A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1641 - 1094 Fortress Defense Battle

Chapter 1641: Chapter 1094 Fortress Defense Battle

Snowflakes fluttered, and the cold wind whistled.

However, in this icy northern land, the Bastion Fortress was bustling with activity—one could even say it was a bit too heated.

Countless fire arrows streaked across the sky, colliding with the invisible transparent barrier. Kousaka Rina raised both hands, her face tense. Surrounding her were corpses scattered everywhere, both of demons and humans. But she had no time to worry about them; she was just doing her duty as best she could.

"Reina!"

Huang’zen Kumiko came running over, panting heavily. The girl who usually seemed leisurely and relaxed now looked like a completely different person, covered in blood. However, she appeared to be unharmed, and seeing her friend unscathed, Kousaka Rina felt a bit relieved and lowered her heart that had been hanging in suspense. She then turned her head to scrutinize Huang’zen Kumiko and asked her.

"Kumiko, are you all right? How is it over there?"

"The commander said we can hold on... but he doesn’t know for how much longer..."

As she spoke, Huang’zen Kumiko glanced toward the outside of the fortress. Looking out over the snowy expanse, the dark Demon Army that nearly covered the land was advancing toward the fortress. They roared madly, launching an attack on the fortress.

Their numbers were in the tens of thousands, while the entire Bastion Fortress had just over a thousand people, making it almost impossible to hold no matter what.

Yet they were holding on.

The biggest contributors to this were not the frontline group led by Huang’zen Kumiko, but rather Naruse Mio and Mahiru Chīna, the two sisters in the logistics group who were adept at engineering.

Unlike Naruse Mio, who could only manipulate gravity, Mahiru Chīna, whose heavenly duty was being a civil engineer, could easily grasp the condition of every part of the fortress. It’s akin to playing an RTS game where you can clearly see the durability of each section of the fortress, so no matter where an issue arises, Mahiru Chīna could spot it first and have Naruse Mio reinforce or repair it with gravity magic.

In fact, the power of the two almost equated to thousands of soldiers. It was because they were safeguarding the fortress from below that the soldiers could fully engage in the battle without worrying about the fortress being breached.

Besides, there’s also...

"Buzz—————!!"

Just as the Demon Army approached the fortress once again, a dazzling flash suddenly erupted from the walls, and a massive whistling beam swept across the battlefield from left to right. Wherever it passed, the demon beasts were reduced to ashes, utterly devoured by the raging energy flood.

Subsequently, a barrage of missiles burst forth, enveloping the entire battlefield in an inferno.

"It’s a good thing we brought this; otherwise, it would have been really dangerous."

Huang’zen Kumiko looked to the side with a complex expression, and Kousaka Rina nodded. No matter how much individual strength they possessed, it was not enough to contend with tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of enemies. The reason they could repel the enemy attacks, aside from the natural advantages of the Bastion Fortress and the active role of the engineering duo, was the Mammoth in front of them.

To be honest, at first, facing so many enemies, no one knew what to do. It was the engineering duo who came up with a solution. Naruse Mio manipulated gravity to lift the giant war machine, and Mahiru Chīna used all her strength to make a platform to place the machine on the wall to be used as a fortress cannon.

Thanks to the terrifying main cannon of the Mammoth and the relentless missile bombardment, in conjunction with the catapults on the Bastion Fortress, they repeatedly repelled attacks from the Demons and the Demon Army.

And Huang’zen Kumiko and her group’s task was simple: to ensure the war machine wasn’t captured or destroyed by the enemy. After all, the enemy wasn’t foolish. Upon realizing that the war machine posed the greatest threat on the battlefield, the demons launched fierce attacks. Although the Mammoth’s main cannon and missile launcher could eliminate most of the attacking forces, some stragglers would get through, and Huang’zen Kumiko and her team’s job was to clean them up.

"You weren’t injured, were you?"

"No, I’m fine. But the soldiers here are in danger; many have been seriously injured."

"It’s a good thing Kiyosumi is here; otherwise, who knows what might happen."

Apart from the engineering duo and the Mammoth, right now, the Bastion Fortress needed Kiyosumi Takanashi the most. Her Holy Woman status was extremely high, especially her regenerative and healing abilities, not only healing wounds but even regenerating lost limbs. Unlike Huang’zen Kumiko and other highly attributed individuals, the fortress’s soldiers didn’t possess such strength, inevitably suffering serious injuries fighting demons.

But as long as they didn’t die on the spot, even if missing arms or legs, Kiyosumi Takanashi could restore them to their original state.

Thus, the field hospital was in a dreadful state, often filled with bloodied, wounded soldiers carried in, only to emerge moments later fully healed and ready to rejoin the battle.

"Honestly, I was a bit frightened."

It was a brief moment of respite, and Huang’zen Kumiko stood by the wall, watching below. The recent barrage had cleared most enemies from the battlefield. Yet, stragglers would soon emerge, and if they didn’t seize the moment to rest, they wouldn’t have the stamina to hold out.

"Takanami’s ability is amazing; even if we return to the original world, she would probably be the center of attention. But for some reason, knowing that those healed will immediately rise from their beds to charge back to the battlefield, it feels like some form of torture..."

"Hahaha......"

Hearing Huang’zen Kumiko’s words, Kousaka Rina also gave a wry smile.

Indeed, when you think about it carefully, it’s quite terrifying.

"Boom...!"

Suddenly, at that moment, the city wall began to shake violently. Feeling the tremors, both of them tensed up and looked around. Kousaka Rina seemed to have noticed something and quickly pointed to the side.

"There! Kumiko!"

In the direction Kousaka Rina pointed, a giant insect, the size of a train, crawled up swiftly. It opened its mouth, and then dozens of demons jumped out, screaming as they raised their weapons and charged towards the two!

"It’s this again, leave it to me!"

Indeed, this was the demons’ method of trying to seize the walls. Such giant insects could automatically crawl up the walls. Due to the angle, neither catapults nor Mammoth vehicles could hit targets so close, which was why Huang’zen Kumiko and others had to protect the Mammoth.

To be honest, when the girls first saw such a giant insect, it scared them considerably, but fear is fear, they had to toughen up!

After all, now wasn’t the time to worry about one’s likes and dislikes; if they didn’t fight, they would die!

"Hah—!"

Facing the demons before her, Huang’zen Kumiko roared, gripping her Longsword tightly and swinging it forward with force. A flash of light appeared, and in an instant, the monsters in front of her were sliced in half. Even the massive transport bug behind them had its head sliced off, releasing its claws gripping the wall and crashing to the ground.

An ordinary adventurer would naturally be unable to achieve this, and this was the "strength" of Huang’zen Kumiko as a hero.

However, as for her personally...

When will Teacher Duanmu arrive!

She charged to the other side again, cutting down several more insects trying to transport demons onto the walls, and Huang’zen Kumiko looked up at the sky, panting.

Ilina has been gone for a long time, and I don’t even know if she successfully returned to the Tribunal. If Teacher Duanmu received the message...

"Boom!"

Perhaps it was this turn of her head that made Huang’zen Kumiko witness a sight she would never forget.

On the other side of the horizon, dense black clouds rolled like a tide, with bright red flames flashing and surfacing, making it seem as if the entire sky was ablaze. The air began to feel rushed and uneasy. Even the usual howling cold wind seemed to sense something and stopped, and the shouting around the fortress gradually quieted. Huang’zen Kumiko opened her mouth to say something but found herself unable to utter a word.

That feeling was like standing on the beach, staring at a tsunami rushing towards her, leaving only a sense of calm despair.

That is...?

Before Huang’zen Kumiko could react, the thick black clouds had already arrived above the fortress, mercilessly and dominantly swallowing the sky. Even the surrounding air transformed, from cold to scorching hot. An unimaginable terrifying pressure came over, striking the fortress like a tangible object, even changing the direction of the flags.

"What’s going on? What happened?"

Kousaka Rina was also nervous and turned around anxiously, while Huang’zen Kumiko seemed to have realized something, her eyes suddenly glowing. This fear, they were too familiar with! After all, to adapt to this feeling, they had suffered a lot, right?!

And the only person who could bring them this fear was...

"Teacher!"

"—!"

As if responding to Huang’zen Kumiko’s call, a figure fell out of the clouds like a burning meteor, crashing heavily in the center of the battlefield.

"Boom!!!!"

The next moment, the ruthless eruption of flames completely consumed everything in sight.