When the barrier shattered, the monsters were like a black torrent from a collapsed dam, submerging the left-wing ramp in the blink of an eye.

  "Shield wall! Reform the shield wall!" Harold, a centurion of the Iron Guard, roared with all his might, attempting to re-establish order amidst the chaos. But reality was crueler than his reaction speed. The sounds of shields colliding with flesh, the wailing of splintering weapons, and the death screams of Dwarven warriors intertwined. Soldiers pushed against one another, unable to form an effective formation. Under the first wave of the monster tide’s impact, dozens of soldiers were like grains of sand swept away by a sea wave, instantly vanishing into the endless darkness.

  Under Hag’s command—filled with the resolve of death—three Upper C-Rank adventurer parties and five hundred heavy-armored soldiers of the "Shield of Khagurem" rushed onto the completely out-of-control left-wing ramp like three streams of steel.

  "‘Iron Heart’! Steady the center! ‘Stone Fist Brotherhood’! Smash their formation open for me!" "‘Twin-Blade Heart,’ ‘Storm Raven’! Cover the flanks!"

  Amidst the roars of the various captains, this elite reinforcement miraculously re-established a line of defense on the chaotic battlefield.

  The Dwarven soldiers of the "Shield of Khagurem" roared as they formed an indestructible shield wall, forcibly pushing back the offensive of the monster tide. Behind them, Sia, the mage of "Storm Raven," raised her staff high, her voice chanting an ancient incantation.

  "—Chain Lightning!"

  A blinding bolt of lightning descended from the heavens like a wildly dancing silver serpent, leaping back and forth through the densest clusters of monsters, instantly clearing a scorched, empty space! Simultaneously, Sarah, the captain of "Twin-Blade Heart," drew her longbow. Special arrows imbued with Wind-Blade Runes acted like the Reaper’s scythe, precisely harvesting the high-ranking monsters attempting to breach the line.

  They succeeded. At the cost of dozens of soldiers, they temporarily stabilized the battle line at the midpoint of the ramp. A brief glimmer of hope appeared on everyone’s faces.

  But that hope lasted for less than a minute.

  ROAR————!!!

  Several massive and oppressive roars echoed simultaneously from the rear of the black tide. The cannon fodder of the monster tide, as if hearing a sovereign’s decree, suddenly parted to both sides like a tide.

  A row of figures that would make even the most hardened veteran's heart freeze strode slowly out of the black tide.

  —Three Goblin Kings riding giant wargs, three Minotaur Kings wielding massive axes like mobile fortresses, two Hill Giants with skin as hard as rock holding giant logs, and one "Bloodrage" Orc King draped in crimson, radiating a frenzied aura!

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  This was not a single commander; this was a Legion of Kings!

  "Everyone! Fight for yourselves! Find a way to stall them!" Sarah let out a heart-wrenching roar.

  The resistance on the ramp was being ground down, bit by bit, by these King-class monsters.

  Harold, the Iron Guard centurion, watched as his adjutant, Thien, was swept away in an instant by the giant axe of one of the Minotaur Kings. That once-sturdy shield shattered like paper; Thien’s young body flew several meters, and after hitting the ground, there was no more movement. Harold wanted to scream, but the sound was stuck in his throat.

  The party of "Twin-Blade Heart" had also been scattered. The shield of the dwarf, Grom, was completely deformed under the continuous heavy strikes of the "Bloodrage" Orc King, and he himself was struck in the chest by a boulder hurled by a distant cyclops. Pip, the young rogue, was submerged by dozens of shadow wolves while attempting a sneak attack. Lina, the priestess, was pierced by the Goblin King's poisoned scimitar after exhausting her last spark of divine power to cast a healing spell on Sarah.

  Sarah knelt beside Roric. His chest had been crushed by an ogre's morning star, and blood was gushing out unceasingly. She looked into his eyes as they gradually lost focus and said softly: "You said... you would be where I could see you."

  Roric managed to squeeze out a faint smile, blood-froth bubbling from his mouth. His fingers weakly grasped her sleeve, then fell powerlessly.

  Sarah did not cry. She only lowered her head, leaning gently against Roric’s rapidly cooling chest, listening to those last few heartbeats fade away in her ear.

  "ROAR!"

  A Minotaur King, having just finished off an opponent, noticed Sarah kneeling on the ground. It let out an excited roar and raised the massive battle-axe—still stained with Dwarven flesh—high into the air, swinging it down fiercely toward her!

  Sarah slowly raised her head.

  In her eyes, there was no more sorrow, nor any fear. There was only a pure hatred, hot as molten lava.

  She did not dodge. She only held Roric’s cold body tighter in her arms, then drew her longbow, aiming her final arrow at the titan rushing toward her.

  There were no reinforcements, and there were no miracles. The resistance on the ramp was utterly crushed before the absolute power of the Legion of Kings.

  As Sarah’s final silhouette was swallowed by the Minotaur King's axe, "Twin-Blade Heart," "Storm Raven," "Iron Heart"... these top adventurer teams in the city all withered away in a death-struggle against King-class monsters that outnumbered them several times over.

  The fall of these heroes was like pulling the final spine out of this section of the defense.

  Having lost the suppression of their commanders and elite combatants, the hundreds of "Shield of Khagurem" soldiers—who were barely maintaining the line—instantly fell into a chaos of fighting for themselves. Their shield wall was completely overrun; their formation ceased to exist.

  The monster tide in the rear no longer faced any obstacles. They let out greedy roars and, like a black flood from a burst dam, instantly submerged the entire ramp.

  With Sarah’s final figure swallowed by the Minotaur King’s axe, there was no longer any organized resistance on the entire left-wing ramp.

  The monster tide in the rear no longer faced any obstacles. They let out greedy roars, and as the main force continued forward, they surged toward the depths of the city district at the top of the ramp!

  At the same time, hundreds of gnolls and ogres that had detached from the main group were attracted by the thick scent of blood and flesh from the flank that was still fighting. Like sharks scenting blood, they veered off their original path and launched a ferocious flank attack against the central battle line personally guarded by Chairman Hag!

  The left wing has fallen. Sarah and Roric’s story ends here, amidst the blood and the roar of the Legion of Kings. When heroes fall, the path to the heart of the city lies open. How much more can the dwarves endure before the silence takes them all?

  If this chapter moved you, please leave a comment or follow the story on Royal Road. Every bit of support helps as we move into the darkest hours of Khagurem.