BOOOM!

The fired ammunition did not cause anything extraordinary to happen. It merely hit the target almost simultaneously with the device's explosion, meaning it struck the target without even a moment passing since it was fired.

Some of the soldiers seemed to mistake that explosion for the sound of the device bursting, not even thinking of raising their heads.

RUUUUMBLE.

That was the case until the sound of something heavy falling into the water followed.

"What are you doing? The Mermen are coming up."

However, there was someone who turned his gaze to the sea even faster than the ones who raised their heads after hearing that sound.

It was the Meister, who hadn't lowered his head from the beginning—having only briefly put on earplugs to protect his ears, he had stood and watched everything, trusting in the Inquisitor's barrier—who shouted as he threw acid bombs.

"A-I know."

Next was the Inquisitor.

Slightly flustered by the stronger-than-expected shock, she hurriedly stood up straight.

CRASH!

A Merman, attempting to come up in rapid succession, crashed into the suddenly generated barrier and was crushed. If it had been a human, it would have been a concussion at the very least.

SMASH!

As the iron mace of justice fell upon the one that had somehow bypassed the barrier and climbed up, she breathed out with a face that had regained its stability.

Well, in truth, she wasn't completely relieved. The immense demonic energy felt from the back of the city and the continuously echoing thunder made her endlessly restless.

Her throat burned dry with anxiety.

"... Did we get it?"

Meanwhile, Deathbringer also awkwardly stood up and picked up his bow. "We've got a breach!" The soldiers who had awkwardly bowed their heads were also picking up their spears one by one.

"Probably not."

"... Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it."

The ones who answered Deathbringer's question were two people. The Meister and the Lord glared at the night sea with heavily crumpled expressions.

They had items over their eyes that illuminated the night. The Meister had borrowed the Lord's, and the Lord had borrowed his by practically extorting it from another commander.

"Still, if we do it right, I think we might be able to kill it."

"You're planning to aim for the head? I'm against it, Meister. The chances of missing are too high."

Putting that aside, they observed the turtle and found the aftermath of what had just happened.

The ammunition fired just now had pierced the turtle's shell and chipped off some of the rocks formed on it. It seemed to have hit the neck in the process as well, as blood could be seen dripping from its neck.

In other words, even if it couldn't deal a massive blow to the shell, it could sufficiently pierce the flesh.

"Even if it's not the head, aiming below the neck is worth a shot."

"We only have 3 devices. We just used one of them. Will you even be able to hit it?"

"If I miss, I miss."

"... Do as you please."

Also, since the neck was long, there were many parts to aim at other than the head positioned higher than the shell. For example, the part connecting the body inside the shell and the neck.

ROOOAAAR!

"...!"

"Something's coming!"

"I will defend!"

However, if the enemy just stood by and watched them do that, would that truly be the way the world works?

In response to the turtle's roar, the Inquisitor decided to prepare for the worst. She cast a blessing over the entire castle wall to increase its durability.

She had pushed herself a little with what just happened, but fortunately, she was capable of this much.

The Inquisitor closed her eyes, thinking it was a good thing she had conserved her strength early on. 'How are we going to deal with the thing behind us?' Then, a sliver of doubt briefly bloomed in a corner of her heart.

Even if she had conserved her strength, if she used it like this now, it would be difficult to face the demon in the back, making it a natural doubt.

"Demon Knight, I believe in you."

However, this place had become a location they could no longer retreat from. This was even more so because an incomparable number of people would die going forward compared to the moments she was conserving her strength earlier.

So, what could she do? A bead of sweat formed on her cheek, and the entire castle wall was dyed in a brilliant golden light.

FLUTTER.

However, as a result, that blessing became somewhat meaningless.

The incoming attack was not in the form of a direct strike from the turtle.

["Mom, Mom! Where are you?"]

["Dihi, my love. Where did you go, leaving me behind? I'm scared."]

["My child, you're still okay, right? You can make it back alive, right?"]

["Help me. Help me... Ar..."]

"It's Sirens!!"

Demons with the lower half of a bird and the upper half of a human began flying from the natural rock walls formed on the turtle's shell.

It was the Sirens, demons that lured humans by mimicking the voices of the people they missed the most.

["Dad, I don't know the way. Where do we have to go?"]

["Fire, it's a fire! Lucas, please save me!! I can't get out of here!"]

["Do you have any intention of coming with me? I can protect you."]

["If you come back, I'll really accept your confession this time!"]

They flew in, flapping mouse-colored wings connected to human arms. Beneath their sky-gray hair were faces that had no eyes or noses, only mouths.

"Everyone, pull yourselves together! You must not fall for their illusions!!"

"Ugh, crazy demons. Did things like this even exist in the world?"

They were ones who visited so rarely that he wondered if they wouldn't come this time, but they came after all...!

The Lord's eyes widened as he urgently issued commands to the surroundings. However, the voices of the Sirens were far too clear and distinct.

Some soldiers halted the hands holding their weapons.

Their end would probably be either being torn apart by the claws of the Mermen that would soon climb up or receiving the kiss of the flying Sirens.

"Snap out of it!! Those are fakes! I'm telling you, those are fakes!!"

Had the Lord turned his body to urgently ring the bell? At the sound of the voice calling, ["Wilhelm."], he shut his eyes tightly and placed his foot on the ladder.

"Everyone—! Pull yourselves together—!!"

BOOOM!

Suddenly, an immense golden light began spreading out like an explosion above the castle wall.

It was a newly erupted blast of divine power, unleashed without even undoing the wall's blessing, taking into account that the soldiers would be delayed in fighting back against the Mermen.

Cold sweat formed in beads on the Inquisitor's cheeks.

["KYAAAAK!"]

["KIIAAAAAH!"]

Still, the price her efforts brought was worth it.

Those who had fallen under the illusion regained their senses, and the Sirens and Mermen, engulfed by the divine power that was no different from a deadly poison to them, retreated with screams.

Their skin and feathers were slightly charred.

["Mom, Mom! It hurts!"]

["Lucas, Lucas, please! Just help...!"]

["AAAAAAH!"]

Amidst this, was a demon truly just a demon? Even as they retreated after being struck by divine power, they raised their voices again. It was a tenacious obsession to place a curse on the humans no matter what.

SMASH!

["URGH!"]

"How dare you."

However, that purpose was thwarted by someone who stepped on the battlement and leaped.

"How dare you...!"

As the giant figure reaching 2 meters swung her spear, the neck of the Siren struck by the spear shaft snapped just like that. From the way it fell, it was instantly dead no matter how you looked at it.

"A lowly demon dares to insult my older sister!"

SLASH! That wasn't all.

She used another Siren as a stepping stone to leap up again, skewered a new Siren's solar plexus with her spear, and then sent it flying into another Siren.

SMACK. The Sirens that collided into each other plummeted helplessly into the sea.

"I will tear you all to death—!"

The resolute voice, bordering on a roar, was filled with malice. The chilling blue color of an ice field faintly lingered on the spear blade.

"I was wondering why she wasn't coming down."

As everyone awkwardly proceeded with their own share of work, flustered by that fighting spirit, the Meister, who had disappeared at some point, suddenly popped his head out.

In his hands were a new cart and a new device. The faces of the soldiers closely trailing behind him were red. They were the expressions of people who had used every ounce of strength they had.

"Move!"

Through such twists and turns, the second device was installed, and a bombardment was attempted through the same process as earlier.

BOOOM! Since they had fired from a different spot than before—there wasn't enough time to clear out the debris—adjusting the angle would have been difficult, yet the Meister ultimately hit near the neck.

SPLASH!

The rock wall near the hole collapsed, and the approaching turtle let out a long cry.

Even more Sirens living on the turtle's back flew in and joined the battlefield. It was to the point where one wondered how the Sirens, which belonged to a rare class of demons, had multiplied so much.

"Laura..."

["Lucas! You finally came!"]

However, the biggest problem was keeping the soldiers in check.

Because there were far too many Sirens, it became too difficult to revert the bewitched soldiers back to their original state.

It was the case even with the Inquisitor continuously erupting with divine power and the Weapon Master... Berserker... anyway, even with her going around massacring the Sirens. Someone ultimately ended up falling for the Sirens' illusions.

SPLASH! At a Siren's gesture, a couple of soldiers fell into the sea.

There were also many whose tongues and entire faces were chewed off through a kiss. Human torsos missing their heads plummeted through the air. Just in this vicinity, there were three or four such cases.

In the areas where the influence of the Inquisitor and the split-personality Fighter was weaker, there would have been even more casualties.

"Damn it, Lord! Our forces are...!"

"Just a little, hold out a little longer!"

The most difficult part was that as holes formed in their forces due to the Sirens, instances of Mermen breaking through the wall also became frequent.

As if knowing this was their last chance, the few remaining Mermen ran wild even more fiercely.

It wasn't a very good situation for the soldiers, who were exhausted faster than usual from the intense battle and had their morale lowered by all sorts of variables.

THUD!

"It's too, too close..."

At that point, the turtle's body had crossed halfway over the embankment. That was also the last bastion the Lord had been weighing in his mind.

Since the soldiers had to be evacuated before that massive turtle touched the castle wall, it was the last bastion set considering that timing.

BANG!

"This is the last one! It should hit at this distance!"

However, to pull the people back now, the final bombardment device had just been installed.

That made him hesitate slightly. It was because if he evacuated the people and the turtle went down from that, the evacuation would have been for nothing.

No, perhaps it would even be a loss. Because there was no way the Mermen would leave the castle wall alone once the soldiers abandoned it.

The lives of the soldiers, or the money required for later repairs.

The Lord, cutting off a Siren's wing, fired the flare he had saved until the very end.

"Retreat!"

The answer went without saying. The city could be rebuilt at any time, but human lives could not be brought back.

"Those in the center fall back to the sides first!"

Moreover, soldiers weren't needed to activate the bombardment device. At most, it only required the Meister, someone to infuse mana, and a few skilled fighters to protect them.

And with that small number of personnel, it would be easy to evacuate when the turtle got close. It was a small group, and they were all elites.

After making such an efficient judgment, he sent the soldiers away first. No one scolded his conclusion for being cunning or cold-hearted.

"Lord, you may have them retreat even faster."

Rather, most didn't think much of it, and the Inquisitor even supported the Lord's choice.

The one whose hair was drenched in sweat slammed her mace onto the ground to declare a sanctuary. A light deeper than the radiance that had poured out thus far began to dye the top of the castle wall like a wave.

"... Also, never... never send people to the North Gate. The same goes even if a distress signal comes from there. You can be on guard around that area, but do not approach it directly."

"...?!"

"... Hey, softie. What does that—"

"You'll just die if you go. Ordinary people can no longer help in that fight."

Immediately after, the Hero declared the sanctuary with a face that looked like she was about to cry. At that, Deathbringer, who had wanted to ask more, kept his mouth shut.

As the sanctuary took hold on the castle wall, a situation was established where the soldiers could retreat more comfortably.

"Go on ahead, Lord. What's the Supreme Commander doing staying here?"

"... Dietrich, Franz. Stay behind and help them. I wish you the best of luck as well."

As the Lord and Supreme Commander, the Lord, who had no choice but to vacate his position first, turned his steps to follow the soldiers with an apologetic face.

He would now decide the soldiers' retreat route, receive reports on the status of the people's evacuation, and further expedite their refuge.

Those left behind waited for the device's mana to fill up.

RUUUUMBLE!

On the other side of the city, the area around the North Gate, which had even begun to burn, was still filled with thunderclaps.

BOOM! THUD!

The turtle was now within a few dozen meters. Looking as if the heaps of spikes laid out below didn't even hurt, it trudged forward, pulverizing everything in a truly reckless manner.

SLASH!

"Is that the nest for these bird bastards?"

"It most likely is."

At that moment, the one who had torn apart and killed most of the few Sirens that remained even after the sanctuary was declared finally returned to the castle wall.

The fact that she had nearly fallen into the sea a few times didn't seem to evoke much fear, as the blood-soaked person's face was still just as brutal.

"Are we killing it with this?"

"It'd be great if we could kill it, but well. If we can't kill it, we'll have to run."

Weapon Master... No, is it the Berserker right now? Deathbringer, who knew of her split personality, felt a little puzzled as he looked at her eerie golden eyes.

"If you can't kill it with that, the Berserker will kill it. Without fail."

... Berserker's older sister, meaning the Weapon Master, wasn't just limited to her personality?

"Well, our side would be thankful if you did."

"Wait, I know you're strong, but how could you possibly take on something that massive..."

"Leave her be, Franz. She must be saying that because she's capable of it."

Otherwise, there was no way she would have said 'do not insult my older sister' regarding the target the Sirens were mimicking.

He unconsciously analyzed the Berserker's circumstances and looked at the monster that had reached right in front of their noses. In truth, it looked more like a single calamity than an enemy.

Like a natural disaster... that just so happened to choose the spot where their city was located as its path to pass through.

"Hero, that thing's gonna reach us first! Do something about it!"

However, because humans are beings that sometimes have to confront even natural disasters.

Following the Meister's shout, the Inquisitor, who had been blocking the Mermen and Sirens while maintaining the declared sanctuary, squeezed out her strength once again.

"Oh God, please grant me the strength to protect everyone."

A brilliant radiance became a single protective barrier and blocked the turtle's advance. Since it was not a demon, it did not take damage, but according to the caster's will, it could not pass through the wall.

The massive monster and the Inquisitor's will clashed, beginning to test each other's strength. With cracking sounds, the barrier shattered and then restored itself, pushing the turtle back.

TRICKLE.

Blood trickled from the Inquisitor's nose and mouth before burning up and disappearing right away.

"Done!"

And when her body finally wavered once, the device was fully charged. The Meister shouted.

"Undo it when I give the signal! It doesn't matter if you do it sooner!"

"... You two take the Mages and evacuate ahead of us. You too, slacker!"

"... Follow right behind us!"

"4, 3—"

"Young Hunter, take the Demon Knight's horse as well. It should be nearby."

"Huh?!"

"Turn it off!"

KAA-BOOOOOOM!

A massive explosion rang through the heavens and earth, piercing the neck of the approaching monster and digging into the area connected to the neck through the hole.

ROOOOOOAR!

The monster wildly shook its neck and stumbled backward.

"Ah."

At the same time, the Inquisitor's head turned backwards. The rampaging massive monster didn't even catch her interest in this moment.

Her green eyes were completely filled with the land engulfed in flames.

FWOOOOSH, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.

Along with that... a flare shot up from the middle of those flames.

It was a request hoping for help, a cry that salvation was needed, and proof that it was too much for him alone.

The Demon Knight had failed to eliminate the demon.

An overwhelming demonic energy surged, as if the sovereign of evil had descended.