A few days later, the Demon Beast Front Line.
[From now on, it won't be small skirmishes like before.]
As if responding to Merlin's words from a few days ago, the Demon Beast Front Line was now facing an assault far more ferocious than ever before! Countless Demon Beasts surged out of the cedar forest in waves, as if launching a final all-out attack, transforming into an unprecedented colossal tide!
Fierce red lions with golden manes—Uridimmu.
Earth dragons with lion-like front claws, eagle-like hind claws, and poisonous scorpion-like tails—Mushussu.
Red-skinned Demon Beasts with three horns on their heads, resembling a mix of lion and dragon—Ushumgallu.
"…"
Not only were their numbers countless, but the types of Demon Beasts were also incredibly diverse.
The entire wave of Demon Beasts was a massive entity composed of these countless creatures. Since sunrise, they had relentlessly attacked the Demon Beast Front Line!
And as this massive Demon Beast assault pounded the Northern Wall, the resistance from the wall never ceased.
*PU-CHI—!*
Amidst the countless Demon Beasts, the sound of tearing flesh rang out in succession.
Wearing a war cloak drenched in blood, Xiang Yu gripped his Hegemon Spear with both hands, fighting like a frenzied warrior, slaying Demon Beasts one after another!
No, considering Xiang Yu's class as a Berserker, his current demeanor might be the most normal and reasonable.
*SWOOSH!*
The blade of the Hegemon Spear swept across the battlefield like a crescent moon. The sweeping slash instantly decapitated several Demon Beasts in front, and the resulting impact and aura blade cleaved through even more Demon Beast bodies behind them.
Without time to care about the blood splashing onto his body, Xiang Yu stepped forward again, swinging his Hegemon Spear downward with force!
*DONG—!*
The ground suddenly trembled. The shockwave from the heavy strike instantly knocked back and scattered a large number of Demon Beasts surrounding Xiang Yu!
(412 Demon Beasts killed.)
The Divine Civilization Machine (Xianjing) installed in Xiang Yu's body accurately recorded each battle outcome. Before today, this number would have equaled three or four waves of Demon Beast attacks, but now, it was merely a fraction of the first wave.
Their numbers were overwhelming. Even after killing so many Demon Beasts, the overall assault showed no signs of weakening.
Had all the Demon Beasts in the Mesopotamian plains been gathered here?
(I wonder how the situation is elsewhere.)
Due to the sheer number of Demon Beasts, to reduce the defensive pressure, Xiang Yu, Hinako, Tomoe, Ushiwakamaru, and Benkei had voluntarily left the Northern Wall to confront the Demon Beasts, aiming to reduce their numbers as much as possible.
But facing such an enormous enemy force, even a Servant could be injured or even defeated on this battlefield. Moreover, the five of them were spread out to cover every part of the front line.
A single warrior couldn't play a decisive role in the overall war. Venturing too deep alone could easily lead to disaster.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*
Meanwhile, at the Northern Wall behind them, the Dingir crafted by Gilgamesh fired projectiles one after another at the Demon Beast horde! The Noble Phantasms loaded within turned into a meteor shower crashing down amidst the Demon Beasts!
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
Massive explosions and blinding flames erupted on the battlefield, creating visible empty spaces among the Demon Beasts.
But the next second, those empty spaces were immediately filled by new Demon Beasts, charging toward the Northern Wall to destroy it!
With Xiang Yu's vision, he could see that the outer layer of the Northern Wall was already damaged from the Demon Beast attacks. Perhaps after three or four more assaults, a breach would appear.
The situation for Nobunaga and Leonidas, who were holding the defense, must also be dire.
Nobunaga, hovering in the air, had summoned her three thousand Matchlock rifles. The gunfire relentlessly cleared the Demon Beast horde like a blazing storm! Each salvo could kill a large number of Demon Beasts. Her firepower alone could rival Dingir!
Yet, the result was the same as before. The Matchlock rifles' clearing speed couldn't keep up with the Demon Beasts' reinforcements.
"Damn it, this is never-ending! Even we Servants will die of exhaustion from these numbers!"
Nobunaga panted, complaining.
This all-out Demon Beast assault had been ongoing since dawn. Judging by the sun's position, the battle had lasted over two hours. The human soldiers were already exhausted, and the Servants had been fighting nonstop until now. The Mana consumption was truly lethal, regardless of physical endurance!
*CRASH!*
A loud collapsing sound came from below.
Nobunaga immediately looked at the Northern Wall—a powerful Demon Beast attack had finally torn a breach in the wall! Countless Demon Beasts flooded through the gap!
Amid the battlefield's roars, human screams suddenly mixed in.
(This is bad! Most of the soldiers inside the Northern Wall right now are the wounded. Even with Leonidas—)
Without hesitation, Nobunaga flew back from above the wall into the Northern Wall. Her Matchlock rifles aimed at every Demon Beast below and fired in unison!
*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*
*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*
Many Demon Beasts flooding the wall fell thanks to Nobunaga's rescue efforts. But at the same time, more Demon Beasts surged through the breach!
(Damn it, Leonidas is already struggling to hold two gates—he doesn't have the energy to hold here. If I stay here, the pressure outside will skyrocket, and those others definitely won't be able to hold it!)
(But if we don't hold here and let the Demon Beasts break through this defense line, it's all over!)
Nobunaga kept firing at the attacking Demon Beasts while thinking of her next move, but the overwhelming numerical disparity made all strategies seem futile.
And at that moment—
*BOOM!*
From the direction of Uruk, a sound of breaking through the air suddenly echoed from afar!
"Everyone, retreat to the Northern Wall! Fall back into the city and coordinate with Merlin, Merry, and Morgan, who will arrive soon to set up a shield! Leave the outside to me!"
The voice resounded in every Servant's mind simultaneously.
Xiang Yu and the others, struggling against the Demon Beasts on the battlefield, turned to the sky. Their tense expressions showed a hint of relief.
Since dawn, when it was confirmed that a massive number of Demon Beasts had attacked, the Northern Wall had sent a request for reinforcements to Uruk. Given the distance between the Northern Wall and Uruk, these must be reinforcements sent immediately after receiving the information, right?
Of course, only the person who just issued that announcement could pull this off.
"Natsukawa!"
After nearly ten days, the strongest reinforcement had arrived at the Northern Wall.
After swinging her sword to cut down all the Demon Beasts around her, giving herself a brief moment to breathe, Ushiwakamaru immediately looked not far from her side: "Benkei! You heard it too, right! Retreat!"
"Understood, Ushiwakamaru-sama!"
Benkei's response came through the Demon Beast horde. Not far away, accompanied by a sudden rain of red blood, the Demon Beasts in its path collapsed, and then Akuta Hinako and Xiang Yu, riding his horse Wu Zhui, burst out from the Demon Beast ranks! They sped toward the Northern Wall!
Seeing this, Ushiwakamaru quickly rushed back to the Northern Wall as well.
And a few seconds later—
*ROAR!*
Several towering tornadoes suddenly appeared in the desert without warning! They instantly sucked all the Demon Beasts into the ferocious storm!