Chapter 1169. Crimson Flower (3)

‘Nice.’

Loud cheering echoed throughout the battlefield, and hope appeared on the faces of the anxious and worried soldiers.

‘The timing was great.’

Naturally, I thought this was more effective than a needlessly long speech since these people had actually been looking forward to this kind of event.

There was no need for me to explain the importance of morale on a battlefield. The good thing was that it only took us a few seconds to raise their morale, which had plummeted to the ground upon witnessing the bone dragon.

“

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

”

“We can do it! We can do it!”

If this were a full-out war instead of a siege, I would order the troops to charge by now. Obviously, no commander was stupid enough to stay idle in this kind of atmosphere.

I immediately looked at Ha-Yan and said, “Miss Ha-Yan."

“...!”

Jung Ha-Yan cast the spell she chanted, and a massive fireball manifested.

The giant fireball descended and devoured the forsaken creatures on the ground.

Before the fireball could even touch the ground, the forsaken ones had already been reduced to ashes, and the sight made me realize that Jung Ha-Yan's fireball possessed lethality and destructiveness far beyond an ordinary fireball.

Actually, there was a chance that she focused on increasing the spell's firepower, as the fireball didn't actually look like a fireball.

Unlike ordinary mages who enjoyed creating shapes for their spells, Jung Ha-Yan didn’t bother imagining its shape.

Rather than creating a tiger made out of fire, a wolf made out of lightning, or a bird made out of wind, Jung Ha-Yan enjoyed spells with a simple shape.

She used simple shapes like spheres, cones, and cubes, but the concentration of mana within them was far greater than those fancy ones. If I were to exaggerate a bit, I'd say it looked like a miniature sun had descended.

Booooooooooooooooom!

A deafening explosion echoed, and hope appeared in the eyes of the allied soldiers who witnessed the holy light melt about one-third of the enemy soldiers.

‘Back on the continent, she'd casually drop meteors while I enjoyed a cup of tea.’

Jung Ha-Yan, whose abilities were under the effects of the Rohen patch, wasn't strong enough to put on that kind of performance just yet. Undead monsters rose up from the black swamp, but the allied soldiers seemed unaffected by the sight.

Their eyes were no longer filled with fear or hopelessness.

“We can win...”

“Prepare for battle! Ready the arrows! You bastards! Who’s still not paying attention?!”

“We can win! You idiots! Focus! They’re coming!”

“Fire.”

“Fire!”

The arrows and spells from the allied mages and archers struck the ground.

Kabooooooom!

Craaaaaaaaack!

Boooooooooooooooooom!

There were explosions everywhere, and the forsaken ones started moving faster.

The enemies weren't wavering at all. The lifeless puppets that had already lost their will were blocking the spells and arrows with their bodies as they sluggishly walked toward the wall.

It caused a lot of damage, but I was sure Sun Hee-Young hadn't just forced the troops to move forward without a plan.

This decision was made because...

‘They’re getting healed.’

I had never heard of the undead getting healed, but Sun Hee-Young was probably granted a skill that had that kind of ability. After all, she was one of the top priests on our continent.

‘I say top priests, but technically, the so-called top priests are only her and Elena.’

A Saintess-level healer could do just about anything. They could cast protection-type spells that were as strong as what an archmage could cast, and they could cast buffs that could boost a third-rate adventurer's stats to a first-rate one.

If all the forsaken ones were moving under Sun Hee-Young’s protection, then a one-man invasion on Saint Bell didn’t seem all that impossible.

The bodies of the forsaken ones—battered and broken—regenerated constantly. They were suffering injuries so severe that they couldn’t move, but the faint black barrier enveloping them was restoring them to full health.

Just then, undead creatures with shields moved forward while placing their shield in front of them, and ones with massive frames took the lead while ignoring the arrows and weak spells landing on them.

To make matters worse, they seemed to be following a basic formation.

Sun Hee-Young was one of the guild members familiar with military strategies, just like Jo Hye-Jin and me. Although she focused more on stats and administrative duties, she would oversee the actual duties when Jo Hye-Jin and I weren’t around.

She started receiving less attention when the guild welcomed more members and grew even bigger, but I never doubted her abilities.

‘She’s actually difficult to deal with.’

Many obstacles prevented the enemy from approaching the wall, but Sun Hee-Young pushed the forsaken ones forward, and they were soon right in front of Saint Bell.

There was a deafening explosion, and the forsaken ones crashed into the wall. Regardless of their jobs, the allied forces fired arrows, oil, holy water, and more.

The weaker undead monsters collapsed and turned into a ladder that helped the forsaken ones climb up.

“

Roooooooooooooooar!

”

“Get away, you bastard!”

“Arrows! Bring me more arrows!”

“The wall in Zone Two has been destroyed. What the hell are the mages doing?!”

“Draw the bowstring! Don’t stop firing those arrows, you idiots!”

“Fire! Fire! What are you doing?! Hey, rookie! Do you want to die, damn it?!”

“Requesting reinforcements! Requesting reinforcements! Move! Move!”

To make things worse, the named beings were already climbing the walls.

‘Damn it.’

“Mr. William,” I said.

“Yes?”

I expected there to be named beings, but...

“Those guys are... different...” I mumbled.

“Push them back!”

“They’re too fast! Shit!”

It had been an hour since the defense war started. Considering the fact that I was already hearing screams everywhere, I was seriously wondering whether retreat was the right choice, but...

“Over here! You dirty bastards!”

There was always a way. The ones who were drawing attention with their actions were the masked figures who had kidnapped me. It was my first time seeing them since then, but the fact that they were sacrificing themselves to protect the walls made me smile.

‘That’s what I’m talking about.’

“I leave the rest to you, Cassel...”

“

Ahhhhhh!

”

One of them charged at an enemy while covered in magic explosives. He showed his perseverance by holding onto the enemy’s leg, even though he couldn't move his arms and legs properly.

“Rohen... Protect Rohen. You must...!”

“Damn it! Damn it! You undead bastards!”

I deliberately placed them in the danger zone, and they put on a great sacrifice show, which met my expectations. I was worried that they would die before doing anything, but unlike my expectations, those masked scums managed to put on a great performance.

‘I suppose it’s a relief.’

If William were like Kim Hyun-Sung, he would be able to cover all the walls, but he wasn’t Kim Hyun-Sung.

He had gotten stronger after his awakening, but he wasn’t fit for that kind of combat. He would inevitably need help from others. He was as precise and as meticulous as a machine, but...

‘His Stamina and Agility are lacking.’

Even if I were to limit his route, the range William could cover was big. Out of all the guys I used, Rafael was the slowest one, but William was slower than Rafael. Of course, I'd say the decisive factor was the fact that William had no wings, unlike Rafael.

I had been trying to overlook his slowness, but I just couldn’t do it.

‘I don’t think he’ll be useful in the long run.’

Of course, he had other strengths.

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young,” William said.

“Yes?” I answered.

“...”

“Let’s go,” he said.

“It’s the Flower and Fertility Familia! Clear the path!”

“Clear the path! It’s the Flower and Fertility Familia!”

I had to admit that the members of the familia were coordinated.

It was impossible for Kim Hyun-Sung to really fit into the Blue Guild.

Actually, it could be done if I were to force it, but that wasn't the best way to utilize Kim Hyun-Sung.

None of the guild members—no, none of the adventurers on the continent were capable of coordinating with him. Ironically, William’s slowness played a big role in keeping the Flower and Fertility Familia together.

Their formation was still at the basic level, but after some adjustments, it changed completely. The group moved as one, as if trying to show everyone that they were a family rather than a party.

They knew each other’s movement patterns. Everyone understood what they needed to do at certain times. Groups like them were easy to control, so if one of them were to take the lead...

‘The rest of them would follow.’

The only thing William did was move, but I saw the members of the familia moving forward to support William as if they had all agreed to do so beforehand.

Their arrows, magic, spells, and movements were pretty basic, but the vanguards followed William and made a path using their shield. They were kind of slow, but I saw an attack powerful enough to actually do something.

Every time a crimson flower was drawn, a path would appear.

“Emilia!”

“Okay.”

“Mr. William is moving, so move! Don’t stop!”

Their planned actions unfolded before me. Unlike the Blue Guild, who were known for their distinct identities, this familia was different. I couldn’t compare the two and say who was more superior, but if I

had

to choose one team...

‘Our guild is a lot better.’

Even without Kim Hyun-Sung, the Blue Guild was still strong.

Of course, they couldn't be compared directly.

Excluding Ha-Yan and Kim Hyun-Sung, the Park-Ki-Ri siblings were a great team, but they tended to keep to their own circle.

Jo Hye-Jin would also become hard to control once she was on her unicorn, while Elena was hard to use because she relied heavily on the party’s support.

Han Sora was always with Jung Ha-Yan, so it was like she wasn't even on the battlefield.

As for Chang-Ryeol... I still couldn't deduce his thoughts.

Since each and every guild member was so unique, I couldn’t imagine them getting along, but once I was involved, it would be impossible for them not to get along.

‘That’s why they need me.’

It became clear to me that only someone like me was capable of controlling the Blue Guild. They could function as a party, but I was the only one who could bring out a hundred percent of their capabilities.

“Mr. Lee Ki-Young,” William said.

“We’ll be stepping outside the wall,” I informed him.

“Pardon?”

“We’re going to target the caster directly. That’s the only way,” I added.

“Are you saying we need to break through the undead?” he asked.

“I’ll try to avoid it... but I don’t think it’s impossible as long as I’m with all of you,” I said.

It was only for a moment, but the Flower and Fertility Familia showed me a breathtaking sight, and I could feel the air of the Blue Guild from them. The vast battlefield appeared before us.

The moment I walked out while wearing the wreath of light...

[Mainstream Event: Monarch of Sunset’s Second Story—the Army of the Forsaken Saint has started.]

I heard a voice.