Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert Chapter 672
Previously on Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert...
Chapter 672
“I can't believe it.”
Jin Geum-ho stared at the enormous diamond wall that had appeared overnight with a look of disbelief.
The gigantic diamond wall, stretching five kilometers in length, over twenty meters in height, and more than five meters thick, radiated overwhelming majesty.
Completely surrounding the slums on the outskirts of Sinchon, the diamond wall gave off an immense sense of pressure.
The diamond wall looked as though no monster could ever hope to break through it. It was enough to astonish even Jin Geum-ho.
“Zeon made this?”
“Yes.”
“Haha! Good grief...”
When something was too absurd to comprehend, all one could do was laugh.
That was exactly how Jin Geum-ho felt.
And he wasn't the only one.
Seo Tae-ran and the city hall executives who had come with him all felt the same.
“Can this really be done with human power?”
“No matter how much of a Sand Mage he is... I'm too stunned to even speak.”
A towering wall that tens of thousands of people couldn't have erected had appeared in a single day.
Even more astonishing was the fact that Zeon had accomplished it entirely on his own.
Faced with Zeon's overwhelming ability, they could only click their tongues in amazement.
One of the executives cautiously spoke to Seo Tae-ran.
“Since we've confirmed his abilities, how about asking him to build a wall around all of Neo Seoul?”
“Have you lost your mind?”
Seo Tae-ran glared at the man with frightening eyes.
“Pardon?”
“You think he can casually throw up a wall like this without any consequences?”
“I-I...”
“If you measure the perimeter of Neo Seoul, including the slums, it's close to seventy kilometers. You're saying Zeon should build a seventy-kilometer wall by himself in just a few days? Does that sound reasonable? I heard he collapsed from exhaustion after building just this one wall. Is that really what you want?”
“I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking.”
“Please think before you speak. Stop thinking only about exploiting others.”
“I'll be more careful from now on.”
In the end, the one who had offered the suggestion retreated with nothing to show for it.
“Ha...”
Seo Tae-ran let out a sigh.
She was appalled by the executives' inability to make proper judgments even in a situation like this.
Jin Geum-ho smiled as he looked at her.
“You're starting to look the part.”
“Pardon?”
“You're starting to look like a leader.”
“How could I?”
“A leader doesn't need to be a good person. Even toward your most trusted followers, you have to be as sharp as a blade when the time calls for it.”
“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, but I got angry...”
“I'm saying you did well. Just keep doing that.”
“Mayor?”
“Now then, how should we make use of this wall?”
Jin Geum-ho changed the subject.
Though it was only five kilometers long, the giant diamond wall had limitless applications.
Not only would it give people a sense of psychological security, but its incredible defensive power would also be a tremendous asset.
“I'll come up with a plan to lure any monsters that break through the defensive line toward this wall.”
“You mean intentionally draw them here?”
“Yes. That will ease the pressure on the other areas. If we concentrate all available forces here, we'll be able to deal with the monsters much more efficiently.”
“Then the danger to the other slums will decrease as well.”
“Yes. If we install anti-mana monster weapons on top of the wall, we'll be able to fight them very effectively.”
“I'll give you full authority. Take responsibility and see it through.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I'll focus on Cheonbeol, so you take charge of Neo Seoul's defense.”
“But...”
“Do you lack confidence?”
“No. I'll do it.”
Seo Tae-ran answered with a resolute expression.
Jin Geum-ho smiled at her.
“You'll do well.”
“I'll do my best not to disappoint you.”
“Good. Once we overcome this crisis, a new horizon will surely open for the humans and other races living on this land.”
Jin Geum-ho's eyes shone with golden light.
Looking at him, Seo Tae-ran thought he looked dazzling.
---
Woooooo—
The emergency alarm echoed throughout the Magic Crystal Mine.
“Prepare for battle!”
“The monsters are approaching!”
Every awakened one stationed at the mine rushed outside.
The awakened ones who climbed onto the wall were left speechless by the endless procession of monsters in the distance.
The land was black with monsters as far as the eye could see.
—ROOOAR!
—KRAAA!
Even from this distance, the beasts' roars could be heard.
The combined roars of tens of thousands of monsters made the walls of the Magic Crystal Mine tremble.
“Fuck!”
“Where the hell did all those come from?”
Just then, Eloy stepped forward and shouted.
“Is now the time to stand around talking? Keep evacuating the civilians and prepare for battle!”
“Y-Yes!”
“Understood!”
The awakened ones hurried into action.
After arriving at the Magic Crystal Mine, Eloy had been evacuating the miners and civilians to Neo Seoul through the portal.
However, the portal could only transport a limited number of people at a time, so many still remained.
Getting them all out safely was the top priority.
Once all the civilians had been evacuated to Neo Seoul, reinforcements would arrive through the portal.
Until then, they would have to hold out with only the forces currently inside.
Eloy spoke.
“Check your equipment and deploy the mana particle cannons.”
“Yes!”
When Mandy was in control, she barely had any presence. But when Eloy took over, she gave orders without the slightest hesitation.
Numerous mana particle cannons were installed along the top of the wall.
They weren't very effective against monsters capable of deploying force fields, but against C-rank and lower monsters, the mana particle cannons possessed tremendous destructive power.
Naturally, their power source was magic crystals.
Since magic crystals were quite expensive, Neo Seoul usually used them sparingly, but here they were everywhere.
If necessary, they only had to pick up another crystal lying on the ground and replace it.
Rumble!
The wall shook as if from an earthquake.
The monsters had drawn that much closer.
—ROOOAR!
Now they were close enough that the gaping jaws of the roaring monsters could be seen clearly.
The awakened ones standing atop the wall grew even more tense.
“Damn it!”
“Ugh!”
Wiping the sweat from their brows, they stared ahead.
The monsters had now reached within a few kilometers of the Magic Crystal Mine.
At that moment, Eloy shouted.
“Fire the mana particle cannons!”
“Fire!”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dozens of mana particle cannons fired beams of light.
The brilliant rays shot across several kilometers and slammed into the leading monsters.
—KIEEE!
—KRAA!
The low-rank monsters charging forward at full speed melted away with screams.
Even mid-rank monsters suffered considerable damage and collapsed.
But compared to the entirety of the horde, the number was insignificant.
The mana particle cannons continued firing from the Magic Crystal Mine.
Clouds of sand billowed into the air, and countless monsters fell.
But the ones behind paid no attention, trampling over the corpses as they advanced.
Crunch!
Crack!
The bodies of monsters killed by the mana particle cannons were crushed beneath the feet of the beasts following behind.
Swinging her spear, Eloy shouted,
“Keep firing. Thin their numbers as much as possible.”
“Yes!”
BOOM! BOOM!
The mana particle cannons continued spewing beams.
Their barrels glowed red-hot.
They needed time to cool down, but this was no time to worry about that.
The awakened ones kept replacing the magic crystals and firing the cannons.
Boom! Bang!
Eventually, many of the mana particle cannons exploded from overheating, their barrels bursting apart.
Even so, no one thought it was a waste.
They had killed that many monsters.
Now it was the machine guns' turn.
RATATATAT!
Machine guns loaded with anti-mana rounds opened fire on the low-rank monsters that had come within range.
Unlike the mana particle cannons, the machine guns didn't inflict much damage.
It took dozens of bullets striking a single beast just to bring one down.
The efficiency was terrible, but the awakened ones didn't care.
This wasn't the time to worry about efficiency.
They had to kill even one more beast before the horde reached the Magic Crystal Mine.
And so they emptied every last bullet into the bodies of the monsters.
Now it was time to fight them directly.
Gripping her spear tightly, Eloy shouted,
“Don't go down beneath the wall. Only deal with the ones climbing up.”
The wall surrounding the Magic Crystal Mine stood ten meters high and was two meters thick.
Reinforced with countless pillars and special metals on the inside, it wouldn't budge against the attacks of ordinary monsters.
As long as they fought using the wall as cover, they could hold out.
Eloy clenched her teeth.
The one saving grace was that the Magic Crystal Mine wasn't the monsters' true objective.
The mine was nothing more than a small obstacle lying in their path.
Their true destination was Neo Seoul.
She didn't know what it was in Neo Seoul that was drawing them, but many monsters simply passed by the Magic Crystal Mine.
In other words, as long as they dealt only with the monsters whose route intersected the mine, their chances of survival were high.
Boom! Boom!
At last, the monsters slammed into the walls of the Magic Crystal Mine.
The larger ones tried to smash the walls apart, while the smaller ones climbed up.
—KRAAA!
—ROAR!
“Now!”
“Die!”
Eloy and the awakened ones unleashed a full assault on the monsters.
The martial-type awakened ones held the front line while the magic-type awakened ones bombarded the beasts from the rear.
BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions erupted everywhere, and countless monsters died.
The awakened ones were not spared either.
“Urgh!”
“Agh!”
The martial-type awakened ones defending the wall collapsed with screams.
Others waiting in reserve immediately filled the gaps while the wounded were carried to the rear.
The awakened ones fought like interlocking gears as they resisted the monsters.
Among all of them, one stood out above the rest.
It was Eloy.
Like the name of her spear, Mad Nine-Tailed Fox, Eloy rampaged across the battlefield.
Throwing her spear at the monsters, she shouted,
“Hyaah! Nine Spear Strike!”
In an instant, the spear split into nine.
Brilliant strands of light connected the divided spears like a net.
Eloy's strongest skill detonated in the middle of the beast horde.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A chain of explosions erupted, wiping out dozens of monsters.
The awakened ones, encouraged by Eloy's fierce performance, were fighting with even greater vigor when—
Rumble!
The portal installed inside the Magic Crystal Mine shone brightly as countless awakened ones poured out.
Reinforcements from Steel Fortress and Neo Seoul had arrived.
“Waaaah!”
“Let's go!”
“Drive back the monsters!”
Without a moment's hesitation, the reinforcements leaped onto the walls and joined the battle.
Their arrival allowed the defenders who had been fighting all this time to finally catch their breath.
Color returned to Eloy's face.
“We've got this! We can win.”
Hope had appeared.
