Overlord (Light Novel) Chapter 83

Chapter 3: The Impending Crisis

The Great Rift.

It was a massive crevasse, over 60 km long and 120m across at its narrowest point. Its depth was unknown. Nobody knew what was waiting down there, and nobody had returned alive from the two expeditions that had been sent out to investigate it.

Yet today, Feoh Gēr's garrison — the military base that stood between the Great Rift and Feoh Gēr — was in a whirl of shouts and confusion.

That cry came from the commander-in-chief of the Dwarven Army, a veteran of over 10 years of service.

“The most recent information we have says that the Quagoa are attacking!” one of the platoon commanders said, repeating a report from the fortress.

This was because the Quagoa were a race that was strong against weapon attacks, but very weak against electrical attacks. Knowing this, they had stocked the fortress with magic items that could produce [Lightning] and comparable effects.

In contrast, the Dwarves in the garrison were inferior in both gear and numbers. However, it was not because they did not wish to allocate military power to an important base, but because the Dwarven Army had always lacked in manpower. Thus, the fortress had to draw its defenders from their meager pool of troops, and they had to do so in numbers which would not invite censure.

“Don't tell me they were attacked by too many enemies for them to fight off! Have there been any other messages from the fortress?”

Cold sweat poured down the commander-in-chief's back.

The commander-in-chief pulled himself together. Now was not the time to contemplate such ghastly things.

A gently-sloping tunnel in the shape of a spiral led from this garrison to the fortress, and ahead of them was the capital Feoh Gēr. The cavern where the garrison was located at was their final defensive line, and on top of that, they had gates of mithril which were alloyed with orichalcum. They could withstand an enemy attack from the tunnel if they closed the gates.

If they did so, they would not be able to send out reinforcements from here. In other words, they would be abandoning their comrades, who might be fighting for their lives at the fortress.

There were less than 20 people in the fortress. There were over 100'000 Dwarves in Feoh Gēr. There could be only one answer when one thought of which side had priority.

“Relay the orders! Close the gates!”

“Sir! It's the Quagoa!”

After hearing the cry from the soldiers guarding the tunnel entrance, the commander-in-chief turned to look. He saw the disgusting form of a demihuman, foaming at the mouth, its eyes bloodshot.

How could this be? Had the fortress really fallen? How many men had the Quagoa brought with them? Could they hold against them even if they shut the gates?

“Don't let them in! Spearmen, forward!”

Even seeing this did not slow the speed of the Quagoa charge. This was because they trusted in their fur and hide to protect them against metal.

“Mages! Blitzkrieg!”

The casters of these spells were the three most powerful mages in the army.

It was only for a short period, but it gave them breathing room.

The tense atmosphere in the air lightened somewhat. However, the commander-in-chief, the men around him, and everyone here knew that this was not over yet.

“Dammit! If only the gate was electrified!”

Looking around, he saw grim and dark expressions on everyone's faces.

The commander-in-chief decided to turn the situation around, and shouted:

New determination filled the faces of the Dwarven soldiers. The knowledge that there was still something they could do rekindled their motivation. Even a fragile hope was better than none at all.

“Sir, should we bury the gate with sand and dirt?”

If they sealed it off completely, many Dwarves would express their disapproval.

The commander-in-chief noticed his chief of staff's expression. He had probably assumed the commander-in-chief's statement to be a reply to his question.

“You're one of them too, aren't you, commander-in-chief? So that's their response to a complete lockdown? Personally, I don't think sealing it off is enough. We should abandon Feoh Gēr.”

He did not want their conversation to be overheard by anyone.

They had no idea how many Quagoa were on the other side of that gate.

The only solid piece of data they had was that the enemy had enough fighting power to bring down the hitherto impregnable fortress, and they had to think of a way to deal with that.

“Then, how much time will burying it in dirt and soil buy us?”

“What dangers will a collapse pose?”

“In other words, we need to find out right now. Then, next question. Do you think the fortress fell under sheer weight of numbers? Why didn't the people in the fortress inform us sooner?”

“Could it be the Frost Dragons?”

Both parties did not have a perfectly cooperative relationship, but since they lived together, they might help each other out.

There had originally been four Dwarven cities.

Feoh Gēr of the east, which was their current capital.

And finally, Feoh Tiwaz, to the west.

“I feel that it's very likely. While I don't know what they did to induce that arrogant lot to take action, the other alternative is that they did it themselves; either they invented some kind of spell, or they found a route that bypassed the Great Rift.”

“Still, how many years ago was that? Perhaps the Quagoa dug a tunnel or something as other monsters moved, or the earth's crust shifted and gave them a detour. If you think about it, they might have gone above ground too.”

“There might be an individual with that ability.”

However, that was merely wishful thinking on his part.

“Chief of Staff, we need to consider that they might be able to travel aboveground and enhance our surface defenses accordingly. Send a few people over without compromising our defense here. We also need to get word to the Council and have them evacuate to the south.”

It was a fortress erected for the benefit of those people taller than Dwarves — humans, for example — at the exit leading to the surface. The commander-in-chief gave the order to reinforce that area and stay alert for any surface attacks.

“Also, have the men prepare to bury the door. If we need the Council's permission, I'll find a way to convince them.”

“Do your best. I'll do my best too.”

“Report! Report! I have a report! Where's the commander-in-chief?!”

Riding Lizards were a kind of Giant Lizard. They were large reptiles that measured three meters from head to tail. They were not very numerous, so the Dwarves raised them as mounts and used them as pack beasts for day to day work.

Unease filled the heart of the commander-in-chief.

“He should have been posted to the fortress at the surface entrance this week.”

“I'm here! What is it?”

The messenger fell off the Lizard's back, and shouted as he desperately tried to right himself.

He had expected it to be about Quagoa, but he quickly ruled that out. The man would not have used those words to describe Quagoa.

“Y-yes! There's scary monsters at the entrance! They say they want to talk about the Quagoa army headed this way!”

Their timing was too perfect. He could not imagine that the two events were unconnected. Could they be the bosses of the Quagoa, or the ones who helped them cross the Great Rift?

“Understood!”

“How many of those monsters are there?! What are your losses?!”

How exactly did they qualify as evil? More importantly, this man had not described them yet. After being questioned again, the soldier gulped and explained,

“What?! The undead?!”

Several images appeared in the commander-in-chief's mind as he heard the word “undead”. For instance, Freezing Zombies, Frost Bones, and the like. However, none of those undead were powerful adversaries. This man should have known that. In that case, why was he so afraid?

“Chief of Staff, are you ready yet?! Move out once you're done! We don't know what kind of undead are out there, but do not take them lightly! Don't let them underestimate us! They may not be acting haughtily, but if they look down on us, we'll be in danger!!”

The group advanced, with Gondo in the lead.

The fact was that Gondo had no reason to deliberately lead Ainz astray now that the Quagoa were attacking the Dwarven capital. That being the case, there should be no problem having him lead the way.

They boasted high dexterity and great stamina, as expected of high-level magical beasts. Even in the thin air of the snowy mountains and bearing Ainz and the others on their backs, their speed did not decrease one bit. They headed north at speeds of over 100 km per hour.

In less than a day, they had reached the sole remaining Dwarven city, Feoh Gēr.

“…Well then, Gondo. The southern city of Feoh Raiđō was accessed through a fissure in a cave. Is Feoh Gēr like that as well?”

“Umu. Most cities where Dwarves live are like that. However, Feoh Gēr was designed with considerations for large-scale trade with humans, so it's slightly different from Feoh Raiđō. Firstly, it's easy for humans to find, and in order to minimize any discomfort for visitors, they built a huge fortress on the outside. You'll know it when you see it.”

“You won't see it if you don't head further northeast.”

While saying “Is that so,” Ainz cast his [Message] spell.

The Quagoa were a race that submitted to the strong, but the Quagoa of the Azellisian Mountain Range were divided into eight clans, all of whom were united under the Clan Lord. They numbered 80'000 in total.

If he had to choose between helping the Dwarves or the Quagoa, Ainz would choose the former without hesitation.

Then, he thought about the prismatic ores in the Dwarven Kingdom.

If he was strong enough to capture, then it was worth investigating him.

The country Ainz wanted.

It was a nation where his friends, wherever they were, could live and smile.

Still, if they swear their loyalty to me, where should I put them? This mountain is a little sparse… what about the mountain range to the south of E-Rantel? But there might be residents there too… Umu, what a pain. The Lizardmen have the same technology level as them. Perhaps my experience in ruling them could be put to use. It might be a good idea to let Cocytus handle them.

What if they don't bend the knee? Shall I rule them by force? Shall I exterminate them? Or should I kill all the adults and use the children for experiments? Is forcing them into one clan and then ruling over them the best way?

“Over there!”

The group headed straight for it. While there were many ways to conceal themselves, there was no point in doing so, and thus they proceeded directly and openly.

Much like what he would do before a sales pitch, Ainz inspected his clothing, and made sure his robe was neat and tidy. Of course, it was a magic item and could not get torn or wrinkled, but his memories as Suzuki Satoru told him that he should check anyway.

The only people who might be lethally wounded by the bolts were Gondo and Zenberu.

He halted his beast outside the effective range of their crossbows and then dismounted. Because he was still within the maximum range of the crossbows, he ordered Shalltear and Aura to stand by and protect Gondo and Zenberu.

If there were any players, they would immediately take a defensive stance and fall back. While he could not confirm the presence or absence of players during his talks with Gondo on the road, it was more likely that they did not exist. However, if he was careless, he might end up losing the NPCs (the children) and Ainz did not want to experience that a second time.

Suppressing the urge to laugh, Ainz stepped forward, faking an air of calm.

As he drew closer to the fortress—

—A warning cry rang out. It sounded like its owner was having a seizure. Granted, he was undead, but Ainz could not help sighing internally as he mused, this is a pretty bad reception for someone who's showing no signs of hostility.

Ainz stroked his shiny cheekbones.

Confusion appeared in the eyes of the Dwarves watching from the windows. Ainz took this chance to continue speaking:

He smiled, but because he had no skin, the benevolence of his gesture did not carry over to the opposite side.

It would seem the Dwarves were still wary of him.

The Dwarves looked at each other, and then one of them responded.

“—-I see. That does make sense,” Ainz agreed. “Then, allow me to introduce him. He is one of you, Gondo the smith, whom I met in Feoh Raiđō.”

With the air of a natural-born leader, he gestured to his subordinate to step forward.

Now that Gondo was here, Ainz — who was in a good mood — showed off another pose of a gracious king and yielded the floor to him.

“Umu, leave it to me.”

“…What's wrong?”

“… Is, is that really him?! Is that really Gondo the Weirdo? Maybe someone used magic to take his face!”

However, he had heard something about the possibility of meeting an acquaintance here. If that was the case, they would be very fortunate.

“Oh, ohhh, yes… I'll tell that guy's wife his secret. Ah, there's a restaurant called the Black Gold Beard Pavilion! It's run by a guy whose face looks like an anvil. His food tastes terrible, and the only decent thing there is the stew!”

“Idiot! That place isn't for eating, but for drinking! Their stout tastes best!”

“What are you saying, their cloudy wine is the best! Just imagine that bubbly fragrance!”

(TL Note: 濁り酒 – nigorizake)

Ainz made a mental note that the Dwarves liked their beer a lot, and then replied to them:

Several Dwarves pulled their heads back from the windows.

“Wait there! We'll send a report to our commander-in-chief!”

It would seem they realised that this had to go to their highest authority.

Ainz did not suppress his chuckling.

Crap. Are they angry because I laughed?

“No, he can't, no, it's not allowed, stay there! Wait there!”

Ainz's strong emotions were suppressed, but small emotional ripples could sneak by.

I should be more careful, Ainz thought as he backed away together with Gondo.

When Jircniv came to visit, I provided refreshments, furniture and made all sorts of preparations to welcome them. Don't the Dwarves do things like that? …No, the circumstances now are different from back then.

In addition, he would not be able to enjoy any drinks they gave him, considering his body.

Still, it would probably be better to change and avoid giving offense.

Ainz imbued the staff with a red glow, which quickly darkened. Why did it have such an adjustment function? His past companions' obsession filled him with irritation.

Ainz radiated a black halo from behind him, but as expected, the staff's aura did not change.

There was a sudden clatter, which snapped Ainz out of his thoughts. When he turned to look at the source of the sound, he saw three Dwarves seated on the ground.

…Why are the three of them sitting there? Is sitting down to talk the proper etiquette amongst Dwarves? …They're staring at me with eyes wide open. It would be annoying if it's a Dwarf-only expression.

Baffled, Ainz nevertheless extended a hand to the seated Dwarfs.

It was hard adjusting to different cultures. If he handled this poorly, the other side might take offense.

Though he was very uneasy about this, Ainz gave thanks to his unmoving face, and kept his hand extended.

Hm? Could it be that they're afraid of me?! …Well, given that I look like this… it can't be helped, right? Reactions like this are kind of expected from humanoid society…

In the end, the worried Ainz decided to pull them up by the hand.

“Well then, I am the Sorcerer-King Ainz Ooal Gown. Are you the gentlemen who are in charge of welcoming me?”

“Ahem! I, I am the man in charge of the military—”

So this was the commander-in-chief. Ainz was surprised. He had not expected their top man to come down in person.

“—Are there any problems with the Quagoa? I do apologize for making you come down in person during a busy time, commander-in-chief.”

“I see… so you already know why I came, then?”

“—Of course. That is correct.”

“…I see. …Well, as you know, we've somehow halted the Quagoa advance for now — no, we're trying to hold them back.”

Ainz wanted to ask the Dwarf what he thought Ainz knew, but since Ainz had already pretended that he was well-informed, that line of questioning was ruled out.

All he could do was hang on to that thought as he looked forward to their response.

“There is Gondo, a citizen of this country—”

“Hm, so, you want to see the captured Quagoa, then? I can bring forth several of them and you can ask them yourselves.”

“Commander…!”

“His Majesty already knows everything. It is as he said — the fact that someone who should be commanding at the frontlines is here is a clear sign of a stalemate. Since he already knows that, it should also be easy to imagine what our troops — who cannot look forward to any reinforcements — intend to do.”

The commander-in-chief described the terrible state they were in.

After Ainz learned of the Dwarves' dire straits, he smiled in his heart. Everything was developing in a favorable direction for him.

The commander narrowed his eyes, as though to hide the emotion within them.

Traditionally speaking, one would need to put down the terms of a deal in writing before a contract could be signed. There were many advantages in handling matters in that way. However, if he freely lent them his strength, he would earn the gratitude of everyone present. One could make gains with a loan that one could not with a written agreement, and Ainz was gunning for that.

Generosity is often similar to greed, hm? Did Punitto Moe-san say that?

“…But if we don't have the approval of the Council…”

“…Your Majesty, are you confident in your ability to repulse the Quagoa?”

Mm, Gondo nodded from the side.

A bitter expression came over the commander-in-chief's face—

Ainz's repeated hammering on the point seemed to have made up the commander-in-chief's mind for him.

“Commander-in-chief!”

Another soldier called out in a panicked voice, and the commander-in-chief glared sharply at him.

Then, they talked.

The general idea seemed to be that it would be hard for them to deal with the Quagoa on their own, so they should take advantage of this opportunity and gamble on it.

Infusing strength into his voice, Ainz called out:

3

They were the Pu Rimidol clan, the Pu Randel clan, the Pu Surix clan, the Po Ram clan, the Po Shyunem clan, the Po Gusua clan, the Zu Aygen clan and the Zu Riyushuk clan.

Now, if someone wanted to know if the Quagoa people were strong, the answer was that they were not.

Now, if one asked who the greatest enemy of the Quagoa race was, the answer would be the fellow clans of their race. No, sometimes even the people of their own clans could become their enemies. Other monsters viewed the Quagoa as little more than food. They did not hate the Quagoa, nor did they compete with them. However, their fellow Quagoa thought differently.

The ores and rocks which the Quagoa ate at a young age determined their abilities later in life. In other words, they had to compete with their own people for rare ores and metals to strengthen their bloodline. Thus, their fellow clans were their enemies, but it was only natural that the nearby foe was more troublesome than a distant one.

However, at some point, a hero of legends — one who surpassed Pu, the hero of old — was born.

His might far surpassed that of the Blue and Red Quagoa. His overwhelming power allowed him to unite the clans.

After discovering an abandoned dwarven city, he gathered the clans there and formed monster-fighting units, using Dwarven prisoners to develop agriculture and animal husbandry.

For instance, those clans that defeated monster invasions would be known as brave, while those clans that found more gold or precious stones would gain favor and more members. He would reward them for their work with the appropriate ores.

He had done all these things which no Quagoa had even dreamed of to expand his influence and to set into motion a certain plan.

The clans gathered their best warriors in response to their Lord's summons. They sent 2'000 people per clan, for a total fighting strength of 16'000.

Thus, Riyuro ordered them to find a way around the fortress.

One group was assigned to find and capture fleeing Dwarves. This task was divided among many smaller squads.

The last group was filled with elite Quagoa, who would bring down the Dwarven fortress. This group would move ahead of the main force, bring down the fortress and they might be used to conquer the city as well.

He was one of Riyuro's top men, an exceptional Red Quagoa. His mind was sharp, he was a capable fighter, and he was one of the top candidates for the spot of leader within his own clan.

After all, the elites from the various clans held deep-seated grudges against each other. However, Yozu could even managed to make use of that.

Their victory was assured by taking the flanking route and then the fortress, but even then, nobody could doubt his extraordinary command ability.

And now, the Quagoa were preparing to checkmate the Dwarves.

The first Quagoa among the vanguard who attacked the fortress were assault troops composed of the best of the best. These Quagoa clawed savagely at the hateful gate, but they could not break through.

However, that chance was denied and sealed away by the cold gate before them.

One of the Quagoa was so angry at being so close but so far that he tried biting the gate. Naturally, he did nothing more than scratch the surface.

However, regular Quagoa could not harm it at all. They could try for a hundred years and still get nowhere.

Regular Quagoa could not breach that gate. Their rare elites like the Blue or Red Quagoa were held in reserve as a secret weapon and not assigned to those assault teams. In other words, their advance was briefly halted here.

Even so, they formed up in clans to rest, because they did not know how much time it would take.

And then, after resting for some time, the Quagoa suddenly looked up, as though their heads were mounted on springs.

The assault Quagoa looked at each other.

As if they would accept a surrender.

They would flood in like an avalanche through the opened gates and brutally slaughter all the Dwarves in their way. After that, they would trample the city underfoot and massacre with all their strength.

He ventured his sharp claws forth, trying to murder any Dwarves in front of the Gate.

“Gyaaaaaaaaah!”

Their shock at this development was like dumping cold water on the fires of their bloodlust.

In all likelihood, someone had cut his arm off with some kind of weapon, but was that even possible?

But then, why had their comrade's arm been chopped off?

That would be the existence of an extraordinary swordsman, who could easily cut through the arm of a Quagoa, a member of a race whose skin and hide repelled all blades.

The Quagoa stepped back, gripped by an emotion they had not yet felt in this battle — fear. During this time, the gap in the door continued to widen.

“There are no cowards among Clan Pu Rimidol!”

That cry of agreement must have come from the members of Clan Pu Rimidol who had been chosen for this assault team. Panicked, those from the other clans shouted as well, proclaiming their strength.

“Nobody from the Zu Aygen Clan will lose to the Pu or the Po! How can we let our ancestors laugh at us from the Land of Derey?!”

Those words were the trigger that reignited the fighting spirit of the Quagoa.

“Charge! No matter how strong he is, the enemy only has one sword! We'll hit him with more people than he can handle,” someone said.

“Then, let me take the lead!”

The Quagoa gathered behind one such brave soul. If he was struck down by that sword, they could still shove him in.

“Charge!”

The brave Quagoa at their head stiffened. The people pushing him from behind felt him being killed by the swordsman. However, they could not stop. If they stopped now, they would be insulting his courage.

—And then they stopped.

One of the Quagoa raised his head and looked forward.

Because indeed, there was a jet-black wall there.

“OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

What they had thought was a wall was in actual fact a gigantic shield.

As the Quagoa were baffled by this development, the loathsome creature behind the shield revealed itself.

Even the ignorant Quagoa could understand that it was evil, it was violence — it was Death itself.

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In that instant, the heads of three Quagoa took flight as one.

The roar battered at the bodies of the Quagoa.

Within their tribes, they considered themselves courageous warriors who did not fear death. However, they had never imagined a being like this in their wildest dreams. The monster before them obliterated their courage.

That was because they lacked the strength to do so. Their instincts told them that if they ran, they would be slain in a single blow from behind. Even so, the eyes of that black being reminded the Quagoa of their desire to live.

That roar seemed to come from deep beneath the earth. The Quagoa whimpered in response, and took several steps back.

“Hiiiiiii!”

As they looked toward the owner of that voice, they saw their comrade who had lost his head.

The only conclusion they could draw was that the corpse was moving.

Clang, clang, went the two massive suits of armor, and then they raised identical, bizarre swords: flamberges.

***

“Yes!”

He was Yozu, commander of the Quagoa vanguard. He possessed a hide that was as tough as orichalcum and his resistance to metal weaponry was even greater than that of regular Quagoa. He was a superior member of his species, a Red Quagoa.

After conquering it, they would have a good location for a base and all their competition for ores would also be eliminated at the same time.

Once that happened, the Quagoa would someday come to rule the entire mountain range.

Yozu looked around worriedly after accidentally blurting out his true thoughts.

That put Yozu somewhat at ease.

The Royal Palace still stood proud within the city, but it was now the domain of the White Dragon. He was a Frost Dragon, who could exhale freezing breath.

The truth was that the Dragons were strong, and their servants, the Quagoa were weak.

Yozu had once met the Dragons in the presence of the Lord of the Clans, and that was the impression he got after hearing the mighty voice which emanated from its massive jaw. He was also shocked at the sight of the Lord grovelling before the Dragons.

Even so, he could not permit the Dragons to treat them like idiots.

He was not the only one holding that wish in his heart. All the Quagoa who had met the Dragons — in other words, all the upper-class Quagoa — had the same desire.

The search for that way would take a lot of time.

Yozu summoned his subordinates.

Suddenly, Yozu's ears stood up. He thought he had heard a scream from somewhere.

This time, however, he knew instantly.

A hubbub came from the Quagoa around Yozu.

“What's wrong? Is there an emergency?”

That was not possible. A Dwarven counterattack was well within the expected range of responses. It would not cause the assault teams to flee in panic.

“Gather the men and find out what's going on. If it's a Dwarven counterattack, continue the advance. We must not let them take the fortress back.”

The screams continued during this time, and the assault team continued fleeing.

As Yozu thought about the matter, a pair of silhouettes appeared at the door of the fortress.

“—What, what are those? Giant Dwarves? Dwarf Lords?”

In their right hands they carried wavy-bladed greatswords, while in their left they had massive shields.

Yozu did not know the true identity of the beings which stood at the entrance of the fortress like Nio statues. However, his animal instincts told him that they were dangerous entities.

(TL Note: Nio statues = temple guardian statues modelled after the Bright Kings of Buddhism)

His subordinates around him were frozen in shock, the same way he was. The only beings that still moved were the Quagoa running from the fortress. They did not look back; their energies were fully focused on getting across the suspension bridge.

Even at such a great distance, the cry ripped through the air and made his fur stand on end. Yozu's guts clenched and turned cold. It was like feeling a Dragon's roar through his entire body.

Did they escape? Or did they betray us? No, that's not—

One of the Quagoa he saw was missing its head.

Beings that moved even when they could not be alive were —

“Is that the Dwarves' secret weapon?”

Did they have an ace in the hole besides lightning-enchanted weaponry?

It was said that when the Dragon took possession of the Royal Palace, it had fought monsters with those names. Apparently, they looked like armored statues.

Yozu shook his head at his subordinate's question.

“Like the Nuks we tamed, then?”

(TL Note: ヌーク)

Their males were 3.5 meters long and weighed 1200 kg. They were shaggy four-legged herbivores who could survive on even a little bit of algae. They were tough enough to survive in heavy snowfalls, so many monsters in the Azellisia Mountain Range fed on them.

Beating them would not be easy, but fortunately, they only seemed to be watching them from afar and not trying to cross the bridge.

“Y-yes, that's right. Alright, form up again while they're still stopped. At the same time, we'll prepare to — they're moving!”

“Who was that! Who said that they were there to take back the fortress?!”

The Quagoa which Yozu had sent out bared their claws, ready for battle.

Sent flying by overwhelming power, many Quagoa fell from the suspension bridge. The black suits of armor did not stop. Though they slowed down a little, they continued their charge forward with shields raised, like rampaging walls.

And then, when that happened… what would happen? Realizing the mortal danger which awaited him, Yozu shouted.

If they destroyed the bridge, the main force would only be able to use the flanking route, and that would waste a lot of time. The Dwarves would probably strengthen their defense in the interim. Thus, one could consider their first objective of taking the fortress to be a failure.

If they reached this place, everybody here would die. The black suits of armor were such beings.

The Quagoa could not help but watch the black suits of armor smash their men away with their unimaginable might. At the second cry, they finally managed to move. However, almost all the Quagoa who had been sent out from the rear were had been sent flying into the abyss, and there were only a few Quagoa left on the bridge to face the black suits of armor.

“Have one of the assault teams stall their advance!”

As expected, the suicide squad bounced off the shields, but some of them managed to get past and hurled themselves upon the black suits of armor. However, the black suits of armor paid them no heed. Being bitten did not seem to hurt them, and they continued their advance.

If this kept up, the black suits of armor would make it all the way across.

A great ping tore through the air.

Yozu could not withstand the serpentine thrashing of the suspension bridge and was thrown into the air. However, he managed to grab a dancing cable before he was swallowed up by the yawning darkness beneath him. Since Yozu could not control his movements in mid-air, it was an unimaginable stroke of luck for him. He pulled himself along the cable as his body swayed in mid-air, and managed to make contact with the edge of the cliff.

In that instant, a screaming object swept past the fur on Yozu's back. Unbelievably enough, that object was a flying Quagoa. Under these dire circumstances, the black suit of armor had managed to throw one of the suicide squad members at Yozu with its ridiculous arm strength.

However, that was all, because the suicide squad and the black suits of armor vanished into the Great Rift.

Yozu slowly peered into the darkness of the Great Rift. He was not the only one to do so; all the survivors looked into the darkness that had swallowed everything. All of them knew that there was no surviving that drop; even so, they could not erase their fear that the black suits of armor would come clambering up the sides of the chasm.

They did not look like they would be coming back.

Even so, the fact that they had survived against those black suits of armor was worthy of praise.

If they did not report those Golems to the people on top, things would be very bad for them.

“…How fearsome those Dwarves are.”

“In any case, we need to inform the main body about this. Messengers!”

The reason why he had called this many of them over was because moving in small numbers ran the risk of the entire group being wiped out by a monster ambush. That was not to say that moving in force guaranteed safety, but that it did not matter how many died as long as one of them survived to pass their message on to headquarters.

Yozu gave another order as he watched them leave.

Needless to say, it was to fall back immediately to meet with the Lord of the Clans.

_{The latest_epi_sodes are on_the ʟɪɢʜᴛɴᴏᴠᴇʟᴡᴏʀʟᴅ.ᴄᴏᴍ website.}

Chapter end