The news of the impending arrival of the undead spread like wildfire throughout the streets and alleys of Twilight City.
The calamity personally described by the Dragon God made it clear to everyone that this might be the most severe crisis since the kingdom's founding.
Humans, Crusaders, and sea creatures—everyone set aside their past arrogance and prejudice, and everyone shared a single goal: to protect the city and survive.
Regardless of gender or age, almost everyone in the city took up arms.
There was no way out for anyone. According to the army patrolling outside the city, the Dragon Kingdom might be the last kingdom standing on the earth in this world. All other cities had long since become the lair of the undead.
Over the next three days, the undead on Falling Star Plains launched dozens of attacks, large and small, against Twilight City.
Explosions, fighting, and screams echoed across the land outside the city every day.
In the eastern defense zone of Muxi City, the orc Carol cleaved the last struggling undead in two with a single axe stroke, then leaned against the city wall, panting heavily.
After ripping the parasite's corpse out of his chest, Aldenan paid no heed to the blood gushing from his chest. He stumbled and fell to the ground, looking at the gray sky, too weak to get up again.
“I heard from the Valkyries in charge of reconnaissance that the forces attacking Twilight City these past few days have been the vanguard of the undead…” Aldnan’s hair, stained with blood and tangled together, continued, “Tomorrow morning, the first massive horde of undead will reach the border of Twilight City, roughly estimated to number close to 300,000…”
Carol glanced at Aldenan: "Which Valkyrie told you that? Was it Hedeline? That smiling girl?"
A hint of emotion flickered in Aldnan's calm voice: "Hedrin is dead. She encountered a flock of undead crows yesterday evening when she returned from patrol..."
Carol was taken aback.
The two fell silent.
After a while, Aldenan said in a low voice, "I heard that in Lone Rock City, a horde of corpses came from the direction of the Southern Empire, crossed the foothills, and entered the plains; and on the west side of Stirring Island, traces of sea undead have also been discovered. The port and trading post have all been closed, and the navy has also blockaded the entrance to the sea."
Carol looked around and then said to Aldenan, "Just say what you want to say."
Aldenan: "You know what I'm trying to say."
Carol gritted her teeth and said, "I won't leave here."
Aldenan rolled his eyes: "I never intended to persuade you to leave."
Carroll: "Barbara's due date is fast approaching, and I must make sure she and the baby are safe and sound."
Aldenan struggled to his feet, kicked the undead corpse beside him off the city wall, and said to Carol, "Don't you think about yourself? If you die, I seriously doubt that woman will shed a single tear."
To Aldenan's surprise, Carroll stared directly at him, his expression unusually calm, showing no sign of anger.
"I remember you once asked me a question," Carroll said.
Aldenan: "What?"
Carroll: "What is it that people are pursuing in this life? Food? Wealth? Fame? If you ask me, everyone has something in their heart that they want to protect, and for that, we can give up everything, become everything... Just because you haven't found it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."
Aldenan waved his hand: "I never knew you had the talent to be a philosopher. Rather than those ethereal things, I'd rather live on and enjoy the rest of my life."
Carol shrugged: "Well, even if it's just to survive, you have to face everything now... because, for the living, there is no other place in this world to go but Twilight City."
Aldenan sighed deeply: "You're right, this world is about to end, and Muxi City may be our last chance to survive."
At the eastern defense command post seventeen kilometers away, Cumberland, who hadn't slept for twenty-four hours, stared with bloodshot eyes at the sand table in front of him, which was covered with countless small black flags, and asked, "What's the situation with the breach in the Chakrit defense line now?"
Alfonso de Carver pointed to a ring of black flags on the eastern front and said, "At noon today, the Fourth Regiment pushed forward and drove all the undead that had broken through the defenses off the city walls."
Cumberland stared at the sand table, his brow furrowed, and remained silent.
Alfonso thought for a moment, then said, "The garrison troops of the Chakrit defense perimeter are mostly soldiers from Holy Guard City and Silver Ring City. They are okay against ordinary undead, but they are powerless against large numbers of alien undead... The responsibility for the collapse of the defense line this time cannot be entirely blamed on..."
Before Alfonso could finish speaking, Cumberland interjected, "At a time like this, assigning blame is meaningless. The key is how to allocate military forces and prevent the next defensive crisis."
Looking at the sand table, Alfonso suggested, "How about we transfer some Crusader troops from the southern defense line? The southern front has been relatively peaceful these past few days, with only a few small-scale attacks. Transferring some Crusader troops to support the eastern front would help balance the forces."
Cumberland thought for a moment and rejected the suggestion: "We can't draw troops from there... Think about it, most of the undead fighting on the eastern front come from parish kingdoms, where the population is relatively small and the terrain is relatively flat. So when the undead move, they are faster but smaller in scale."
"The undead on the southern front mostly come from the Southern Empire. That region has a large population, but because of the steep terrain, they move slowly. However, once the undead in the south cross the mountains and reach the plains, their offensive will be even more severe than on the eastern front."
"Therefore, the Crusader troops on the southern defense line cannot be withdrawn."
Alfonso nodded, then added, "According to the patrol reports, the first horde of undead giants will reach the eastern front of Twilight City at sunrise tomorrow."
Cumberland: "Tomorrow's battle will probably be the most brutal one in the last few days. Send the word out, make everyone ready, and inventory and distribute defensive supplies."
Alfonso: "The city's citizens have approached Prime Minister Emerson, hoping he can come to the front lines and join the fight."
Cumberland said in a deep voice, "Tell those troublemakers to get out of here! They're untrained, some don't even know what an undead looks like. Once they're on the city walls, all they'll do is scream and run away like madmen. They're completely useless!"
Alfonso knew the other party was telling the truth and didn't refute it further.
Cumberland shook his head and said, "I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up if there's any noise."
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