Supplies 4

The Demon Lord’s high-ranking officer, the Tsunami Tamer.

An existence that had caused Enoch considerable trouble, inflicting major damage on the Alliance multiple times.

With the demonic realm as her backdrop, she could freely command armies, capable of single-handedly occupying simple fortresses like this – a veritable nightmare for the Alliance.

Her demon beast forces surged towards Doyun’s supply unit like a tsunami.

“Stop them-!!”

The knight screamed in a shrieking voice.

Accompanied by the collision, screams rang out from every direction. It was nearly impossible for the shield-bearing footsoldiers to withstand such an immense demon beast horde.

The defensive lines were already showing signs of crumbling.

At this rate, they wouldn’t last even a minute before being devoured by the demon beasts – a life-or-death crisis.

Doyun swiftly surveyed the battlefield.

‘The front.’

The sides and rear were completely encircled by the demon beast horde, its edges not in sight.

But the front was relatively less encircled, as it was already blocked off by the occupied fortress.

With his calculations complete, Doyun took action.

“Everyone, follow my orders!!”

His mana-infused, resounding voice reverberated across the chaotic battlefield, drawing everyone’s attention.

The soldiers unconsciously lent their ears to his voice. Strangely, he exuded an aura akin to a mighty general, daring any to defy him.

Doyun leapt from the supply wagon, soaring over the front lines.

Simultaneously, as he landed behind the shieldbearers at the vanguard, he planted his feet firmly into the ground.

He pulled back both arms as if cocking them, suffusing his body with mana from the blazing Dragon Heart, the taut muscles already tearing with agonizing screams despite not having reached their limit yet.

“Fall back!”

At Doyun’s command, the shieldbearers parted instantly to the sides.

Doyun extended both hands with the force of moving a mountain.

[Hecleus’s Style Pugilism – Mountain Pushing Palm]

Gwung-

As he pushed outwards, the ground and air in front of him surged like waves, causing the tsunami-like demon beast horde to collapse en masse.

A path had opened.

“What!?”

The Tsunami Tamer shrieked indignantly.

“Hup!”

Lowering his center of gravity, Doyun retracted his arms with a kiai shout.

The recoil forcibly popped his dislocated shoulders back into place with a crunch.

“Everyone, charge forward! Enter the fortress and defend it!”

Once again, his thunderous voice echoed across the battlefield.

But the soldiers, too preoccupied with holding back the demon beast waves, faltered in confusion.

‘En, enter the fortress? How?’

‘What’s he saying!?’

Not waiting for their reactions, Doyun simply dashed through the path he had created.

Then, leaping again, he channeled mana into the soles of his feet instead of his shattered arms to absorb the recoil.

‘If I can do it with my hands, I should be able to with other body parts too…!’

His violently trembling right foot lashed out, the sole sinking deep into the fortress gate.

And spider-web cracks spread across the fortress gate.

[Emperor’s Divine Palm]

Jjeojeojeojeong-!

Thick wooden shards exploded inwards as the gate shattered.

The unbelievable sight left not just the soldiers, but even the Tsunami Tamer momentarily gaping in shock.

[The Skill ‘Emperor’s Divine Palm’ has leveled up. Current Level: 2]

“Everyone, charge forward!”

Doyun’s mana and voice snapped them back to their senses.

Finally grasping the situation, the knight echoed his shout.

“Defend the fortress! Follow the Disciple!!”

“Waaahh-!!”

Maintaining their defensive lines, the soldiers rushed into the fortress.

“You fucking bastards! Stop them! Stop them, you assholes!!”

As the Tsunami Tamer shrieked like a madwoman, the demon beast horde’s momentum intensified further.

Backtracking through the soldiers entering the fortress, Doyun reached his teammates.

“Yejin, heal my right arm at full power!”

Without a word, the usually gloomy Yejin, unperturbed, poured her healing into Doyun’s right arm as ordered.

Doyun also focused mana into his arm to enhance his regenerative abilities.

Once his arm, shredded by the Mountain Pushing Palm’s recoil, recovered enough mobility, Doyun unhesitatingly drew his sword and leapt to the rear defensive line.

And his blade danced, holding back the surging waves.

“I’ll handle the rear! Just focus on the sides as you charge forward!”

“Yes!”

The rear shieldbearers moved in disciplined unison, repositioning to the flanks, leaving the very back completely open save for the lone Disciple.

Yet not a single demon beast managed to breach that opening.

Although unable to form a sword membrane like in Enoch’s era, his sword unerringly cut down any demon beast within its radius.

Even without the sword membrane, his presence alone was sufficient to become a wall.

“Hurry!”

At the knight’s urging, the last soldier finally entered the fortress.

Until then, Doyun had stood before the gate, ceaselessly cutting down the frenzied demon beasts without pause.

“You useless beast scum! Push through! Push through, dammit!!”

As the Tamer shrieked hoarsely, the demon beasts surged forth in waves again, disregarding Doyun as they attempted to breach the interior – numbers he couldn’t handle alone.

Cruunch-

His arm, not yet fully healed, screamed in agony as it was pushed beyond its limits.

But the sound of his gritted teeth far exceeded the crunching of bones with each sword swing. Doyun never stopped his blade.

Then, one of the Disciples called out from within,

“Disciple! I’ll seal the gate! Please, come inside!”

Upon hearing those words, Doyun unhesitatingly flung his sword aside.

Once more, he planted his feet and pulled back his barely mobile right arm.

[Hecleus’s Style Pugilism – Mountain Pushing Palm]

Ddoeng-!

The instant his palm struck the air, his right arm’s insides split apart with an agonizing scream.

After guarding the rear to the very end, Doyun flung himself towards the gate entrance.

“Fall back!”

The Disciple who had shouted emerged, scattering seeds across the area where the gate had stood.

“Haaaah-!”

As the demon beast horde surged inwards, his kiai caused the seeds to instantly germinate, thick wooden vines intertwining upwards until reaching the ceiling.

The demon beasts that had charged up to the seeds were impaled by the verdant vines, crushed against the ceiling as they let out grisly dying screeches.

In an instant, a sturdy makeshift gate had been erected.

“Aaaarrgghh-!! You fucking bastards!!”

The Tsunami Tamer shrieked, clawing at her pink hair in frustration.

“Huk! Herrgghh! It’s, it’s done…!”

The Disciple who had rebuilt the gate collapsed in exhaustion, gasping for breath. The sounds of demon beasts piling atop each other against the gate could be heard from outside.

The crisis of annihilation had passed.

“Haah…”

At the grisly butchery sounds from beyond, everyone heaved sighs of relief.

+++

Thus, the unit had entered a defensive siege.

There were attempts by the demon beasts to pile atop each other like a tower to climb over, but they were repelled by the allied ranged combatants.

Fortunately, it seemed all the aerial demon beasts had been expended when this fortress was initially occupied.

As flying demon beasts didn’t nest just anywhere, it would take considerable time for them to be resupplied from elsewhere.

However, the situation remained dire.

“The signal can’t get through…”

It seemed the Tamer had cast some interference across the area, completely jamming their means of requesting reinforcements. Then again, the homeland likely didn’t even realize this fortress had been overrun.

“Thankfully, our supplies are plentiful.”

“But our manpower situation isn’t good. There are many wounded, but we’re severely lacking in healers.”

Among the 30 Disciples, only 5 were healers. And 2 of them were dedicated to healing Doyun’s arm.

The knight asked Yejin, “How are the Disciple’s injuries?”

“Hor, horrible… His arm was completely shattered, and then he kept swinging his sword, pushing it to the limit…”

She found it incomprehensible.

Although he had received healing in that brief period, it had only barely restored enough mobility.

Yet with that arm, he had kept swinging his sword relentlessly…

‘Every movement must have caused bone shards to pierce his muscles and crush his nerves…’

Moreover, even now, Doyun was simply listening to her diagnosis with a composed expression, as if oblivious to the concept of pain itself.

“Normally, it would be an injury rendering the arm permanently unusable… but… Disciple Doyun’s regenerative abilities are so immense that he’ll soon be able to move it again…”

“Mmh…!”

It was fortuitous amidst the misfortune. They had been worried about losing their most crucial asset if the Disciple became completely incapacitated.

Not just the knight, but everyone who heard those words heaved sighs of relief.

All had witnessed Doyun’s extraordinary prowess – kicking down the gate with his feet, single-handedly holding back the demon beast tsunami. Disciple Han Doyun had already saved their lives once.

To them, Doyun was their sole hope.

Meanwhile, Doyun’s eyes hardened with resolve as he mentally surveyed the battlefield.

‘I must kill her here.’

The Tsunami Tamer – an existence that had caused Enoch considerable trouble in his era as well, a truly vexing foe.

Once they encountered each other, it wasn’t difficult for Enoch to kill her. In fact, he had done so multiple times in other regressions.

But she was a individual who could muster forces on-site in the demonic realm. So she would unexpectedly appear elsewhere, inflict major losses on the Alliance, and slip away unscathed.

In this 18th regression, Enoch had never once faced her.

For the sake of future wars, he had to seize this unexpected opportunity to eliminate her now.

Doyun formulated a plan in his mind.

‘It’s going to be precarious.’

She wasn’t a high-ranking Demon Lord’s officer for nothing. At present, she was far too formidable an opponent for him.

‘Breaking through the demon beast horde to approach her is also an issue. But even if I do, her shield means I can’t finish her in one strike…’

He couldn’t use the Manifest Sword – the risk of being instantly retired was too great.

Not to mention having to consider the uncontrolled demon beast horde if the Tamer was killed, it wasn’t a technique that could be used in a single instant without preparation.

An operation where Doyun himself might die.

“The healing is done…”

But Doyun didn’t hesitate.

He rose to his feet.

“Huh? You shouldn’t be moving yet…”

“No. I must act swiftly.”

Time was limited.

If she resupplied aerial demon beasts from elsewhere, the fortress’s fall would be a matter of time. He had to put his plan into action immediately.

A black void opened in midair, and Doyun retrieved a javelin from within.

“Huh? That’s…”

Next to him, Sophie’s eyes widened.

It was the javelin Doyun had received as a gift from Haineken during his promotion ceremony.

‘With this…’

He might be able to kill that woman.

+++

“Are, are you really sure about this? At the very least, you should retrieve that javelin from earlier…”

“The preparations are complete. Fall back, as there may be aftershocks.”

“Huh? What do you mean by aftershocks from what you’re…”

Doyun brushed past the concerned soldier.

But this time, Sophie approached with teary eyes.

“You have to do this…?”

“…Please step back, Sophie.”

For a moment, Sophie gazed at Doyun with a pained expression before silently retreating.

She understood. This was war, and Doyun had to fight.

But still… having to send him into that hell was just too difficult, so she had voiced her plea. Just that, nothing more…

Turning away, Doyun ascended the fortress walls.

He could feel everyone’s fervent, hopeful gazes on his back.

But he felt no burden. He was Enoch Razvolnic – a man who had once carried the hopes of the entire continent on his back as he fought.

For him, shouldering hope was all too familiar, and repaying that trust was simply a given.

Eventually, he stood atop the walls, gazing down at the demon beast horde that had disgustingly blanketed the ground like ants.

After confirming the Tamer’s location from the quizzical upward glances, he channeled his mana.

Woooong-

The Dragon Heart in his lower abdomen blazed, dominating the ambient mana across the area.

The heart, which had grown larger as his Mana Level rose to 4, now exerted even greater mana dominance than before.

A golden radiance flickered in Doyun’s eyes.

A technique he had witnessed only once before, through Leah.

‘Dragon’s Aura.’

Doyun’s aura flooded the battlefield.