Boom!
The mages' magical barrage struck Cromwell with full force.
Waves of colored magical energy spread out, melting and crushing Cromwell's entire body.
"Graah...!"
Cromwell groaned and staggered backward, hit by the barrage of spells for the first time.
"Now is our chance while her defenses are down!"
I extended my arm and shouted.
"Pour all our firepower into her! Shoot-!"
"Yes, sir-!"
"Shoot! Give it everything we've got-!"
The mages, who had been charging their magic all this time, unleashed their spells without holding back, casting group spells.
Artifacts installed on the main wall of Crossroad, behind the black dragon fortress wall, also belatedly unleashed their defensive magic.
Sniper heroes like Damien, along with the artillery that had momentarily retreated, rushed back and fired at Cromwell.
Sword energy, arrows, holy power, and spirits.
Even the various defense towers I had summoned.
Every attack method we could muster at this range was unleashed.
Boom! Boom! Boom...!
With the barrier stolen by [Knight Bringer] and her magical defenses shattered by [Elemental Disintegration], Cromwell had no way to fully withstand the damage.
No matter how many lives Cromwell had devoured to grow massive, under such conditions, damage would pierce deep into her core.
"Graaa, aaaargh...!"
Cromwell roared continuously in pain.
Her massively swollen body splattered blood, and the horns that had grown endlessly shattered and splintered. The tentacles that had spread out wildly also burned and shriveled pitifully.
Thud, thud, thud...!
The barrier had been neutralized, and the magical defenses shattered for only a few dozen seconds.
But a few dozen seconds was more than enough to turn the tide of battle.
As Cromwell pulled back, trying to protect herself with hundreds of tentacles and shake off the [Elemental Disintegration] effect, the monster had already suffered irreparable damage.
Thud, thud, thud...
Blood and fluids poured from Cromwell's body, drenching the ground as she barely managed to put some distance between herself and the wall.
"..."
The monster glared at us, frothy blood bubbling from between her jaws.
At this point, I sensed victory.
Although we had exchanged only a single round of attacks, that round had proven a lot.
We had ample means to cut through her defenses and counterattack, while Cromwell lacked a way to bring down our wall.
'This is the essence of a siege defense.'
To overcome a well-fortified fortress, the attackers must possess means that surpass the fortress's defenses.
But did Cromwell have such means? Could she breach the black dragon wall?
'She might still have more tricks up her sleeve. But surpassing the black dragon's defense would be beyond her power.'
Even though it's a pointless thought, if Cromwell had appeared in her original form, leading the original demonic guard corps.
She might have devised a way to breach the fortress. They fought like humans, with physical specs superior to humans, as a 'military.'
They might have set up a camp far off, waiting for the black dragon wall's magical supply to be cut off, and bombarded us with superior demonic artillery.
But they had all become zombies, and this monstrous Cromwell, which had devoured the zombie horde, had no way to breach this high wall.
'So, what will you do, monster? What's your next move?'
Cromwell, wrapping her body with tentacles to shield herself from our attacks, paused to regroup.
As I watched her, various simulations ran through my mind. The attack methods possessed by the demonic guard corps, the special abilities of the monsters Cromwell had devoured...
'No matter what attack you use, I'll block it! On this fortified wall, I'm above you!'
In the end, this was a siege defense.
A defense game played on a battlefield favorable to the defenders, the wall and the fortress.
No matter what attack you use, I'll break your thrusts again and again...!
"...Aaah."
And then.
"Aaah, aaaargh-!"
Cromwell opened her mouth wide, emitting an incomprehensible roar with a distorted voice-
Boom!
She kicked off the ground.
And began charging at the black dragon wall again.
"...?!"
I was taken aback.
Charging again? Trying to ram it with her body again?
'Is she pulling out a new card?'
No- she's not. There's nothing new.
Without any noticeable magical movement or new special abilities, Cromwell was simply running straight at the wall again.
'Why?'
I broke out in a cold sweat.
It's a monster. A nightmare creature driven to kill the humans in front of it.
I've seen countless monsters slam into walls, knowing they couldn't break through, smashing their own heads.
But there's one strange thing.
'This thing isn't stupid! It wouldn't repeat an ineffective attack!'
That's right.
Cromwell had reason.
Though she had died and been revived, clearly in a maddened state, she had regained her reason through the demonic ritual of devouring sacrifices. This had been confirmed in reports from Dearmudin and others.
Cromwell wasn't stupid. She surely knew she couldn't break through this wall with a bodily charge.
Yet she charged again?
Knowing it wouldn't work?
"Preparing to counterattack!"
"Pour it on-!"
While I struggled to grasp the enemy's intentions, my heroes preemptively launched their attacks.
Once more, [Elemental Disintegration] shattered her defenses, and our various attacks rained down on her.
Blood, flesh, and bones flew. The monster's entire body crumbled.
Though not enough to take her down in one blow, the damage was undoubtedly accumulating.
Cromwell, foolishly, charged straight again. Making it easier for us to counter. If this continued, we'd win without incident.
But I felt chills watching Cromwell's seemingly reckless charge. Her flickering green gaze locked onto mine.
In that moment, I was sure.
This thing is up to something.
"She's planning something strange! Damien!"
I called out to the sniper, and Damien immediately equipped [Black Queen] and took aim.
"Orders, Your Highness! Where should I shoot?"
"Shoot her head..."
I stopped mid-sentence.
Thud, thud, thud-!
Cromwell's stride towards the wall was different from before.
She wasn't just running. She was...
'Gaining momentum?'
She was adjusting her steps, gathering strength in her legs to leap.
Leap for what? To slam the wall with more force?
'...No way.'
I alternated my gaze between the charging giant and our wall, estimating the height. No way?
"Is she... trying to jump over the wall?!"
The black dragon wall was taller than the original Crossroad wall. Much taller than Cromwell.
And Cromwell wasn't a light deer. She was more like a mountain of corpses that had swelled to its limit.
No matter how agile she was, she couldn't possibly leap over this wall.
No monster had ever tried to leap over the wall directly before...
'That's why she's doing it!'
I was certain.
Attempting what no one had done before.
None of the many monster commanders trying to breach this wall had attempted this.
And so, Cromwell would.
Because she was once the commander of the demonic guard corps, not just a zombie monster.
As the commander leading an assault on the human world...!
To win, she must take an unprecedented path!
"She's trying to jump over the wall-!"
"...!"
"Prepare to intercept! By any means...!"
I shouted, glancing at Damien. Damien had already adjusted [Black Queen] into railgun mode, ready to fire.
If it were a regular zombie monster, targeting the head would be correct.
But I remembered how tentacles had burst from Cromwell's skull and hardened into antlers.
Most likely, even if the head was destroyed, she would keep moving.
So...
"Shoot her legs off, Damien!"
"Yes, sir!"
Damien quickly adjusted his aim.
Seven magic bullets from [Black Queen] converged in midair, aligned on the extended rail, and then-
Boom!
Fired.
The projectile flew straight, obliterating two of Cromwell's right legs as she ran.
"...!"
Cromwell stumbled.
The right front and hind legs were blown off at the joints. Losing balance, Cromwell began to topple sideways.
"Nice shot, Damien!"
We'd stopped her charge!
Briefly celebrating, I suddenly saw-
Whoosh!
Cromwell's tentacles, sprouting from all over her body, struck the ground.
Turning all the tentacles she had been using to shield herself from the barrage into makeshift legs, Cromwell kept running at the wall with even more ferocity.
"This insane bastard...!"
No barrier, with magical defenses shattered.
She had repurposed all her defensive tentacles to move, absorbing the full brunt of our firepower with her body.
The massive monster's body was riddled with wounds. Flesh was torn and mangled, bones shattered and scattered.
Yet Cromwell kept running.
As if she felt no pain.
Like a true zombie.
Whoosh!
Despite being battered by countless spells and attacks, Cromwell reached the wall and gathered strength in her legs. The tentacles bulged fiercely.
And then-
Boom!
Creating a huge crater where she had kicked off, Cromwell soared into the air like a rocket.
Maybe she had poured all her life force into this one jump, as her tentacles burst and sprayed blood everywhere.
But that allowed her to leap high.
"..."
Everyone stared in shock as the monster loomed overhead.
All the defenses we had prepared.
This sturdy wall, the well-trained elites, the facilities, the artifacts, and the final line of defense—
The monster had leaped over them, rendering them powerless.
"I'll stop you-!"
Thud!
Whoosh!
I planted the flagpole into the ground, summoning a magical barrier while activating the [Imperial Seal Ring] to gather and convert human willpower into physical force.
The grey magical barrier mixed with the white power of human will and formed atop the black dragon wall.
The massive hand-like barrier shot up into the sky. I extended my arm with all my strength, using the barrier responsive to my will to grasp Cromwell's body.
And—
Got it.
In mid-air.
The barrier I had summoned succeeded in capturing Cromwell's lower body.
"Hold her!"
"Take her down-!"
The mages and heroes on the wall relentlessly fired upon Cromwell.
Hanging momentarily in the air, Cromwell was hit by all our desperate attacks, becoming a bloody mess, shredded to pieces.
That's right.
Shredded.
Rip!
Cromwell twisted her body, tearing off her lower half held by my barrier. She continued to endure our magic and attacks, and—
Cleared the wall.
Thud—
Crash!
Blood and flesh scattered as the mangled zombie monster leaped over the wall and—
Fell inside Crossroad.