Chapter 526

Chapter 526

"They are approaching the intersection!"

Upon hearing the scout's cry, I nodded vigorously.

"Good! Prepare for crossfire!"

It was time to show the new recruits and the incoming monsters another special product of our Crossroad.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The skilled gunners adeptly aligned and aimed the cannons.

And, the moment the monsters entered the firing range-

"Fire!"

I stretched out my hand and shouted.

"Relentlessly, without mercy, pour it all out!"

Blam blam blam blam!

Along with the ear-splitting, thunderous cannonade, the cannons on the walls spewed fire in unison.

The moment in the defensive battle I loved the most.

A single blast of orderly firepower blossomed a flame in the sky.

The leading beetles of the monster army were swept away in the fire net, shattering to pieces.

The cannons, consistently maintained, upgraded, and researched, were fully tier-upgraded.

Not only that, but I also enchanted them with various enhancement materials and scrolls obtained from autonomous exploration farming.

Moreover, having visited the Imperial Capital, I acquired the blueprints for the new cannons of the Imperial Capital and was applying that technology in sequence.

Anyway, long story short... even if the third-year monsters have become stronger, we have more than enough firepower to melt them!

Kaboom! Boom boom boom!

The beetle monsters burst into pieces in the air.

"Crazy...!"

"The vanguard of the monsters, gone in one go...?!"

A sight of such a grand scale artillery unit, executing such precise and powerful firepower, is hard to find anywhere in the world.

The new recruits were as flustered by the artillery's overwhelming start as they were terrified at the appearance of the monster legion. Regardless, I gave the next order.

"Lilly! It's your turn!"

"Got it! Activating artifacts in sequence!"

Whirrr!

Lilly and the alchemists activated the artifacts, and the artifacts installed on the walls lit up in sequence, emitting their unique operational sound.

Various debuffs were slapped on the monsters, and the direct attack artifacts melted them with flashes of light.

For the monsters that crossed this artifact line, a second round of cannon barrage, reloaded and ready, awaited.

Boom boom boom!

With a monstrous explosion, the monsters of the second wave were all burned up.

This was the typical, usual routine of our defensive battles.

The difference this time was - the monsters were flying beetles.

Screetch!

The third wave of beetles, cutting through the thick smoke, flew towards the walls in an instant.

If they were ground monsters, the bodies of the fallen would have served as a barrier, and we could have delayed them with various ground tactics, including the kill zone.

But in aerial combat, we don't have such options. Hence, we needed to resort to various tricks.

'From this point on, a new option is available.'

Because the Sky Knights had newly joined our front line.

"Now, shall we deploy the new bait unit?"

"Knights of the Vermillion Kingdom!"

When I called them, Mikhail and the Sky Knights looked at me in surprise.

"How long are you planning to just watch?"

I smirked, not hiding my intent to provoke, lifting one corner of my mouth.

"Aren't you going to show off the skills you boast of?"

"Mmph!"

Mikhail, with a baby-faced expression and biting his lips, lightly climbed onto his griffon.

"Let's go, Sky Knights! Let's show them what we're made of!"

"Ha!"

"Yah!"

Leading the charge, Mikhail and the knights mounted on griffons soared into the sky.

'A magnificent sight.'

The griffons, spreading their massive wings, and the knights fluttering their capes.

Flying in formation, they attacked the beetle monsters.

Screetch!

The griffons cut through the wind with a mighty sound.

"Haah!"

The look of consternation on the knights' faces was clear even from a distance.

"Tch!"

With a click of his tongue, Mikhail momentarily slowed down his griffin, moving to the rear of the knights, and then swung his rapier backwards.

This created dozens of small magical spheres that scattered behind,

Blam blam blam!

and exploded upon reaching the beetles following the Sky Knights.

It was an excellent attack. Against the usual monsters they faced in the northwest, this single strike would have been enough to clean them up neatly.

But.

"-?!"

On this front, that was not enough.

Mikhail had to spread multiple weaker spheres to cover more beetles.

As a result, the attack covered a wider area, but despite taking the damage, the beetles remained unscathed.

The beetles, overcoming the deterrence, continued to pursue.

Eventually, they caught up.

The caught-up beetles started to attack the Sky Knights, clinging onto the griffins with their legs and attacking with horns and pincers.

"Ugh...?!"

"Shake them off!"

The Sky Knights managed to fend off the monsters clinging to their rear but were inevitably forced to slow down. More beetles were catching up from behind.

If they were closer to the walls, they could have retreated and landed, but they were caught quite far away.

If it continued like this, they wouldn't be able to retreat to the walls and would be attacked from all sides by the monsters.

The end of a cavalry unit that lost its mobility was predictably dire.

'Still, they lasted longer than I thought.'

Now, the Sky Knights, completely entangled with the monsters, began a desperate struggle.

Watching them, I coldly evaluated the battle when soldiers and nobles from the Vermillion Kingdom urgently requested my help.

"Pr-, Prince!"

"Please save our Crown Prince! At this rate...!"

"Eh? Why should I?"

As I casually responded, the faces of the Vermillion Kingdom people paled.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"It was him who requested to compete for command. And the competition is still ongoing. Crown Prince Mikhail hasn't surrendered yet, so I can't intervene first."

"But, but!"

"This monster frontline was built at the cost of lives."

I stated coldly.

"In front of monsters, death is equal. Knights, soldiers, royalty, commoners. Anyone can die from a single mistake."

"..."

"If he requested to take over the command of such a harsh frontline, didn't he prepare to stake his life? When you bet against monsters, naturally, you lose everything if you lose."

To have command means to bear responsibility.

If Crown Prince Mikhail truly desired the command of this frontline, then it's only natural that he bears the responsibility for his life and death as well.

I gave the trembling, pale-faced people of the Vermillion Kingdom a sly smile.

"Just kidding, just kidding."

I wouldn't let such a good card die after just showing off a bit.

After scolding them and using them well for my own benefit, that's the best approach.

Turning back towards the battlefield, I shouted.

"Main party! Assist the Sky Knights!"

I had the main party on standby, anticipating this.

"Damien! Junior!"

"Yes, Prince!"

"We've been waiting, Your Highness."

As I called the names of my two tactical weapons who had been waiting, they eagerly stepped forward. I smiled at the sniper and the magician.

"Shall we show these rookies the harshness of our frontline?"

Instead of replying, Damien grabbed the [Black Queen], and Junior held the [Lord of Crimson].

While preparing for sniping and magic, I turned to the others.

"And Lucas! Evangeline!"

My knight duo, also on standby, immediately came to my side. I nodded at them.

"It's time for aerial combat."

I had already given the strategic orders.

Evangeline snorted as if excited, and Lucas looked coolly up at the sky - and at the battlefield where the Sky Knights were struggling.

It was time to teach these greenhorn knights a lesson.

That you don't necessarily need wings to fight in the sky.