Why is it that whenever I’m on night watch, my mind gets flooded with useless thoughts?

Private Andre sighed heavily, leaning against his spear. The mountain of monster corpses, still smoldering with embers, gave off a thick, acrid stench that filled the no-man’s land.

Andre had originally been part of the regular royal army. When he first heard he’d be deployed to the no-man’s land, he had no idea how dire the situation was or what kind of place it truly was. All he remembered was that moment when his superior told him the news—he should have paid closer attention to the look on the man’s face.

"So… you're being sent to the no-man’s land," his superior had said with a strange mix of a smile and pity on his face.

"Good luck."

Andre hadn’t realized back then that it was a look of sympathy. He had been among the thousand soldiers sent to the no-man’s land. The journey was far from smooth. As they traveled east, the lush forests and rivers of the kingdom slowly disappeared, giving way to barren wasteland.

What greeted Andre in the no-man’s land was far more desolate than he had imagined. For days, they rode through a dusty landscape of rock and dirt, with nothing in sight. The one city they passed had been turned into a supply depot. Andre had hoped for a drink or some relaxation after a long day, but the city had long since lost any sense of life.

And then, the first battlefield he encountered… It was hell. Who had said it was just a matter of killing monsters? Probably the officer who had included him in the deployment. They had downplayed it, saying it was no big deal, just a simple task to earn some rewards. The kingdom wasn’t truly under threat, no matter how much the monsters had increased, they had claimed.

But not long after arriving at the border, the alarm bells had tolled. That was when Andre first realized something was terribly wrong. He and the other soldiers had been rushed to the walls by the knight leading them.

"Support the main force from the rear and follow my commands," the knight had said sternly, not bothering with introductions. He immediately gave orders, directing them to various parts of the wall.

"You lot, help with the oil cauldrons."

Andre had been assigned to one of the most dreaded duties in siege warfare—carrying the oil cauldrons. He glanced at the massive cauldrons, their ominous presence looming over him.

"Shit, oil duty?"
"That’s some bad luck."
"At least there are plenty of us to share the load."

But their grumbling was soon interrupted by something else.

"Does the ground feel like it’s shaking?"
"The ground?"

The soldiers' voices trembled with unease. Andre stepped away from the group to peer over the wall. What he saw made him scream before he could stop himself.

"Fuck, what the hell is that?!"

And so, the battle began, and with it came disciplinary actions for his outburst. Nearly decapitated by a werewolf while carrying that damned cauldron, Andre had watched as comrades fell one after another. He realized then just how fragile human life truly was.

Shaking off his thoughts, Andre returned to the present, back to the night watch.

"I’m so damn tired," he muttered under his breath, swearing profusely as he shook his head. Falling asleep on watch would be met with punishment far worse than he could imagine.

I just want to go home.

Andre leaned against his spear, mumbling to himself. He promised that after this deployment, he would quit the army and find something else to do.

He glanced up at the sky. It was getting lighter. Dawn was approaching, which meant his watch would soon end. He sighed in relief, hoping that today would pass without another swarm of monsters like yesterday.

"Sleepy, Andre?"

A passing knight jabbed him in the back with his elbow, startling him. Andre quickly straightened up.

"N-no, sir."

"Keep yourself together."

The knight moved on, kicking and prodding other dozing soldiers along the wall.

"Does that guy ever sleep?" Andre muttered under his breath as he resumed his watch, staring out at the approaching dawn. Just a little longer, and…

Boom.

Was that a dream? It felt like the ground was shaking. Andre blinked groggily, staring out into the wasteland. In the distance, the earth was darkening, as if being swallowed by shadows. It had to be a dream. The approaching mass of monsters and their hideous howls—it had to be a dream.

Then, the ground shook again.

"Mon… monsters."

Andre heard someone next to him mumble. The mumbling grew louder and soon turned into a shout.

"Monsters! Monsters are coming!!"

Andre echoed the cry.
"Monsters!! We’re under attack!!"

Chaos erupted as soldiers began running in all directions. One soldier dashed toward the bell tower, climbing the ladder as fast as he could. The knight cursed loudly, barking orders.

"You! Get to the barracks and wake everyone! You, go alert the duke!"

But something felt off. Staring down at the approaching horde of monsters, Andre realized they were moving faster and in greater numbers than before. Far more than the previous attack. Soldiers around him voiced their fear.

"They’re too fast!"
"And there’s too many… way more than last time!"

The ground trembled, more violently than before, as if every monster beyond the cliff was surging forward at once.

"What are you standing around for?! Get to your positions and prepare for battle!" the knight shouted.

Soldiers scrambled, tripping over each other and dropping their weapons. The horde of monsters below seemed almost orderly in comparison to the chaos on the wall.

They’re getting closer. The monsters were preparing to throw themselves against the wall. Andre joined the other soldiers carrying the oil cauldrons, but his eyes remained fixed on the advancing horde.

With a thunderous crash, the first wave of monsters slammed into the wall—not climbing, but hurling their bodies at it like living cannonballs. They exploded upon impact, leaving behind only splattered blood and gore.

Thud, thud, thud.

Skulls burst open, spilling brains onto the ground. The bodies of the monsters piled on top of each other, each one crashing into the wall and shaking it more and more.

"What the hell are they doing?!" Andre’s legs trembled. The four soldiers carrying the cauldron with him struggled to keep their footing.

"They’re ramming the wall… We need to move faster!"

The pulley system for lowering the cauldron down the wall was still some distance away. Gritting their teeth, the soldiers pressed on.

"Shit!" one of the soldiers cursed as he lost his balance and fell. The heavy cauldron crashed down onto his leg.

"Aaaagh!"
"Lift it, you bastards! Hurry!"

A veteran soldier dragged the injured man away, his leg likely crushed beneath the weight. Every time he was pulled, the man let out a cry of pain. Another soldier rushed to steady the wobbling cauldron.

The veteran, his voice hoarse, shouted at them.
"Move faster! We can’t let those bastards scale the walls!"

But then…

Andre saw it. The veteran’s head was gone, severed in an instant. The soldier supporting him had also lost his head. It was as if they were statues missing their heads from the start, frozen in place.

Their heads rolled toward Andre’s feet.

"…Shit."

Standing atop the wall were monsters, snarling as they breathed heavily. One of the lizard creatures had a soldier’s head in its mouth, its gaze fixed on Andre and the others carrying the cauldron.

Shit, shit!

Andre dropped the cauldron.
"Hey, you bastard!"
"Where are you going?!"

He ran, abandoning his comrades as he bolted down the wall. Monsters began to pour over the wall, tearing into the soldiers.

The bells rang out, ding, ding, ding, ding. Each step Andre took was followed by the tolling of the bell. The wall shook beneath him. He heard short, terrified screams behind him as his fellow soldiers carrying the cauldron were slaughtered. Andre ran even faster.

Then, a large, furry paw gripped the edge of the wall in front of him. A massive black wolf’s head appeared over the wall.

Oh.

This time, there would be no miracle. Andre realized that in an instant. He didn’t know who had said that your life flashes before your eyes when you die, but at that moment, Andre’s mind went completely blank. In the end, all a person can think about is how to survive.

"I want to go home," Andre whispered.

The wolf grinned, baring its fangs.

That was the last memory Private Andre ever had.

The camp had erupted into chaos, with soldiers running in every direction.

"What’s with the bells? It’s the crack of dawn!"
"Shit… grab your gear, now!"

Maxime’s camp was no exception. Half-awake knights fumbled with their weapons and armor, the clattering of metal echoing through the tent. Maxime stepped outside.

The bells were still ringing, more frantically than ever. Maxime looked up at the wall. Were there always that many figures on the wall? No, those weren’t people. Maxime squinted at the shadows darting through the air—those weren’t human shapes. He saw the shadows of people being tossed into the air, and the monsters rampaging along the wall.

"The monsters have breached the wall," a knight muttered in a daze.

"Did they do it on purpose to catch us off guard?"
"Don't talk nonsense, there's no way monsters could have that kind of intelligence."

Hexapeds and a single Fenrir were tearing through the top of the wall. Taking advantage of the confusion among the defenders, more and more monsters were climbing up the wall. A few knights, wielding aura-enhanced weapons, were slashing at the monsters as they scaled the wall, trying to regain control of the battlefield. But it was impossible to hold back the tide of creatures with just a handful of knights. For every monster they killed in one area, others were climbing up in another.

The defense line that had been established on the wall was collapsing.

"Damn it…"
"Run! We can't let them overrun the wall!"

Knights and soldiers were engaged in desperate combat, cutting down the monsters that had breached the defenses. Fighting on the stairways that led up the walls, they tried to hold back the relentless flow of creatures.

“There are too many! We need more support…”

One knight tried to call for reinforcements, but before he could finish his sentence, a massive shadow fell over him. The knight never finished his plea for help, meeting his end before the words left his mouth.

The monsters were swarming, covering the wall. The knights and soldiers rushed to the scene, trying to stop the breach.

Bodies fell from the wall, some of them human, others monstrous. The screeching cries of the monsters sounded different now—there was an unmistakable emotion in them: hatred. A deep, primal hatred that reverberated through their howls as they charged at the kingdom’s defenses.

Something was wrong. This wasn’t just another attack. Maxime’s face tightened as he watched the silhouettes pouring over the wall.

"Get to the wall!"
"Everyone, arm yourselves and get up there!"

Paola appeared beside Maxime, her face grim.

“This is bad.”

Her words carried the weight of the situation. She glanced at Maxime, signaling for him to follow her.

"Let’s go…”

Boom.

The ground trembled.

Maxime and Paola froze in place. This tremor wasn’t like the others they’d felt. The source was too close.

“...Damn it.”

Paola cursed under her breath. Maxime was about to charge forward, but Paola grabbed his shoulder.

“No, Maxime.”
“Senior Paola? But—”
“No... we have to retreat!”

Maxime looked at her in confusion. That’s when the Duke's voice rang out from behind them, high and urgent.

"Retreat!!!"

It was the most desperate command Maxime had ever heard, and it made the soldiers freeze in their tracks.

"Stop those men—now!!"
"What do you mean, retreat, my lord?!" one knight protested.

"Don’t ask, just do it!"

The knights hesitated.

Boom.

The ground shook again, more violently this time. Even the soldiers who had been running toward the wall hesitated, their steps faltering.

The wall was shaking.

And then something appeared over the top of the wall. Maxime couldn’t quite see what it was—his body, driven by some deep, primal fear, refused to let him look directly at it.

Looking down on them like they were nothing, Behemoth stood over the wall, staring down at the soldiers below.

In the next instant, the entire wall cracked.

It was the day the wall, the kingdom’s lifeline, fell.