An Extra’s POV
chapter-814

Ruins.

That was the current state of the First Battlement.

There was barely any rubble left after the destruction, and the sheer destruction was more than enough to allow the Undead ones to advance freely. There was no need to be confined to a gate when the walls had been completely torn down.

"H-haaaa… haaa…?"

Councilman Finn was left speechless as he witnessed their first line of defense absolutely obliterated—a damage far greater than anything he could have ever expected.

'That blast… it destroyed everything. They didn't even care about their troops standing in the way.'

Finn wasn't completely sure before, but after seeing all of this, he had to make the conclusion that the enemy wasn't the Giants.

'There's someone else behind this!'

But who?

He had no time to even think about that, and even if he did… there were no clues.

All he knew about the enemy was what currently lay before him—the fact that they were bountiful and incredibly powerful.

… And that they weren't stopping.

Even now, despite all the destruction, the black swamp was still spitting out so many Giants and Monsters, and they were rushing towards the second battlement

'They'll reach here in less than a minute at this rate.'

There was no time to think of a proper formation or enact an intelligently made strategy. Before that could be done, the enemy would have closed in on them, and it would be too late.

'We have no choice. We have to utilize our last ditch melee efforts.' Finn thought to himself, ready to yell out his orders.

But… something was making him hesitate.

'Those Undead Dragons…' His eyes focused on them as he tried to quell his slight shivers. 'Why aren't they moving or doing anything?'

The monstrosities merely stood at the center of the blackness, watching the second battlement, which was within range of their powerful blasts, yet did not take any action at all.

'Is it because they are aware of our anti-projectile barrier? Or… are they trying to gauge our level of defense?' It didn't seem like either of those options, though.

From what he could decipher from their lifeless eyes, they merely seemed uninterested in the fight as a whole.

'But why? I'm not even sure our anti-projectile barrier can take one of their blasts, let alone a barrage of those blasts. Could it be that they could only do that once? No… I can't assume that. It doesn't even seem like it took them much of an effort to do it.'

If they could just tear down their battlements, why weren't the Dragons doing so?

'They're looking down on us, aren't they?!' At this point, the Councilman was livid with unbridled rage.

'Fine, then! I'll show you why we've been able to survive and overcome the Dragons, Giants, and every other aggressor that we've ever faced!'

Raising his hands, he yelled as loud as he could:

"Release the A-51s, B-12s, and C-8s!"

As soon as he uttered those words, a massive hole appeared right in front of the second battlement. It was a spatial gate that was linked to another location.

And emerging from these gates were the new fighters that the Dwarves were now employing for their task.

The footsoldiers—A-51 Golems and B-12 Automatons—were massive and nearly as tall as the approaching Undead Giants.

As for aerial support, the C-8 Flying Drones swarmed the sky like a host of massive dragon-fly shaped insects.

This was the culmination of the mechanical engineering of the Dwarves for so long—the way to engage in warfare without any potential loss on their end.

Golems had to be controlled by their respective pilots, though this could be done remotely.

Automatons didn't require control, since specific instructions could be programmed into them, so they could respond to various things in battle.

As for the Flying Drones, they were a kind of hybrid. While they were generally automated, a pilot could take charge of them in order to engage specific targets or perform a unique function.

All of them also had self-destruct sequences, which served as a last ditch effort to take down the enemy.

'They're all expensive to make, considering how powerful they are, so self-destruct would be too wasteful. But… it doesn't seem like there'll be much of a choice right now.' Councilman Finn resolved himself to do what was necessary once the time came.

He knew what was at stake if he didn't.

The Golems and Automatons looked identical, though the latter was bulkier due to the presence of several nerve synapses and a need for higher processing power. They were all made of metal and covered in runes, which served to enhance their offensive and defensive capabilities overall.

Each Golem and Automaton was armed with sufficient weapons—both melee and ranged—to be formidable in combat, while the Drones were purely for ranged attacks.

If their weaponry wasn't enough, the Drones would be sent crashing down and exploding like small, but powerful bombardments falling from the sky.

Using this method, for sure they would be able to whittle down the enemy forces.

… For sure!

*************

[Moments Later]

'W-what… what is going on here?!'

Despite the rounds of bombardments and self-destruct sequences, the Undead didn't seem to be reducing in number at all. They just continued to relentlessly advance towards the second battlement.

'T-this… this is bad!'

Councilman Finn was slowly beginning to panic. Despite his best attempts to hide his nervousness, he couldn't help but bite his nails and continuously shake under heavy pressure.

"W-where is backup? Why can't the backup arrive?!" He barked out loud, despite already knowing full well the reason.

The deputy beside him heard this query and reminded him of what he already knew.

"They are also under heavy attack in their respective cardinal points, sir! Every area is fully occupied, and they're also requesting backup!"

Councilman Finn felt like ripping out his beard once he heard this.

'Damnit! Was it a mistake to divide our forces to the four cardinal points of the city just in case of a spread-out assault? No… no, that was the right call!'

If they didn't do that, then the other parts of the city that was left unguarded would have been breached, and they would be in an even worse-off situation.

'Damnit!'

The Golems, Automatons, and Drones were already out of ammunition and were engaging in their self-destruct sequences, but that would only temporarily hold back the enemies.

Without anything more to stop them, the enemy would inevitably attack and break through the second battlement. Councilman Finn knew this, and he had to make a decision as quickly as possible regarding their next move.

"Haaa…" Visible breath escaped his lips as he sighed.

He already knew the only way out.

"Everyone, retreat! Retreat to the third battlement!"

The Dwarves obeyed, using the Tether to retreat to the highest and most fortified wall of the three.

Once again… this decision saved their lives.

The Undead Dragons summoned their powerful breaths and brought down the second battlement walls just as easily as they did the first, granting passage to the ever-growing Undead Army that rose from the rapidly expanding black swamp.

There really was no escape.

They had reached the last end of their rope.