Chapter 70: Sixteenth Floor, The Battle of Fort Pogoren (3)

“Damn it.”

The enemy had arrived sooner than I anticipated. I had planned to reorganize the climbers' formation before their appearance, but now there was no time to waste.

I hastily infused mana into the microphone.

“All climbers, listen carefully. We need to reorganize our formation, now.”

My voice reverberated across the four-kilometer expanse of the fortress walls, far louder than I had expected. Since the device’s performance was more than powerful enough, I lowered my tone slightly.

“The Subrens will move from their position at the center to the skies above the fortress.”

I had noticed that the Deiorne Empire’s original distribution of reinforcements failed to capitalize on each species’ unique combat strengths. Perhaps the Empire’s strategy was lacking, or maybe they hadn’t spent the time to fully understand each species’ tactical nuances.

“Additionally, the Kosharks will reposition to the center of the fortress, while the Turinas will shift to the right flank.”

The reasoning behind my changes was straightforward. The ghost-like Subrens could fly, making them far more effective in the air. This would allow them to freely engage the wyverns instead of being confined within the fortress walls.

The centaur-like Kosharks were incredibly fast and agile. If positioned in the center, they could swiftly support either side and respond to threats as needed.

The Earthlings and Turinas would remain anchored on each flank, forming a strong, solid defense.

“The Earthlings, Kosharks, and Turinas will expand their ranks slightly to cover the gap left by the Subrens taking to the air. Everyone, move quickly.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the fortress erupted into large-scale movement.

The Subren climbers immediately ascended into the sky, while the Turinas shifted to the right flank. Meanwhile, the Koshark warriors had already begun moving efficiently toward the center. Their speed and discipline exceeded both Ha Hee-Jeong’s and my expectations.

The first command had gone smoothly, proving that my duel with Turen had been worth it.

“What in the world? Commander Su-Hyeok!”

Kartrey Monaca came rushing toward me, alarmed that I had taken the liberty of rearranging the climbers’ formation without consulting her first. Although she appeared visibly upset, there hadn’t been time to seek her approval, and frankly, she likely would have refused.

“You can’t just rearrange the troops as you please!”

“Commander, trust me. This strategy is optimal. The empire wasn’t fully taking each species' capabilities into account.”

“But isn’t this your first time experiencing these species’ capabilities as well?”

“True, but even so, I believe I’ve managed to assess their combat strengths more accurately.”

I explained my reasonings to Kartrey. Though she seemed to understand my logic, her irritation hadn’t completely faded.

“Even so, you should have discussed this with me first. This troop deployment was jointly strategized by His Majesty the Emperor and the general.”

Ah, so that was why she had rushed over in such a panic.

However, I had no intention of blindly following orders, even if they came from the emperor. Ha Hee-Jeong had meticulously planned this new formation based on her experience from her previous life—where she had ascended to the ninety-first floor no less—and it was far superior.

Kartrey seemed to have sensed my reluctance, so she added a few more words.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

“Even if His Majesty isn’t the most gifted strategist, the original plan was still an imperial decree. All plans should be cleared by me first.”

The more she spoke, the more convinced I became that I had made the right call by not consulting her. If she reacted like this now, she surely would have denied my request had I approached her earlier.

“Commander, what’s more important right now? Following the emperor’s orders or protecting the lives of climbers and Imperial soldiers? Our primary objective is defending the fortress, not obeying royal commands.”

“Even so, you could have at least consulted with me!”

“There wasn’t enough time. And remember, he’s your emperor, not ours. Our lives are at stake here too.”

“But—!”

“Craaaargh—!”

A dragon’s roar split the air, cutting Kartrey Monaca’s sentence short.

The enemy was closing in rapidly. Any further debate between us would be meaningless. Although I didn’t need to say it out loud, Kartrey understood this as well.

“Commander, let’s settle this later. For now, let’s focus on the battle.”

“Yes. I agree.”

“Oh, by the way, could I request some javelins?”

“Javelins, you say?”

Kartrey Monaca gave me a puzzled look, as though wondering why someone who typically wielded an axe and summoned lightning would need javelins.

“They’re for killing the wyverns. With a dragon supporting the wyverns, the Subrens won’t be enough to hold the skies. I’ll need as many javelins as you can gather.”

“I see. Very well. Please wait a moment.”

Nodding, Kartrey quickly instructed an Imperial soldier to fetch a crate of javelins. The soldier, momentarily frozen from the sight of the enormous lizardman army, snapped to attention and hurried toward the base of the wall.

The soldier was efficient and delivered a large crate of javelins to the center of the fortress in less than three minutes. I swiftly stored the massive crate in the mimic.

“Screeech!”

By then, the wyverns’ eerie cries could be heard above the gates.

***

[Defend the fortress until the invaders are defeated. If the fortress falls, survive for six hours. There is no time limit.]

In a last-minute attempt to raise morale, Kartrey used the microphone to give a brief inspirational speech to the troops. She called on them to fight for their families, their continent, the emperor, and their gods.

Unfortunately, her speech had little impact. The enemy’s overwhelming numbers and Kartrey’s inexperience as a commander made it difficult to rally the troops.

Moreover, more than half of the defending forces were climbers, who likely couldn’t relate to her call to arms. I wasn’t in a position to give a morale-boosting speech either.

If I tried, it would probably go even worse than Kartrey’s attempt.

I didn’t have strong ties with every Earthling yet, and when it came to the climbers from other species and Imperial soldiers, I had only just met them here on this floor.

In the end, there was only one thing left to do. I had to uplift morale through decisive action, as there was nothing more invigorating than overwhelming success on the battlefield.

It was time for battle.

“Fire!”

A single arrow shot into the air at Kartrey’s command, cutting through the sunset’s crimson backdrop.

Moments later, the fortress defenders followed it up by releasing a volley of arrows into the sky, turning it black from the sheer number.

We watched as the deadly shower descended upon the heads of the advancing lizardman army below.

“Screeeech!”

The wyverns’ pained cries echoed as stray arrows struck them, their wails sounding almost mournful.

Below them, the frontmost lizardmen collapsed in droves under the rain of arrows, but their relentless advance didn’t falter. Stepping over the bodies of their fallen comrades, they continued their march forward.

Even though we had killed a significant number of their front line, the enemy forces were so immense that the wave seemed unaffected.

Another volley of arrows shot out, but again, it had little effect. The lizardmen pressed onward, walking over the corpses of their kin like stepping stones as they neared. The endless black tide approached unabated, surging toward the fortress.

***

[Defend the fortress until the invaders are defeated. If the fortress falls, survive for six hours. There is no time limit.]

Boom! Boom!

Each bomb dropped by the Night Witches sent a quake through the fortress. The impacts caused a lizardman, who had climbed a ladder to the edge of the wall, to lose its balance and plummet to the ground.

“Push the ladder! Knock it down!” A Koshark soldier grunted as he tried to shove the ladder aside, but it didn’t budge an inch.

“Damn it! It’s not moving!”

I wasn’t surprised. The top of the ladder had a hook-like section that clung to the wall like a grappling device, and the weight of the lizardmen climbing it made it impossible to dislodge.

“They’re coming over!”

I sprinted forward and swung my axe at a lizardman who had just vaulted onto the wall, cleaving it in two. Then, in one swift motion, I grabbed the ladder and threw it backward.

“Kyah!”

A lizardman, who had been halfway over, flailed wildly as it toppled backward into the abyss. Even though it was falling and the distance between us was only growing, it reached out toward me, futilely jabbing its spear in the air.

Thud!

The ladder tumbled to the ground below with a heavy crash.

Phew.

Though I had dealt with one ladder, I couldn’t spend too much time on each one. Too many were already hooked to the walls.

These maniacs aren’t holding back.

The invaders weren’t just leaning the ladders against the wall and then climbing them. They would load lizardmen onto a ladder while it was still on the ground, then hoist the ladders upward, practically catapulting the soldiers onto the battlements the moment the ladder slammed into the wall.

I glanced around, spotting another lizardman leap from a ladder that had just been secured. Without hesitation, I swung my axe toward it.

“Urgh!”

Its feet barely touched the ground before my axe sank deep into its gut, sending it collapsing onto the battlements.

Wasting no time, I grabbed a nearby spear and hurled it skyward. My target was a red wyvern diving toward the wall.

The lightning-infused spear sliced through the air, leaving a crackling trail in its wake. It reminded me of the magic missile spell, albeit a physical version. If I had to name it, I would call it “Corporeal Thunder Spear.”

The idle thought drifted through my mind just as the spear found its mark. The wyvern, which had been tailing the bombing squadron, came crashing down and crushed several lizardmen with its immense weight.

My spear-throwing has really improved.

Real combat was truly the best way to hone one’s skills. Although I had missed a few throws at first, I rarely missed now that I got a feel for it.

Sure, my high-level Combat Focus skill helped, but my improvement was undeniable.

Still, we won’t be able to hold the fortress at this rate.

The battle had only just begun, but Fort Pogoren had already descended into chaos. Fights raged along every inch of the walls.

Though the lizardmen swarming up the ladders posed a serious threat, danger loomed from above—the dragon and the wyverns.

Even though the Subrens and bombing squadron had taken to the skies, they struggled to fend off the dragon-buffed wyverns.

[Red Dragon Aizerion]

The dragon is the real problem.

Each time it passed overhead and unleashed its fiery breath, hundreds of soldiers instantly perished. Even though the soldiers and climbers were firing spells and projectiles at the beast, they barely seemed to scratch it.

And the battle hadn’t even reached the ten-minute mark. If this continued, it was only a matter of time before the dragon tore through the fortress’s defenses. I needed to deal with it first.

Earlier, and after much discussion, Ha Hee-Jeong and I had come up with two potential strategies.

The first was to use the tokens I had received from the Herkest and Sarkeiz. The second was to execute an all-out attack.

Before we had reached the fourteenth floor, Ha Hee-Jeong had been vehemently opposed to the idea of having me fight a dragon. However, the events on the fourteenth floor led her to change her mind.

She figured that since we were strong enough to retreat safely, it wouldn’t hurt to try one offensive strike. The dragon wasn’t the near-invincible force she remembered from her previous life.

Regression doesn’t make a person more objective, they are still human at the end of the day.

From how she talked about the fourteenth and sixteenth floors, the devastation the dragons had wrought was likely a source of trauma for her.

Of course, I would have no chance in a direct confrontation. That was a given. However, considering the items Ha Hee-Jeong had given me, combined with the element of surprise, it was worth the risk.

I channeled mana into the microphone and requested that the bombing squadron send one of the Night Witches to the center of the fortress.

In less than thirty seconds, Erendil arrived in front of me, hovering on her broom.

“Who’s the maniac calling for a Night Witch in during a war? Oh, it’s you? Don’t tell me we’re going after the dragon again?”

“Yup. We’re going after the dragon.”

Erendil’s expression twisted in disbelief.

“Wait... will you somehow manage to charm that red dragon like you did last time? Are we doing another ‘drop me off, and it all works out’ mission?”

I hesitated for a moment, debating whether to be upfront or tell a white lie.

Hmm, if I told her the truth, she would probably refuse.

“Well, you could say that.”

“Oh, is that so? Well then, hop on! Let’s get going.”

Grinning, Erendil turned her broom to face me, making it easy for me to climb aboard. She had already forgotten her earlier skepticism.