Chapter 36: The Lion's Roar: Battle for Nexus City's Survival
After informing others of the monster's upcoming time, he thinks, "Some change in time is not going to change the result of the monster's attack. I hope we will win this battle easily, with good spoils." He observes the place where monsters usually come to attack them.
A few minutes later,
He tries to observe the area with all his power, continuously scanning, but he does not find any movement from the monsters yet. He decides to ask Ram and the others for answers. The reply he receives surprises him—and plants a seed of fear. He learns from Ram that the monster army might be large, which is why there's no visible movement yet. The monsters could be preparing for the attack, organizing their subordinates—a process that takes time. Ram says this often happens in large altar cities. Or, perhaps worse, the monsters are using an underground skill to charge toward them and are preparing for a sneak attack.
After some consideration, they decide to go into full alert mode to avoid a sneak attack. They also try to observe the soil, hoping to detect if the assault is coming from underground. But he finds nothing that points to underground movement. Still, he watches the area where the monsters usually appear with full concentration. He thinks, "These monsters are really troublesome. Monsters should just come and die like dumb beasts. Why are they trying to be intelligent? Very disgusting, without a doubt."
A few minutes later,
He looks again toward the place where the monsters come—and he feels a jolt of shock and fear. A large amount of dust is rising into the air, and now he hears it: the sound of footsteps. Loud. Thunderous. Moments later, he sees them—huge numbers of monsters surging toward the path that leads to Nexus City.
His mouth goes dry. Fear and shock grip him as he sees their total number. He counts at least fifty in just a glance. After gathering himself, he asks Ram to count the exact number of monsters heading their way.
A few seconds later,
Ram confirms: there are exactly ninety-five monsters. Most of them are Level 0. Only two monsters have a life aura of Level 1. The city is not in immediate danger, considering the monsters' levels.
Ash feels a wave of relief wash over his mind. Some of the tension in his body fades. He thinks, "This attack is really going to be dangerous compared to the previous one. I hope the new soldiers don't die because of my wrong orders. But I can't keep these new soldiers on the sidelines for this fight—this many monsters need everyone's contribution. Otherwise, they'll destroy my city easily, without a doubt."
After taking a deep breath, he gives the order: everyone must go to the place where the golden barrier is cracked and defend it with everything they have.
At the cracked part of the golden shield—where only one person can barely slip through into the city—he places Ram in front of it. Ash takes his place on Ram's left, and Robin stands on Ram's right. He takes two soldiers to assist him in defending the crack and gives another two soldiers to Robin for support. He positions Evan in the middle of Ram, himself, and Robin, so that Evan can handle any monster that slips past them and help the others when needed.
After all the preparation, Ash sighs and thinks, "I really need a long-range weapon like a cannon or something else to ensure Nexus City's safety even better. Oh, god of Eldros, please help me defend the city. Kill all those stupid monsters in my pit traps. That would give me some relief. This nervousness really makes people foolish. Oh, god of Eldros, don't feel bad about my thoughts."
He stares toward the incoming monsters and tries to see their status in his mind.
A window pops up:
Name: Big Goat (Low-Grade Monster)
Grade: Low-Grade Beast
Level: 0
Quantity: 20
Description: A big goat with a sharp mouth capable of chewing through wood and leather, but mostly eats trees and plants. Lives in a pack. Female big goats can give birth to 12 children per year.
Abilities: Fast Reproduction
Weakness: Fire and sharp attacks.
Name: Lion
Grade: Low-Grade Beast
Level: 1
Quantity: 2
Description: A powerful beast in the low-rank monster hierarchy. Excellent at killing small, isolated prey. Can see clearly in the dark.
Abilities: None
Weakness: Sharp weapons, fire
Name: Dark Pig (Low-Grade Monster)
Grade: Low-Grade Beast
Level: 0
Quantity: 20
Description: A dark pig with a big mouth that eats anything at its level. Prefers darkness, gaining 20–40% power boost there. Sunlight weakens it. Lives in packs. Females can birth 8 children every 6 months.
Abilities: Fast Reproduction
Weakness: Sharp attacks
Name: Ostrich (Low-Grade Monster)
Grade: Low-Grade Beast
Level: 0
Quantity: 20
Description: Has tall legs for fast running but very low defense. Attacks with legs, nails, and head. Not strong, but fast. Sometimes tamed for transport.
Abilities: Runs fast
Weakness: Fire, sharp attacks, poison
Name: STONE RAT
Grade: Low-Grade Beast
Level: 0
Quantity: 20
Description: Small, rodent-like, with oversized fangs. Can chew through wood, leather, and weak armor. Moves in packs, found mostly in Stone Mountain.
Abilities: None
Weakness: Blunt attacks
Name: Goblin
Grade: Low-Grade Beast
Level: 0
Quantity: 13
Description: Small goblins with oversized fangs. Eat rotten food, leather, and weak armor. Live in tribes and overwhelm prey with numbers.
Abilities: Fast Reproduction
Cowardly but Aggressive – Fight only when cornered or in large groups.
Weakness: Fire, blunt and sharp attacks. Scared by loud noises.
After reading the monster list, he thinks with a nervous face, "This fight is going to be tough… and long… very dangerous. If we can fight within the golden barrier, we can kill them one by one at the city's entrance. But from what Nexus tells me, if even one monster enters through the crack, the barrier will allow the rest to flood in immediately. This is dangerous—very dangerous."
After a few seconds of thought,
Ash focuses all his concentration on the oncoming monsters. He sees them approaching in formation. But their instincts are hard to suppress—many speed up as they see Nexus City from afar. Among them, he sees two lion monsters doing everything to command the others.
He notices the difference. These two lions seem more intelligent than the rest, but he decides to ignore their peculiar behaviour. After all, he intends to kill them. He clenches his fists and thinks, "Anyone who tries to destroy my city and ambition—I will kill them without a shred of mercy in this life, without a doubt."
Then he notices another distinction: the normal monsters have blood-red eyes after spotting Nexus City, but the intelligent ones—the lions—have purple eyes.
He watches as the monsters draw closer to Nexus. The two lions stay at the rear, giving orders, but not charging with the others. Their pace is steady, slower than the rest.
A few minutes later,
Most of the monsters near the pit traps increase their speed. The lions shout louder, barking orders. Ash thinks, "Maybe these lions are ordering them to maintain discipline and coordinate the attack." He asks the others nervously—but only receives vague answers. Then he asks Nexus directly.
Nexus responds: "In high-level altar cities, intelligent monsters are common and always attack, though their numbers are limited—usually two or three per assault. These monsters command others and are common on battlefields but rare in the general monster population and monster plane. They are not as rare as altar owners in Eldros, but still uncommon. Intelligent monsters are tough to kill. They always have armies protecting them. Their greatest strength is their ability to manipulate and control normal monsters. They are better at combat but tend to avoid direct battles when possible."
Ash thinks, "These intelligent monsters are the leaders, and the others are just slaves—cannon fodder. I hope these two lions don't have much experience commanding, or else we'll surely suffer casualties. What bad luck, facing monsters like these just five days after the city's birth. No matter what, I'll do my best to protect my city—and myself. Oh god, bless me to win this battle without casualties."
A few minutes later,
He sees the lions commanding the monsters to move steadily and slowly. But after staring at Nexus City for a few moments, the monsters seem to go berserk. Most suddenly increase speed to attack the city.
Some monsters fall into pit traps, others get injured. A few minutes later, half the monsters are caught—but only ten die. The rest are just injured. The lions keep barking orders.
Ash thinks with anger, "I must kill those two lions. They're making the defense so much more challenging." He tells the others about the lions. He sees fear flicker in their eyes. He responds firmly, "Be cautious against these lion monsters. Ram, Robin—if you can kill them without risking your life, do it. Killing them will increase our chances of victory by fifty percent."
Then he looks toward the monsters coming at the crack in the golden barrier. A few minutes later, he sees the two lions watching from afar, not coming toward the crack.
He sees the others gripping their weapons tightly, ready to fight. He, too, feels nervous—but grips his flame sword with determination.
A few seconds later, the monsters charge the crack. Ram slashes through them with ease, blood splattering the broken ground. Ash fights alongside the others, the clash of weapons and screams filling the air.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he sees it—one of the lion monsters is gone.
His heart stops.
Where did it go?
A deep growl echoes behind the golden barrier.
Ash turns—too late.