Chapter 135
Whoooooosh.
A violent snowstorm swept across the area.
The plant monsters began advancing toward the castle gate in grotesque forms.
Some were cyclopean plants as large as houses.
Others had human-like mouths covering bodies made entirely of thorns.
And some had human arms, legs, and even faces growing all across their bodies.
They twisted around one another as they advanced at frightening speed.
The soldiers froze for a moment at the horrifying sight.
"Move quickly!"
"Everyone to your positions!"
"T-To your positions...!"
Suhyeok's voice snapped them out of it.
Only then did the soldiers hurry to their assigned places.
Suhyeok immediately approached Lee Hyein.
"Lee Hyein."
"How long until you're ready?"
She tipped back the last remaining mouthful of Hyeokju and drained it completely.
Then she gathered the Mana inside her body.
A grin spread across her face.
"Don't worry."
"I'll make sure I earn every bit of that alcohol."
Flames began swirling around Lee Hyein.
A magic circle spread beneath her feet.
RUMMMMMBLE.
A violent tremor shook the walls.
No.
The entire terrain shook.
Everyone standing atop the castle wall staggered from the force.
Even so...
The monsters continued advancing.
"Huff, huff..."
"W-Why did it suddenly get so hot?"
The soldiers began breathing heavily as scorching heat engulfed the battlefield.
And it wasn't only them.
KIEEEEEEEEEK...!!
KIIIIIIIIIIIK...!!
The deafening shrieks were enough to make everyone grimace and cover their ears.
They came from the monsters.
"L-Look!"
"The monsters' skin is burning...!"
Their outer layers blackened as though scorched.
Then they shriveled and peeled away.
The heat Lee Hyein had created was sucking the moisture from their bodies.
The monsters visibly dried up compared to moments before.
"Done."
The instant she finished speaking...
A brilliant light spread across the surroundings.
Then an ominous rumbling came from high above.
RUMMMMMBLE!!
The blue snowstorm that had filled the sky scattered in an instant.
What appeared beyond it was...
A gigantic meteor.
FWOOOOSH.
The Meteor burned with enough heat to melt everything simply by passing nearby.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
It slammed into the ground.
A blinding flash erupted.
A powerful blast of heated wind and a devastating shockwave spread outward.
The impact reached all the way to Waven Castle.
But...
[Highest-Grade Barrier activates.]
[Successfully blocks heat and shockwave.]
[Durability: 65%]
Suhyeok had installed the barrier using the remaining Points.
It couldn't block direct physical attacks.
But it could stop dangerous heat and shockwaves.
Lee Hyein rolled her shoulders with a refreshed expression.
Then flashed Suhyeok a victory sign.
"So?"
"Pass?"
The snow-covered ground had been completely exposed.
The surrounding area was now a sea of fire.
Every monster had burned black and shriveled into a husk.
The residual heat is keeping the monsters from approaching.
And the flames are spreading, so they're dying on their own.
[68,503 Points obtained.]
[Absorbing a large amount of Death Energy.]
[Mana +60]
A huge number of Points poured in.
Nearly seventy thousand already.
It looked like roughly one-third of the enemy force had been eliminated.
[Impressive.]
[The raw power is remarkable enough, but adding Mana to the remaining flames to create a follow-up attack...]
[You pulled a very good one.]
Shaka sounded as though Suhyeok had drawn a great player in some sports game.
Suhyeok's expression cooled.
That tone made it obvious.
To Shaka, all of this was nothing more than a game.
[You don't look pleased.]
[I thought you'd be happy after winning.]
[Well...]
[That expression suits you too.]
He seemed to be deliberately provoking Suhyeok.
Suhyeok had plenty he wanted to say.
But he didn't bother.
Stopping the Wave came first.
"Good work."
Even though the praise came late...
Lee Hyein smiled happily and smacked her lips.
"Hehe."
"Then once we stop everything..."
"Three bottles."
"No, I worked pretty hard, so maybe five bott-"
She froze.
"Wait."
Suhyeok cut her off and looked toward the burning battlefield.
Something strange had appeared.
Plants shaped like watering cans were spraying water everywhere.
HISSSSS.
Huge amounts of liquid poured from their flower buds.
The instant it touched the ground...
The heat left behind by the Meteor began cooling.
The surrounding temperature also dropped sharply.
Whatever that liquid was...
It wasn't ordinary water.
It had reduced the Meteor's heat far too quickly.
They prepared those because they expected us to use fire.
"Your Grace!"
"L-Look over there...!"
BOOM. BOOM.
Heavy footsteps shook the ground.
A plant larger than Waven Castle was approaching.
Its arms, legs, and torso were made of wood like a golem.
Only its head was a flower bud.
Yet it didn't look especially threatening.
Each step was painfully slow.
Even moving seemed difficult for it.
The golem finally reached the extinguished ground.
Then it leaned its head back.
Its flower bud opened wide.
THUDUDUDUDU!
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Seeds exploded from inside it.
They buried themselves in the ground.
Then instantly transformed into monsters.
"W-What the hell...?"
"It's back to exactly how it was before...?"
Apparently...
No matter how many monsters they killed, more could simply be produced endlessly.
They would have to kill that golem to stop it.
The newly spawned monsters charged forward, trampling the corpses of the earlier plants.
"Lee Hyein."
"How long until your next Skill?"
"...At least three minutes."
"Just hold them for three minutes."
"Then I can burn all of them again."
"All ten Mana cannons are ready, Your Grace!"
Physical attacks were useless against these enemies.
For now...
The Mana cannons were the only weapons they could rely on.
"Prepare the Mana cannons."
"Prepare the Mana cannons!!"
The barrels turned toward the advancing monsters.
At the same time...
Catapults inside the castle were loaded with soft leather sacks.
"Fire!"
WHOOOOSH.
The sacks flew into the air one after another.
The soldiers continued loading and firing them until Suhyeok ordered otherwise.
SPLAT. SPLAT.
