After Lands Harvest was overrun by monsters, their next target was Dream Maker. The monsters advanced like a fog, but were blocked by the newly-erected barrier, preventing them from even reaching the city walls. The current objective of the allied army was to finish fixing the walls.

『Fire!』

Monsters came in hordes from the northern side. Blast cannons lined up at the gates spewed fire, the warhead zipping through the barrier and crashing into the monsters, scattering them.

「Right side is weak! Adventurers, go!」

Soldiers and adventurers were positioned between the walls and the barrier, each taking appropriate roles. The military was better at operating systematically and producing high firepower, while adventurers were better at moving spontaneously and defeating monsters that slipped through the barrier.

「Buy me some time for incantation, Selyse!」

「I know!」

「Sarah, they got one of the soldiers.」

「Got it.」

「Selyse! Arrows flying!」

「I know! Argh, so much work to do!」

The Four Stars of the East were overwhelmed at the sheer number of the enemy. They had been fighting for ten days straight. The girls played an active role in the defense of Lands Harvest, but this time, they had to defend a much wider area. And because Dream Maker was basically like a huge fortress now, their area of responsibility was much bigger as well.

「Four Stars of the East. It’s time for a shift change.」

Ram and Leg arrived—the two leaders of the rank A party Huge Twins.

「Thanks.」

Selyse gave a start. Behind the twins were members of the party. Numbering over a hundred, they all donned uniform black armor, and carried ten banners in total.

「Just to be clear, you’re defending this spot, right?」Selyse asked.

The twins grinned.「「No.」」They raised their hands at the same time.「「Playing defense all the time isn’t really our style. Push them back!」」

As they swung their hands forward, a party of a hundred people roared and stepped outside of the barrier.

At first glance, the Huge Twins’ strategy seemed reckless, but it was surprisingly effective. The monsters came in swarms, but it wasn’t like they had discipline and order. Breaking one part would cause chaos.

The original strategy of defending the city with the barrier and walls was not bad, but it was too risky.

「Oh, the monsters are retreating!」a soldier in the watchtower yelled.

It was clear that their numbers were diminishing.

「We did it, Lord Ram, Lord Leg!」

「We sure showed them!」

「「Great job, guys.」」

The Huge Twins returned inside the barrier, where they were greeted by adventurers whistling and soldiers cheering and clapping.

「………」

「Selyse! You gotta commend them for that!」

「Hm? Oh, Selica. Shouldn’t you be resting?」

Huge Twins switched with the Four Stars for the latter’s scheduled break, but Selyse still watched from atop the walls.

「I could say the same to you! You gotta rest when you can, or you won’t last out there!」

「Let me guess. Sophie asked you to take me.」

「Yup!」

Selyse gave a strained laugh. A leader like her had to get proper rest.

「Well, you see. I wasn’t really thinking about Huge Twins.」

「Really?!」

「I was just thinking how this is not the end… That the enemy is not going to solely rely on numbers.」

「Look!」Selica pointed to the distance.「You’re right!」

「What?」Selyse turned her head towards the east. A monster was out there, its upper body sticking out from above the treetops. She chuckled.「Is that a Yamamaneki?」

Even Selyse was wary of such huge monsters. But that wasn’t all.

「Five, six, seven… There’s gotta be more than ten of them.」

An unpleasant chill ran down her back. Ignoring the sensation would be a bad idea. Adventurers who lived life on the edge must value these gut feelings involving life and death. And her gut was telling her that taking these monsters down was impossible.

「All hands on deck!」

Unfazed, Selica ran down the city walls energetically.「I’ll find a good spot to fire my magic first!」

「Uh, shouldn’t you be afraid or something?」Selyse said as she kept her eyes fixed to the east.「They’re not really heading straight here… It looks like they’re engaged in combat? Don’t tell me someone’s out there fighting ten of those things.」

Selyse had no idea that it was the Flower-Masked Goddess’s elite guards who were fighting the Yamamaneki. But there was something she realized.

「There are a few daredevils in this world, huh?」She slapped her cheeks.「Can’t let myself get outdone.」

Selyse sprinted down the same stairs that Selica took, the image of another daredevil popping in her mind. I haven’t seen him in a while. Where’d you go, Hikaru?

The color of the trees changed the further they went north. Green was specked with purple, and eventually everything was purple. Black slush mixed in with the water in the river. Living creatures even lost their vibrancy.

Still there was much life here as there was in the southern part of the continent. That is because “evil” was simply the opposite of “holy”—nothing but a change in nature. There was life even in those connected to evil.

There was a huge lake right in the middle of the continent. A gigantic eel so big that it was impossible to measure inhabited it.

A dry desert spread out in the northeastern area, where thousands of large scorpions the size of automobiles lived.

The largest trees were home to hundreds of millions of birds. Their leader, a four-winged eagle, could fly faster than the speed of sound.

In the chilly, grassland regions, lay a settlement of Trolls, creatures as big as the Yamamaneki, who possessed agility that belied their huge size.

A red river of lava flowed from the northern mountain range. It glowed like a red vein at night.

The northern sea was not accessible by ship due to the presence of giant sea monsters. The reefs and fast tides made it difficult to steer as well.

Beyond these harsh regions was a basin-shaped valley surrounded by mountain ranges. Its immediate surrounding was wrapped in terrifying silence and gray miasma. Even the wind seemed to avoid this place.

Shaped like a curry plate, it could hold a whole village into it. If you walked through the miasma, you could see the blackness beneath your feet. There was no life there, only silence.

No, that wasn’t exactly right. There was life there. Only one.

A huge drakon—an evil one—lay sprawled in the center of the basin. Its eyes were closed, and its body was covered in dust.

The black miasma rising faintly dissolved into the air and turned gray. It made it difficult to see the length of the creature. But it seemed to be longer than a train with ten cars.

《…………………………………..———-》

Without any warning, the evil drakon’s eyes suddenly opened. Immediately afterwards, there was heat, and its body shook. Three large fireballs were shot in rapid succession. The evil drakon howled.

Its loud voice became a shock wave that destroyed several mountains surrounding the basin. The gray miasma diffused into the skies, exposing the evil drakon under the light of the sun.

Dust and sand fell on its jet-black scales. There were huge wounds all over its body. The scales had blocked the fireballs, and although the surface was roasted, the attack barely inflicted any damage.

Raising its body, the drakon glared at its surrounding. There was no one there. But the fireballs that landed on it were definitely real.

The creature groaned, and a large number of flying dragons, the evil drakon’s underlings, rushed in from afar. Numbering around a hundred, they circled the skies, crying, then dispersed.

After that, the evil drakon remained still for about an hour. Nothing happened, and so it lay back down.