Chapter 36《Ice and Fire》 – (3)
(I)
“Wow….”
I let out an exclamation at the breathtaking scene before me. The barren land of Lavaheart had somehow transformed into a white expanse, reminiscent of Antarctica.
Isera may only be able to use ice-based magic, but her capabilities were certainly formidable. The lava that once flowed in the moat, and even the seemingly bottomless donut-shaped abyss, were now entirely covered by an endlessly cold touch of ice.
…With just one skill, Isera had completely neutralized Lavaheart’s two proud defensive systems. I gave Isera a thumbs-up, acknowledging her flawless execution.
“Well done.”
“Thank you, Mistress.”
At my praise, Isera folded her hands neatly and bowed her head. Her soft, respectful voice rang in my ears.
“Hmm….”
I turned to look again at the panoramic view of Lavaheart. With snowflakes gently falling, it looked no different from a polar region.
“…This is nice.”
The lava, which might have posed a threat to the undead, the enormous pit, and the drawbridge – all of it was now rendered useless, frozen over by the ice.
What lay before us now was simply an ordinary city. As I squinted to observe the wall, soldiers scurried back and forth, clearly alarmed by the unexpected circumstances.
…The twilight was beginning to fade, and the night, lit by moonlight, was approaching. The perfect time for the undead to be unleashed.
“Mistress, what shall we do now?”
“Hmm?”
With everything blocking our way now gone, Tina also looked at me with a knowing smile and asked. She already knew what answer I would give.
“…What is there to hesitate?”
And I had no intention of disappointing her expectations.
Smiling as well, I whispered to my army, the dead who served me alone.
“Let’s wipe them all out.”
***
(II)
“Impossible….”
All that the Lord of Lavaheart, Big John, could see was a vast, blinding white light.
…After that white flash that consumed his entire vision, all he felt was an overwhelming cold. Feeling the chill brush against his cheek, John’s expression hardened.
“What… What is this….”
When the afterimage of the flash faded and his sight returned, what spread out before him was a pure field of snow, untouched by even a speck of dust.
In Lavaheart, where only dust flew all year round, this was an impossible, forbidden sight.
“Snow…?”
John could no longer speak, seeing his city entirely blanketed in snow and ice. He simply forced his trembling eyes to take in his surroundings.
“….”
No matter where he looked, all he could see was a snowy landscape stretching out around Lavaheart.
The icy touch that had begun from where the Progenitor Vampire stood had not only blanketed everything surrounding Lavaheart, but had even rooted itself within the city’s walls.
The boiling lava moat, the sturdy stone walls, and the seemingly endless mining pit – all were covered in ice.
…Beneath the flawless, smooth ice sheet, Lavaheart had become a perfect, featureless plain.
“Ah!”
Something flashed through John’s mind.
“The moat and drawbridge…!”
His gaze shifted to the lava moat and the abyss, which had protected Lavaheart from external threats for hundreds of years.
The boiling lava moat, which made it impossible to approach, and the bottomless abyss, which could only be crossed via the drawbridge – now these had been transformed by the ice into a flat, accessible plain.
And John knew all too well what that sight meant.
“Ah….”
…Lavaheart, the mining city renowned alongside the fortress city Nevirthol for being one of the safest, was protected by two barriers no ordinary person or creature could breach: the lava moat and the abyss.
But now, with everything encased in ice and these two barriers rendered useless, what remained for Lavaheart?
A wall so slippery with ice it was difficult to even stand on?
Could this one wall alone stop the Progenitor Vampire and her army of tens of thousands of undead?
“…No.”
…It would be impossible.
The Progenitor Vampire had already broken through the triple walls of the capital. It wouldn’t even take her ten minutes to tear down this feeble wall.
And once this wall was breached, they would step lightly into the city, walking over the ice they had created.
“Cunning witch….”
Big John twisted his face as he glared fiercely in the direction of the Progenitor Vampire.
With just one ice-type spell, she had neutralized all of Lavaheart’s defenses that no other enemy had ever breached.
Who could have predicted that there would exist a spell powerful enough to cover an entire city in ice?
It was beyond frustrating for John, who had expected her to only summon petty skeletons as a necromancer. The fact that she could also use ice magic was infuriating enough to make him collapse from sheer vexation.
“…Is it the doing of that undead in the white robe?”
He recalled the undead figure standing beside the Progenitor Vampire, looking as if it had just been summoned. It seemed the vampire had intentionally summoned an undead capable of ice magic to incapacitate the city’s defenses.
Indeed, this vampire was far beyond the scope of any ordinary vampire.
Trying to predict her actions with common sense would be a grave mistake.
For all he knew, she might even summon a massive undead dragon to crush the entire city at once.
“….”
Now that the moat and the abyss, the core of the city’s defenses, had been lost, what decision should John and Lavaheart make?
“Lord! Lord!”
“…!!”
Just as his thoughts spiraled into confusion, an all-too-familiar voice echoed from below the frozen city wall.
“Sebastian…!”
It was Sebastian, his secretary who had gone down to the walls to give orders to the soldiers, now hastily returning with a pale face.
“Wh-What in the world… is happening….”
In less than a minute, the entirety of Lavaheart had been covered in ice. Faced with this unbelievable sight, Sebastian stammered as he questioned Big John.
…John swallowed dryly and turned his gaze back towards the Progenitor Vampire.
“…It’s her doing.”
That gray-haired girl had made a mockery of his statement, uttered only five minutes prior, that no being could conquer Lavaheart.
With their last hope now resting on this single city wall, they faced a dire situation.
“Th-This can’t be! A spell that blankets the whole city in ice—I’ve never seen anything like it in my life!”
“…Well, you’ve witnessed it now. Congratulations.”
Ignoring Sebastian’s frantic state, John continued to observe the vampire’s actions through the magical tool.
…Big John clung to a glimmer of hope, watching the vampire in case, for some unknown reason, she might retreat.
──── …….
“What… is she saying?”
Squinting his eyes for a clearer view, he saw the vampire smiling as she murmured something.
“….”
In the beautiful natural illumination of the mingling snowstorm and moonlight, the endlessly beautiful yet endlessly ruthless legendary monster tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.
Then, extending her hand toward Lavaheart, she uttered a single, unmistakable word, audible even through the magical device.
──── Advance.
“…!!”
In that instant, Big John’s last shred of hope vanished.
- Kyaaaaaaaah!!
…The ground trembled, and an eerie, blood-curdling roar filled the night sky as the unearthly beings began their death march.
“Ha….”
A hollow laugh escaped him.
The undead army advanced relentlessly towards the only remaining barrier—the wall of Lavaheart. The soldiers on the wall murmured anxiously at the sight.
“Wh-What’s that? Are they really coming this way?”
“Even an estimate puts them at a hundred thousand. Can we even stop that?”
“Oh, goddess Asteria, protect us.”
“….”
Big John was just as overwhelmed and unable to think straight.
He had faced numerous hardships and crises, but they were always situations with clear solutions or challenges he could overcome himself.
But now… was there even a solution to this?
In history, was there ever a case of a single wall holding back an army of a hundred thousand undead?
Perhaps, there was only the case of the first hero sealing away the Progenitor Vampire. But Big John was no hero, and the specific methods used had not been passed down.
…Not only did he feel that there was no way to survive this situation, but in this moment, he felt the very concept of hope fade from his heart.
“L-Lord! The enemy is advancing!”
“Please give us orders! We’re running out of time!”
“….”
But unfortunately, Big John was still the lord.
He was the leader of all the citizens of Lavaheart and was bound to make the best choice for his territory in any situation.
‘What… what should I do??’
To make the best choice, his mind began to race.
‘Open the gates and surrender? Or hold out in defense?’
Now that the defenses of the lava moat and the abyss were neutralized, he wavered between surrender and resistance.
‘Surrender? And then what happens?’
Will they spare us after achieving their goal and taking what they want?
What would they want? What is there in this city worth capturing if mass slaughter is their goal? Would surrender even make a difference?
Moreover, do these monsters even understand concepts like surrender, mercy, or negotiation?
“….”
John stared blankly into the air.
Even if he surrendered to that advancing army of the dead or proposed negotiations to that legendary vampire, who had been freed from a thousand-year seal, he couldn’t see any good outcome.
After all, monsters were all the same.
“…All troops, prepare to fire.”
…John made up his mind.
Since the dawn of time, humans, monsters, and demons have been locked in a cycle of hatred and conflict.
Yes, he wouldn’t bow his head without trying something against these creatures he couldn’t reason with.
At the very least, he would put up a desperate fight.
“All troops! Ready your bows!”
With a voice brimming with renewed confidence, John shouted to the soldiers on the wall. At his command, the bell signaling a state of war rang out loudly.
“Target those damned skeletons. Kill every single one of them!”
The mining city of Lavaheart was, after all, one of the great cities. In terms of sheer numbers, their standing army was no less formidable than the undead horde.
Perhaps, just perhaps, they could manage. Or maybe, he was simply hypnotizing himself into believing that.
“…Fire!!”
But the decision was made.
The arrows flew from their bows.
“…Welcome to Lavaheart, Progenitor Vampire.”
Now, all that was left was to hope he had made the right choice.
“Come on, let’s see what you’ve got.”
A smile, tinged with mixed emotions, lingered on his face.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment