered in unison.

“……”

On the other hand, the veterans who had been fighting on this front line for a long time remained silent, staring coldly ahead.

They had all become hardened through fighting various monsters over the past time. They could somewhat guess how the battle situation would change depending on the monster they were facing.

And, the veterans’ attitude was correct.

Groaaaaaaaan-!

The zombie monsters continued to advance, piercing through the explosions and flames.

The panicked new recruits awkwardly stopped cheering. I smiled bitterly.

The opponent this time is a ‘zombie’.

Even if their legs are blown off, even if their lower bodies are gone, even if their insides are burning—they keep coming.

Moreover, they are not even the human forms that generally come to mind when you think of ‘zombies’. These guys are all ‘monsters’ that have turned into zombies.

Zombies in the form of dogs, zombies in the form of rhinos, zombies in the form of giant praying mantises, cicadas running on the ground like horses, centipedes that split and crawl from the severed parts when their waists are cut off…

‘Is this an animal farm, what is this!’

These monster zombies are far more durable than human zombies.

Groaaaaa…!

Ahhhhhhh-!

Constantly letting out gruesome roars, the zombie monster legion continued to rush through the exploding Party Hall area.

Their whole bodies were burning, their intestines and blood spilling out below their bellies, and they crawled on the ground with their arms instead of their blown-off legs, the zombies did not stop.

“The first Party Hall has been breached!”

“The party is just starting, but I don’t know why those guys are in such a hurry. Let’s keep dancing… !”

The monsters that passed through the first minefield entered the next area.

Beep-

The magic sensor installed on the ground reacted, and the next moment.

Thud…!

Pububububung!

The Claymore anti-personnel mines [directional fragmentation mines] installed on the ground activated, pouring out a storm of metal fragments and beads, tearing the monsters’ bodies to shreds.

This is a trap I devised, and of course, I took the principle directly from the Claymore anti-personnel mines of Earth.

This is a fortress city. Scraps of metal and debris are always generated and piled up like mountains.

I used this to create ground-installed mines that pour out towards the enemy.

The storm of metal fragments swept through the zombies. The monsters’ whole bodies were torn to shreds, their limbs were severed, and holes were pierced all over their bodies.

…But.

However.

They are zombies.

Groaaaaa…

Ahhhhhhh!

Even with their whole bodies torn like rags, the monsters did not stop advancing.

Past the first Party Hall with ground mines, past the second Party Hall with the Claymore field, and even to the third Party Hall where all the remaining installed traps were gathered.

The zombie monster legion continued to advance relentlessly, burning, fragmented, and torn apart. These disgusting bastards…

“The third Party Hall has been breached! The enemy monster legion is not stopping-!”

“It doesn’t matter! Don’t worry about it and prepare for your tasks!”

The soldiers were quite shaken when the kill zone and three Party Halls, which had been prepared for a long time, were quickly breached, but I didn’t even bat an eye.

From the beginning, I never had the naive expectation that the kill zone or the Party Halls would be able to finish off the monsters.

“All of our Crossroads’ defensive facilities are top-notch, but the best product is ultimately…”

I looked at the hundreds of cannons that had finished lining up in an orderly manner on the ramparts.

“Firepower!”

The troop with the overwhelming number one monster kill count over the past three years.

Our Crossroads’ main dealers, the monster slayers—the most skilled artillerymen—glared fiercely.

“Prepare to fire-!”

When I shouted, raising my arm, hundreds of cannons simultaneously entered the aiming sequence.

A scout, who was looking at the vanguard of the zombie legion with binoculars right in front of me, shouted at the top of his lungs.

“The enemy vanguard has entered the cannon’s firing range!”

“Not yet!”

We let the vanguard pass.

What the artillery is aiming for is what comes after that.

Groaaaaa…!

Ahhhhhhh!

The shapes of the approaching zombie monsters began to be clearly visible to us on the ramparts.

Gulp…!

The sound of dry saliva being swallowed echoed in unison from the throats of the waiting soldiers. I shouted.

“Not yet, wait!”

After a few seconds that felt like an eternity.

The scout turned his face, covered in cold sweat, towards me and reported.

“The enemy’s second line has entered the cannon’s firing range-!”

“Now!”

I thrust my hand forward.

“Fire-!”

“Fire!”

“Fireeeee!”

The echo of my command spread across the ramparts, and the next moment.

Pubububububung!

To my left and right, standing in the center of the ramparts, flames erupted from the cannons in succession, like waves rippling.

Hundreds of cannons unleashed a perfect crossfire with impeccable aim. I felt a thrill for a moment at this beautiful sight.

When the elite soldiers I had raised from the beginning perfectly carried out my orders.

What moment could be more joyful for a commander than this…!

Peeeeeeng-

The rain of cannonballs that tore through the sky eventually fell on top of the zombie monsters’ heads and…

Kwagwagwagwang!

They landed in succession, drawing clean lines of fire on the ground.

And the zombie monsters caught in this barrage could no longer move.

“That’s it!”

I clenched my fist tightly.

No matter how strong their stamina is, if they enjoy a party three times in one night! They can’t help but be a mess!

The zombie monsters that had passed through three Party Halls full of landmines and traps were in tatters. Just enough to fall perfectly to our artillery fire…!

I stretched out my arm and continued to shout.

“Pour it on! Pour it all out without holding back! With the thought of turning this entire southern field into ashes, keep going without stopping-!”

Firepower!

Firepower!

More firepower!

At my command, the artillerymen began to fire shells relentlessly, as if they had been waiting for it. The successive cannonball bombardments crushed the zombies in turn.

Still, because the monsters were so sturdy, even in their zombie state, there were still some that continued to emerge from this hell of flames.

The vanguard that I had deliberately let through earlier was also gradually getting closer to Crossroads.

And what we had waiting to deal with these guys was,

“Ballista unit! Commence firing-!”

“Archery unit! Follow up with firing-!”

The ballista and archery units.

The archers sniped at the approaching zombie monsters, finishing them off one by one.

“Aim for the head, the head-!”

“The parasite is in the head! If you destroy the head, they won’t be able to move!”

Three trap fields, a crossfire artillery zone.

The zombie monsters even broke through this and crawled towards us, but at this point, they were slowed down by the damage they had taken.

For skilled archers, piercing the heads of slowly approaching monsters was not that difficult.

In this way, everything was working together perfectly, and we were conducting an ideal form of siege warfare, but.

Groooaaan…

Grooo, aaaa…

Nevertheless, there were too many.

After passing through three Party Halls, the crossfire zone, and the ballista and archer snipers.

The zombie monsters, with an indomitable will to bite into the Inse [a reference to the city or area they are defending], somehow, crawled to the foot of the ramparts.

“Don’t bother with the neutralized zombies! Focus on sniping the ones that are still running!”

At my command, the archers continued to snipe at the threatening enemy individuals, but they kept glancing down at the ramparts, as if they were still concerned.

It’s understandable. Even though their limbs were blown off, the zombies were approaching the ramparts…

‘But really, there’s no need to worry about it.’

There are reasons, such as the fact that the neutralized zombies have almost no siege ability, or that our melee unit can safely handle them, but.

The real reason why I don’t care about these small monster remnants is…

Woo-woo-woo-woong!

This is it.

It was when the vanguard of the zombie monsters finally reached the foot of the ramparts. The magic core inside the ramparts vibrated faintly once.

And, when the foremost zombie, crawling on the ground with its only arm, touched the ramparts with its fingertips…

Thuaaaaaak-!

The ramparts emitted a terrifying shockwave.

As if swatting away a fly that had landed on its body, deeming it unclean.

Pung! Pubububung…!

The zombies that had stuck to the ramparts, and those that had approached closely, all had their bodies blown apart and were thrown backward.

‘Airborne and Knockback…!’

In game terms, two top-tier crowd control skills were activated simultaneously.

The vanguard of the zombie monsters, letting out a pitiful scream, died with their whole bodies blown apart.

Woo-woo-woong…

When all the zombies within the range were wiped out, the magic core inside the ramparts finally became quiet again.

“……”

The soldiers on the ramparts all looked down at the ramparts below their feet with disgusted faces.

That’s right.

This is the true nature of the ramparts made by grinding down three monster legion commanders, [Night Bringer].

Ramparts made with that black dragon as the core.

There’s no way it would be docile…!

“It’s good, but…”

Evangeline trembled her lips and tapped the ramparts with her toes.

“This rampart, it feels strange…! How should I put it, it’s on our side, but it’s incredibly dangerous?!”

I nodded.

Because I made it into a dangerous thing…!