Chapter 24: Before the Cruel Wave (1)

A strange distortion hovered above the frozen ground—the Rift of the Otherworld.

Constantly twisting and warping, shifting by the second, the rift held an eerie, almost mystical appearance.

Yet, for those who gazed upon it for too long, there was one undeniable sensation.

A primal, bone-chilling fear.

With only moments left before noon, the Crusaders formed a tight perimeter around the rift, bracing for the imminent surge of demons.

“Lieutenant, how many waves has the Crusaders faced so far?”

“This will be the sixty-third wave.”

At the lieutenant’s response, Commander Balthazar gave a slight nod.

“I see. So we’ve already come this far. The squad leaders are all ready, I assume?”

“Yes, sir!”

The squad leaders responded in unison.

All except Benedict, who was still recovering from his injuries, and me.

“Excellent. But why are you the only one not responding, Kayron?”

“……I’m conserving my strength. That way, I’ll be able to cut down even more demons when the time comes.”

It was a convenient excuse.

The truth was, I knew exactly who was responsible for putting us through this torment.

I had decided to bide my time and wait for an opportunity, which meant I couldn’t afford to make my hostility too obvious. But that didn’t mean I had any intention of playing along with Commander Balthazar’s charade.

“What’s with you today, Kayron? You’ve always been the most passionate of us all. Come on, get your spirits up!”

“That’s right! If we stay strong, our soldiers will find strength in us!”

Unaware of the truth, the other squad leaders patted my shoulder with encouragement.

Avelin, the only one who understood, said nothing. She merely met my gaze and gave me a small nod.

“The time is nearly upon us, Commander.”

At the lieutenant’s announcement, Commander Balthazar rose from his seat and strode forward, stopping just before the rift.

“All units, attention!”

With that single command, every Crusader snapped to focus, their eyes locked onto him.

“First and foremost, I thank you all for standing with me today. The day has come once more. This time, even stronger and more vicious creatures will emerge.”

Though his tone was casual, the sheer force of his voice, amplified by mana, made the very sky and earth tremble.

“We stand here to hold back the wicked. If we fall, so too does this world. So stand proud!”

The weight of his words ignited a fire in the Crusaders’ eyes, their expressions hardening with determination.

‘Hah. Pride, huh? What a joke. If they only knew the real reason we suffer like this…’

I scoffed internally, making sure no one could hear.

“We are this world’s final line of defense. So I won’t waste my breath. Endure. Hold your ground with everything you have. When the wave recedes, we will share in the joy of victory. Survive—until the very last!”

As Commander Balthazar raised his sword high, the Crusaders responded in kind, weapons raised toward the sky.

Then, at last, an eerie noise resonated from the rift.

The very air around us began to quiver.

The deep rumble of war drums signaled the beginning.

“Defensive squads, forward!”

Eight platoons, each bearing massive shields, stepped up, forming an unyielding barrier.

Among them, the Black Iron Brigade—and myself.

“Support squads, take your positions!”

The eight support units, armed with bows, positioned themselves directly behind the defensive squads they were assigned to assist.

Meanwhile, the four annihilation units—including Avelin’s Silver Guard—stood ready in case of an emergency.

Silence filled the battlefield.

Deng—

A deep, resonant bell chime rang out from within the Rift of the Otherworld.

Its sound, sharp and clear, sent a chill down our spines.

We had a name for this sound.

The Bell of Doom.

As the bell tolled, the rift began to glow blood-red.

“Grrrr… GRAAAH!”

In an instant, a swarm of demons materialized around the rift and charged at the defensive squads like rabid beasts.

This wave’s demons took the form of monstrous hunting hounds—jaws lined with razor-sharp teeth, claws gleaming in the crimson light.

They were a species of demon we had faced before.

But the problem was…

“Damn it, they’re way bigger than last time!”

“They even have an extra eye now!”

The demons summoned from the rift always returned stronger.

The hellhounds, as soon as they emerged, lunged at us with terrifying speed.

Thud— Thud—

A signal for the shield wall.

“Defensive squads!”

“You heard the call! Black Iron Brigade, shields up!”

At the commands of me and the other unit captains, the defensive squads swiftly raised their massive shields, forming an impenetrable barrier.

Yet, the hellhounds only quickened their charge, completely unbothered by the wall in front of them.

Their strategy was clear—overwhelm us with sheer size and brute force, shattering our formation in one decisive blow.

But we weren’t about to let them have their way.

“Spears!”

At my brief command, the Black Iron Brigade immediately thrust their spears through the narrow gaps in the shield wall.

The charging hellhounds, unable to stop in time, impaled themselves deeper onto the spears, their own momentum sealing their fate.

One by one, they collapsed, their bodies igniting into flames before vanishing into nothingness.

But there were more. Far more.

The next wave of hellhounds rushed in without hesitation, unbothered by their fallen kin.

Their numbers swelled, bodies piling against the shield wall as they hurled themselves into it with reckless abandon.

“Hold the line! No matter what, we can’t break! You all know what happens the moment we fall, right?!”

“YES, SIRRR!!”

Teeth clenched, the Black Iron Brigade braced against the relentless assault, maintaining the shield wall despite the overwhelming force pressing against them.

We managed to thin their numbers with our spears, but the hellhounds kept coming, a never-ending tide crashing against our defense.

“GRAAAH!!”

“Some of them are climbing over!”

These damn creatures were getting smarter. Using their own bodies as footholds, they began leaping over the shield wall.

Before they could tear through my soldiers, I launched myself forward, blade flashing.

With a single, decisive strike, I cut down the demons mid-air, their bodies vanishing before they could land.

“I’ll handle the ones coming over! Don’t let the wall break—focus on holding your ground!”

The Crusader’s strategy for enduring the demon waves was simple.

First, the eight defensive squads would create an impenetrable barricade around the Rift.

Then, once enough demons were gathered at a single point—

“This is it! Open the gate!”

Once enough demons had gathered, the strategy was simple—eliminate them all before they became unmanageable.

At my command, the Black Iron Brigade split apart like two massive gates swinging open, deliberately creating an opening in the shield wall.

The hellhounds, previously pressed against the barricade, scrambled toward the gap, trampling over one another in a chaotic frenzy.

“9th Squad, open fire!”

As the demons tangled themselves in confusion, the support units behind us sprang into action.

A relentless barrage of arrows rained down on the exposed opening, striking their targets with deadly precision.

The hellhounds hit in the head immediately burst into flames and vanished.

But those struck in the body only grew more enraged, howling furiously as they surged forward.

“Close the gate!”

With their numbers significantly reduced, the Black Iron Brigade gritted their teeth and shoved their shields back into place, sealing the gap shut once more.

Now, it was time to deal with those who had made it inside.

Without giving them a moment to recover, the support units and any defensive squads who still had energy to spare rushed in, meeting the remaining hellhounds with swords and spears.

Though the previous onslaught had greatly thinned their numbers, the ones that remained were faster and more agile than us.

“Ahh—ugh!”

One of the hellhounds evaded a spear and lunged straight for a support unit’s throat.

Before its fangs could sink in, I slashed through its neck in one swift motion.

“Thank you, Kayron-nim!”

“Stay focused. We’re not done yet. You’re surviving this fight so we can fight again next time! Now get up!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to charge straight into the heart of the battlefield and tear through every last one of them myself.

But as a unit captain, my role was to conserve my strength until the very last moment—to watch over the battlefield and step in only when absolutely necessary.

That was why, for now, I had to hold back.

The situation in my sector was still manageable. The Black Iron Brigade, known for their unyielding defense, was holding strong.

But elsewhere…

“Damn it. That’s not good.”

Across the battlefield, I spotted a massive pile of hellhounds pressing against another section of the shield wall.

“N-No! It’s breaking—!”

“Fall back! Save yourself! Aaaagh—!”

Another squad’s defenses crumbled.

The soldiers stationed there panicked, abandoning their comrades as they fled for their lives.

The few who stayed behind—driven by duty rather than fear—were ripped apart in an instant.

The breach in our formation spread like wildfire.

“C-Captain…?! What do we do? That’s our flank—!”

“I told you to focus on what’s in front of you! Stay in formation!”

The breach was a disaster, but if we lost focus and broke formation, the entire defensive line would collapse.

This was exactly why the Annihilation Units existed.

And right on cue—

“Silver Guard!”

Avelin shouted.

“We’re exterminating them. Follow me!”

Amidst the chaos, Avelin was the first to charge in, cutting down demons with merciless precision.

“The Silver Guard is here!”

“Follow Commander Avelin!”

Seeing her fearless advance, even the Crusaders who had been fleeing found their courage again and rejoined the fight.

As much as I hated to admit it…

Dressed in her gleaming silver armor, leading her men from the brink of despair, Avelin truly looked like—

“Do not run! Stand and fight, and we will claim victory! We will return home together, victorious!”

—a goddess of war, both deadly and breathtaking.

Even I, her rival, had to acknowledge that much.

-- The End OF The Chapter --

 

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