The world around me transformed in the blink of an eye as my vision shifted abruptly. Instead of a blazing wall of fire, I was now on the battlements, surrounded by climbers locked in combat. Although I could barely open my eyes, I still managed to recognize some familiar faces in front of me.

Doppy and Seo Ha-Rin stood before me, but before I could call out to them, Ha Hee-Jeong shouted out, “Doppy! Ha-Rin!”

“Wh-what?! Oppa! Are you okay?!”

“

Kriee!

Su-Yeok!”

Doppy and Seo Ha-Rin looked utterly horrified as they stared at me. Considering I was drenched in dragon’s blood, their expressions were understandable. At a glance, anyone would mistake it for my own.

“Recovery!”

“Rapid Healing!”

Both of them simultaneously cast healing spells. Their voices intertwined, and a radiant light enveloped me. My excruciating pain gradually subsided as a warm feeling spread through me. They must have poured a massive amount of mana into their spells since the pain melted away at twice the normal rate.

Although my vision was blocked by a shimmering glow, I heard Ha Hee-Jeong’s worried voice.

“Su-Hyeok, let’s get you cleaned up first.”

I felt a cool sensation on the crown of my head. Water, which Ha Hee-Jeong was conjuring, streamed down my hair, soaking me completely. I raised both hands and rubbed my face and neck, causing thick, sticky blood to flow down my fingers.

Boom!

A massive shockwave rocked the ground beneath us.

That damn flaming ox.

The ox I had seen earlier had just rammed into the fortress gate. I tried to quickly push myself off the ground in an attempt to stand up, but I stumbled, unable to find my balance.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Another series of deafening explosions erupted, forcing me to stay low. A pillar of black smoke rose above the fortress gate.

Damn it.

The flaming ox had arrived much sooner than expected. According to Ha Hee-Jeong, it was supposed to arrive later on. Perhaps the enemy decided to accelerate their assault after seeing the dragon’s demise.

Burning Nepla.

That was what Ha Hee-Jeong had called this flaming ox. The flame-wreathed beast was already a terrifying threat on its own, but the invaders had enhanced it, filling it to the brim with magically-enhanced explosives.

If that thing rammed the gate one more time, the fortress gates would be obliterated.

Unfortunately, killing the flaming ox wouldn’t solve our problems. Its magical resistance was outrageously high, plus it could detonate itself at will.

Of course, if this was the only Burning Nepla, Ha Hee-Jeong and I would have been able to handle it. Ha Hee-Jeong could sink it into the ground, conjure walls to block it, and I could utilize Flash Strike to kill it and escape before the explosion struck me.

However, as the flaming ox charged for a second time, twenty flaming oxen appeared in the distance, every single one rushing toward the fortress.

“Uoooooh!”

“Uuooooooh!”

They weren’t giving me time to process the initial Burning Nepla, and the new oxen weren’t even coming as a herd—they were charging at us from multiple directions.

If it were just ten, we maybe could have managed. But twenty… that was beyond our capabilities, so we hadn’t bothered stopping the first charge.

This is what we prepared for.

Ha Hee-Jeong handed me the microphone again. After the ambush, Kartrey Monaca had likely been taken away to recover, so the command of the fortress defense now rested solely in our hands.

If I were out on the frontlines like normal, it would be a different story. At this moment, however, it would be better if I issued commands to the Koshark climbers.

“All forces and troops on the central walls: evacuate immediately! Koshark climbers: descend from the walls and prepare to charge fifty meters behind the fortress gate!”

My commands echoed off the walls. If things occurred exactly like Ha Hee-Jeong’s previous life, the entire central section of the fortress would be blown to pieces and more than half of our forces would perish.

Speed was key. I urged them again.

“Hurry! All central forces, evacuate now!”

The soldiers moved swiftly, likely heeding my orders after witnessing how I slew the dragon.

Well, I had put everything into that final strike, so I wasn’t surprised it had been quite the spectacle. Now, it seemed like whatever command I gave, the climbers would follow it. Remembering the cheers that had erupted from the fortress walls earlier only reinforced that idea.

Either way, it was time to position myself behind the gates.

“Su-Hyeok, are you sure you’re okay now?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Ha Hee-Jeong took my hand again and teleported us, causing my vision to distort.

Assembled along the massive boulevard beyond the fortress walls, the Kosharks had already formed ranks that stretched as far as the eye could see.

How long has it been since I gave the order?

Even though I had witnessed it firsthand, I still found their efficiency unbelievable.

I turned and handed Ha Hee-Jeong the microphone.

“I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Okay, stay safe.”

Still genuinely concerned, Ha Hee-Jeong teleported back to the fortress walls. The objective she had given us was clear: eliminate as many of the twenty flaming oxen as possible. Even though we had evacuated the troops near the central gates and along the walls, the more flaming oxen that collided with the walls, the more casualties there would be.

I turned to face the Kosharks. True to their nature of valuing strength above all else, Turen’s party stood at the forefront.

When our eyes met, Turen grinned and winked. He seemed to be eagerly awaiting my command. Even amid the thunderous explosions echoing across the battlefield, my voice, infused with mana, carried to the very back of the Koshark formation.

“The fortress wall will collapse soon.”

Despite hearing this, the Kosharks remained calm. After witnessing the first charge of the flaming ox and seeing the twenty more approaching in the distance, they had likely anticipated this.

“And when the gate falls, we will charge. Not a single one can be allowed to step inside the fortress.”

Responding with what I could only assume was a tribal tradition or something similar, the Kosharks let out a strange battle cry as soon as I finished speaking.

“Whoo! Whoo!”

“That concludes my orders. Prepare to charge.”

Bang! Ba-bang! Bang!

Ha Hee-Jeong was dealing with the flaming oxen, creating massive explosions that reverberated continuously. She had created numerous strategies to handle the oxen earlier, things like digging massive holes beneath their feet, erecting earthen walls, and more. I had no doubt she was employing them right now

Amidst the explosions, Turen shouted at his fellow Kosharks.

“Dragonslayer! The dragonslayer fights with us! The slowest one to charge will die by my hand! Koshark! Prepare to charge!”

“Whoo! Whoo!”

As their top climber, Turen took it upon himself to raise his fellow Kosharks’ morale. Having finished his speech, he turned to me with a serious gaze.

“Commander, your performance while slaying the dragon was truly impressive. Yes, very impressive.”

“What are you trying to say?”

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

“I’m saying that every single Koshark is ready to lay down their lives and charge at your command. Give the order. With the dragonslayer by our side, we fear nothing. Not even death.”

I simply smiled in response.

“However… during the charge, will you be leading from the front as the commander?”

“Of course. Why?”

“Do you think you can keep up with our speed?”

If I used Flash Strike moderately, I should be able to keep up. However, Turen did raise a valid point since a Koshark’s mobility was on a whole different level.

Hmm, I could end up expending more mana than expected.

As I was lost in thought, Turen spoke up, “How about riding on my back?”

“Turen! You’re offering to carry him?”

One of the Kosharks spoke in my stead, recoiling in shock as he asked the question. It seemed that offering someone to ride on their back was far from an ordinary occurrence for the Kosharks.

“Yes, I would be honored to carry someone like you, dragonslayer.”

It certainly had its advantages, and I was beginning to see the merits of the suggestion, but—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of deafening explosions tore through the air, cutting off my train of thought. The main gate at the heart of the fortress was collapsing.

***

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

I hoisted myself onto Turen’s back and ensured my stance was firm and stable. Stowing away my double-headed axe within the mimic, I pulled out a lance I had acquired on the eleventh floor.

It was an entirely pragmatic decision. The double-headed axe was far from ideal when mounted atop a speeding creature, especially one as formidable as a Koshark.

Wielding a cumbersome weapon such as the axe would hinder our movements, especially when Turen himself was armed with a polearm. A lance, designed for piercing and thrusting, was the perfect choice for this particular skirmish.

“Prepare to charge!”

A ruin now sat where the fortress gate once stood, engulfed in a swirling haze of black smoke and gray dust. Through the settling cinders, silhouettes of lizardmen wavered like phantoms in the twilight.

I adjusted my grip on the lance, feeling Turen’s heavy, excited breaths reverberate through his frame, sending vibrations coursing through me. He stamped the ground impatiently, preparing to unleash a fully powered charge.

“Charge!”

Before his shout could fully emerge, Turen lunged forward with immense force, abruptly shifting our joint center of mass. The sudden acceleration made me tighten every muscle from my thighs to my core as I struggled to stabilize myself.

I leaned forward slightly and hooked the lance under my right arm to anchor it. I had practiced this technique in the training hall a few times, but never on a living, breathing creature. It demanded absolute focus and control.

Turen vaulted over the rubble of the crumbled fortress wall.

Thud— Thud—

Each of his hooves’ powerful impacts against the ground sent shockwaves rippling up my spine.

Hah, maybe I should have just used Flash Strike and run on my own.

Riding at such blistering speeds atop a living being was an entirely new sensation to me. It felt chaotic and alien.

Yet, the instincts I had honed through countless battles guided me, and I rapidly adapted, finding the optimal posture almost instinctively. The moment I managed to stabilize myself, lizardmen erupted from the smoke in front of us.

We both responded swiftly, and Turen swung his crescent halberd in a sweeping arc while I drove the lance forward.

“Graah!”

Despite our attacks, our momentum never faltered. We trampled over the collapsing bodies of lizardmen, carving a path through the dense smoke and sand-laden air.

When Turen leaped over the last remnants of the ruined fortress wall, we finally broke free from the oppressive shroud. Before us stretched a vast plain, teeming with lizardmen as far as the eye could see.

Yet something was different. When the battle had first started, the setting sun had hovered low over the horizon. Now, after our wild dash through the chaos, the sun had vanished completely, and the battlefield was cloaked in the pitch-black darkness of night.

It was an unnatural shift, one so bizarre that I couldn’t help but suspect it to be the work of the Sobornese’s god of shadow.

Regardless of the cause, darkness now reigned over the battlefield.

“Charge!”

I activated Master of Shadows, focusing its effects solely on the vanguard. Encompassing the entire Koshark army was impossible, but that alone was enough to obscure the exact distance between us and the enemy.

As the skill spread over my allies, the spearhead of the charging Koshark formation vanished seamlessly into the shadows.

***

The unseen spear of darkness now surged through the enveloping night, cutting a path toward our foes. I hadn’t intended to charge this far initially, instead planning to only to repel an invasion through the breached fortress until Ha Hee-Jeong could repair the shattered walls.

However, running alongside the Koshark through the sea of lizardmen filled me with an inexplicable exhilaration, a fervor that seemed to set my very soul alight. My heart pounded fiercely.

Thud— Thud— Thud— Thud—

The rhythm of Turen’s hoofbeats matched the cadence of my own heartbeat as we raced across the shadowed plains. I wanted to keep running like this indefinitely, although I maintained my composure and assessed the battlefield, not letting the strange and wild excitement get to me.

It feels like their numbers have decreased significantly. Perhaps there are about a million left.

Without the dragon’s presence, the wyverns in the sky had lost their vigor, allowing the Subrens and the Night Witches to dominate the aerial combat.

With our forces now ruling the skies, the enemy’s numbers diminished rapidly. If this continued, we could potentially push through them entirely.

As this thought crossed my mind, a thunderous cheer erupted from the direction of the fortress.

“Waaaaaah—!”

I briefly glanced back and saw that the climbers and imperial soldiers, who had held their positions atop the walls, were now surging out through the shattered gates. Ha Hee-Jeong had likely made the call to charge.

She likely saw the turning tide of battle from her vantage point atop the walls.

Simultaneously, thousands of spells blazed across the night sky and streaked past us before raining down on the lizardmen forces in the distance.

Without hesitation, I leaped down from Turen’s back. Switching from the lance to my axe, I used a minimal version of Flash Strike to boost my speed even further.

It’s time to finish this. I was ready to bring this war to its conclusion.

“Charge! Charge!”

I raced ahead, leading the tens of thousands of climbers. Lightning crackled around me as it pierced through the darkness, illuminating our path forward.

The war was drawing to a close.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has successfully defended Fort Pogoren. The seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth floors have changed.」