The Unquenchable Fire

Julian, a warrior of the Third Defensive Line, had been unable to put his faith in the Imperial Army until just before the battle began.

This had nothing to do with the military might the Imperial Army had amassed. Monsters moved in ways utterly beyond human capabilities.

Why had warriors continued to fight in the North for decades, even after rifles and cannons came into use? Why did warriors who could wield aura still use melee weapons?

The answer lay in the monsters’ physical capabilities.

Their hides were tough. Even the swift, lightly built monsters could survive a shot or two from a rifle if they were lucky.

On top of that, they could move at speeds of 50 to 60 kilometers per hour. If tens of thousands of monsters charged at nearly the speed of a galloping horse, there would be little time to fire.

The first monsters would smash their heads against the wall and die. The monsters behind them would trample their corpses, smash their heads against the wall, and die as well. Then the next monsters would charge in and repeat the same pattern.

The moment a path up the wall was formed, the main body of the army would arrive, having lagged behind because it moved more slowly.

It didn’t take long for all this to happen. This was the kind of war in the North where you couldn’t rely on firearms’ ranged capabilities alone.

The warriors’ role was to fight the monsters directly and hold the walls...