Chapter 24

A strange distortion floating above the frozen ground, the “Rift of the Otherworld.”

The Rift of the Otherworld, with its ever-changing twists and distortions, looked both mysterious and bizarre.

But if you stared at the Rift long enough, something became undeniably clear.

It was a primal, instinctive fear that sent shivers down your spine.

With noon approaching, the Vanguard surrounded the Rift, ready for the demons to pour out.

“Lieutenant, how many waves have we faced so far?”

“This will be the 63rd wave.”

Commander Balthazar nodded at the lieutenant’s response.

“I see. It’s already been that many. Are all the unit leaders ready?”

“Yes, sir!”

The unit leaders of the Vanguard responded loudly.

Except for Benedict, who was still recovering from injuries, and me.

“Excellent. But why aren’t you responding, Kairon?”

“…I’m conserving my energy. So I can cut down more demons later.”

Of course, that was just an excuse.

I knew exactly why we were suffering like this.

I decided to watch and wait for an opportunity, so I couldn’t draw attention, but I also didn’t feel like humoring Commander Balthazar.

“What’s gotten into you today, Kairon? You’ve always been the most passionate one. Come on, cheer up!”

“Give us your strength! If we show strength, our subordinates will follow!”

The other unit leaders, unaware of the situation, patted my shoulder, trying to lift the mood.

Abelin, who knew the truth, simply nodded at me without saying a word.

“It’s almost time, Commander.”

“Alright, let’s get ready.”

At the lieutenant’s words, Commander Balthazar stood up and walked to the front of the Rift.

“Everyone, attention!”

At the lieutenant’s shout, all the Vanguard members fixed their eyes on Commander Balthazar.

“First, I want to thank all of you for standing with me today. The day has come again. Today, even stronger and more evil creatures will emerge.”

Commander Balthazar spoke in a calm tone, but his voice, amplified by mana, echoed across the sky and earth.

“We are here to stop the evil. If we fall, the world falls with us. So, hold your heads high!”

The Vanguard members’ expressions hardened at the dignified and meaningful speech.

‘Hmph. Pride. How amusing. If only they knew who’s really to blame for all this suffering…’

I kept my thoughts to myself, not letting the others hear.

“We are the last bastion of this world. So, I’ll keep it short. Hold the line with all your might. When the wave recedes, we’ll share the joy of victory. Everyone, survive until the end!”

As Commander Balthazar raised his sword and shouted, the Vanguard members raised their weapons in unison.

Soon, a strange sound emanated from the Rift, and the air around it began to vibrate.

With the sound of drums, the deployment began.

“Defense units, forward!”

Eight units with large shields moved forward to form a barrier.

My Black Iron Vanguard was among them.

“Support units, take your positions!”

Eight archer units took their positions behind the defense units.

Abelin’s Silver Guards and four other extermination units also prepared for any contingencies.

Silence fell.

Dong-

A clear, resonating bell sound came from within the Rift.

We called this sound…

‘The Bell of Doom.’

As the bell rang, the Rift began to glow blood-red.

“Grrr… Kraaa!”

In an instant, countless demons were summoned and charged madly toward the defense line.

The demons summoned in this wave had sharp teeth and claws, resembling hounds.

The Vanguard had faced this type of demon before.

But the problem was…

“They’re much bigger than last time!”

“And they have an extra eye!”

The demons summoned from the Rift grew stronger with each wave.

The Demon Hounds charged at the Vanguard as soon as they appeared.

Dong- dong-

The signal to raise the shield wall.

“Defense units!”

“Everyone heard that! Black Iron Vanguard, raise your shields!”

Following the orders of the unit leaders, the defense units formed a solid shield wall.

But the Demon Hounds didn’t care and increased their speed.

They intended to break the shield wall with sheer size and force.

But we weren’t about to let them run wild.

“Spears!”

At my short command, the Black Iron Vanguard thrust their spears through the gaps in the shields.

The charging Demon Hounds impaled themselves on the spears and burst into flames.

But more Demon Hounds surged forward.

They threw themselves at the shield wall, crashing into it with reckless abandon.

“Hold the line! If anyone falls, it’s over!”

“Yes, sir!!”

The Black Iron Vanguard held firm against the relentless assault.

We managed to reduce their numbers by thrusting spears, but the Demon Hounds kept piling up.

“Kraaa!”

“Some are getting over!”

Some even tried to leap over the shield wall by stepping on each other.

I quickly moved to cut down any that tried to get over.

“Focus on holding the line! I’ll handle the ones that get through!”

The Vanguard’s strategy was simple.

First, the eight defense units would block the Rift.

Then, once the demons were gathered in one place…

“That’s enough! Open the gate!”

When enough demons had gathered, we’d unleash our firepower before they became overwhelming.

At my command, the Black Iron Vanguard split open the shield wall like a gate.

The Demon Hounds, pressed against the wall, stumbled over each other in confusion.

“9th Unit, fire at will!”

As the Demon Hounds were momentarily incapacitated, the support units unleashed a barrage of arrows.

The Demon Hounds hit in the head burst into flames, but those hit elsewhere charged even more ferociously.

“Close the gate!”

Once the numbers were reduced, the Black Iron Vanguard pushed the shields back together.

Now it was time to deal with the ones that got through.

The support units and any available defense units engaged the remaining Demon Hounds with swords and spears.

Though their numbers were reduced, the remaining Demon Hounds were faster and more agile.

“Ugh, aah!”

As one Demon Hound lunged at a support unit member, I swiftly cut it down.

“Thank you, Kairon!”

“Stay focused! We need to survive and fight together next time! Get up!”

“…Yes, sir!”

I wanted to dive into the fray and wreak havoc, but as a unit leader, my role was to conserve energy for emergencies.

Even so, my Black Iron Vanguard was holding up better than others.

“This is bad.”

I noticed a pile of Demon Hounds building up at another part of the shield wall.

“Ah, no! It’s collapsing!”

“Fall back! Just survive! Aaah!!”

Another part of the shield wall began to crumble under the relentless assault.

The defense unit members there either fled in fear or were mercilessly torn apart by the Demon Hounds.

Once a hole was made, the effects spread rapidly.

“Captain! What do we do? It’s right next to us…!”

“I told you, focus on what’s in front of you! Don’t panic!”

A breach was dangerous, but if we panicked, the entire formation could collapse.

This was when the extermination units came into play.

“Silver Guards!”

Abelin shouted.

“We’re exterminating the enemies now, follow me!”

Abelin charged into the chaos, cutting down Demon Hounds without hesitation.

“The Silver Guards are here!”

“Follow Abelin!”

Even the fleeing Vanguard members regained their courage and rejoined the fight.

As much as I hated to admit it, Abelin, clad in shining silver armor, saving the Vanguard from despair…

“Don’t run away. If we fight together, we can win! Let’s return victorious!”

Even I, her rival, had to admit she was a beautiful and deadly goddess of the battlefield.

She truly was.