LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 227
The Ritch clapped twice, tapping the floor.
Thud thud!
Black magic enveloped the bone dragon, melting it away in an instant, concealing its form. The remains that sank into the ground were absorbed by the Ritch’s cloak.
“Rest in peace. Your death will be the foundation for a new revival.”
The Ritch waved his wand, creating a massive magic circle. Purple mixed with black, flashing briefly, tearing the circle as hundreds of skeletons and ghouls rose from beneath the ground.
This was a summoning magic of a dimension different from simple necromancy. The Ritch could continually summon the undead as long as the concept of death existed, even without the corpses or souls.
The summoned entities included skeletons, ghouls, zombies, flesh golems, and even underground spiders known as Arachne.
The soldiers who died on the battlefield were revived right there by the necromancer’s black magic. The Demon King’s army had suffered almost no losses throughout the ongoing stalemate.
They forced the enemy to expend their resources, slowly starving them out. It was a situation focused solely on profit.
All thanks to that one Ritch, the sole magician.
“There is no magician in the Demon Realm who has reached a higher state than me.”
The Ritch had a humble personality that respected his opponents. He had acknowledged countless magicians and black magicians, only to kill them all and use them as nourishment.
For it irritated him to have another magician standing above him.
This undead army was essentially the result of circulating the magic extracted from the magicians of the Demon Realm.
“Ah, of course, that one is an exception.”
Only one.
A magician who had reached a level so ultimate that even the Ritch couldn’t approach, to whom he had sworn loyalty in the Demon Realm.
The Ritch had never regretted bending his beliefs even once and never thought of betraying him.
He now stood at the pinnacle of the Demon Realm, having acquired the title of Demon King.
“Just as life instinctively craves breath, it is natural for the Demon Race to consume the human race. Those were his words.”
The Ritch stomped the ground powerfully. Skeletons rushed at him, merging to form a platform of bones.
From afar, it looked as if the ground was rising and moving like a living creature. Riding atop this platform, the Ritch moved towards the crude structures built by the humans.
“Let’s make ideals a reality.”
His golden-embroidered cloak fluttered, revealing his shining white femur.
*
“Hero party! I look forward to working with you. I am Lord Lloyd of the border!”
As I stepped outside the castle wall, an armored man extended a handshake. The atmosphere was anything but relaxed. Without even the chance for introductions, General Darren joined us as we moved to the watchtower.
“The Count’s Territory walls have undergone repairs for two years. As you can see, the inner fortress is only partial. The outer area is still not fully fortified, making it vulnerable.”
“It’s a structure that can’t be understood from the outside.”
“Indeed. We need to engage in battle as far towards the fortress as possible to keep the Demons from targeting here.”
“How do we lure them?”
I offered my suggestion.
“Undead have a trait of chasing fire. If we hold a beacon up high at the fortress until sunset, they will gather on their own.”
“Is that really true?”
“As he said. I’ve faced undead countless times in dungeons. We need to prepare a lot of oil barrels.”
Tanya agreed with my suggestion, making the preparations easier.
“Fortunately, thanks to the castle situated by the river, they can’t just cross over recklessly.”
We looked down at the wall.
The undead were surging and unable to get across the raging river. Their eerie cries and the sound of metal clashing as they banged their swords together were downright terrifying.
Only the blue glow floating in the empty eyes of the skeletons was a foreboding sight.
“…No. We should deploy archers.”
It was Lishe’s suggestion.
“Archers? Right away?”
“Yes. It’s only a matter of time.”
Splash!
As soon as her words ended, there was a splash.
It was the sound of the undead diving into the river.
“What are they doing?”
Border Lord tilted his head at the bizarre sight that looked like mass suicide. Soon, General Darren began to sweat coldly as he realized what was happening.
“They intend to fill the space with their bodies.”
There was not just one or two. They weren’t being pushed back into the river due to their numbers; they were leaping in themselves.
“The current is strong, and they’re being swept away.”
“With this momentum, they’ll fill it up in no time.”
“No matter how many troops they have, that’s absurd!”
“They keep appearing, though.”
Valen pointed off into the distance.
The Ritch was summoning new troops and launching a mindless wave of numbers.
“If they cling to the walls, we’re in big trouble. While we can intercept skeletons and zombies, there’s no way to stop the Spider Lord.”
“An exceedingly powerful demon, without a doubt.”
The Border Lord and the General fell into worry. I intervened between them.
“Just time the interceptions perfectly and buy us as much time as possible. A means to defeat them will arrive shortly. Please, clear the northern path.”
“A means to defeat them?”
“Today, a large number of supply carts will arrive from the former country’s production facility.”
“Gothberg! I’ve been waiting for them.”
General Darren clapped his hands in relief. The border lord, who hadn’t grasped the situation, looked puzzled.
“Gothberg… I’ve heard that name, but what are they bringing? Is there a way to turn the tide against such a massive army?”
“He is reliable. It’s up to the soldiers to lead the victory. We will deploy the archers. Right now!”
The general quickly took charge. The allied forces, who had been in disarray, formed ranks and positioned themselves suitably around the fortress as if it had been a seamless transition.
The archers who ascended the walls peeked their heads out through the gaps, ready to draw their bows at any moment, aiming at the undead attempting to cross the river.
The general ascended to the watchtower, looking over the battlefield, preparing to issue commands at any moment.
“We will take down that creature in the center first.”
Lishe pointed at a single Spider Lord. The hero party took their positions along the walls, centered around her.
“Come at me! I’ll put three arrows in your head right away.”
Valen, munching on an octopus leg she’d managed to scrounge up from somewhere, pulled back her bowstring with vigor. She had shown precision against the undead army before. I had recruited her precisely for this situation, so I had high hopes.
However, from behind, Acella was drawing a magic circle. She seemed ready to intercept with ice spears along with the archers.
“Your Royal Highness, please do not engage.”
As I grabbed her arm and pulled her down from the walls, Acella looked shocked.
“What are you doing? You tell the magician of the hero party not to fight?”
“When the Spider Lord falls, the Ritch will step in personally. He can only face your Royal Highness. We can’t afford to be low on mana then, can we?”
“…That may be true.”
Suddenly, Acella twisted her arm out of my grip, glaring at me fierce-eyed.
“Don’t touch me carelessly like before. Try that again, and my magic will pierce your head before the Ritch gets to you.”
Ah, that was my mistake.
Old habits from my time as an attending physician slipped out unconsciously.
After all, it was common for Acella to receive support when she misstepped in the Imperial Family.
“I apologize. It was merely a habit.”
“A habit? To touch a woman’s body without thought? I have no desire to associate with someone like that.”
That excuse didn’t sound good.
“That wasn’t what I meant. I simply meant that checking a patient’s condition is most accurately done through direct contact.”
“…Hmph, I understand what you mean, but only one man is allowed to touch my body.”
“Who is that?”
“My attending physician, of course.”
Acella answered firmly.
I picked up a spare sword from nearby and lightly tapped her shoulder with the hilt.
“Understood. From now on, I’ll knock like this if anything happens.”
“Ha, …while Rass was kind to the patients.”
Acella looked at me in disbelief, muttering some things.
I secured the sword to my side.
“Archers, string your arrows!”
The general’s thunderous voice echoed across the walls, which stretched kilometers in length.
The sound of undead splashing into the water grew more frequent. It meant they had succeeded in their mindless assault, stacking bodies to create a dam.
With the waters crashing and rising, some undead were swept away visibly.
Yet even amid this chaos, their construction of the dam did not cease. The army continued to throw themselves into the river recklessly.
Finally, the path of bones was completed.
Splash!
The first skeleton started to paddle through the river.
“Draw your bows!”
The general commanded.
Thousands of archers drew their bows tight, aiming at the approaching enemies.
In this moment, where intense concentration was required, nothing could be heard but their breaths.
Gradually, the skeletons began to appear one by one, indicating that an innumerable number of corpses were stacking up behind them.
Finally, the enemy was crossing the river.
Growl!!
As they broke free from the water, the dark swarm of bones charged towards the walls like beasts.
At last, the general lowered his arm.
“Fire!”
Whoosh!!
Arrows flew in unison, instantly shattering the enemy that had crossed the river.
“Prepare the second wave!”
While the first wave readied their next arrows, the second line of archers, waiting behind them, finished preparing to shoot the next volley.
“Fire!”
The undead crossing the river fell in succession as the instant advance was halted.
This was excellent leadership, shining through with battle experience. In one fell swoop, the enemy’s front lines were driven back ten meters toward the rear of the river.
But this was merely a delaying tactic.
Once the bodies began to stack up, there was no fundamental way to stop the countless undead from advancing.
Fire, shoot, and shoot again to keep them at bay.
“Keep going!”
Valen knocked down ten at once with a volley.
“I will bless you.”
Ambrosia and I surrounded her with divine power, keeping her in optimal condition.
How much time had passed?
“Doctor Faust!”
Hugo called for me.
“The supply carts have arrived!”
Good news had come.