Chapter 626

Zeon muttered as he watched Levin roam the skies as if they were his own home.

“He’s doing well.”

Unlike the monsters active on the ground, flying-type monsters were not easy to deal with.

Not only were there very few Awakeners capable of flying, but it was also impossible to keep up with the flying monsters’ incredible speed.

A mediocre Awakener would only become food for flying monsters the moment they rose into the sky.

But Levin was different.

He possessed the fraudulent ability known as Ghostification.

Ordinary physical attacks had absolutely no effect on his body.

That alone was incredible, but recently, after reaching S-rank, his Ghostification ability had evolved another step.

Levin’s flight speed in Thunder God Transformation was faster than the monsters’, and their attacks themselves did not work on him.

On top of that, he poured down lightning like rain, making most flying-type monsters no match for him.

With Levin joining the battle, breathing room finally opened up above the fortress.

The Awakeners blocking the giant monsters advancing below no longer had to divide their attention toward flying monsters and could fight with their full strength.

Kwaang! Boom!

Massive mana particle cannons roared.

They were difficult to land against nimble monsters like flying-types, but against giant and sluggish large monsters, mana particle cannons were perfect.

—Kwoooar!

The monsters struck by the mana particle cannons were swept away.

Against medium-sized monsters and above, they inflicted only pain, but to smaller monsters, mana particle cannons were nothing short of catastrophe.

The small monsters avoided the mana particle cannons and charged forward at terrifying speed, only to soon crash into a towering wall.

A massive wall ten meters high had suddenly risen from the earth.

It was a barricade built by the Steel Fortress specifically to block monsters.

Normally hidden underground, it emerged at moments like this when monsters attacked, forming a towering barrier.

It was useless against giant monsters larger than the wall itself, but against small species like these, it was perfect.

Mana particle cannons and bullets delivered death to the small monsters whose movement had halted against the barricade.

Countless small monsters lost their lives.

But it was too early to feel relieved.

Medium-sized monsters and above, possessing overwhelming defense, were still intact.

Kwachik!

As the giant monsters pushed forward, the enormous barricade collapsed helplessly.

Small and medium monsters leaped over the fallen barricade and charged toward the Steel Fortress.

Gwaaaang!

At that moment, enormous transport vehicles charged toward the medium-sized monsters.

Mounted at the front of the vehicles were giant ram-like battering horns.

They had been specially modified to deal with medium-sized monsters.

The engine output and weight had been maximized to increase destructive power, and huge battering horns were attached to the front so they could pierce the monsters’ thick hides.

Their destructive power was astonishing.

Kwachik!

Thud!

The medium-sized monsters failed to evade the transport vehicles and were skewered by the battering horns.

The monsters impaled by the horns writhed and tried to rise, but they could not move beneath the crushing weight of the enormous buses.

From here on, it was the Awakeners’ turn.

“Go!”

“Uwaaaah!”

The Awakeners who had been waiting rushed forward and mercilessly slaughtered the medium-sized monsters pinned beneath the transport vehicles.

The giant monsters could have helped the endangered medium-sized monsters, but nothing of the sort happened.

In the first place, concepts like helping one another did not exist in the monsters’ ecosystem.

They devoured even their own kind if they were weak, so there was no reason for them to help another creature simply because it was in danger.

The giant monsters paid no attention to the medium and small monsters dying nearby and continued walking forward indifferently.

The giant monsters had not invaded of their own will.

They had been mentally dominated by the item possessed by Del Roa and were charging forward under control, focused only on advancing.

The command given to them was to open the path to the Steel Fortress, not to protect monsters of other species.

Thud! Thud!

The giant monsters advanced with heavy footsteps.

Even the Awakeners slaughtering the medium monsters let the giant monsters pass.

There were others assigned to deal with them.

Numbers and the elites of each district.

Only forces of that level could hunt giant monsters.

“Let’s go!”

Seong Hoyeon, leader of Numbers, led the elites into battle against the giant monsters.

—Kaoooo!

“Uraaah!”

The roars of giant monsters and the battle cries of Awakeners rang out simultaneously.

Kwarrr!

The collision between humans and monsters shook the earth as if an earthquake had struck.

The tremors were so violent they could be felt even inside the Steel Fortress.

Inside the fortress, Urtian waited together with the Awakeners.

“Everyone, prepare yourselves. The raiders will break through soon. They’re ours.”

“Uoooooh!”

The Awakeners let out bizarre war cries, igniting their fighting spirit.

Though countless Awakeners and civilians were gathered inside the Steel Fortress, not a single one showed fear.

Many of the fortress’s original inhabitants had once been scavengers—hard-bitten survivors who had endured the desert for years.

The Awakeners sent from Neo Seoul were the same.

They were prepared to gladly throw away their lives to protect their home.

No matter how strong or numerous the enemy was, there was not a single coward willing to retreat quietly.

Someone watched those Awakeners in admiration.

It was Hera, leader of the elves.

She too had crossed from Neo Seoul to the Steel Fortress together with her subordinates.

Beside Hera stood Riala and her followers.

Riala had already heard from Hera about what had happened in Neo Seoul.

“That was close. If Lady Serian had crossed over to their side, the tide of battle would have become far more difficult.”

“If the portal had been destroyed, an even greater disaster would have followed. This place would have been completely isolated.”

“Not only that, the path to the Forest of Origins would have been cut off too.”

“I don’t know how Lord Del Roa learned about the portal, but things won’t go the way he wants.”

The Forest of Origins was the elves’ ideal paradise.

For now, only part of it had been opened, and only a small number of elves could enter and leave, but as time passed and the forest expanded greatly, all the elves who came with Hera would eventually be able to live there.

And though Zeon had not yet revealed it, a World Tree was growing somewhere.

If they connected even to the forest containing the World Tree, the elves would be able to live in an environment similar to Kurayan.

What Del Roa was doing was no different from trying to destroy the elves’ future.

Hera had trusted and followed Del Roa more than anyone for over a hundred years, but she could never stand by and watch such actions.

Hera cherished and loved the elves more than Del Roa.

Naturally, she had no choice but to stand on the elves’ side.

The elves who had settled in the Steel Fortress with Hera felt the same way.

At first, living together with the people here had felt awkward, but as time passed, they gradually came to understand one another’s circumstances.

Some had even fallen in love with humans.

For now, they still watched the reactions of those around them, but it was obvious that with time, they would build families.

The two races that had rejected one another for so long were rapidly becoming one.

That was why, though the Forest of Origins was important, they could not abandon the Steel Fortress.

The elves stood fully armed, waiting for Hera’s order to sortie.

The humans led by Riala loved the Steel Fortress even more than the elves did.

They were risking their lives to protect the Steel Fortress, where they could raise children without suffering persecution or discrimination from other races.

If the situation turned unfavorable, they were fully prepared to step in at any moment.

Suddenly, Hera’s gaze turned toward Zeon, who stood at the entrance.

A fierce battle was raging in front of the Steel Fortress, yet for some reason, Zeon still had not moved.

“Why hasn’t he acted yet? If he stepped in, he could stop the monsters’ advance in no time.”

No matter how large the giant monsters were, if Zeon truly wished it, he could create a massive canyon before the Steel Fortress that would not be easy to cross.

To others, it might sound insane, but Hera knew Zeon possessed that kind of power.

Yet for some reason, Zeon only watched as the Awakeners clashed against the monsters.

Riala spoke.

“I think he wants us to overcome this crisis with our own strength.”

“Our own battle?”

“Probably.”

“Then what about his battle?”

“I don’t know exactly, but it feels like he’s preparing for an even greater war.”

“A feeling?”

“Yes. That’s the feeling I get.”

“Hmm.”

Hera let out a low groan.

She could not refute Riala’s words because she herself had begun feeling something similar.

Zeon possessed power so immense it was difficult to believe he was human.

It was as though he had appeared on this land to face something other than humans.

“It’s fortunate he’s on our side.”

“Yeah.”

Just as Riala agreed with Hera—

“Uwaaaah!”

A tremendous roar rose from outside.

Having lived in El Harun for so long, Riala and Hera immediately recognized it as the cry of the other races.

The main force of the other races, driving the monsters before them, had finally approached the Steel Fortress.

The two hurried toward the entrance where Zeon stood.

They could see the other races lined up behind the monster army.

At the appearance of those they had once shared hardships and joys with, the expressions of Riala and Hera stiffened.

“They’ve come.”

“Hoo…”

Their faces darkened.

Whether they liked it or not, the fact that they now had to wage war against people they had lived alongside for over a hundred years weighed heavily on their hearts.

But Riala soon shook off the unpleasant feeling.

Now they were enemies.

Showing sympathy toward the enemy would be a betrayal to the people of the Steel Fortress.

Like Riala, Hera quickly cast aside her lingering attachment and steeled her fighting spirit.

Their gazes turned toward Del Roa, standing proudly at the center of the allied races’ army.

---

“So the traitors are over there.”

Del Roa frowned as he looked at Riala and Hera standing at the entrance of the Steel Fortress in the distance.

They each had their own circumstances, but to Del Roa, they were traitors.

No matter the circumstances, they never should have betrayed him after living alongside him for over a hundred years.

“Grit! I’ll tear those bitches apart and feed them to the monsters.”

“They are mine.”

Standing behind Del Roa, Krudu glared at Riala and the others with hostility burning in his eyes.

Among all the races, the giant race led by Krudu had paid the greatest price on the journey here.

If they had not blocked and subdued the attacking monsters, they would never have been able to preserve this many troops.

Suddenly, Del Roa’s gaze shifted toward Zeon beside Riala.

“The Sand Mage!”

In that instant, Del Roa’s boiling blood turned cold.

Simply facing Zeon caused his body to react instinctively.

That was how unsettling Del Roa found Zeon.

The overwhelming might Zeon had displayed until now naturally forced him into tension.

Del Roa frowned.

“So they failed to recruit the queen of the other races after all?”

If only Serian had crossed to their side, the Steel Fortress would have fallen into chaos.

Yet there was no sign of confusion within the fortress.

Rather, everything was orderly, and their fighting spirit seemed ablaze.

Instinctively, Del Roa realized his plan had gone wrong.

“And the portal… is safe as well?”

“It seems Osollo and the Shadow Tribe failed their mission.”

“This has become troublesome. But we cannot give up now. If we fail to seize this place, there will be no land left for us.”

“We will absolutely capture that place. Once we destroy the portal afterward, Neo Seoul will no longer be able to interfere here.”

“I’m counting on you alone, Krudu.”

“Leave it to me. I will personally kill that Sand Mage, seize the Steel Fortress, and offer it to Lord Del Roa.”

“Go, Krudu! Show the humans the might of the giant race.”

“Yes!”

Thud! Thud!

Krudu stepped forward with his reply.

Behind him followed the vast giant legion.

The true war had begun.