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Lion Castle Fortress’ Bloody Battle!(1)

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At Iron’s command, the artillery fired all of the cannonballs towards the monster corps while the airships dropped all of the remaining bombs on the ship. In just an instant, the area in front of the Lion Castle Fortress had turned into a hell of explosions.

The ground split and exploded and green blood splattered here all over the place. At first glance, they might look like they have achieved some great results. But, Iron’s expression did not even ease one bit, in fact it even hardened further. Even the soldiers did not cheer anymore.

“Monster corps…”

Iron mumbled as he looked at the completely different appearance and aura of the monster corps from earlier when the dire wolves attacked.

Despite the constant bombings and cannon shells falling down on them, the buffed monsters continued to advance. Of course, there were a lot of monsters who died from the explosions but compared to the bombs that they have poured out, the damage that they had dealt with was quite pathetic.

“Do… Don’t stop shooting!”

“They’ll reach the guns’ range soon! Stay alert!”

The officers began to shout at their soldiers as soon as the monster corps began to move forward again after stopping for a while from the cannons and bombs’ baptism of hell.

Thankfully, the troops that have been guarding the other gates arrived one after the other. The first to arrive were the troops under Silver Lions’ deputy commander Silverstein’s command. They were then followed by the troops under Kaiden and the troops under Regiment Commander Zukov.

Since the enemy had gathered in one place, it was only right for them to gather all of the troops that they could. So they all gathered here at the northern gate. The troops that gathered in this place and settled down began to fire thousands of magic bullets at the monster corps that entered their firing range.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Thousands of magic bullets continued to rain down and target the orcs that were leading the swarm of monsters. However, instead of pausing, the orcs just covered their faces with their arms and continued to run like crazy. Although the magic bullets stuck to their skin, it was impossible for these bullets to kill them thanks to the buffs that they had received earlier..

―Uwoooo!

Suddenly, one of the orcs lifted a red flag up in the sky.

As soon as the flag was raised, red energy began to flow out to all the orcs. With the red energy overflowing in their bodies, the orcs’ morale and fighting spirit began to increase. The orc commander’s cry also temporarily increased the power of all the orcs.

“I’m so fucking tired of these bastards…”

A curse unknowingly went out of Iron’s mouth when he saw the orc commander’s skill, something that he had experienced countless times back in his previous life.

“Get ready for battle!”

Just when Iron shouted his orders so his men could prepare to face off and greet these bastards that wanted to climb over the wall, Zukov called out to Iron.

“Lieutenant Colonel Iron.”

“Yes.”

“I think it’s weird.”

“What do you mean?”

Iron tilted his head at him as Zukov carefully looked at the monster corps.

“I can’t see any goblins.”

Iron’s eyes widened at Zukov’s words. He thought that they were hiding among the huge monsters but it seemed like they weren’t. The goblin troops were completely invisible. There was only one reason why the goblins could not be seen despite confirming with their own eyes that the goblin shaman sorcery was activated.

“Special troops?”

“I think so.”

“Of all times, why now…”

Zukov spoke firmly after seeing the flustered expression on Iron’s face.

“They’re most likely aiming for the eastern gate.”

Iron pondered for a moment at Zukov’s words before nodding his head.

There was a high possibility that some of them had joined the monster corps and left for reconnaissance while they were busy bombing the monsters endlessly. And once they collected enough information about the fortress, they would realize that the most vulnerable area in the Lion Castle Fortress was the eastern gate where the territorial forces were gathered.

“I’ll only bring some of the Northern Army and the territorial forces with me.”

“You should take the knights.”

Iron told Zukov to take the knights.

The goblins were known for their sneak attacks so it would be difficult for the inexperienced soldiers to deal with them. On the other hand, the knights would be able to sweep away the goblins with their overwhelming force.

“It will be hard to endure here without the knights.”

Zukov looked at some of the soldiers from the territorial forces and the Northern Army stationed by the wall.

“Taking away those who have already settled down would only lead to confusion.”

“…Will that be really alright?”

“I’m a person who participated in a lot of battles. Please trust me just this once.”

Iron smiled bitterly when Zukov smiled and said that to him.

“I’ll send you support as soon as things get better here.”

Zukov nodded bitterly at Iron’s words. Iron and Zukov were both experienced commanders and they knew full well that the situation would not improve.

“Let’s have breakfast.”

“I won’t be late.”

Iron and Zukov shook hands as they bid goodbye to each other. This might be their last farewell so all they did was look at each other with bitter smiles before moving urgently once again. Zukov moved to stop the goblin’s special troops while Iron did his best to fight and defend the northern gate.

There were orc units who had survived from the baptism of the bombs and cannon shells and reached the bottom of the wall and had started climbing. Some of the high-leveled orcs from their units began to jump up high to slam their axes on the walls. They used the axes as footholds to help them climb up the walls even further. The knight began to move as soon as the high-leveled orcs began to climb. With just a simple blow from the knights’ swords, the orc warriors that tried to climb up the walls fell down one by one.

If someone saw this, they might get the impression that the army was in a good situation. However, the night was still long and the war had only just begun. The monsters would continue to attack the fortress until the sun rose to the sky. Just like that, a fierce and bloody battle began in the Lion Castle Fortress’ northern gate.

Iron pulled out his sword himself and did not order anyone else when he saw the surviving dire wolves begin to climb the walls while the trolls and the ogres joined in on the orcs’ assault.

While a fierce battle began at the northern gate, the Northern army troops and the allied territorial forces led by Zukov were able to arrive at the eastern gate after moving hurriedly.

“We’re not too late. Settle down and prepare for the goblin’s attacks!”

With acting captain Zukov giving out orders, the Northern Army troops and the allied territorial forces began to move all at once.

Zukov also gathered the guards protecting the streets of the Lion Castle Fortress and roamed around the streets near the eastern gates to plant bombs all over the walls and some buildings while giving out guns to the soldiers in preparation for the war in the eastern gate. They also set up some traps in the eastern gate to greet the goblin’s attacks. This was to make sure that these clever bastards would get confused if they ever found a gap and squeezed through the fortress.

Zukov had served for a long time in the Northern Army and was already sick and tired of seeing and experiencing these monsters’ habits. Although he was not very talented in swordsmanship and was not that innovative when compared to Iron, the experiences that he had gained did not go anywhere.

He might not be an outstanding talent when compared to other officers but he was still a person who climbed the ranks of a Colonel after experiencing many wars. Of course, he failed to climb to the general rank and failed to get that star due to his lack of abilities but even though he had been stuck in the colonel rank, his age and long experience of commanding had reached a level that could not be easily countered by the goblin’s sneakiness.

“The goblins!”

“Bow your heads and make sure to shoot at them!”

“Yes, sir!”

The Northern Army troops and the allied territorial forces began to shoot at the goblins from the walls at Zukov’s orders.

Clank!

The magic bullets rained down on the goblin troops. However, the goblins did not only block the bullets, they also shot out their poison needles with the strength that had been enhanced with sorcery. The needles flew at an incredible distance and hit the wall turning it into a dark color.

Ting! Ting!

With the sound of the goblins’ needles flying over, several of the inexperienced soldiers, who raised their heads, got hit by their poisonous needles. However, Zukov skillfully blocked some and quickly ordered his men.

“Don’t pay attention to the soldier that has been attacked by the poison needle! Focus on the battle!”

It was a heartless command. However, they were in the middle of a battle and they did not have any time to pay attention to each and every soldier’s well-being. Some of the soldiers quietly sent down the soldiers attacked by the goblins’ assassin-like attacks to the medics down the wall while the remaining troops focused on dealing with the goblins.

―Kiriiik!

“Push down the bastards who come up the wall. Don’t even think about killing them. Just focus on dropping them!”

Zukov shouted his orders loudly in response to the goblins’ actions.

But the goblins were monsters. No matter how small they were, it was still close to impossible for the soldiers of the allied territorial forces to deal with the movements of the goblins that had been strengthened by sorcery and magic.

“Don’t give up!”

Zukov encouraged his soldiers with an incredibly loud voice that was uncharacteristic for someone his age. However, it was still difficult for them to completely overcome the difference in numbers with just their forces.

In the end, the goblins were able to pierce through their defenses in the ramparts and enter the Lion Castle Fortress one by one.

What the goblins wanted to do was to create chaos inside the fortress to distract the main force that was dealing with the monster corps at the northern gate. Zukov knew what they wanted to do and he had no intention of letting them stir up chaos in the Lion Castle Fortress.

Bang! Bang!

―Kiyeeeek!

Dozens of goblins splattered from the sudden explosion of one of the buildings near the walls. However, since they were reinforced and had received buffs, those who were a bit further away from the range of the explosion still remained alive. That was when the guards came out and killed them. The goblins became flustered when the pre-installed traps and the hidden guards suddenly appeared and attacked them inside the fortress.

“Do you think I don’t know about your shallow moves?!”

Zukov’s anger burst out as he took the sword himself and killed the goblins. Cutting down the goblin with his mana strengthened sword proved that despite his age, he was still active and strong.

However, it was still difficult for Zukov and the meager number of Northern troops to fully respond and stop the poisonous needles flying from all directions as well as the all-rounder skills that the goblins were showing.

“Is this where I’m going to die?”

Zukov muttered to himself as he looked at the swarm of goblins.

Since they were known for their cleverness and slyness they only revealed their main power once Zukov had revealed all of his hidden cards.

The goblin champion and goblin sorcerer.

They climbed up the wall with the goblin warriors and looked arrogantly at Zukov. Zukov couldn’t help but burst in anger once again when he saw the contempt in their gazes.

“Come! I will stop you even if I die here!”

The goblins rushed at Zukov after hearing his outburst. A small number of Northern Army troops also immediately stuck to him and fought the last battle of their lives just to make sure that they would be able to stop the goblins.

But with the goblin champion and the goblin sorcerer, the power of the goblins became stronger.

Even if Zukov and the soldiers were equally strong, it still proved hard for them to win against them in this chaotic situation. In the end, the troops in the eastern gate died one by one under the goblins’ assault and they slowly started to collapse.

“Ugh! You bastards… you can’t go!”

Zukov, the person with the highest level in swordsmanship, burst into anger once again and held on to the goblins until the very end.

Most of the soldiers deployed in the eastern gate were either dead or heavily injured. Even the gate was already half-opened. In that situation, the only ones preventing the advance of the goblins were Zukov and the guards deployed inside the castle fortress.

The goblin champion looked at Zukov, who stood still without giving up despite the officers and soldiers around him falling down one by one, in exhaustion as he tried to end him with a slit of his throat.

Then, at that moment, a dozen knights arrived at the eastern gate under the orders of Iron.

“Regiment Commander Zukov! Are you alri…!”

One of the knights hurriedly cut off the goblins as he approached Regiment Commander Zukov. He rushed forward to check up on Zukov, who was bloodied and bruised, but he couldn’t help but stop in his tracks.

There, he saw a brave veteran with his eyes opened, glaring at the goblins that he stopped until the very end.

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Lion Castle Fortress’ Bloody Battle! (2)

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While the bloody battle was taking place in the eastern gate, Iron also fought hard and cut down the monsters. Despite all of the elites stationed in Lion Castle Fortress gathered in the northern gate, the situation still remained terrible. There were hundreds of ogres that only knight-level men could deal with. On top of that, monsters like trolls, dire wolves and orcs, monsters that were hard to deal with were also running rampant. However, none of the people present in the northern gate gave up. All of them continued to fight hard.

“Don’t give up!”

“Protect the walls!”

“Don’t let them go inside!”

The officers shouted at the soldiers and encouraged them.

They felt proud of their soldiers that still held on despite only barely coping with the waves of monsters that continued to rush to the walls. However if things continued on like this, they would definitely not be able to hold out any longer. They were sure that it was only a matter of time before they let them through the gates.

They looked at the monster sorcerers and lords that were watching the monsters attack the walls from a distance. If they couldn’t deal with them, then they would have no hope in this battle.

Fweeet!

The knights scattered all over the area gathered towards Iron once they heard his whistle.

This was the unique whistle of the Lion Family calling out to the knights of the Lion Castle Fortress. All of the knights of the Lion Castle Fortress would gather around the person who called once they heard this sound.

The knights cut down the monsters in their path as they moved and gathered around Iron. This group also included the direct descendants and the Silver Lions’ deputy commander Silverstein.

“If we continue at this rate, we would have no solution.”

Iron spoke bluntly once they had gathered.

“What do you want to do?”

“I think we need to take a gamble.”

Iron looked at the lords not too far away as he answered Silverstein’s question.

They were the main culprits for the monsters’ strengthening and there would be no hope in sight for them in this war unless they eliminated them.

“You need to go over there. The lords… I will break through the monsters so you can stab them.”

Everyone tilted their heads at Iron’s words.

“The last card that they are not aware of. I think it’s time for me to bring it up.”

“What card are you talking about?”

Iron raised his divine power a bit when Silverstein asked him.

Silverstein, who realized what he was talking about, nodded his head in understanding. He had heard about Iron’s divine beasts before and had only realized that they haven’t come out yet in this battle.

“You’ll have to be prepared for death.”

“I have already prepared myself for that before this war even began.”

The knights also nodded firmly when Silverstein looked at them.

“I’m going to include the direct descendants. Will that be alright?”

“The Lions are not afraid of death.”

Kaiden growled at Iron as he answered. The twins also nodded their heads as they increased their momentums. Rather than being scared, the direct descendants were looking excited. It seemed like they liked this new operation where they would be able to jump around and play freely.

“Sounds fun. A battlefield where you could die…”

Saeriden seemed to be extremely excited for the battle, which could cause their death for real, that was just right around the corner.

Iron sighed quietly. It seemed like he was so tired of this psychopath’s expressions.

“I’ll trust the Lion Knights.”

“Yes. Please trust us.”

All of the knights answered Iron with their heads bowed down.

Iron nodded lightly before pointing his finger at the lords.

“Make a path for the knights!”

The officers, who were engaged in a fierce battle, shouted and gave their own orders once they heard Iron.

“Focus your fire on the center!”

“Make a path for the knights!”

The soldiers pointed their guns in one area at the order and began to create a path for the knights. The battle in the northern gate turned fiercer as the officers took the knights’ vacated positions.

Hundreds of knights of the Lion Castle Fortress all gathered in front of the northern gate, they lined up side by side and gathered under the command of Silverstein. Silverstein, the deputy commander of the Silver Lions and a knight at the 6th Stage, took the lead with the intention of breaking through the monsters all at once to go where the monster lords were.

Iron looked at them before giving his orders.

“Open the gates!”

Creaaaaaak!

As soon as Iron gave his orders, the tightly shut northern gate began to open little by little.

Seeing the tightly closed gates open, the orc units tried to squeeze in the gaps. However, Silverstein killed them with a light swing of his sword while the knights moved and followed him as they boosted their mana.

Slash! Slash!

The orcs’ heads fell one by one as the knights began to come out of the gate. However, despite the ease at how they handled these monsters, they would still get exhausted and eventually fall if the endless rush of the monster corps were not stopped.

Then, Iron quietly spoke as he stared at them from above the ramparts.

“Guys, I know that it’s a bit hard but you’ll need to come out for a bit.”

Light bursted out as his friends appeared in the skies. It was as if they wanted to answer Iron’s request with actions instead of words. Unfortunately, Thunderbird would not be able to come out since it exerted too much force during the war in the east, but Phoenix, Two Moons and Baepsae all came out one after the other with their divine power spreading all over the place.

Of course, they did not appear gigantic like they did in the East. After all, it would consume a lot of divine power and Iron still hasn’t reached the level where they could come out like that without any help yet. But with the increase in Iron’s divine power, he was still able to summon Phoenix and Two Moons at a size that was half of their size back in the East.

―Ppiiiii!

―Hooot!

The two divine beasts let out their powers and paved the way for the knights.

Two Moons let out beams of light from its huge eyes. Even if the monsters were strengthened and buffed up, they still disappeared without a trace as soon as the light passed by them. While Phoenix cried out and let out a burst of flames that burned down everything in its path, successfully creating a path for the knights.

The monsters tried to rush forward to deal with the knights but only a few could pass through Phoenix’s flames. And those who came through could be easily dealt with by the knights. The morale of the knights increased thanks to the two divine beasts’ overwhelming strength and performance.

However, Iron’s divine beast was not only Two Moons and Phoenix.

―Tweet, tweet, tweet! Tweet! Tweet!

Baepsae’s song rang loudly in the ears of the soldiers who were having a hard time filling in the spots that the knights had vacated.

The situation began to reverse once the power of healing and vitality spread and seeped through the soldiers and officers’ bodies. Their injuries and exhaustion began to recover as the green light covered their bodies and the power of healing and vitality began to overflow from their bodies. They even felt like they could kill the monsters all by themselves right now. In fact, the soldiers who had awakened their mana were even showing greater power than usual thanks to their small amount of mana being amplified. After all, Baepsae’s vitality was not just limited to the body, it could also affect the mana.

“This…”

“The Hero’s divine beasts that were seen in the East?”

The officers looked at the scene in shock after they experienced this sudden change in the atmosphere of the battle. They couldn’t help but space out after seeing the battle where they could be pushed back at any moment had turned around with just the appearance of the divine beasts.

However, they did not space out for too long. Since the monsters had fallen into sudden confusion at the appearance of the divine beasts, they took this opportunity to attack once again.

“Uwoooo!”

With the cry of an orc lord as the catalyst, the orc troops roared in unison. The roar effectively boosted the monsters’ subsiding morale. Meanwhile, the dire wolves began to move as they carried the orcs and avoided the knights to dash forward the walls.

“Close the gates!”

One of the officers guarding the gates hurriedly ordered the closing of the gates but all of them were clear that the monsters would reach them before the gates were completely closed. And just as the officer feared, one of the dire wolves jumped a long distance and slid inside before the gates could shut.

Thud!

―Grrrrrrr…

The dire wolf used its body to stop the gates from completely closing which enabled the other orcs and dire wolves to enter through the gaps.

“Th… This!”

The officer hurriedly tried to gather the soldiers and took position despite chaos falling upon them. However, they did not know if they could stop these monsters at all.

At that moment, the leading orc’s head suddenly fell off as Iron jumped down from the ramparts and stood in front of the narrow gap between the gates. There, he stood firmly as he spoke loudly.

“I’ll protect this place so block the walls with all you’ve got.”

The officer in charge of protecting the gates nodded his head and took the soldiers up the wall after hearing Iron’s words. All of the soldiers, except the ones pulling the gates close, climbed up to help the troops on top of the walls. There were some who left and hid by the walls just in case something happened..

―Grrrrrrr…

The dire wolves felt that Iron was a bit unusual so they hovered just right outside the gate and looked at him warily. However, the orcs continued to rush forward as they roared madly. Characteristic to a race crazy about battles, the orcs madly rushed forward and squeezed through the gates even after knowing that Iron was far stronger than them.

“One down.”

―Krrrrrrk…

Iron stabbed the neck of an orc before slicing upwards and cutting its head off. The orc that had its head cut off fell down on the floor with a thud. Then, another one roared and rushed at Iron.

“Two down!”

He shouted on purpose and deliberately counted every time he killed one of them. The monsters flinched at his momentum but it was only for a short moment. One of the ogres rushed forward and forcibly dragged the gates to open wider. Because of that, more monsters were able to flock towards Iron.

“Thirty three! Thirty four!”

Iron cut down more than thirty monsters in an instant.

His body was covered in their green blood as his eyes emitted a sharp glare filled with killing intent. He was only using the most basic of moves but he was able to cut down his opponents at a faster and more stable pace than anyone. With the unbreakable iron will contained in his mana, he endured the ogre’s indiscriminate punches, he killed the battle crazy orcs, and cut down the dire wolves that aimed at the gap between the gates.

“As long as I stand here you will never go beyond me! You will never take a step away from this place!”

The monsters began to falter at Iron’s roar.

He stood firmly in front of the gap between the gates, never letting a single one in. There was obviously only one human standing there. But the appearance of this single person in front of this gate made even the battle crazy orcs stop and hesitate for a while.

Just when the monsters were faltering at Iron’s wall-like momentum, a monster appeared with a momentum that could rival Iron’s own.

―Krrk! I didn’t know that there’s someone outstanding still left here. Chwik!

An orc wearing solid armor stood in front of Iron emitting a strong battle qi.

“Orc champion…”

The orc’s battle qi was so enormous that it even emitted a red light around its body.

An orc could only reach the orc warrior level once they have reached the 4th Stage or higher. And the one who leads these orc warriors, the strongest being among them was given the title of orc champion.

The orc champion personally appeared to kill Iron, who undermined the morale of the monster corps with his overwhelming momentum.

“Hoo…”

Iron let out a long breath at the strong momentum that the orc champion was showing.

If it was him in his previous life, then he would retreat without any hesitation. But that wasn’t the case right now.

‘I can do it.’

The bastard that Silver Lions’ Silverstein had to deal with suddenly appeared in front of him. But he firmly believed that he could kill it right now.

“Bring it on.”

―Chwik! Good.

He did not know if the orc champion liked his spirit or it was just showing off with its nose high up in the air but the orc champion swung its huge axe and rushed straight towards Iron fiercely.

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Lion Castle Fortress’ Bloody Battle! (3)

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The orc champion rushed forward like a wild boar let loose.

At first, it was just a simple and reckless dash, but the situation of the battle at the gate changed once its red battle qi’s momentum increased. It was not even the ordinary battle qi but a battle qi that was mixed with a berserker’s battle qi. The red energy took on the shape of a wild boar and tried to blast away Iron.

‘Around the 6th Stage…’

Iron had hoped that the orc champion was only at the beginning or middle stages of the 5th Stage but it was just his hopeful wish. Since it was hailed as the orc champion, the orc who led the 5th Stage orc warriors in the battlefield, it would clearly show skills that were close to the 6th Stage.

Nevertheless, Iron knew that he would never be pushed back by its attack.

Thuuuuud!

―Chwiiik!

The orc champion was excited to see that Iron was able to endure its mad rush.

Orcs loved and enjoyed the challenge so it felt happy seeing a worthy opponent in front of it. The orc champion’s eyes turned bloodshot as it began its crazy onslaught of attacks.

The onslaught of attacks almost brought Iron to his breaking point but his special attribute was steel…

“Come, see if you can break me!”

So, Iron injected more steel mana into his mana sword and provoked the orc champion. His stance was so confident as if he never thought of losing at all.

Iron’s dark blue sword completely turned black as he endured the orc champion’s crazy attacks.

The orc champion smiled in satisfaction when it saw Iron did not back down at all.

―Fun! Interesting! Chwik! Chwik! Chwik!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The fight between these two monstrous beings was so fierce that the monsters couldn’t even dare to enter the gaps in the gate hastily. Even the soldiers did not dare take a step out of the ramparts in fear of being swept in their fight.

The battle at the gate became a duel between these two beings.

An attribute that made one become stronger the longer one fought and an attribute that made one more ferocious the more one saw blood. Those were the attributes of a berserker and were attributes that were being explicitly expressed by the orc champion right now. With how things were going, Iron might start to be at a disadvantage. But Iron believed in something.

Crack!

Blue lightning and frost began to form on Iron’s sword.

“The 2nd round begins now.”

This time, Iron was the first one to rush out.

He wanted to use his divine powers but he did not have enough to give the two divine beasts that were assisting the knight order. However, his frost was a power that was not related to his divine power and his lightning was his unique ability.

―Chwik! You’re using strange abilities.

“Is that a problem? All I have to do is win the battle…”

―Chwik! That’s true!

The orc champion agreed with Iron’s words as it released a more ferocious momentum.

Right now, Iron did not have any more powers hidden. He was in a situation where he was betting everything on this fight.

Powerful shock waves formed as Iron and the orc champion clashed against each other. However, they couldn’t fight like this forever.

Iron wanted to drag things out longer but the orc champion was already becoming impatient. It needed to let out a killing move and finish the fight to break through the castle. In addition, it was starting to get harder for it to move thanks to the frost from Iron’s sword. Even the lightning was messing with its senses so it believed that it couldn’t take any more time in this duel. As if finally making up its mind, the orc champion’s movement began to change.

The orc champion swung its axe widely and pushed Iron back as it boosted all of its strength.

―Uwoooooo!

A huge image of a wild boar temporarily appeared from behind the orc champion after it had released all of its strength. This was the incomplete image that champions who have reached the 6th Stage could show. The image might not be tangible like that of a master’s but the power of this incomplete image was tremendous since it contained the will of its owner.

No matter how powerful his frost and lightning was, they were just additional powers. Iron’s real power laid in his steel mana.

“Hoo…”

Iron breathed deeply.

The intense battle qi that the orc champion was emitting indicated that this would be their final showdown.

“Come! I will show you what steel is!”

―Chwik!

The orc champion snorted as it stomped its feet at Iron’s provocation. Then, a huge red wild boar rushed at Iron. The force that slammed into Iron’s steel had a qualitative leap in terms of force. Even the frost energy and lightning energy that surrounded Iron’s body disappeared as the boar tried to blast Iron’s sword away.

Thud!

“Kggggggghk…”

―Chwik!

Iron was forced to take a step back from the tremendous power that was packing in the rush that came straight at him. However, he was still able to endure against such a tremendous force.

And right now, he and the orc champion were emitting energies that were desperately struggling against each other.

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

Iron roared as he placed everything that he had into his steel. Just as the orc champion had bet everything on this final showdown, he was also betting his everything on himself.

Then, as if to answer his call, the energy of nature intertwined with Iron’s divine power as both the energies entered his sword. The energy transformed into the earth’s energy and eventually transformed into steel.

―Chwik! Humaaaaaaan!

The orc champion shrieked at Iron, who was able to hold out against its attack, and struck out its axe. However, Iron’s sword was able to endure it.

Frost that covered his steel sword, the lightning that flowed inside it, and nature’s energy. All of these powers showed up in his steel. And as soon as all of these powers were contained in his sword, the most familiar sword movements appeared in Iron’s head.

It was the sword skill that he had trained the most after he reincarnated and the most basic swordsmanship of this world. The sword technique that he had chosen because it was the simplest among all of the other sword techniques. The basic swordsmanship.

Iron moved following the movements of the very first strike that he had trained among the swordsmanship movements, the downward strike.

Crack! Crack, crack, crack!

―Kghhk…

“Hoo…”

Compared to the orc champion that was continuously being pushed back, Iron’s face was comfortable and relaxed.

Only the simplest swordsmanship imbued with steel mana unfolded between them but the orc couldn’t stop it.

A downward strike pushed it back.

A horizontal slash parried its axe.

A diagonal slash cut the image of the wild boar in two.

And finally, a stab…

―Kghk!

The orc champion, whose heart was stabbed, stared blankly at Iron.

―G… good… fight…

Seeing the orc champion vomiting blood, Iron nodded his head as he slit its throat. It was his respect and courtesy for this brave warrior.

The bloody battle between these two beings at the northern gate ended with Iron’s victory.

Whether it was the monsters or the humans, all of them were watching the duel. Seeing the bloody battle end with Iron’s win, the soldiers roared loudly while the monsters’ morale went down the drain.

However, the war did not end with this duel.

―Chwik! Revenge for our leader!

―Revenge! Chwik!

All the orcs released their battle qi as they charged at once at the cry of one of the orc warriors. The ogres stayed still and made sure that the gates wouldn’t close while the orcs and the dire wolves rushed inside.

“I’ll cut all of you down.”

Thanks to Baepsae, who fluttered down and healed Iron’s injuries and revitalized his mana and stamina, Iron was able to block the monsters’ charge alone. Was it because they saw Iron struggling alone by the gate? The soldiers who were hiding behind the walls grabbed their spears and assisted Iron.

With the soldiers taking care of the monsters that slipped past him, Iron did not need to take another swing to kill them. Because of that, Iron was able to let loose and swing his sword like crazy. He looked like he was in a trance as he danced with his sword.

A monster would fall and die with every swing and flick of his sword. Iron was soaked with the monsters’ green blood as their corpses piled up around him. But he continued to swing his sword.

The more he swung his sword, the simpler, neater and faster his sword became. His sword gradually adjusted to his steel mana as if he was fitting newly tailored clothes on his body. His basic swordsmanship gradually turned into the imperial basic swordsmanship until it became more complex and diverse in movements. His sword technique gradually changed into one that suited his attribute, steel mana.

His movements were thankfully changing towards the direction that he wanted. The core of his swordsmanship was basic swordsmanship. The foundation was tailored from the Imperial basic swordsmanship. And the diversity was derived from Iron’s experiences that melted in his sword.

Finally, Iron’s sword technique began to take shape with his steel mana and will.

Sword imprinting.

A step that must be taken for one to reach the 6th Stage.

And right now, Iron was in the middle of carrying it out.

The sight of him blocking the monster corps alone while imprinting his own sword technique in front of the gate was truly a sight to see.

How many people in the world could imprint their sword while fighting in an actual battle?

The soldiers behind him and above the walls were all in awe as they witnessed this scene. This was because they were personally witnessing the reason why those who had reached the 6th Stage deserved respect.

“Kghhk!”

Iron coughed up a bit of blood after he imprinted his sword technique.

“Haa… Haaa…”

His hands were trembling and his body felt weak. In fact, he looked like he was going to collapse any second now. However, all he did was grit his teeth and hold out as long as he could.

The monsters stopped rushing to this monstrous being who cut hundreds of them all by himself.

― Achievement! You have accomplished the ‘Iron Wall’. Your steel-like appearance that does not break under any circumstance will make the others have a new perspective of the path of steel, a path that has always been ignored.

― Iron Wall’s effect will temporarily double your steel mana whenever you’re defending or protecting something.

― Achievement! You have accomplished the ‘Indomitable Will’. With your indomitable will, you will not give up no matter the circumstances. In the event of a crisis, all of your abilities will temporarily increase by 30%.

The sound of the notifications indicating his achievements rang loudly in his ears. However, despite the effect of his achievements, Iron’s body still faltered from the exhaustion.

―Chwik! Charge!

“St… Stop them!”

The monsters realized that there was something abnormal with Iron’s body so they charged forward. Seeing this, the soldiers and officers hurriedly pushed and closed the gates.

A fierce battle once again began at the gates.

―Tweet, tweet, tweet!

Baepsae sang its song to the very best of its abilities. Its song raised the morale of the troops while healing the injured.

Iron also returned to battle after he calmed down and stood up with his staggering body. He did his best to push away the monsters with the soldiers with the remaining mana in his body.

Everyone present gathered all of their strength and worked hard to protect that Lion Castle Fortress despite their trembling and shaking legs. However, as time continued to pass, the human’s side began to get pushed back.

When the divine beasts were recalled, the knights, who went forward to kill the lords and the sorcerers, lost their help and gradually got cornered.

“Without fail! We have to kill them! Think of the sacrifices of the people left in Lion Castle Fortress who sent us all the way here!”

“Dog-shit monster bastards!”

Silverstein shouted as he threw up blood while Kaiden spat out curses while swinging his sword. Despite the hard work of the two, the knight order was still losing ground.

The ogre lord had overwhelming power and it was already too much for Silverstein to tie one up. And there were even a goblin lord, an orc lord, and a troll lord that needed to be tied up. The sorcerers even made it harder for them to fight as they continued to strengthen these lords.

The moment they realized that they would face annihilation if they continued in this state…

Clip, clop, clip, clop!

Magical bombs fell down on the sorcerers as the sound of the hooves of the horses running from afar rang in the area.

At the same time, dozens of airships appeared in the sky and began to drop bombs on the monster corps.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

The monster lords became furious at the sight of the monster corps being killed by the rain of bombs. They gathered all their strengths and increased their momentum with the intention of finishing off the knight order in one fell swoop.

But that was also bound to be stopped.

“Northeastern Army’s Fourth Knight Order Team Leader! Ariel Favrice! We came here to support you!”

“Northern Army! Special Operations Unit! Here to support you!”

“Winstell troops here to help!”

Support troops from all over the place appeared from all directions and pressured the monster corps that were pushing forward to the Lion Castle Fortress. Thanks to that, the monster corps collapsed and fell into confusion.

The lords, who watched this scene, stared at the knight order and spoke.

―Chwik! Retreat.

The sound of the trumpets rang loudly with the orc lord’s words. Hearing the sound, the monster corps began to retreat.

They knew that they would only face annihilation if they still continued to remain here.

“Don’t chase!”

“Don’t follow them!”

The troops hurriedly returned to Lion Castle Fortress as they ordered to stop chasing the retreating monster corps.

When they returned, they saw the half-collapsed northern gate and the walls that were destroyed in some places. They also saw the bodies of the soldiers, who died protecting these walls, scattered all over the place.

“Ah…”

One of the officers looked beyond the collapsed gate with a look of awe on his face.

There beyond the gate were officers and soldiers gathered around Iron. He couldn’t help but admire these people who were bloody, injured and exhausted but still held out and stopped the monsters from entering the fortress.

The support troops that came saluted the heroes who protected and kept the Lion Castle Fortress safe.

These people, who protected the Lion Castle Fortress to the end, were the true heroes. And at the center of these people was none other than Iron, a person that caused waves wherever he went.