novelraw Chapter 145: The First Death
Chapter 145: The First Death
Now, when I said terrifying, I wasn’t kidding. Although each individual shot wasn’t strong enough to deal heavy damage to the giant mammoths, when concentrated, not even Daleth-rank monsters could withstand them. But I doubted the enemies would stay silent and let this happen without sending their elites to stop it.
Sure enough, the gnoll general barked a sharp order. Moments later, a squad of heavily armored gnolls appeared, each radiating a much stronger presence than the average cannon fodder. At the same time, several bigger harpies with steel talons ascended high into the sky, circling with the intent to destroy the auto-cannons.
[Gnoll Berserker – Lv.128]
A frontline elite warrior whose body is enhanced through vicious blood-frenzy rituals. Once they enter berserk mode, their pain tolerance increases, and their strength multiplies, making them relentless until death.
Threat Level: High
[Ferocious Harpy – Lv.122]
A specialized aerial attacker equipped with hardened steel-like talons. Known for targeting siege weapons and mages, they dive from the sky with insane precision and can tear through armor using their claws.
Threat Level: High
[Gnoll General – Lv.140]
An elite commander among gnolls who has survived countless wars. Possesses immense physical strength and tactical intelligence far superior to regular gnolls.
Threat Level: Very High
“Elite units incoming!” Michelle warned, already drawing to intercept.
Lucian changed his stance, charging mana into a new spell. “Leave the small ones on the wall to me. Focus on the big ones!”
I nodded and turned my gaze toward the giant mammoths. They were charging closer toward the gate, and the next hit from those beasts would breach the gates. And if that were to happen, it would be over for us since we would be fighting on two sides.
“Tuilë, have the auto-cannons focus on those mammoths! The rest of us will take care of the rest!” I shouted.
“Aye, sir!” She saluted me. “Since the situation has escalated to this, we’ll need something to slow down those mammoths. Guess it’s time to show my newest masterpiece!” Tuilë announced with an excited glint in her eyes.
She pulled out what looked like a massive steel capsule from her inventory and casually shoved it off the wall. The metal container crashed into several monsters below with a bang, crushing them flat. Immediately, mechanical whirs and clanking echoed from inside.
With a burst of steam, the capsule tore open, revealing a four-meter-tall steampunk golem armed with piston-powered gauntlets and exhaust vents billowing smoke like a miniature locomotive. Bronze plating layered its limbs, gears spun loudly across torque joints, and its cylindrical torso shone faintly with compressed mana.
“Ta-da! Presenting Bernardo!” Tuilë shouted proudly, striking a triumphant pose.
That is a surprisingly normal name for a golem created by an eccentric person like Tuilë.
[Steampunk Golem, Bernardo – Lv.125]
A heavy-duty combat automaton powered by compressed mana and steam-driven actuators created by a genius Magic Engineer. Built from meteorite alloy and reinforced gear plating, it specializes in blunt-force destruction and line-breaking assaults.
The golem immediately charged the nearest mammoth, slamming its metal body into the beast with enough force to make the creature stagger. Sparks burst with every strike as piston-driven fists hammered repeatedly into the mammoth’s thick hide, each blow causing the mammoth to cry in pain.
“Tuilë… when did you even build that?” I muttered in disbelief. Truly, the versatility of a Magic Engineer knew no bounds.
She puffed out her chest, rubbing her nose smugly. “Hehe! It’s been a long-term project! After saving up enough soul coins to buy materials and melting down the last of that meteorite ore, I finally finished him! Pretty amazing, right?”
Boris laughed heartily at the sight of the golem punching a mammoth like a training dummy. “Ha! This Bernardo guy looks like an ideal sparring partner! I’ll take him for a round after this is over!”
Tuilë turned pale instantly. “A-Absolutely not! I just finished him! Please don’t break my Bernardo!”
Who’s your Bernardo…? I frowned at the unseriousness of her reaction.
Before I could comment further, the gnoll general—wielding his colossal war axe—leaped toward the wall with frightening athleticism. His claws dug into the stone as he scaled upward like a predator hunting prey.
“So, the big one wants to play,” I muttered, switching Howling Edge for the Meteorite Spear.
He lunged over the battlement as soon as he reached the top, swinging his massive axe in a brutal overhead arc that could cleave me in half. I sidestepped sharply, the axe pulverizing the stone where I had stood a heartbeat earlier. I struck back with a thrust of the Meteorite Spear, but he twisted his body mid-air and deflected the blow with the flat of his axe, the force of the clash pushing me back two steps.
“You’re the human… who killed… our great chieftain…” the gnoll spoke in broken tongue, saliva dripping from his fangs. “I’ll tear your bones… apart.”
He wasn’t just taller than Kharzug. He was bulkier, more heavily armored, and radiated a more intense killing intent. His muscles bulged beneath his fur as he planted his claws deep into the stone tiles.
Like a bolt from the blue, he rushed toward me, sweeping his axe horizontally as the sheer wind pressure alone felt like a blunt strike across my chest. I raised the Meteorite Spear defensively, channeling mana reinforcement into both arms just before impact. The collision sent a violent shock rattling up my bones. The tip of my boots grated against the stone as I skidded backwards.
“…He’s stronger than Kharzug. I’ll give him that,” I muttered, steadying my stance. Still, compared to Kaela, he was child’s play.
The gnoll general snarled and lunged again with extremely high speed, swinging his axe. This time, however, I redirected his momentum with a twist of my spear and grazed his chest, leaving a wide wound across. Blood sprayed as the gnoll staggered, eyes wide in disbelief that his attack had not only been deflected but countered so swiftly.
“You’re too predictable,” I said calmly.
He roared and raised his axe for an overhead crush.
Taking advantage of the opening, I unleashed Phantom Blade as three spear afterimages materialized, each one striking from a different angle—shoulder, flank, and spine. The combined impacts forced the gnoll to drop his weapon, losing his balance as his legs gave out.
I pivoted smoothly, stabbing the Meteorite Spear directly through his throat with Heavy Stab. “Goodbye.”
The gnoll collapsed, choking on his own blood. Some elite gnolls and harpies darted in desperation to protect their general, but Boris intercepted the ground attackers, while Michelle shot the harpies out of the sky before they could interfere. It was great to have them on my back.
You have hunted [Gnoll General Lv.140].
You have gained 520 EXP.
Heavy Stab has leveled up.
“Their commander is down!” I shouted loudly.
Still, there was no time to celebrate, as the monster army neither panicked nor collapsed. They were too large in number. Even without their general, the assault continued without pause, like a flood that refused to stop crashing forward. There was likely still another commander or two hidden among their ranks.
The giant mammoths were still trying to ram the gate, and more elites were storming the walls. Worse still, their shamans and mages finally showed themselves, beginning to hurl corrosive curses, fireballs, and shadow bolts toward the battlements and claiming the lives of several unprepared guards. In response, I quickly turned toward the elite gnolls and harpies in order to cull down their number and help lift some pressure off the others.
You have hunted [Gnoll Berserker Lv.128].
You have gained 496 EXP.
You have hunted [Ferocious Harpy Lv.122].
You have gained 484 EXP.
You have hunted [Gnoll Berserker Lv.125].
You have gained 490 EXP.
You have hunted [Gnoll Berserker Lv.126].
You have gained 492 EXP.
Stamina has increased by 1.
…
These were truly tough enemies. However, under our combined effort, we were able to push the enemy back little by little. Istellise supported us from behind, healing the injured while also casting divine enhancement spells that lifted the fatigue from our bodies, allowing us to endure far longer than normal.
You have received [Saintess’s Blessing].
Your wounds have been completely healed.
All fatigue has been removed.
Michelle’s arrows continued exploding among harpies overhead, their screeches cut short as they plummeted like shot birds. Lucian unleashed storm after storm of mana blasts, vaporizing anything that dared scale the walls. Boris, still outside, fought like a fortress along with Bernardo, keeping two mammoths occupied all by himself like a man of steel.
Even as monsters kept coming, the wall was still holding.
“I wonder how the other party is doing…” I muttered, casting a worried glance toward the direction of the eastern gate.
As if in response to my question, the earth suddenly shook violently. A massive quake rippled through the battlefield, forcing both monsters and defenders to brace themselves. Then, amidst the enemy troops in the distance, a colossal one-eyed monster emerged, towering over even the mammoths several times over.
“GROOOOOUAAAAARRR!!”
The deafening roar shook the air itself, drowning out the clash of battle. It seemed that the monster army’s strongest monster had joined the fray.
***
Contrary to Maximillian’s worry, Party B had it much easier.
There were sparser numbers of monsters at the eastern gate. Without the giant mammoths or elite gnoll and harpy units, the enemies here were mostly goblins, standard gnolls, and a few ogres that barely managed to reach the wall. Erika coordinated their defense with concise orders, cutting down climbers with clean, swift strikes from her katanas.
“You three,” she pointed toward Arlen, Grun, and Korr and commanded, “focus on anything that reaches the wall. Leave the strong ones to me.”
“Aye!” Grun and Korr boomed in unison.
While they smashed any monster that managed to climb up, Arlen stood firm, using Geo Magic to reinforce cracked sections of the battlement and stabilize the structure each time an ogre crashed against it. Meanwhile, Liora moved like a shadow beneath the wall, swiftly taking out enemy archers or shamans before they could aim at the guards.
“Gahaha! We’ve got this handled!” Grun grinned, slamming his axe into an ogre’s skull.
“Wonder how good ol’ Boris and the others are doing?” Korr chuckled.
“Definitely no better than us.”
Indeed, it felt like everything was under control, but that was soon proven otherwise. Without warning, a sharp, thick bone-like spike erupted from the ground. Because the others were still positioned along the wall, they had the distance and reaction time to avoid the attack. However… Liora did not get so lucky.
The spike shot straight through her upper abdomen from below, impaling her mid-air as blood splattered across the stone. “Gkh—!!”
Her daggers fell from her trembling hands as the spike thrust her upward like a skewered doll. Even with the durable constitution of a Gimmel-rank divine warrior, a strike like that was fatal.
“Liora!” Arlen roared, every ounce of breath he had exploding into the cry.
Time seemed to freeze for everyone present. The brief calm they’d enjoyed evaporated instantly, replaced by the cold, crushing realization of the fact that there was something far deadlier hiding among the monsters, and it was finally making its move.