I Became The Tyrant Of A Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 776

Apocalypse Knights.

These monsters, whom we had clearly defeated once before, had reappeared in this world.

But, when you think about it, it’s only natural.

This is the world after the end of the world.

It’s not surprising that monsters symbolizing destruction, the embodiment of the concept of destruction, would revive and run rampant.

Dududududu-!

Through the hazy vision caused by the swirling ash, the Apocalypse Knights charged in from all directions.

“Form a circular defense! Take a defensive stance-!”

I shouted, trying to pull the flagpole from my waist, but it was gone.

Only then did I realize.

My ceremonial sword-shaped flagpole, [a symbol of my authority], was destroyed 15 years ago.

“……Kuh!”

I tried to deploy my personal armor, but it was the same.

Clang, clang, clank-!

The chainmail, [a type of flexible armor made of interlocking metal rings], that once completely covered my body was also damaged during the long battles, and the remaining chain parts could only form a gauntlet that barely covered one hand.

I gripped that gauntlet and struck the head of an Apocalypse Knight that approached.

Thwack-!

The one hit by my fist had half its head blown off, but soon regenerated the injured area and rose like a zombie.

‘Damn it!’

They were formidable enemies even 15 years ago.

And now, with the end times as their battlefield, they have become even stronger.

It’s too much for us, who have lost most of our ace heroes and have fallen into a group of stragglers, to handle.

“Kuh!”

Even Elise, our strongest vanguard swordsman, was constantly pushed back by the enemy cavalry’s fierce attacks.

The remaining survivors fell, bleeding, or rolled on the ground, screaming.

The formation collapsed in an instant. I shuddered.

‘At this rate……!’

I had no choice but to awaken the power of the dragon within me.

There is a price to pay each time I use this power, but now is not the time to worry about that!

“Godfather.”

At that moment, a light touch landed on my shoulder.

“Leave it to me.”

“……!”

Whoosh-!

With the sound of the air boiling.

Sid, who had lightly floated into the sky, looked around with his characteristic emotionless eyes.

Behind the boy, a dazzling radiance, like a rainbow, was emanating in all directions.

That’s right.

The reason why our World Guardian Front, weakened and tattered as it is, has not yet been annihilated and is still surviving.

It’s all thanks to this boy.

Flash-!

From behind Sid, countless magical elements poured out and began to merge into a huge ring.

The Mana-Chosen. [A person with innate magical abilities].

Taught the basics by Diermuidin, trained by Junior. A genius among geniuses who surpassed even their achievements.

Now that both of the previous Archmages are dead, he is the last Archmage of humanity, carrying on their legacy.

That is the boy before my eyes, Sid.

Clap-!

As Sid lightly clapped his hands together and stretched them out to the left and right, the ring of light that had been spinning around the boy’s body flashed and extended in all directions.

《……!》

Black darkness surged like blood from the bodies of the Apocalypse Knights struck by the ring of light.

More than half of the Apocalypse Knights were instantly killed and sprawled on the ground, while the remaining Apocalypse Knights barely regained their footing and quickly turned back.

Dududududu……!

The enemies are retreating.

I watched the retreating enemies and let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, Sid. You saved us.”

“……But many died again.”

Sid, who had landed next to me, muttered indifferently as he looked at the fallen comrades on the ground.

The enemy’s surprise attack was short, but in that brief time before Sid used his magic to repel them, it caused great damage to our side.

The survivors gathered the bodies of their fallen comrades.

They lit a fire, and I blankly watched as lives turned into another pile of ash in the pouring ash.

“Let’s go, Your Highness.”

Elise, adjusting her sword belt, gestured with her chin.

“The new hideout is far. We must walk diligently before the enemies attack again.”

Leaving the pervasive death behind, we silently moved forward again.

How long had we walked?

The place Elise led us to was a ruined city.

Since the earth was constantly twisting and the land was repeatedly decomposing and reassembling, it was impossible to know exactly which city on the continent this was before the destruction.

We were just grateful to be able to escape the torrential ash rain for one night.

“The hideout I scouted is another half-day’s walk away. Let’s rest here for today and move on tomorrow.”

We unpacked our belongings in one of the ruined buildings and prepared for camp.

We set up a watch, and one by one, people in the ruins fell asleep as if they were fainting.

As usual, I sat on the edge of the building entrance, trying to think about tomorrow, but the severe fatigue prevented such thoughts.

I was tired.

My eyes closed on their own.

***

《Do you have nightmares often, Ash?》

A sweet, but never-to-be-heard-again voice came from in front of me.

“…….”

I glared ahead.

I was sitting at a table, and sitting across from me was the Vampire King.

Selendion.

With his bright red eyes twinkling, he was smiling at me, swirling a glass of wine in one hand.

《Nightmares reveal the deepest fears of a human’s inner self. They materialize and show you what you fear most.》

I know.

This is an old memory.

Stage 5. [A specific point in time or event].

A conversation I had with him during the ‘Commander’s Meeting’ during the battle with the Blood Clan. This is part of it.

《But imagine for a moment. What if that nightmare doesn’t end in a dream but comes into reality?》

Selendion stared intently at the glass of wine in his hand.

《If it crawls out of the other side as a living, breathing monster with a clear form. If that monster stands before you and looks at you. How would you feel?》

This is a meaningless, empty Zen riddle. [A paradoxical question used in Zen Buddhism to provoke thought].

《Now, young human. Let me ask you again.》

Even though I know, I was drawn into his words without realizing it.

《Do you have nightmares often? What do you fear most?》

What I fear most?

That is…….

《I hope it’s not too terrible.》

Selendion slowly turned his gaze.

There, the crossroads of Stage 5, with the familiar ramparts standing firm.

《Because whatever it is, if you look too deeply, it will become reality.》

And on that rampart.

There are the figures of my beloved comrades who fought alongside me long ago.

One of them is shouting something.

Desperately reaching out to me.

As if desperately hoping that their voice would reach me…….

I can’t hear the voice.

I read their lips.

“My Lord-!”

***

“Godfather.”

I opened my eyes with a start.

Once again, I fall out of the familiar quagmire of the past and into the dry reality.

A ruined world, a ruin where ash is pouring down.

This is my reality now.

“Godfather. Eat.”

Sid, who had approached me, was holding out a skewer with meat on it.

A hot, nauseating smell wafted with the heat as if it had just been grilled. I waved my hand.

“No. I don’t have an appetite…….”

“……Then, can I eat this? I’m hungry after using magic.”

“Yes. If you want to.”

Then Sid quietly began to eat my share of the meat skewer.

That skewer was made of rat meat.

It has no taste, a nauseating smell, and little nutritional value, but it is one of the few foods we can eat in this era.

“Is it edible?”

“No, it’s not tasty.”

Sid mumbled, quickly finishing the rat meat skewer.

“But it’s better than having to eat each other.”

“…….”

Unlike his bleak and cynical voice, Sid’s face, licking his greasy fingers, was still young.

I looked at this child, who was born in this era and forced to become an adult, and then… I suddenly asked.

“Sid, do you remember cotton candy?”

“Huh?”

Sid tilted his head.

“Cotton candy? What is that?”

“It’s a candy made by melting sugar into threads, then winding it up to make it look like a cloud, and then eating it.”

“Sugar? Cloud? Candy……?”

Sid tilted his head repeatedly at the unfamiliar words.

“It’s something to eat, right? What does it taste like?”

“It’s sweet. Very.”

“A sweet taste…….”

Sid narrowed his brow as if trying to recall the taste he had only experienced a few times in his short life.

“I knew what it tasted like, but what was it…….”

“…….”

I swallowed my words.

‘The first New Year’s Day after you were born. Your mother put a piece of cotton candy in your mouth.’

You don’t remember, but.

I can’t remember it well anymore either…….

Even in this hideous world, there was once such a beautiful moment.

“I want to try cotton candy someday.”

Sid mumbled, having given up on trying to recall the sweet taste.

I chuckled.

“Yeah. I hope…… that would be nice.”

It sounds like a futile story.

But you never know. What might happen if you’re alive.

“…….”

Really.

Will anything happen?

It was then.

“Your Highness.”

Elise approached.

She had been tending to the injured inside the ruined building, and she looked tired and exhausted.

“Many were injured in the battle earlier, and we’ve run out of medicine and bandages.”

“……So we’ve finally run out.”

“At this rate, many will die tonight.”

It has already been three years since Rosetta, the last healing priest, died.

Since then, we have been treating injuries with the always insufficient medicine and dirty bandages, and even that has run out.

“Since this place seems to have been a city, even though it’s a ruin, I’m going to search around. If we’re lucky, we might find useful things besides medicine.”

“I’ll go too.”

I couldn’t let Elise suffer alone, so I decided to go with her.

Then Sid quickly rubbed his fingers on the hem of his robe and followed us.

“I’ll go too! It’s my first time in this city, so I want to look around.”

“……Okay. Let’s go together.”

I don’t know what threats might be lurking in the long-abandoned ruined city.

But me, Elise, and Sid, the three of us, are the strongest forces left in the current World Guardian Front. If there’s a problem, we can break it.

After entrusting the watch and guard to the other heroes and soldiers, we left the camp and entered the ruined city.

***

In a ruined world, when searching ruins or structures for supplies.

The threats you can encounter are of all kinds.

From the threat of collapsing old buildings to ferocious wild beasts, all sorts of monsters like ghosts and demons, of course.

And the swarms of rats that surrounded us earlier and were looking for an opening, the Apocalypse Knights that hunt living humans without warning, and also…….

But more dangerous than anything else.

“……It’s a light.”

Another group of survivors.

It’s people.

“There’s a bonfire in that building over there. It seems there are other survivors staying in this city.”

“……That’s not good.”

That’s my honest feeling.

It’s not good to meet people.

In a ruined world, it’s actually easy to make judgments. Because every being you meet is an enemy trying to take your life. So I just need to be wary and kill them all.

But people are in a gray area that you can’t just be hostile to.

Because they are people, you can’t just kill them. They might be helpful to us, or even become allies.

But, in this changed world, there is a very high probability that.

People are our enemies.

The only beings that can gain our trust, deceive us, and stab us in the back. That is people.

Monsters that are only human in form.

“What should we do? Should we go around?”

“No.”

I sighed.

“We still have to make contact. We might be able to get medicine.”

I took the lead towards the building where the light was flickering.

Elise and Sid, who exchanged glances, cautiously followed me.