Chapter 1: The Siege
The Great Aias Mountains, the northernmost point of the world.
Beneath a deep blue sky, the sun was setting. A few clouds churned slowly in the sky like a whirlpool. In the desolate twilight, the afterglow of the setting sun shone upon them, coating them in a layer of golden-red radiance.
Beneath the sky stretched endless, vast mountain ranges. A gray-white fortress stood tall amidst the boundless snow and forest, with the Black Forest before it and a snowfield behind. It was situated at a gap in the mountain range, blocking the path of the black forest as it spread outward. Its walls, as tall as a mountain range, appeared so majestic, as indestructible as the hardest bedrock.
This was a land of bitter cold. A snow-capped mountain range devoid of human traces and a black forest sealed by frost made up its entirety. In this world, barely touched by anyone, the pure air held no impurities. Even just breathing felt refreshing to the lungs.
Once, it had been like that.
The Black Tide besieged the fortress, day five.
Slowly walking to the top of the fortress tower, the masked warrior’s voice had already carried a hint of anger: “Giving up is something only cowards do!”
“The problem isn’t about being a coward or not.”
Facing the advice and anger of his two companions, the golden-haired knight immediately spoke up in response. He shook his head and said, “These frenzied beasts driven mad by the Black Mist are very different from their kind in the past. As long as the target in front of them isn’t dealt with, they simply won’t leave. I’ve observed that the beasts trying to bypass the fortress are the ones that haven’t gone mad, and they’re all relatively weak, not worth us spending so much effort to stop. The manors and towns in the rear are mostly guarded by Silver-rank knights; they can handle them.”
Having said that, he turned to look at the masked warrior and said seriously, “Our duty is to hold back the main force of the Black Tide. As long as the fortress doesn’t fall, it means our mission hasn’t failed. If we were to lose combat power on the front line because of a few mere magical beasts and the defense collapses, that would be completely counterproductive.”
“Then at least we should notify the rear!”
The masked warrior understood this reasoning, but he was still somewhat unwilling.
“We’d need to be able to contact them too…”
Letting out a deep sigh, the fortress garrison commander, Zorgen, couldn’t help but clench his fist. “If it weren’t for this strange Black Mist blocking communication waves, I would have long notified the main city and requested the Lord to lead a team for support! He’s a Gold-rank expert. With him here, as long as no Gold-rank magical beast of the same level appears, the fortress will be as stable as a rock.”
Having said this, the golden-haired knight couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger: “Feng, those mages under your command said they just needed a little time to penetrate the Black Mist’s barrier. But what’s actually happened? It’s been five days! Except for the third day, when there was a signal for some unknown reason, it’s been nothing but static from start to finish!”
“If it can’t be done, it can’t be done. Getting angry at me won’t solve the problem. Besides, the mages under my command have been on the front lines casting spells all this time. When did they have the time to study any communication arrays!”
The fortress mage corps mentor, the white-haired evocation mage Feng, turned to look at the beast tide that had temporarily halted its assault and was beginning to retreat toward the Black Forest. He gritted his teeth and said hatefully, “Judging by this momentum, the Gold-rank magical beast will appear within the next few days. The attacks grow fiercer by the day. Without the support of my mages, the fortress would have been breached before any reinforcements arrived.”
“Clearly, there must be an incredibly powerful ‘Lord’ this time. This Black Tide is its army. It’s driving these frenzied beasts here to break through this nail wedged in the mountains and expand its territory.”
The masked warrior interjected. After speaking, he added with confusion, “It’s strange, too. Frenzied beasts haven’t been seen for at least seventy years, let alone a Lord. For all those years, there was no sign of them. How did they all suddenly appear this year?”
The golden-haired knight didn’t answer the question. He simply turned to look at the Black Forest ahead, at that black-purple thick mist. All the frenzied beasts had already retreated into the Black Forest. The warriors in the fortress could finally rest for a moment.
But what did that matter? It was nothing more than a brief moment to catch their breath before true despair.
Silently, the three of them stood there. Faced with this war between nature and humanity, frenzied beasts and fortress, savagery and civilization, they had nothing left to say.