Chapter 223


    Deep into the night, I exhaled heavily, my gaze fixed on thest werewolf standing before us.


    It was the final Gray Werewolf.


    The creature, already torn to shreds, was gasping through its punctured lung, emitting a boiling cry of agony.


    The fight against thest of the werewolf spawn had be utterly tiresome.


    They did everything in their power to prevent us from destroying their neural cores. Not only did they ambush us, but even when skewered by our swords and spears, they would break our Part-Destroyer Drills and refuse to die. They would even hug their own neural core before falling, as if they were trying to protect it.


    But their annoying resistance had finallye to an end.


    "You crawl out of a snakes asshole to mess with us, and this is how it ends, you bastard?" I raised my middle finger in the face of thest werewolf.


    "Yeah, no matter how much you screw with the bnce, Ill still clear this. Keep it up with your bullshit. Itll all be fodder for my crew."


    The grand principle of RPGs: what doesnt kill you makes you stronger.


    Ive harvested the XP from 40 werewolves, and Im looking forward to the bonus rewards after the clear.


    As I looked down at the werewolf with these thoughts, the creature grinned. As if very pleased.


    "What are you grinning about, you freak?" I muttered incredulously.


    "We have aplished our goal, human," the creature responded, surprisingly articte.


    Caught off guard by its speech, I listened as it continued, "Weve stalled you for as long as we needed to. Now, you wont be able to stop the snake."


    "What are you tal" I tried to continue the conversation, but the creatures breath cut off.


    Frowning, I looked down at its corpse and then up at the neural core. The werewolves bodies were stacked around it, adhering to it likeyers of leather on bone. Lit by the bright moonlight, the sight sent chills down my spine. I gritted my teeth and opened the system window.


    [Jormungandr - Status of Part Destruction]


    - First Vertebra: 86%


    - Second Vertebra: 99%


    - Third Vertebra: 99%


    Almost done with the second vertebra...


    Just then, a notification sound rang out.


    Ding!


    The second vertebras Part Destruction wasplete.


    All that was left was this head section.


    I took a reuncher from my bag, loaded a yellow re, and shot it into the sky.


    WhoooshBang!


    A yellow re meant rally. Now the rear party members would gather at the head. All that was left was to destroy the final vertebra together.


    I looked at my main party members.


    They were all bloodied and had minor injuries, but no one was showing it. They were ready to resume the Part Destruction process.


    "Once we bust this damned horn, its all over," I yelled, kicking the final vertebra.


    "Lets push through for just a few more hours!"


    My party members nodded in unison and began removing the werewolf corpses stuck to the vertebra.


    I joined in and casually nced toward the north.


    Crossroad had grown much closer than before.


    My mouth was parched, and I turned my attention back to tearing apart the werewolf corpses.


    ***


    It took a considerable amount of time to strip the werewolf corpses of their vertebra.


    By the time that task was done, the members of the rear party started to join us by climbing up on hooks.


    "Once we smash this damn thing, our three days of hellish toil will finally be over, right?" Kun, his face flushed from operating the drill all day, and members of the Penal Squad began to yell as they took their drills to destroy the vertebra.


    "We better get a generous vacation and bonus for this, Your Highness!"


    "As if they wouldnt give it to us."


    Despite everyone being in terrible condition, they desperately attacked thest vertebra.


    Crack!


    While the Penal Squads five members were focused on destroying parts, the main party members stepped back for a brief rest.


    Junior, in particr, was in terrible shape even after fighting back-to-back battles while injured.


    Evangeline gently rested Juniors head on her knee and let her sleep for a moment.


    I also wiped my sweaty, dizzy forehead when Reina flew up to me on a hook and spoke.


    "Your Highness."


    "What is it, Officer Reina?"


    "Were not far from Crossroad now."


    Looking toward Crossroad, now clearly visible to the naked eye, Reina mumbled. I clenched my mouth shut.


    "Well reach the city walls in less than an hour at this rate."


    "What are you getting at, Officer Reina?"


    "Can you really stop this serpent within that hour, Your Highness?"


    I didnt answer.


    Even as we conversed, the walls were getting closer by the second.


    Damn it.


    When the durability of thest vertebra reaches 10 percent, it receives various hardening buffs.


    In other words, it bes tougher. More difficult to destroy. This is the final gimmick.


    Were running out of time.


    Just barely... insufficient.


    "...Your Highness."


    Reina tapped the ground with her foot.


    "This serpent Jormungandr is a Civilization Devourer, as you said. It destroys worlds, consumes civilizations, and grows."


    "...Yes."


    "So, after it scales the walls and consumes Crossroad, itll growrger. After that, well essentially have no way to stop it, right?"


    "Thats right."


    A moment of silence passed.


    "...Your Highness, are you aware that human sacrifices have been urring in the Imperial Capital?"


    Caught off guard by the sudden topic, I looked back at Reina. The face of the Mage Officer was expressionless and cold.


    "Yes, I know. They extract magical power through human sacrifices for Evercks operations."


    "That operation is managed by our Magical Corps."


    As if discussing routine ounting, Reina lightly dropped the fact that they had been burning people alive.


    "Because we are more skilled at managing magical power than any other army, we were moved from the First Legion to the Imperial Familys central control. We were responsible for burning prisoners and convicts in human sacrifices."


    I couldnt hide my difort and frowned.


    "...Why are you telling me this now, Officer Reina?"


    "Your Highness."


    Taking a deep breath, Reina continued,


    "To cut to the chase, theres something called a Shutdown Protocol currently installed in Crossroad. Its a magic circle designed for human sacrifice."


    ...She spat out something crazy.


    My eyes widened in disbelief.


    "What?"


    "While Your Highness was away, we who came down as reinforcements installed it here. In fact, that was the very reason for our deployment."


    Reina matter-of-factly exined to my frozen self.


    "Since Your Highness has shown an overt hostility and rebelliousness toward the central authority, it was deemed necessary to put you on a leash, so to speak. Hence, it was installed."


    "What does that"


    "Its intended to be a form of coercion, in case you disobey the Imperial Familysmands in the future. We inscribed the magic circle without supplying it with magic power, so it went undetected by others."


    My trembling hand clenched into a fist.


    "If this Shutdown Protocol is activated, it will incinerate all humans within the fortress and use that massive energy to magically seal off the entire area. Once sealed, it bes impervious to any external intrusion."


    "..."


    "Its generally installed in areas suspected of rebellion or in conflict zones with enemy states. We just set it up and monitor. If we detect any subversive activitiesboom!"


    Reina snapped her fingers and grinned maliciously.


    "...Thats basically what the spell is."


    Wham!


    I lunged at her, grabbing Reina by the cor. I gritted my teeth and finally spoke.


    "So youre saying, youve essentially put bomb cors on my citizens...! Whats your kind exnation for this, Commander Reina?"


    "...The Protocol can stop Jormungandr. Thats why."


    Reina looked up at me with emotionless eyes.


    "You said yourself, Your Highness, if Jormungandr isnt stopped, the world will end."


    "..."


    "Directly north of Crossroad lies the Imperial Capital, New Terra. If Jormungandr grows evenrger and crushes New Terra, can you imagine the consequences?"


    The image of that beautiful coastal city being trampled by a gigantic serpent shed in my mind.


    "The lives of millions in New Terra will be endangered. Not just thatevery city in Jormungandrs path would beid to waste."


    "..."


    "More than half of the Empires poption and 80% of its industry are concentrated in the Imperial Capital. Losing it means the Empires destruction. As a soldier, its my duty to protect the Imperial Capital and the Empire."


    Reina spoke calmly.


    "Isnt it a cheap price to pay if the lives of a few tens of thousands in Crossroad can preserve the whole Empire?"


    "Im the lord of Crossroad! You think Ill allow that?!"


    "I am a soldier of the Empire, Your Highness. What I aim to protect is the Empire and the Imperial Familys well-being, not the preservation of some provincial backwater."


    Reina casually nced to the north.


    "Two of my subordinates are already preparing to activate the magic circle."


    My fist trembled.


    The two mages who were left behind when Jormungandr caused the avnche.


    Could it be they didnt fall behind but deliberately stayed back...?!


    "And when I send the signal through this transmitter, well immediately execute the shutdown protocol."


    Reina shook a ck transmitter from her bag.


    "That would stop the serpent from crossing into Crossroad, giving us ample time tofortably destroy its vertebra."


    "You think Id ept such a proposal?!"


    "Didnt you say youre fighting to protect the world, Your Majesty? Please make a rational decision."


    With the switch in her hand, Reina coldly presented her case.


    "Crossroad, and the world. Lose both, or just one."


    "..."


    "If Your Majesty fails to make an urate judgment..."


    Reina raised her finger to the transmitter.


    "...I will have no choice but to decide at my discretion."


    ***


    Meanwhile, at Crossroad.


    "The city feels eerie because its empty..."


    "Haha, thats true. Everyone has evacuated to the north."


    Walking through the alley in front of the temple, Damien and Kureha were casually chatting.


    While all the residents had fled to the northern part of the city, the two had secretly stayed behind to spend time together.


    Theyd been hiding to sleep, hiding to eat, and even when people from the temple came looking for them, they hid together in some corner of the alley.


    In short, they were partners in mischief.


    "This is kinda fun, isnt it?"


    The two had grown close in a few days, and the older Kureha spoke openly with Damien.


    "Ill probably get in trouble when all this is over tomorrow, but it feels fun because its like Im disobeying my mom and hanging out."


    "Hahaha, true."


    Tomorrow, when the evacuation decree ends, theyd likely get a good scolding from Saintess Margarita and Lilly, but doing something they werent supposed to was thrilling. Damiens face had lightened considerably.


    "The monsters should be attacking soon..."


    Looking toward the southern wall, Damien mumbled.


    Both were wide awake because the monsters would soon invade, so they were walking through the deserted streets.


    "Whenever there was a defense battle, Id always participate. But being this far away actually..."


    "Actually, what?"


    "Makes me more nervous."


    Damien looked down at his empty hands.


    "I thought Id feel better being far away, but..."


    "..."


    Just as Kureha was about to say something, in response to the boy who felt more ufortable being away from the battlefield,


    "Huh?"


    "What?"


    They spotted something strange.


    Just as they stepped into the citys central square, where there should have been no one... two wizards, one in a white robe and the other in a ck uniform, were drawing a blood-red magic circle.


    They were two mages from the reinforcement party. Damien blinked.


    Werent these the people who had left to fend off Jormungandr?


    "What are you wizards doing here?"


    Upon hearing Damiens shouted question,


    "...Eh?"


    "...Gah!"


    The mages, Kitty and Piggy, who were preparing the shutdown protocol, broke into a cold sweat.


    An awkward silence fell among the four.