I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 747

Squirm, squirm…

The tentacles sprouting from the giant reindeer, Cromwell, pulsed.

‘They look like the parasites I saw back then.’

They were tentacles that looked similar to the zombifying parasites Rosetta had shown me. It was as if the parasites had been enlarged and then haphazardly attached without any design considerations.

Clack. Clack clack.

At the same time, the huge teeth that had formed all over Cromwell’s body clicked together, creating an eerie bone-grinding sound.

The teeth snapped at each other at regular intervals, like a compression press, but the problem was that these teeth had sprouted all over Cromwell’s body.

They were constantly clacking, clamoring for their next meal.

《Kuaa, ah…》

The swollen body of the monstrous legion commander was covered with huge teeth and those tentacles. Teeth to eat, tentacles to assist. It was a form solely designed for devouring.

The battlefield was now silent.

The remaining zombies on the long battlefield were either killed by our firepower or had killed each other in a mutual slaughter.

And Cromwell had devoured all of their corpses without leaving a single one behind.

‘If you were going to do a mukbang [a Korean term for an online eating show] like this, you should have just stayed in that underground area and eaten each other…’

I grumbled inwardly, but I could vaguely guess the reason.

Cromwell had used this battlefield itself as an ‘altar.’ And it had taken the lives offered on the altar as ‘sacrifices.’

Simply eating each other indiscriminately wouldn’t have produced the full effect of the ‘sacrifices,’ but this method allowed it to fully consume the spirits and flesh of its subordinates. It was a devilish idea, befitting a demon.

Thump… Thump… Thump…

As if to prove this, Cromwell’s body continued to grow in real-time, swelling up like a huge mountain.

And when there were no more corpses to eat, Cromwell finally began to slowly walk straight toward the Crossroads.

I moistened my parched lips. My head spun for a moment.

Cromwell didn’t appear with this kind of gimmick in the game.

However, this ‘Game of Extinction’ had long since diverged from its game counterpart. This was not something to complain about.

The important thing was, how to deal with this monster in the end. That was all.

How to protect the world. That was all.

《Kaaaaaaaah!》

Cromwell, who had been slowly approaching, raised its head and let out a high-pitched, ear-splitting roar.

The demonic horns that had grown profusely on the monster’s head, resembling deer antlers, flickered with an ominous green magic. It truly looked like a tree.

A swaying tree planted on a mountain of moving corpses…

Thump-!

The next moment, Cromwell kicked off the ground and began to rush toward the fortress wall in an instant.

It was already using its tentacles in addition to its four legs to run.

The hideous tentacles that had sprouted all over its body touched the ground, and it slid forward in an instant with a wriggling motion like a cephalopod such as an octopus or squid.

“Fire!”

“Shoot, shoot-!”

The soldiers on the fortress wall responded as if they had been waiting.

Boom! Boom boom boom!

Hundreds of cannons and ballistae fired simultaneously.

The crossfire literally exploded on Cromwell’s body. Tremendous explosions and flames continuously erupted on the monster’s body.

However-

“Kuh… !”

“It’s not working-!”

A translucent green barrier surrounded the monster’s body.

It was probably a protective magic created by those huge horns.

Ordinary physical attacks wouldn’t do much damage.

“It doesn’t matter, keep firing!”

“Yes, sir!”

At my command, the soldiers did not give up and continued to fire, and I shouted to the side.

“Damien!”

“Yes-!”

Damien finished loading the last special bullet, and I nodded.

Damien, his brown eyes flashing, pulled the trigger.

Thwoooom-!

The special bullet containing the final concentrated cure was fired from the modified ballista, flying across the sky of the battlefield covered in a barrage of fire, heading towards the monster’s head.

Crackling!

The green barrier flickered, and it seemed like the special bullet was also blocked…

Bang! Bang! Boom-!

The crossfire that had been poured out just before shook the barrier.

No matter how strong the protective magic was, hundreds of cannons and ballistae were firing at it simultaneously. There had to be a moment when the magic’s wavelength wavered.

And Damien had accurately aimed and fired the special bullet at this wavering moment.

Clang…!

With a sound like clear glass breaking, the special bullet finally penetrated the barrier.

The arrow part of the special bullet was completely burned away at that moment, but the warhead, as if it had a life of its own, twisted and flew in an unnatural way-

Splat-!

It lodged itself in one of Cromwell’s eyes.

“It hit-!”

The scouts and soldiers who were watching cheered in unison. They believed that the special bullet, which had effectively stopped the zombified legion commanders before, would work this time as well.

However, Damien and I still stared straight ahead with hardened expressions.

And, as expected.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

It didn’t stop.

Cromwell continued to rush towards the fortress wall without losing momentum. Suppressed groans escaped from the panicked soldiers.

The zombification cure doesn’t work on Cromwell.

After all, that thing itself is the main body of the parasite, the one who spread the parasite. How could a drug that expels the parasite work on it?

‘Even considering that, it lost an eye and had a foreign object shoved into its brain, and it’s still just running?’

Just after I grumbled inwardly.

Something squirmed and seeped out from inside the eye socket of the wounded Cromwell.

It was… a small tentacle.

Following that, tentacles poured out from inside the eye socket as if a dam had burst, and then they hardened all at once, turning white.

It looked as if antlers had sprouted from inside the eye.

“Tch!”

It’s giving a very dynamic response with its body.

I clicked my tongue briefly and waved my hand.

“Artillery, cease fire! Retreat!”

“Cease fire!”

“Cease fire-! Retreat-!”

At the same time as the order was given, the artillery and archers quickly retreated behind the fortress wall with practiced movements.

“Everyone else, prepare for engagement!”

“Prepare for engagement!”

“Prepare for engagement-!”

Damien got down from the modified ballista firing seat and gathered his magic gun equipment and loaded it.

Not only Damien, but all the other heroes and soldiers who had been watching the battle and waiting were standing ready for engagement.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

Cromwell was already close.

Every time its legs and tentacles struck the ground, the immense vibrations traveled through the earth, shaking our shoulders on the fortress wall.

“Standby.”

But I didn’t take any special action, just stared at the approaching monster head-on.

The heroes and soldiers glanced at me. I didn’t care and shouted.

“Standby!”

Swallow, swallow…

Dry saliva went down the throats of the heroes and soldiers.

The monster was right there. Just a few steps, just a few seconds, and it would slam its body into the fortress wall.

But I still didn’t do anything and shouted like this.

“Standby-!”

Thump-!

Cromwell, having reached right in front of the fortress wall, kicked off the ground powerfully, preparing to slam into the wall.

Some of the soldiers who couldn’t bear it closed their eyes tightly. The hands of the heroes holding weapons and shields clenched tightly.

Screams like groans erupted in a chain reaction. Glistening eyes with cold sweat were fixed on my back.

But I said this.

“Trust me, and standby! Maintain engagement posture-!”

And Cromwell slammed its huge body into the fortress wall.

Kuwagwagwagwang!

The tremendous shockwave, explosion, and vibration shook the earth.

Some of the soldiers on the fortress wall reflexively raised their arms to cover their heads.

They seemed to have thought that the fortress wall would be destroyed and the people on it would be massacred by the giant monster’s charge.

“…?”

But, it was fine.

The soldiers who had closed their eyes and covered their heads with their arms flinched, lowered their arms, and opened their eyes.

“What… !”

And they looked up at the front in surprise. The rest of the heroes and soldiers, and I, who had been watching their reactions, also looked at the front.

Crackle, crackle…

A black barrier was surrounding the fortress wall, and us on it, as if protecting us.

That’s right.

It wasn’t just that monster that had a barrier.

The new fortress wall of the Crossroads, [Night Bringer], also had the highest-performance barrier, as if it were natural.

The magic barrier deployed from our fortress wall spread out in a circle, blocking Cromwell’s barrier and its charge together.

《Kuaaaaaaaaah-!》

Cromwell tried to push through with its huge body, but the Black Dragon Fortress Wall didn’t budge and stood like a mountain.

“Barrier output is at maximum, Your Highness! We have blocked the charge of the enemy monster legion commander! But, well…”

Lilly, who was reporting to me, looked a little tearful as she shouted the following report.

“This fortress wall still doesn’t listen to me-!”

Kiiiiiiiiing!

As if waiting for those words, the nine Black Dragon magic cores embedded inside the fortress wall resonated and vibrated simultaneously.

And-

Crackle crackle crackle!

With the sound of lightning, it began to ‘devour’ the enemy’s barrier – Cromwell’s green barrier.

《…?》

Cromwell flinched and tried to pull its body back, but it was already too late.

Crack-!

Just like a skilled soldier would take an enemy’s weapon and hold it in their own hand.

Too naturally, the Black Dragon Fortress Wall took Cromwell’s barrier and wrapped it around its own barrier.

‘Whew.’

Even though it was a critical situation, I couldn’t help but whistle.

This was the hidden special ability of the new fortress wall of the Crossroads, [Night Bringer].

It ‘steals and uses’ any defensive means of the enemy, whatever it may be.

The effect is temporary, but it was truly insane performance.

‘Okay, good. It’s really good, but…’

My lips trembled.

‘That Black Dragon bastard has such a bad personality…!’

Look at this natural act of extortion! Even though it died and became a fortress wall, what kind of thug mentality is this?

Moreover, this special ability cannot be activated at our discretion. It’s just a method that this fortress wall activates whenever it feels like it.

Even though this fortress wall is a special artifact in terms of category classification, there are almost no special abilities that we can control and activate. They are all probability-based activations. What kind of fortress wall is this…

“Anyway, the effect is good.”

Cromwell, whose charge was blocked and barrier was stolen, hesitated and backed away.

Hey, where do you think you’re going!

“We’ll finish it now!”

I turned to the side and shouted.

“Mages, everyone-!”

Our strategic weapons, who had already finished their assigned magic casting, nodded at me. I nodded back and stretched my arm forward.

“Give it a good hit!”

“Yes, sir-!”

The next moment,

Boom-!

A series of brilliant magical lights rose up, illuminating the fortress wall brightly.

First, Junior’s [Elemental Disassembly] distorted space and exploded, and on top of Cromwell’s head, whose magic defense had been reduced to the negative realm in an instant…

Kwagwagwagwang!

The mages’ simultaneous magical barrage mercilessly poured down.