The battle becomes increasingly fierce.
The hands of the clock that held Tochka's fate slowly descended, pointing to four in the afternoon.
jjeoeog-
A giant poisonous soldier is cut in half.
Deacon Barrymore, who saw the Marquis de Sade whipping the whip and shaking off the blood, clapped his hands and said.
"You still do great work."
"Pushishishi- still? Do you remember my old skills?"
"To be honest, I've seen more of it in books and papers than with the naked eye, but it's still more than recorded."
John Barrymore, loyal to House Baskerville for four generations, said as he sliced through a number of poisonous soldiers with the sword in his hand.
"It's strange."
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that right now I, no, all of us gathered here-are now under your command. It is amazing that people who once fought over the fate of the empire are now joining hands."
Deacon Barrymore was answering Marquis de Sade's questions while knocking down poisonous soldier one after another with an undisturbed attitude.
Vikir, meanwhile, watched, his mouth slightly agape.
"I didn't realize that the butler had such great sword skills."
"Hehehehe- I've always been good at dogfighting. When I was younger, I often fought with the patriarch, though I had a slightly better chance of winning back then."
In fact, he'd once heard the elders of Baskerville say of Barrymore, in passing, 'That bastard became a man back then'.
'Is it a case of getting older and milder?'
It's hard to imagine that now, looking at his bushy mustache.
Vikir thought as he sliced open the head of the giant poisonous man in front of him like a watermelon.
Meanwhile, Barrymore's eyes were filled with admiration.
"You have indeed grown up, Master. I still remember that day when you was choosing chocolate from the food warehouse... I'm sure the patriarch will be pleased."
"...."
At the mention of patriarch, Vikir turned his head in silence.
Where is Hugo now that the full force of the Baskervilles is here?
Then, catching Vikir's gaze, Barrymore smiled casually.
"My lord has gathered all of his regular troops and is heading straight this way. He's a bit late since he's on his way through the Civil War, so he's a bit slower than the other troops who took a detour...."
Then.
kwakwakwakwang!
A loud explosion erupted that obscured the conversation between Vikir and Deacon Barrymore.
A poisonous man tore in an odd direction, and irritated voices clashed on both sides.
"How dare you stab me, you lunatic!"
Sady. She screamed sharply, demonized by Belial's eyeballs.
And in the direction her axe-eyes squinted, she could see another woman standing.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were human, not with all that demonic energy spewing out of you. Watch out for the blind sword."
Isabella La Baskerville is the woman offering Saadi an apology that isn't really an apology.
The leader of the Doberman knights of the Baskerville family, she struck again, cutting down the poisonous soldiers.
It was an inconsiderate slash, despite the fact that Sady was right next to her.
Sady ducked her head to avoid Isabella's sword and growled through sharp teeth.
"Ohora-you're still a bitch, you vile bitch, trying to get rid of me with a blind stab."
"Then you're still a wretch, too, though I suppose that's to be expected from a traitor's blood."
"Hohoho – why would you recommend such a traitorous bloodline to the Imperial Captive, let alone as your successor?"
"It is the regret of a lifetime that I allowed a person like you to take over. A stain."
Isabella seemed to be trying to wipe away a stain on her life in the midst of a battle.
Sady, of course, was just as eager to kill her former superior.
Just then.
…Pow!
A rock spear suddenly protruded from the ground, separating Sady and Isabella.
The poisonous soldier thrown to the sky and was nailed in the air without even touching the ground.
A mocking voice mocked them as they retreated, each losing a few strands of hair.
"What a waste. I wish you were both dead."
Where Sady and Isabella's gazes turned, Souare stood.
The three women's gazes met in one place.
"Hohoho – what kind of Themiscyra Women's College reunion is this? Three of our classmates have gathered, haven't we?"
"Classmates? You trash bitches, don't you dare mention my alma mater's name."
"It's good to see my old dorm roommates after all these years. Life in the deep sea was so lonely that I didn't like it."
Sady, Isabella, and Souare.
Three classmates who graduated with honors from Themiscyra Women College and went their separate ways.
One became an empire-shaking villain, the other became a countess who supported the great family, and the last one became a symbol of protecting the worst prison.
...but.
These three people, who thought they'd never see each other again after their paths diverged, are now in the same place, doing the same thing.
It is the struggle to survive.
jjeoeog-
One by one, the giant poisonous soldiers collapsed, and smaller poisonous soldiers took their place.
As the bodies pile up, the ground rises, and the Red Death grows ever more powerful.
The hour hand now points to 6, and the poisonous soldiers are even more numerous.
Or maybe it just seems that way because they have fewer allies.
"...."
Vikir was still at the forefront, silently slashing at the poisonous soldiers.
There was no telling how long the priests' blessing would last.
Just then.
Vikir spotted a familiar face not far away.
An elderly Baskerville. They had met a few times before and after the regression.
The hound was the same age as his master, Hugo.
'Was his name Pavlov?'
He remembered, as he was one of the more long-lived of those with the same middle name.
Pavlov Van Baskerville.
He struck down the poisonous soldiers with a sword whose teeth had been chipped away and turned into saw blades.
Kwazik-.
The sword, wielded like a sharpened blunt instrument, dented the poisonous soldier's head rather than severed it.
Doesn't he even have a handful of mana left for his aura now?
Vikir was just about to move to help Pavlov.
…peoeog!
A spear from the front pierced Pavlov's abdomen.
"Hey!"
Vikir rushed forward and supported Pavlov's limp head.
"Don't lose your grip!"
Vikir shouts urgently, but Pavlov just stares at him.
Then, his mouth curves into an arc.
"You're a good man, you are."
"...."
"But that's okay. I go about my business, you do yours."
With that, Pavlov took one last deep breath.
He exhaled with all the force he could muster.
"High-ranking Leviathan appears on the front lines!"
It was a loud cry that reached the ears of everyone on the battlefield.
"...!"
All eyes, including Vikir's, turned to the front.
Up ahead, the fog was red, thicker than any other.
And the figure emerging from the fog was one Vikir recognized.
2nd Corpse, Flauros. Also known as the 'lying leopard'.
Its left hand had grown grotesquely long, and it smirked down at Vikir.
It was obvious that this was the same evil beast that had thrown the spear at Pavlov a moment ago.
[You are finished].
Leading a vast army of poisonous man, Flauros looked past Vikir to the walls of Tochka beyond.
[It's a miracle you've lasted this long without a sip of water. But no matter how much you whine at God, the limits are clear. Now the moment has come to realize reality, bugs.]
Perhaps if it weren't for that last demeaning remark, there might have been quite a few humans sympathizing with Flauros.
Suddenly, a staggering number of poisonous soldiers began to push through the lines.
"Fall back! Fall back, everyone! Get inside the castle and lock the doors!"
Marquis de Sade shouts in an unusually urgent tone.
Major General Orca, guarding the walls, gritted his teeth.
And then.
peopeopeopeong!
An army of giant poisonous soldiers began to hang down, holding on to the castle.
The smaller poisonous soldiers were crawling on the backs of the larger ones, climbing up the walls.
"Douse them with oil! Light the fires! Pour out all the gunpowder you have! Archers and stokers, hit all the stocks! There is no point in saving anything!"
Orca and Sade's orders were met.
Everyone in Tochka blocked the approaching army of poisonous soldiers.
...But it was not enough.
The poisonous soldiers scaled the walls by the dozen, their corpses forming a massive formation.
The wall was now a gently sloping climb.
"...It's over."
CindyWendy muttered in a cracked voice as she watched the whole scene from the watchtower.
She hadn't had a sip of water in several days, and she was beginning to feel defeated.
Of course, it was also something that everyone on the front lines was feeling more and more clearly and tangibly.
peoeog!
Tudor staggered back, red blood gushing from his forehead.
Now the saint's tears were losing their power.
The banners that had flown everywhere had long since been torn to shreds.
The faces of the knights are darkened.
The priests, too, have begun to weep instead of chant.
The poisonous soldier heads were sticking out one by one in front of the castle wall, which was overflowing with evil spirits and the Red Death.
"...Is this really the end?"
Even the most glorious and colorful epic must come to an end.
Tudor smirked through blurred vision.
The thought crossed his mind that the end of his life wouldn't be so bad after all the black and red.
... That was it.
Ttag!
A small noise pierced Tudor's ears.
It was heard as clearly as a miracle even amidst all the explosions and tearing noises.
tta-ag!
The noise is heard again.
It was the sound of small rocks flying.
It flew out of thin air and struck the poisonous soldier in the forehead as it stuck its head out of the city wall.
"...?"
Tudor turned his head.
Then he squinted his eyes, which refused to open.
badeulbadeul...
There was a girl, her whole body trembling like a withered tree, but she wasn't backing down at all.
Tudor remembered her face and her name.
-'My name is Sammua! Can you tell me the name of the benefactor?'
-'My name is Tudor. No last name.'
The girl he'd saved from a small country town he'd stopped in one day.
'Shammua', a common name that means 'God has heard'.
Now she was standing on the city walls, throwing stones at the poisonous people.
"Tudor-nim, I will help too!"
Tudor's eyes widened at the girl's cry.
Bianca sarcastically sat next to him.
"When did you flirt?"
"You think so! It's dangerous, we need to get her to back off... Huh!?"
But Tudor couldn't put his words into action.
He couldn't turn his words into action, because he was faced with the solemn expressions of the family members who appeared behind the girl.
And behind the family was an entire village.
And behind them, all the refugees who had flocked to Tochka stood with indignant faces.
"Let us fight too!"
"We can't just stay under protection!"
"One man can do his share!"
"I'm a veteran after all!"
"I will repay you for sharing food and water!"
"Protect the Night Walkers!"
All the refugees who had been inside Tochka up to this point began to pour out.
The men picked up their heads, long spears, and whatever rocks they could find.
Women nursed the wounded and fetched the drinking water they had saved despite extreme starvation.
Tochka, an iron fortress, is structured so that one girl can defend against 100 soldiers.
The poisonous soldier, who thought they might have climbed over the castle wall, began to fall again due to the shower of raindrops and slings.
"...! ...! ...!"
Some light returned to CindyWendy's eyes, who was in charge of all supply and procurement on the watchtower.
The embers of a fire that had been thought to be completely extinguished had been reignited.
It was the beginning of a counterattack that no one had expected.