novelraw Chapter 135 : Outbreak (1)
Chapter 135 : Outbreak (1)
Chapter 135: Outbreak (1)
Kyaaah!
Kik! Kikikik!
Grrrrrr…!
Following the grotesque cries, all of us turned our heads at once.
From the main gate toward the right outer wall—
Through the disabled interception turrets and along the wall, a horde of Beasts was pushing their heads through.
“…Beasts?”
“Just how many are there…?”
At a glance, already over a thousand.
To me—who had experienced far worse hells countless times—it wasn’t a particularly shocking number.
But the reason I felt uneasy was something else.
I asked Aleph, who had come up beside me.
“The turning point of the era you mentioned earlier…”
“…Yes. It seems it has begun rather quickly.”
Leaving the old man, who spoke as if detached from it all, behind, I glanced between Karen and Rubia.
Karen still hadn’t fully recovered from the earlier shock, while Rubia looked horrified at the mere appearance of Beasts in this area.
“I’ve never seen this many…!”
“This is just the beginning, Rubia.”
“…What?”
“At least three times this… maybe up to ten times more will pour in. Stay sharp.”
Lightly checking my condition, I fell into thought.
A horde of over a thousand Beasts had gathered in one place, yet they weren’t launching an attack—only surrounding us.
I knew exactly what that meant.
‘…A Gate has opened.’
—A Gate? What is that?
‘Something… really damn horrible.’
Beasts are creatures or animals imbued with demonic nature.
Among them, some don’t harbor hostility toward humans. Most naturally occurring Beasts fall into this category.
Beasts born from nests, however, are inherently hostile toward humans.
Nests corrupt the surrounding land, using it as nourishment to produce Beasts and spread them outward.
That’s why early discovery of nests is critical.
In MAGA, Beasts are usually divided into two types: natural Beasts and nest-born Beasts.
But in Apocalypse Mode, there is a third type.
Beasts that emerge not naturally, nor from nests—but from Gates.
These creatures appear fully grown, already possessing hostility and experience against humans.
Nest Beasts are limited by their base and require at least three weeks to grow—
Gate Beasts have none of those disadvantages.
They are, quite literally, lifeforms designed solely to kill humans.
Their appearance meant one thing—
The Apocalypse was imminent.
‘It’s only been a month, damn it.’
Forget three years—at this rate, even three months would be too much.
Wiping the sweat from my palm, I turned to Aleph.
“Is it possible to reactivate the interception turrets?”
“It is… but would it matter? They’ve already occupied them.”
“Prepare to reactivate the right-side turrets. I’ll form a breakthrough unit. Check all Golems and replenish their Mana Stones fully. Get recovered forces back to the plaza immediately—we don’t have time.”
“…Understood. I’ll relay it.”
“And bring every Artifact left in the tower. We’ll use every resource available.”
Aleph nodded and created a gust beneath his feet, flying toward the main tower.
As he left, I extended my hand toward Karen.
“Get up.”
“……”
“You can think of me as a demon or whatever—but you agree I’m better than those Beasts, right?”
Karen gave me a look as if to say there was no difference.
Ignoring it, I smiled casually.
“We were trying to kill each other just moments ago—but we still need to save people, don’t we?”
“……”
It seemed the meaning got through.
She grabbed my hand and stood.
“…Yeah. We should save people.”
“Good choice.”
“So what now? Judging by their behavior, they’ve been waiting for this.”
“They have. Obviously.”
Just looking at the timing—
They appeared only after the Mallet–Karbenna alliance and Dellowell had exhausted each other.
I muttered with certainty, looking toward the main tower.
“Their target is Duel—Mallet’s resources…”
No—considering their instincts, tearing us apart came first.
But once they judged the assault delayed, they would immediately aim for the main tower.
Beasts didn’t think like humans. If you reacted after seeing, it was already too late.
You had to prepare for every plausible variable in advance—or you’d eventually be caught off guard.
‘The problem is we don’t have enough manpower to cover all those variables…’
At least, fortunately, there weren’t many severely wounded.
They had lost their will to fight against fellow humans—but against Beasts, they could be rallied.
“Rubia.”
“Yes, Eugene.”
“We’re holding a strategy meeting now. Get everyone’s attention.”
“Ah, yes!”
---
Total personnel gathered: fourteen.
By the time we assembled in the center of the plaza, the number of Beasts had increased even more.
“Alright, no time. I’ll keep this short.”
“Raise your hand if you’ve fought S-rank or higher Beasts.”
Frederick Lake, Dale Wedmeyer, Betty Scarletwood, and Karen Rosefield raised their hands.
“Good. You four, stand by. The rest—form anti-Beast formations immediately. Anyone familiar with Imperial Army doctrine?”
Michel Bernhardt, Rubia Magnus, and Walter Clark raised their hands.
“Default formation is No. 4. If aerial enemies exceed 20%, switch to No. 7. If formation collapses, No. 9. For retreat, No. 2. Spread that to squad leaders. Magic Tower—Meriel.”
“Yes.”
“Leave close combat to Special Task Force members and Dellowell believers. Focus on interception and support. But keep about fifty for main tower defense. Their second target will be the tower.”
“Understood.”
I added a warning.
“Don’t treat them like weak nest Beasts—you’ll regret it. Respond at Level 9 threat. They’re still preparing their assault, so maintain formation as strictly as possible. More Artifacts are coming—recheck your equipment.”
The nine nodded silently.
“Then… good luck.”
Only five S-rank-experienced fighters remained.
Looking at the Beast-filled right outer wall, I spoke.
“We’re reactivating the right-side turrets.”
Frederick frowned.
“And what about all those Beasts?”
“We kill them. Every last one.”
“…You say that easily.”
“It’s rare to gather this many elites in one place. Time to show what we can do.”
“…Maybe. But you said it yourself—they’re not like nest Beasts.”
“Yes.”
“And we’re already exhausted. A reckless breakthrough could backfire.”
He wasn’t wrong.
But still—
“We have to do it.”
This was a test.
The first test to prove that I—that we—could overcome this disaster.
Francia and Rubia had already achieved incredible growth.
Michel and Edel had moved past their previous conflicts.
Karen had finally begun to face reality.
There were still countless problems ahead.
And the next trial would be even harsher.
That’s why—
We had to succeed here.
If we collapsed at this level, we’d never have another chance.
Seeing my determined expression, Frederick sighed.
“…Fine. We’ve come this far—we can’t back out now. Let’s smash them.”
The others didn’t show enthusiasm—but they weren’t backing down either.
I smiled.
“No commanders in sight yet—stay alert. Since you’re all experienced, we’ll skip formation coordination. The first strike goes to the two Executors. Let’s draw their attention.”
---
KWAAAAANG!
The Beasts had barely maintained formation under their Command Entities.
Now that we attacked first—
No Beast could suppress its instincts.
As the two Executors shattered their formation, the Beasts began climbing down the walls, baring their claws.
The five elites advanced, cutting through them with ease.
Watching this, the people in the plaza steeled themselves.
After issuing all commands, Aleph positioned himself on a terrace overlooking the battlefield.
“……”
The frontline reorganized around Golems.
Those forced into frontline roles due to lack of positions moved back, replaced by Dellowell believers.
Despite having been enemies moments ago, the transition was seamless.
‘That just shows how serious the threat is…’
More than that—
Both sides understood one truth.
No matter what, humanity’s true enemy was the Beasts.
Meanwhile, Aleph watched the five fighters at the outer wall.
Two Executors—the Empire’s strongest weapons.
Frederick and his partner Dale.
Even they seemed dimmed compared to Eugene Carter.
He had already proven his combat ability—
But what made him a war hero was not combat.
It was strategy.
“Switch now! Anyone, push forward!”
Clang! Clang!
“It’s a feint! Not front—left side first!”
Kiiieeek?!
“Three hold the front! Karen and I go down the wall! Someone cut off reinforcements!”
“I’ll do it.”
Creak, creak!
They drew attention, split the horde, crushed scout units, and eliminated sub-command entities instantly.
They saw through enemy feints—and executed their own flawlessly.
Using a sandwich tactic, they reclaimed a turret.
Time taken: 8 minutes.
Over 300 Beasts had occupied that narrow wall—
And they cleared it without a single injury.
And as if it were only the beginning—
Eugene and Karen moved toward the next turret.
“If we had to rely on this old man, there’d be no hope… but watching you, perhaps things might change.”
Aleph raised the surging mana around him.
“Perhaps it’s not so bad to act as a caretaker for the new era.”
A magic circle formed above his head, unleashing a storm of mana.
Watching the Beasts fully emerge—
He smiled.
“Then shall we… burn them all?”
All for the future you will create.