Wriggle, wriggle...
The tentacles sprouting from the massive reindeer-like Cromwell pulsated.
'It looks like the parasites we saw before.'
The tentacles resembled the zombie parasites that Rosetta had extracted and shown. It was as if these parasites were enlarged and attached haphazardly without any design considerations.
Snap. Snap.
At the same time, the giant teeth that had grown all over Cromwell's body snapped together, making a chilling bone-cracking sound.
The teeth moved like a crushing press at regular intervals, but the issue was that these teeth were growing all over Cromwell's body. They clacked incessantly, as if demanding more food.
"Grr, aargh..."
The bloated body of the monster legion commander was filled with those massive teeth and tentacles. The teeth consumed, and the tentacles assisted. The entire body was designed solely for devouring something.
The battlefield had fallen silent.
The remaining zombies on the extended battlefield were either killed by our firepower or died in mutual destruction.
Their corpses were completely devoured by Cromwell.
'If they were going to end up like this, they should have just stayed underground and eaten each other…'
I grumbled inwardly, but I vaguely understood the reason.
Cromwell had used this battlefield itself as a 'sacrificial altar.' She had taken the lives offered on this altar as 'sacrifices.'
Randomly devouring each other wouldn't have fully utilized the effect of the 'sacrifices,' but this method allowed her to completely absorb the spiritual and physical essence of her subordinates. Truly a demonic way of thinking.
Thud... Thud... Thud...
To prove this point, Cromwell's body continued to grow in real-time, swelling into a massive mountain-like form.
With no more corpses left to eat, Cromwell finally began to slowly march towards Crossroad.
I licked my dry lips. My mind raced.
Cromwell didn't appear like this in the game.
But this 'Doomsday Feast' had long deviated from its game incarnation. Complaining about it was pointless.
What mattered was how to deal with this monster. That's all.
How to protect the world. That's all.
"Raaaaaargh!"
As Cromwell slowly approached, she raised her head and let out a high, ear-piercing roar.
The antlers on the monster's head, demonic in shape, gleamed with an ominous green power. They looked like trees swaying.
A moving mountain of corpses with a tree planted on top...
Thud-!
In an instant, Cromwell, having kicked off the ground, began to charge at the fortress wall.
She used not only her four legs but also her tentacles to run. The grotesque tentacles on her body gripped the ground, propelling her forward with movements reminiscent of cephalopods like an octopus or squid.
"Fire!"
"Shoot, shoot-!"
The soldiers on the wall responded as if they had been waiting.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Hundreds of cannons and ballistae unleashed their firepower simultaneously.
The barrage formed a literal cross on Cromwell's body, exploding continuously in a spectacular display of fire and destruction.
However-
"Dammit...!"
"It's not working-!"
A translucent green barrier enveloped the monster's body.
It was probably a protective magic created by those massive antlers.
Ordinary physical attacks couldn't penetrate it.
"Keep firing!"
"Yes, sir!"
At my command, the soldiers persisted with the bombardment, and I shouted to the side.
"Damien!"
"Yes, sir-!"
Damien had finished loading the last special round, and I nodded.
Damien's brown eyes gleamed as he pulled the trigger.
Thooom-!
The final special round containing the concentrated cure shot out from the modified ballista, slicing through the air towards the monster's head amidst the barrage of explosions.
Zap!
The green barrier flashed, seemingly holding off the special round...
Boom! Boom! Boom-!
The preceding crossfire shook the barrier.
No matter how sturdy the protective magic was, the simultaneous barrage of hundreds of cannons and ballistae would create a moment of instability.
And Damien had aimed precisely for that moment.
Shatter...!
With a sound like glass breaking, the special round penetrated the barrier.
The arrow part of the special round burned away instantly, but the warhead, as if alive, twisted its way through-
Thwack-!
And lodged into one of Cromwell's eyes.
"Hit!"
The scouts and soldiers watching cheered in unison. The special rounds that had effectively neutralized the zombie monster commanders earlier were believed to work again.
But Damien and I remained focused, staring ahead.
As expected.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Cromwell didn't stop.
She kept charging at the fortress wall. Suppressed groans escaped the soldiers' clenched teeth.
The zombie cure didn't work on Cromwell.
The creature was essentially the parasite itself, or its master, so injecting a cure for the parasite was useless.
'Even considering that, it's still running despite losing an eye and having something lodged in its brain.'
Just as I grumbled inwardly.
From the wound in Cromwell's eye, something wriggled and seeped out.
It was... small tentacles.
Soon, like a dam bursting, tentacles poured out from the eye socket, hardening and turning white.
It looked as if antlers were sprouting from inside the eye.
"Tch!"
A very dynamic response indeed.
I clicked my tongue and waved my hand.
"Artillery, cease fire! Fall back!"
"Cease fire!"
"Cease fire-! Fall back-!"
At the command, the artillerymen and archers swiftly retreated behind the fortress wall in practiced motions.
"Everyone else, prepare for combat!"
"Combat ready!"
"Combat ready-!"
Damien dismounted from the modified ballista and armed himself with his magic rifles.
Not just Damien, but all the heroes and soldiers who had been watching the battle stepped forward, ready for combat.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Cromwell was close.
The vibrations from her legs and tentacles pounding the ground were transmitted through the earth, shaking our shoulders on the fortress wall.
"Hold."
But I took no action, merely staring down the approaching creature.
The heroes and soldiers glanced at me nervously. I ignored them and shouted.
"Hold!"
Gulp, gulp...
Dry swallows echoed from the heroes and soldiers.
The monster was almost upon us. Just a few steps, just a few seconds before it would slam into the wall.
But I remained still, shouting.
"Hold-!"
Thud-!
Cromwell, right before the wall, prepared to ram into it with great force.
Some of the soldiers, unable to bear it, tightly closed their eyes. The heroes gripped their weapons and shields tightly.
Cries of suppressed terror erupted. Sweat-soaked stares pierced my back.
But I said,
"Trust me, hold your ground! Stay combat ready-!"
And Cromwell slammed her massive body into the wall.
Boom!
A tremendous shockwave, explosion, and vibration shook the ground.
Some soldiers instinctively raised their arms to protect their heads. They assumed that being hit directly by the giant monster would break the wall and cause mass casualties.
"...?"
But everything was intact.
The soldiers who had closed their eyes and covered their heads hesitantly lowered their arms and opened their eyes.
"Wha...!"
They gasped, looking up. The other heroes and soldiers, as well as I, followed suit.
Zap, zzzap...
A black barrier enveloped the fortress wall and protected us.
Indeed.
The monster wasn't the only one with a barrier.
The new Crossroad fortress, [Knight Bringer], also possessed a top-tier barrier.
A magical barrier extended from our fortress wall, shielding us from Cromwell's barrier and her charge.
"Raaaaaargh!"
Cromwell strained, pushing with her massive body, but the black dragon fortress stood firm like a mountain.
"Barrier at maximum output, Your Highness! We've stopped the enemy monster commander's charge! But..."
Lilly, reporting to me, looked slightly upset as she shouted the rest of the report.
"This wall still doesn't listen to us-!"
Vrrroooom!
As if waiting for her words, the nine black dragon power cores inside the wall resonated simultaneously.
And then-
Zap, zap, zap, zap!
With a crackling sound, they began to 'consume' Cromwell's green barrier.
"...?!"
Cromwell flinched and tried to pull back, but it was too late.
Shhhhk-!
Like a seasoned soldier disarming an enemy, the black dragon fortress smoothly absorbed Cromwell's barrier.
'Whew.'
Despite the tense situation, I couldn't help but whistle.
This was the special ability of the new Crossroad fortress, [Knight Bringer].
It could 'steal and use' the enemy's defensive measures.
The effect was temporary, but its performance was insanely good.
'Alright, great. Really great, but...'
I trembled with excitement.
'What a bad personality, this black dragon...!'
Look at this natural act of plundering! Even in death, it had such a rogue mentality?
This ability couldn't be activated at our will. The fortress did it on its own when it felt like it.
Despite being classified as a special artifact, most of its abilities were random activations. What kind of fortress is this...
"Anyway, it's effective."
Cromwell, her charge halted and her barrier stolen, stumbled back.
Oh no, where do you think
you're going?
"We finish this now!"
I turned and shouted.
"All mages-!"
The strategic weapons of our side, having completed their assigned spell castings, nodded at me. I extended my arm forward, nodding back.
"Give her a taste of this!"
"Yes, sir-!"
The next moment,
Swoooom-!
A dazzling array of magical lights lit up the fortress wall.
First, Junior's [Elemental Disintegration] distorted the space, severely reducing Cromwell's magical defense, followed by...
Boom, boom, boom!
A relentless magical barrage from the mages rained down on Cromwell.