"Huff, huff! Huff..."

Frondier was engaged in a fierce battle with the monsters on top of the barrier. He had already lost track of time. Judging by the high sun, it must be noon. It wasn't easy to even raise his head carelessly.

"Hey! Soldier! Catch your breath! If you're going to die, die to a monster! Do you want to die alone because you can't breathe!!"

Someone next to him yelled at Frondier. Maybe a high-ranking soldier. Frondier didn't know what rank he looked like right now. He didn't want to know either.

He tried to calm his breathing, but it was impossible for Frondier. Frondier's eyes, which were breathing roughly through his teeth, suddenly flashed.

Swish, swoosh!

Thud, thud-

Flying monsters swooped in amidst the chaotic battle, and upon spotting them, Frondier launched aerial spears to crush them.

Every time he did, mana flew away in chunks, his breathing became rough, and his legs trembled.

"Wow, Commander Sylvain. That's amazing. To think you were hiding such a skill. If it weren't for that, we would have been overwhelmed by those winged bastards and the barrier would have been breached long ago."

The soldier who had been yelling at Frondier muttered in admiration at the sight. Then he shouted at Frondier again.

"Hey! Raise your head, you brat! What have you done to be panting like that! If you don't look ahead, you'll die!"

"...Yes, sir."

Frondier answered curtly and raised his head. Even though his words were a bit harsh, he was right. If he didn't open his eyes properly and look ahead, he would never be able to open them again.

"Disgusting bastards..."

The soldier turned pale as he looked at the scene below the barrier.

The monsters were foolishly piling their bodies on top of each other, creating a ramp to climb the wall.

Their overwhelming numbers made it possible. Especially the black monsters, who were agilely stepping on other monsters and reaching the front of the wall. Most of the ones Frondier was dealing with were also black monsters.

However, since their movements weren't trained, they often collapsed on their own while trying to clump together. As if they had no learning ability, they repeated this several times.

Nevertheless,

'They don't stop...!'

The soldiers gritted their teeth at their persistent behavior. There were countless monsters dying, crushed by their own kind. Yet, they charged as if possessed, creating a ramp and climbing up, stepping on their own heads.

As if they didn't care about death, they threw themselves at the wall as if their lives depended on getting over it.

'Corpses are piling up below the wall. Soon, they won't even need to make a ramp.'

Whether they died from human attacks or were crushed by their own kind, most of the dead monsters were concentrated in front of the wall.

As time passed, their numbers accumulated, and the height of the corpses gradually approached the barrier. At this rate, they would climb over the corpses.

Perhaps this had been their tactic from the beginning. They had enough numbers to make it possible.

Of course, the humans wouldn't just leave this situation alone.

Swoosh-

Kaboom!

Fireballs, rocks, and typhoons cast by the mages on the barrier swept away the mountain of corpses in front of the wall. Each time, the mountain of corpses collapsed, and monsters were swept away and killed.

However, the expressions of the mages were not good.

'Those who are already dead...'

There were still so many monsters they had to fight, but they were using magic to clear away the mountain.

Mana was not infinite, and it took a considerable amount of mana to blow away the corpses piled up at the barrier. The mental strength and time required for casting were additional burdens.

Moreover, using magic to clear away the ones in front of the barrier naturally caused damage to the barrier as well. They tried their best to avoid the barrier while attacking, but it was impossible to completely avoid it.

"You damn bastards!! Don't let them touch the barrier!"

"Fuck, you think that's easy!!"

Shouts and curses flew across the battlefield. There was no time to mince words. They simply expressed their emotions as they were. Curses or shouts, everything would be forgotten once the war was over. If anyone held even a slight grudge, it could be resolved with a drink.

But lives would not return. Knowing this, everyone was desperate.

But then,

"Wh-what is that guy doing?"

A change occurred among the black monsters that had been charging ahead, stepping on other monsters. They climbed the mountain of monster corpses that had not yet been cleared away.

And then, they lay flat on top of it and extended their blackness like tree branches. The chunks of corpses they touched stuck together as if chained. The dyed black color locked them into one mass, regardless of individual bodies.

"Those crazy bastards..."

The masses of corpses formed in this way did not easily collapse even when directly hit by magic. They had to pierce through the durability of that blackness, but with the power of magic spread over a wide area, it wasn't easy.

Kieeek, kieeeek!!

Grrrr!

The sounds of the monsters grew closer. They climbed the uncollapsed mountain and approached the barrier.

"Ah, uh, uhh...!"

One soldier screamed in fear. Fear spread, and the familiar monsters from outside and the unidentified black monsters began to crawl over the barrier like leeches in sewage.

At that moment, Frondier saw Enfer guarding the front of the barrier. He was swinging his sword in front of the barrier gate.

With his attacks, dozens of monsters turned into corpses and flew into the air, but just as many monsters squeezed in, and those with unnecessarily large bodies blocked his view.

If Enfer turned his gaze away, the barrier gate would be smashed to pieces in that instant.

They couldn't expect Enfer's assistance. Nor Sylvain's.

Grit-

Frondier clenched his teeth.

Weaving, Obsidian

Rank - Divine

Khryselakatos, Lokhiera

He crushed the necklace, and the black droplets that gathered in his hand became a bow and arrow.

Frondier, who couldn't use Dragon Heart.

While annihilating the flying monsters with aerial weaving, he simultaneously eliminated the monsters climbing the barrier in front of him.

The mana remaining was already scarce.

Frondier, who had repeatedly depleted his mana in both training and actual combat, knew the consequences of exceeding his limits better than anyone.

"...Sleepy."

Frondier smiled. He could feel his blood burning. All moisture had evaporated, so even sweat wouldn't flow. His entire body creaked with the small movement of pulling the bowstring.

But it was okay.

Even if his body was shattered, even if the hand pulling the bowstring trembled, even if his vision was blurry and he couldn't see anything,

This arrow wouldn't miss its target.

Swoosh-

One arrow shot towards the sky and exploded like fireworks.

The sky shone brightly with light, while simultaneously casting a shadow below.

A selfish downpour that only soaked the monsters was forecast.