The final defensive battle.
On the day it began.
Thud thud thud thud thud…
The earth shook violently.
The black lake bubbled and boiled, scattering foam around, and the next moment.
Whoosh!
The water's surface erupted like an explosion.
As the thick mist that had risen for an instant dissipated, the sight of monsters emerging and filling the black lake was revealed.
Various kinds of monsters that had been attacking the human world mixed together, pouring out like sewage overflowing during the rainy season.
Thump…! Thump…! Thump…! Thump…! Thump…!
As if they had come out wearing the color of the black lake all over their bodies, all of them dyed pitch black.
An endless number of monsters that rose to the surface, cutting through the water, began their march.
"…Gulp."
"S-so many…"
Observing this scene from the air, the Rompeller siblings aboard the airship 'Blue Pearl' swallowed dry saliva simultaneously.
"…"
Lucas, who was on board with them looking down at this sight, was calmly assessing the situation.
There were many monsters during the previous zombie invasion as well, but there was a decisive difference from now.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Red eyelight scattering obvious hostility.
Orderly ranks moving in groups.
The monsters were all advancing northward at their maximum speed while maintaining their original intelligence.
Unlike the zombies, they were in a state where they could exert all their abilities as monsters.
Their combat power is incomparable.
'No, it's meaningless to gauge individual combat power in the first place.'
Infinite.
As the final defensive battle approached, the lake was endlessly spewing out monsters.
It didn't matter how strong each individual was. After all, the infinite wave of monsters would eventually capture Crossroad and destroy the human world.
'Our role is to hold out as long as possible.'
While Ash had gone off alone for the final strategy.
Everyone in the World Guardian Front must hold back these monsters and endure for as long as possible.
'I will believe and wait, my lord.'
Lucas gripped the scabbard at his waist.
'I will protect the human world with my life until you return.'
Not much time had passed since the black lake started spewing out monsters, but already the area was covered with an enormous number of them.
And as flying-type monsters started to mix in intermittently, now they were dyeing the sky black as they flapped northward.
Confirming this sight, Lucas nodded heavily.
"Guerrilla unit, commence operation 'Lightning and Tsunami'."
Then Lucas stretched his arm to the side and shouted to the artillerymen.
"Prepare the first lightning! Blue Pearl, load the mana core missile!"
"Missile loaded-!"
"Entering launch sequence!"
The artillerymen who had been waiting tensely moved quickly.
All the special-grade mana cores remaining in Crossroad had been converted into missiles.
It was an extremely wasteful tactical weapon that turned globally rare materials into a single explosion. However, on the monster front facing the final battle, there was no room to consider this a luxury.
"Standard general mana core, ignition!"
"Standard high-grade, standard highest-grade, up to standard special-grade mana cores! Sequential mana reaction in order!"
"Launch preparation complete! Aiming complete! Sequence all clear! Ready to fire at any time!"
At the ready signal, Lucas commanded, pointing his hand forward.
"Fire! Crush their vanguard!"
Boom-!
A mana core missile was fired from the Blue Pearl's forward battery.
Inside the fired missile, four stages of mana cores resonated with each other, causing mana to condense in a spiral whirl and then-
The moment the missile reached its impact point, it burst all at once.
Kwaaaaang!
A white explosion erupted.
With a tremendous boom, the air rippled, the ground in the area split, and frozen trees were uprooted and flew backwards.
An enormous blast pressure swept the area, enough to make even the Blue Pearl, floating high in the air, sway.
Inside the violently shaking airship, people struggled to steady their bodies while holding onto whatever they could grab.
"Ugh…"
As the dazzling light faded, Lucas confirmed the point where the missile had fallen.
"…!"
Relief flashed in Lucas's blue eyes.
The vanguard monsters were utterly annihilated.
All the monsters within range of the tremendous explosion, whether flying or ground types, were completely crushed and shattered.
"Good…!"
Lucas, who was cheering without realizing it, soon had to close his mouth tightly.
The fallen and dying monsters dispersed and disappeared like black mist one by one.
And right behind them, still intact and still infinite monsters marched on nonchalantly as if nothing had happened.
Everyone felt fear at the sight of the enemies casually nullifying the damage, precisely because our attack had been so powerful.
But Lucas did not waver.
"The purpose of our guerrilla unit is not to annihilate them!"
Such a thing is impossible in this battle from the start.
"Our goal is to weaken the horde of monsters that will reach Crossroad appropriately by inflicting as much damage on them as possible!"
The guerrilla unit is the lightning.
The final defense line of Crossroad's main castle is the tsunami.
Weaken the enemy with surprise lightning strikes, and crush the enemy with a mighty tsunami.
Endure for as long as possible like that.
This was the gist of the operation named 'Lightning and Tsunami'.
"Ignore the remnants that survive and march on! Just inflict damage on large groups!"
"…!"
"Don't waver and keep firing! We're putting holes in their forces! Load the next mana core missile-!"
"Missile loaded-!"
"Entering launch sequence!"
And, while Blue Pearl was loading the second missile.
Whoosh!
The Griffin unit of the Sky Knights, which had departed earlier, shot down like an arrow over the heads of the monsters.
On each griffin sat one knight from the Vermillion Kingdom, and behind them sat one magician.
The knights protected the magicians, while the magicians drew joint magic circles in the air and…
"Second lightning-!"
Summoned a massive lightning bolt.
Junior, who had completed an enormous lightning bolt at the center of the spell formula, swung her staff down sharply, and lightning that fell from the cloudy sky struck the ground and raced across the surface.
Flash-!
Crackle crackle crackle!
The lightning, appearing almost like a huge pillar of light, struck and pulverized the monsters at the impact point, then spread throughout the area where the monsters stood.
The electrocuted monsters, charred black, could not withstand it and collapsed in droves.
The effect of the lightning magic was even more excellent because the monsters were densely packed. The lightning rampaged viciously like a snake seeking prey, conducted through the bodies of the clustered monsters.
Overflowing lightning was sucked into the black lake. Monsters electrocuted as lightning sparked on the lake's surface screamed.
The Sky Knight knights cheered in unison, and the magicians sitting behind them raised their fists to the sky.
Junior grinned broadly.
"How's that taste, you bastards?!"
However-
"…!"
The joy over a well-landed attack did not last long.
Bubble bubble bubble…
Because the monsters were truly infinite.
The interior of the black lake, where the lightning had penetrated, writhed as if it were a living thing, then began to spew forth malice from within like a volcanic eruption.
Pop-!
Whoosh!
The next moment, countless monsters that burst forth like a geyser all let out terrible screams at once.
"Kyaaaaaah-!"
The faces of the griffin riders instantly turned pale.
It was truly on a different dimension from the volume they had experienced in previous battles.
It wasn't just filling the horizon. As if to fill the land, sea, and sky completely, the black lake was spewing out monsters madly.
It was at that moment when everyone was momentarily shocked.
"Third lightning. Firing soon."
A calm voice rang out through the short-range communication device.
"Everyone please evacuate from the line of fire."
On a hill overlooking the black lake. At the top of a spire built there.
A fixed large-caliber sniper rifle seat similar to the special sniper equipment that had made a hole in the sky during the Black Dragon battle.
With [Black Queen] converted into a form similar to a rail gun, Damien exhaled a long breath.
"Phew…"
The long barrel of [Black Queen] combined with the fixed ballista was aimed straight at the lake.
The mana bullet launcher had become so huge, with all sorts of artifacts stuck on it, that it was hard to tell where the barrel ended.
Damien, sitting almost lying down in the shooter's seat of the launcher, stared at the lake full of monsters and slowly placed his finger on the trigger.
Crackle, crackle…
Black Queen's seven mana bullets finished the process of rotating in the air and combining into one.
This time, there was only one person enchanting this mana bullet, and the reason was simple.
This single enchantment was too powerful.
"I successfully enchanted the mana bullet with the Wind Spirit King's blessing!"
Hannibal, who had been sweating profusely, finally raised both hands and stepped back.
"The power… I don't know either! Let's hope the Spirit King is in a good mood!"
Damien smiled gently at Hannibal and focused his eye power on the lake.
A white flash flickered in his brown eyes, and
"Fire."
Confirming that there were no allies in the path, Damien pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Booooom-!
A tornado in the form of a mana bullet was fired.
The recoil of the shot made the spire sway greatly backwards. Everyone waiting on top of the spire screamed and rolled on the floor.
And, the power of the mana bullet was overwhelming.
Boom boom boom boom boom…!
Countless monsters that had overflowed and poured out through the lake's entrance were all torn to shreds.
It was like a huge storm crushing an erupting volcano.
With the already powerful shot of Black Queen, and the Wind Spirit King adding his power on top, no monster caught in its path survived.
"Wooooah…!"
The soldiers cheered as they watched the monsters being annihilated.
Clearly the enemies were infinite, but it seemed like they could hold out as long as the monster front's top forces took turns unleashing such powerful attacks.
And then-
Thump…!
Suddenly, the air changed.
The surface of the lake, which had been undulating like a stormy sea, abruptly became calm.
Without a single ripple, as if time had stopped.
"…"
An ominous silence filled the area as if it were a lie.
Both monsters and humans instinctively held their breath and raised their hackles.
Cold sweat ran down Lucas's back as he watched this scene.
The knight knew well.
This kind of situation is never a good omen.
"Everyone be on guard. Something doesn't seem right…"
And the next moment.
Splash.
A circular wave spread across the water's surface.
When this small ripple that spread from the center of the black lake reached the edge of the lake.
Whoosh…
The central part of the black lake sank downwards, forming a whirlpool.
This whirlpool deepened endlessly, as if connected to the bottom of hell.
And, at the very bottom of this empty black wave…
Step. Step. Step.
Footsteps echoed.
Though it was a very small sound, for some reason it was clearly heard by every being in the area.
As if distinctly announcing to this world the advent of a being of a different caliber.
Everyone who heard the sound could not move an inch.
And when those small footsteps had climbed all the steps of the swirling lake water-
Finally, that being's appearance was revealed to the human world.
"…!"
Though it was merely a small human figure.
All living beings who witnessed her trembled.
It was a woman with her face covered by a morning veil burnt at the ends.
The dress she wore also had its hem and sleeve ends burnt, and the tall crown on her head was also scorched black. Even her long white hair that seemed to drag on the ground had its ends burnt black.
Scattered starlight flickered around the woman.
The ends of her pale white dress, which seemed not of this world, were discolored black, glowing ominously with otherworldly darkness.
Materialized destruction.
The name of all those nightmares.
"She has appeared!"
A scout reported in a trembling voice.
"Entity name, 'Sleepless Lake Princess'-!"
Crack-!
As she descended, the sky split.
Through the gap in the sky that split in an impossible way, countless eyes blinked greedily, trying to observe her existence.
"…"
Lucas, who had been unconsciously facing the strongest and worst monster, suddenly came to his senses.
Because he definitely noticed that the gaze under the veil of the 'Sleepless Lake Princess' was directed at him.
"Evasive maneuver, now!"
Lucas shouted urgently.
"Blue Pearl, execute evasive maneuver-!"
"Huh?"
"I said evade right now, hurry!"
Instead of the airship's helmsman who couldn't come to his senses, the Rompeller siblings who rushed in gritting their teeth grabbed the wheel and turned it sharply.
Immediately Blue Pearl attempted an evasive maneuver at the highest possible speed, but-
It was too late.
"…"
The 'Sleepless Lake Princess' slowly raised her hand, aimed at the enemy ship — Blue Pearl, and then…
Clenched her fist.
The next moment, otherworldly darkness pouring in from all directions engulfed Blue Pearl.
There was no way to avoid it.
Boom…!