Chapter 73: Chapter 73: The First Firewall

Oxdale’s strategy was quite simple. After the Arcanists had spent all of their area damage capability to cause as many casualties as possible, small detachments of a few hundred Warriors each would be sent to the frontline to intercept the monster from crossing the boundary set up in the plan.

There were bunkers in every direction for Artificer to hold and utilize their long-range weapons. Should any monsters lucky enough to breach the defensive perimeter, the mana firearms would be activated to eliminate them. This was made to be extremely effective against enemies in the air.

Inside the headquarters, orders were given out rapidly. Marvin had been discussing with all sides about what to do next.

“The number of monsters inside detection range has reached as high as five thousand,” Lena Quinn said. “We should proceed now.”

“Yes, our number is significantly inferior to theirs,” Ira, the master of the Maester Guild, raised his voice in discontent. “The Maesters are taking turns treating the unlucky Warriors and Arcanists, but we will soon be overwhelmed. We need a break, so stop delaying, Marvin!”

Meinhard nodded in agreement. The fighting capacity of the Arcanist forces had been greatly depleted. Whatever the case was, Oxdale was not a place equipped for war, and Arcanist was the faction with the least practitioners.

“Alright,” Marvin lowered his voice. “Don’t you think I want to minimize our casualties too?”

Having said that, he pressed his finger on the hologram screen.

“Initiate Firewall.”

As the command was given, around the town’s wall, orange flares were shot up, blasting a loud signal that echoed through the whole frontline.

The captains of the many squads heard that and instantly raised their voices.

“Everyone, fall back!”

The combat groups quickly heeded the order, swinging their weapons at the enemy while slowly giving ground. Still, some turned their backs, leaving openings for monsters with an edge in speed to exploit. A Warrior who was running was jumped by a Bartooth, its fangs digging deep inside the man’s throat, making him stumble forward. The unlucky Warrior, at the moment his life left his body, was pierced in the chest by a cylinder device protruding from the ground. None of his fellow soldiers turned their heads to look at him, for they all knew all it took was a single moment of hesitation, and they would be the next victim.

The devices that had been coming from the ground were flamethrowers set up in a circle surrounding Oxdale.

Marvin, inside the command room, after having seen the green dots representing his men fall back behind the designated line, made a move like pulling something up in the air.

On the battlefield, hundreds of these devices instantly unleashed columns of flame, five meters high, creating a dazzling blue wall. The horde of monsters immediately slowed down in terror, but a few still ended up in the fire, being pushed into it by the one behind it that didn’t stop in time.

Plants and crops that hadn’t yet been harvested around the firewall also burst into flame. The smell of burnt flesh could be sensed from afar. The sight of ashen figures twitching inside a veil of dark blue flame made the soldiers shout out in excitement. 

The wave of monsters had finally managed to stop pushing its kind at the front to their death and instead started wandering around while keeping a safe distance from the firewall, growling with their fangs out. They slowly stepped backward as if being directed to do so, not realizing more and more of the fire columns were coming up until the battlefield was full of those things.

Each flamethrower was connected to the other by a hidden railway that was as long as two hundred meters. At the other end of the front line, behind the horde of monsters, another circle of these devices protruded up. As soon as the monsters showed signs of falling back, it was activated, creating a second wall of fire.

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When the beasts realized they couldn’t escape, they screeched and howled even louder as if they had finally regained their instinct of fear, dislodging any directives or frenzy of the plague to find any lifelines for themselves. Still, no mercy was given as the two blazing walls started moving into each other, closing the gap between them with fiery death. 

The sound of the monsters grew more chaotic, desperate, and terrifying as they clumped up. As their surviving space shrunk, they turned on each other, crawling, biting, pushing, and climbing onto the one next to them in hope of avoiding the inferno. The fire didn’t seem to care. It didn’t stop, like a gigantic beast closing its jaw to consume its prey.

Against the wall, the monsters jumped right at the flame, seeking a sliver of survival chance that their thick skins or quick feet could save them. Yet, unbeknown to them, the odds hadn’t been there in the first place. As soon as their bodies touched the wall, they disintegrated at a horrifying rate. The flame pierced their skins like swords piercing paper. What came out on the other side of the veil of death was but a deformed, unrecognizable mess.

The devices were crafted by the best of the Artificers in Oxdale, and Dan Herring himself had augmented them with specialized mana crystals. Therefore, the flame that was unleashed was far more potent than a normal one, comparable to one from the skills of a High Herald Arcanist. Its effectiveness didn’t let anyone in the command room down, and the number of red dots on the screen quickly dropped. Only now did the commanders give a sigh of relief.

“Can’t it be used a second time right away?” Marvin asked with a frown.

“Yes, the device needed to be cool down and refueled,” Lena responded. “You must understand it consumes an enormous amount of mana crystals.”

“I know,” Marvin was still feeling uneasy, putting his hand on his chin and contemplating.

“The next attack wave doesn't normally come fast,” Meinhard offered reassurance. “We’ll have time to rally.”

“That’s if it’s normal,” Marvin said with a solemn voice. “Normally, Oxdale would not face such an event alone. Hell, normally, this damn Monster Surge shouldn’t even happen here in the first place.”

Meinhard had to nod without responding. Nobody could turn down Marvin’s concern for over-confidence and contentment in moments like this only proved one’s arrogance. This showed how much the Mayor really cared about his people. For protecting themselves was not a problem with anyone standing in this room.

Marvin swiped at his skinny face, trying to calm himself down.

“I will do whatever it takes to prevent Oxdale’s fall as long as I’m the Mayor,” he said with determination in his eyes.

The horde of monsters had died en masse, leaving a field full of blackened bodies of all shapes and sizes. Some of them were still barely breathing, trying to survive in the air thickened with smoke and burnt smell, their eyes slowly collapsed from all the excruciating pains all over their bodies.

As the creatures reached their limit, so was the wall of flame. The flamethrowers shut down when their temperature reaches the designated threshold. The column of flame separated as their intensity dropped until there was only smoke and steam in the air.

The Oxdale fighting force cried out, then advanced forward to eliminate any of the monsters that might have survived inside or been left outside of the firewall. This time, they had a numerical advantage. Still, those who thought they were on the edge of victory had no idea that the monsters also had their own surprises.

Hidden beneath the layer of ash and dust, the dead bodies of the monsters and beasts lay bare and mutilated, their skin and fur ashen, their limps half burnt away, their organs uncovered and half-blackened to the bones. Among them, a Shadow Lynx, its eyes nothing but white, stared at Oxdale. Half an hour after it had been killed, a black thread slithered its way out from the creature’s eye, followed by a dozen more of them. They tangled and weaved together to form a new pupil made of thick and slimy goo.

Then, the Shadow Lynx suddenly stood up, its stomach still exposed, its bones protruding outward, its mouth shredded to reveal a bloody jaw. It howled a terrifying sound, and across the battlefield, monsters with bodies that were anything but intact and a blackened pupil howled in answer.

Not very far away, the second wave was rushing toward the town.

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