Chapter 22: [STAGE 1] Main Party

Chapter 22: [STAGE 1] Main Party

-Aaaargh!

The Living Armors had reached the moat.

Their advance slowed as they negotiated the water-filled moat, all the while enduring a relentless hail of our arrows.

Still, they proved hardy.

Brushing off the arrow impacts across their armored forms, they crossed the moat and arrived at the base of the castle walls.

-Thump! Thump! Thump!

The leading Living Armors commenced their assault, hammering brusquely on the castle gate.

But the gate, thick and securely fastened, stood firm.Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

Even these monstrous beings couldnt breach it without proper siege equipment.

Finding their siege of the gate futile, the Living Armors pivoted to an audacious tacticthey began to scale the castle wall.

-Scraaatch! Scraaatch! Scraaatch!

The spectacle of these armored behemoths clawing their way up the wall was chilling, like something pulled straight from a horror film.

-Gulp. Gulp.

Watching from their perch on the castle wall, the soldiers fear was palpable as they swallowed nervously.

"Hold."

I, too, gulped hard at the sight below, but strove to project a calm facade.

"Hold!"

Wed readied various improvised weapons atop the castle wallremnants of stones and scrap metal from the fortification work.

The soldiers were poised to unleash this debris on the climbing Living Armors.

The Living Armors had almost reached the castle walls apex.

Close enough now, we could glimpse the eerie gleam in their eyes through the helmet slits.

With a deep breath, I issued my command.

"Now! Throw them!"

"Throw them!"

"Throw them-!"

In unison, the soldiers heaved all the odds and ends over the castle wall.

-Wooshhh....

-Crash! Bang!

The Living Armors struck by the heavy barrage tumbled back to the ground.

While a good number shattered upon impact, the rest were eerily undeterred, rising once again. I clicked my tongue.

"Damned resilient!"

We had exhausted all the odds and ends amassed on the castle wall. Yet these relentless adversaries began to climb the wall once more despite our onslaught.

Out of options, I rallied my troops.

"Prepare for hand-to-hand combat!"

"Yes! Prepare for hand-to-hand combat-!"

"Hand-to-hand combat units, to the front!"

A little over a hundred soldiers from the melee unit, who had been waiting in reserve, unsheathed their weapons.

The soldiers who had been manning the cannons and ballistae, and those hurling debris, pulled back for a brief respite.

After a short recovery, they would join the melee unit.

As the melee units took their places, I navigated to the system window.

Reorganize party.

Jupiters party had been wiped out, leaving only four members in the main party. It was time for a reshuffle.

I navigated to the party window and shifted Jupiter, currently in the sub-party, into the main group.

[Main Party (5/5)]

- Lv.5 Ash(EX)

- Lv.27 Lucas(SSR)

- Lv.15 Damien(N)

- Lv.17 Lilly(R)

- Lv.35 Jupiter(SR)

The main party was now filled, and with a ding! The party synergy activated.

[Active Party Synergy]

> (Commander1) Vanguard of the Battlefield: This partys morale doesnt falter.

> (Mage2) Double Mage: The magical assault power of all party members surges by 20 percent.

Two synergies sprang into action.

Absolutely splendid!

I couldnt resist exclaiming in sheer delight.

Especially the Double Mage, such a spectacular synergy. A boost in magical attack power by a full 20 percent!

Theres no synergy more suited to our current predicament, where our hope lies in Jupiters lightning magic once she recuperates.

Yet, for the moment.

I spotted the Living Armors clinging and scaling our fortress walls.

Lucas, with his longsword drawn at his chest, and the trembling soldiers clutching their maces in white-knuckled grips.

We must stand firm, bodies our only bulwark.

Until now, the soldiers had capably managed our defenses, terror etched on their faces.

Their success owed largely to the fact the battles unfolded at a distance.

Now, they must confront their enemies up close, bearing the brunt of their assault with their bodies.

Will they hold their ground?

Just then.

-Woosh!

Suddenly, a blaze erupted, reducing the Living Armors, which had been scaling the wall, to cinders.

Startled, I spun towards the source. Lilly, seated in her wheelchair, had her hands extended, her face ashen.

Right, you can wield magic?!

Taken aback by my outburst, Lilly bore an expression of disbelief.

No, Im originally a pyromancer!

Im sorry. I only saw you as a shield ally.

Isnt that a bit harsh?!

Living Armors kept pouring over the wall. Lilly, in a panic, let loose a barrage of fire.

Roar!

Roaa...

The Living Armors advancing towards Lillys section of the wall disintegrated in an instant.

They boasted formidable physical resistance, but their defense against magic was weak, making fire magic highly effective.

"Heuk, heuk...."

Lilly, her Magic Power quickly depleted, was gasping for breath. She found the significant Magic Power expenditure that fire magicians were known for hard to bear.

I raced to Lillys side, clutching the handles of her wheelchair.

"Brilliant work, Lilly! Youre in for a promotion!"

"No, please let me retire...."

"Ill throw in a substantial bonus! Now, lets produce some more fire!"

"I told you, I want to retire! Plus, Ive nearly exhausted all my Magic Power!"

"You can do it one more time! Lets go, hoorah!"

"Uwaaaaaaang!"

I wheeled Lilly around, encouraging her to conjure up more flames. The effect was tremendous!

20 percent from party synergy, and another 5 percent from my [Attack Totem] trait.

All in all, a boost of 25 percent. Lillys fire magic splendidly held back the invaders at half of the fortress.

I quickly administered a mana potion to the whimpering Lilly.

"Hold on, Flamethrower! One more round!"

"I implore you, treat me like a person!"

And so, this cycle repeated - soldiers valiantly standing their ground, Lucas carving through enemies with his sword, Lilly raining down fire.

[Enemy Info - STAGE 1]

- Lv.25 Spectral Knight : 1

- Lv.5 Living Armor Assault Soldiers : 3 (Kill Counts: 1449)

Victory was within our grasp.

"Die, vile creature!"

"Leave this castle, now!"

The soldiers circled the Living Armor, relentlessly beating it with their maces,

"I really... cant take any more...."

"This is it, the final one. Come on. Down the hatch, and into the fray!"

Lilly just about managed to incinerate one, as Magic Power potion trickled down her chin.

-Flash!

The last enemy was neatly bisected by Lucass sword strike.

"...Its over."

No more Living Armors moved. The overwhelmed soldiers all erupted into cheers simultaneously.

"Weve done it! Victory is ours!"

"We did it! We did it!"

I had to dampen their jubilation.

"The battle isnt over yet!"

"Eh, what?"

"Stay alert! The final adversary is coming!"

I fixed my gaze on the empty air. The soldiers followed suit.

-Grrrrrr....

A gargantuan spectral figure hovered in the air. Fragments of the defeated Living Armors from around the battlefield converged.

-Clank! Clank!

Countless pieces of armor assembled to create an immense figure, seemingly in a crouch.

From the gauntlets on its fingertips to the pauldrons on its shoulders. The chest plate. The leg armor shaping its thighs and calves, down to the boots encasing its feet.

And finally, the helmet.

-Clank-!

The now complete armored titan emitted a foreboding groan.

-Grrrrrr....!

Phantom Knight.

The eyes of this stages boss monster flickered with blue flame.

-Thud-!

As it descended to the ground from the air, the surrounding area shook as if rocked by an earthquake. We all staggered in unison.

As I gripped the nearby wall for support, I bit back a curse.

How could this be just a Stage 1 boss!