The drums played, making the birds scatter into the air, adding to an ominous ambiance. Silence then fell before the sounds were replaced by the cries of monsters.
“They’re coming!”
Monsters rushed out of the forest, charging in towards the traps set by the humans. Soon, there were over hundreds of monsters charging through the plains. As they appeared, the Durans that were placed as bait began to cry in terror.
“FIRE!!”
Arrows were fired into the air as the monsters closed in. Thousands of arrows blanketed the sky before raining down upon the monsters.
“It’s time! Activate the traps!”
“Oo-rah!”
Tens of soldiers then whipped their horses and Durans to activate the traps that had been set. As thick ropes were pulled, wooden stakes that were buried in the grass fields sprang up, skewing the monsters as they charged straight into them.
“Fire! Fire!”
“They’re coming over! Throw the spears!”
Arrows and spears flew over, penetrating monsters that were climbing over the stakes. However, there were too many monsters and they soon closed the distance between them and the frontline soldiers with shields.
“Stop them! We have to stop them here!”
“Set the fire!”
The grass bundles were set on fire and monsters began to scream as they tried to back away.
“Attack!”
With an order, spears were thrust outwards between the shields at those monsters.
It was a terrible battle, but after around thirty minutes, the number of monsters began to dwindle.
“Ugh…”
A soldier slumped down onto the ground, breathing heavily. The ground was full of blood puddles everywhere, but it didn’t matter. Most soldiers around him were the same, slumped and breathing heavily.
“We’ve won.”
The soldier mumbled without much excitement or enthusiasm. Nobody expressed their victory with joy.
“Dammit. This is far from a victory….!”
The soldier frowned. He was looking at the bodies of his fellow soldiers, which were apparently much more than the number of dead monsters.
“But it’s better than before. At least we can fight back,” Pig-nosed Bex mumbled as Rodan smiled bitterly.
“I guess…”
They started the fight with much more soldiers on their end. They even had traps, but the monsters were too much to handle.
“Everybody, focus! Be thankful that you still live today. Every country is in the same situation. Be thankful to our Lord for supplying us to protect the village!”
A man that looked like a knight shouted and a few soldiers responded with hollow cheers. Most soldiers didn’t seem to be happy about it.
“Damn that assh*le. Did you hear what he just said?”
“The Lord is just protecting this place because we have grain fields.”
“Of course. He thinks we’re dumb peasants that know nothing.”
“You know what? I’m moving over to Khalodian when I get a chance.”
“What? I was thinking of that too.”
“But I’m worried if my kid and my parents can withstand such a long journey.”
“Are you serious? You don’t know about the sea route? You can take a ship and it will take you straight to Khalodian! I heard that no countries dare to stop their ships!”
“R-really?”
“Yeah. I’m taking a Khalodian ship at the Seirati River at end of this plain. It moves out to the sea and then I can take the ship there again to Khalodian.”
“Won’t it cost a lot?”
“Yeah, it will take everything I have, but I heard they provide you with everything you need if you get there. You can get a job, farmland, a house… gotta get out of this hellhole for our kids.”
The entire world was in dire need of help against the monsters. There were many countries where their capitals had fallen, and even some countries had already been destroyed. The land that the humans occupied had become less and less as the areas occupied by monsters kept expanding. However, there were still regions that were relatively safe.
To the west was a vast desert area. Countries that were inside that desert were safe from monster attacks as monsters did not venture into such a harsh environment. This made desert countries a perfect place to hide. Most people who had no way to reach Khalodian went into the desert. However, they still had their problems as those countries had no way to farm. Therefore, they were in need of food. If Khalodian did not supply them with food, they would have no way to take in such a huge number of refugees.
The Tei Kingdom and Sadiu Kingdom were two countries who benefited the most from this. Sadiu especially as it was closer to Khalodian. So, they were able to fight back monsters with the help of Khalodian. Half of Sadiu was a desert, but the other half was right beside the Khalodian Mountain Range, with monsters rushing down at them. Yet, they were successfully able to drive back the monsters.
“Kill those monsters!”
The battlefield was terrifying, with flesh and blood spread all over the place. Soldiers quickly attacked from the frontline as medics ran around the back to help any injured soldiers.
“It’s already been 7 years,” Marquis Ronald said, exhaustion apparent in his expression. It had been 7 years since they started fighting monsters that attacked the land. It was now rumored that half the population of the world had been wiped out.
Most of the lands were destroyed, with the nobles and kings running away without fighting to protect their lands. Only Khalodian and those countries who were friendly towards Khalodian were able to successfully defend against the monsters.
End of Chapter
