Grom's overwhelming offensive quickly cleared out the nests that had been a headache for Shield City for years.
One hammer blow followed another.
Those tumor-like structures collapsed like rotting mud, with purple juice flowing everywhere.
The demon hatchlings fell in droves, their purple blood forming a river.
In less than fifteen minutes, not a single living demon could be seen in the entire area.
Lin Gui steered the train, letting it slowly drift downward.
It came to a stop.
Just as he was about to jump down, Barna grabbed him.
"Don't move."
Barna tilted his chin up, gesturing for Lin Gui to look around.
A faint purple mist floated in the air, elusive and spectral like a ghostly veil.
"This is the toxic mist of a deep-sea cursed demon."
Barna's voice was low.
"Even after a cursed demon dies, the toxic mist lingers for a while."
He paused.
"This stuff is incredibly troublesome."
"Once you're tainted by it, your skin will fester and rot."
"Without a powerful priest to heal you, it basically means death."
He looked at Lin Gui.
"Even a Transcendent won't be spared."
"Just stay by my side and don't leave."
"Leave the rest to Grom and the artisans."
Lin Gui looked down.
Grom and those artisans were moving through the toxic mist without any protection at all.
Grom opened a train car and began unloading heavy crates of materials.
Those Stellar Stones and components seemed as light as toys in his hands.
The artisans took the barrier stones given by Balin and began to deploy them across the island.
A trace of confusion flashed in Lin Gui's eyes.
Barna smiled.
"The toxic mist is terrifying, but its maximum damage only reaches the Low-tier Transcendent rank."
He pointed at the artisans.
"Every one of these artisans I brought over is a High-tier Transcendent."
He paused.
"To build a fortification capable of pinning down the deep-sea demons within two days, both strength and craftsmanship are indispensable."
Lin Gui nodded.
Under their watch, the artisans sprang into action.
A barrier stone was embedded into the ground, glowing with a faint light.
Then a second, a third...
As the barrier stones were deployed, a faint curtain of light began to take shape in the air.
It looked like an inverted bowl, enveloping the area designated for the fortifications.
Inside the barrier, the purple toxic mist was gradually pushed out.
The artisans used the barrier stones to tear openings in the barrier and stepped into the curtain of light, where they began carrying ashlar blocks and laying the foundation.
Their movements were extremely fast and precise, as if every step had been practiced thousands of times.
The heavy ashlar blocks were weightless in their hands.
They stacked the stones block by block, the structure rising at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Alright."
Barna patted Lin Gui on the shoulder.
"Let's hurry back."
"The sooner we deliver all the materials, the sooner we can relieve the pressure on Shield City."
He looked down at Grom.
"We'll leave things here to him."
Lin Gui nodded.
Then he spoke to Barna.
"Take my flying vessel back; it'll save some time."
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The battle between Balin and the other pillars of the dwarves was raging fiercely outside the South Gate.
Lin Gui had said they only needed to distract the demons for thirty seconds.
But Balin and the others had held back several Epic Demon Lords for a full five minutes.
They hoped to ensure that Lin Gui and the others' operation would go smoothly.
During those five minutes, they charged in and out of the overwhelming swarm of demons, covered in blood, having consumed most of their battle force.
Finally.
A figure burst out from the demon swarm.
Balin was covered in blood, and several deep claw marks had been added to his plate armor.
But he didn't stop, leading the way as he charged toward the city gate.
Behind him, several other dwarf pillars emerged one after another.
One had a broken arm, and another had a gash across his face, but they were all alive.
The city gate slammed shut behind them.
The curtain of light from the gate's barrier sealed shut again.
Boom—!!!
A massive Epic Demon Lord crashed into the barrier.
The entirety of Shield City trembled.
Debris fell from the city walls, houses on the streets creaked, and even deep within the mountain, the vibration could be felt.
Then another hit.
Boom—!!!
The residents in the city hid in their respective homes, huddling together with worried expressions.
Children covered their ears, and adults gritted their teeth, remaining silent.
Only the sounds of artillery fire and impacts coming from the distance proclaimed the terror outside.
Even though Balin hadn't said much about the threat the Dark Tide posed to Shield City.
They could all guess a fair amount.
Inside Balin's forge.
The little dwarf stoker curled up in a corner.
He clutched a crude protective charm tightly in his hand.
He closed his eyes, his lips moving as he muttered to himself.
"God of the Forge above... protect the Fortress Lord... protect those lords... protect that black-haired human..."
"Let them all return safely..."
At the South Gate.
Balin leaned against the city wall, panting heavily.
Several priests surrounded him, the holy light in their hands constantly flowing into his wounds.
The flesh torn by the demon claws was slowly healing.
The other dwarf pillars were also receiving treatment.
Some were lying down, others were sitting, and all of them looked terrible.
Balin looked up at a nearby messenger.
"What's the situation at the West Gate?"
His voice was raspy and filled with fatigue.
Just as the messenger was about to answer, a dwarf pillar beside him offered some comfort:
"Fortress Lord, rest easy."
"At the very least, I haven't seen a train falling from the sky..."
"A vehicle as long as a snake... if they had failed and crashed, it would be easy to spot."
"So, they should have made it out successfully."
Before he could finish his sentence.
A calm voice rang out from nearby.
"Correct."
"The first batch of materials has already been delivered."
That voice was far too familiar.
Balin snapped his head around.
Then, he froze.
The other dwarf pillars were stunned as well.
Lin Gui was standing not far away, looking at them with a neutral expression.
And beside him, Barna's face was deathly pale, his expression was dazed, and his eyes had lost focus.
Finally, Barna couldn't take it anymore.
He stumbled toward a steel pillar and grabbed it for support.
"Bleargh—"
He vomited until his world spun.
Balin's mouth hung open, and he couldn't find his voice for a long time.
"You... why are you still here?"
His voice even changed pitch.
"Didn't you go to deliver the materials?"
Lin Gui looked at him, his expression remaining calm.
"The first batch has already been delivered."
Balin and the other dwarf pillars: "..."
"Delivered?"
Balin's voice sounded like it was squeezed from between his teeth.
"What do you mean?"
Lin Gui paused for a second.
Then, he said slowly:
"It means taking the materials safely to Shield Island, unloading, and then flying back."
"It means the first batch is already finished."
"Finished?"
Balin's voice cracked.
He and the other dwarf pillars stared blankly for a moment, and then they all looked at Barna simultaneously.
Barna was leaning against the pillar, having just regained some of his strength.
He looked up at Balin, his face still deathly pale.
"Yeah, it's finished."
After saying that, he lowered his head again.
"Bleargh—"
He vomited even more violently.
Balin: "..."
The other dwarves: "..."
While he vomited, Barna was cursing up a storm in his head.
On the way out, it took them roughly four minutes to reach Shield Island.
They had been cautious, as if treading on thin ice.
Navigating through that overwhelming demon swarm felt like dancing on the edge of a blade at every step.
On the way back, since there was no cargo and only the two of them, Lin Gui had made a suggestion.
Lin Gui suggested they take his flying vessel.
Barna was, after all, a dwarf, and he was proficient in forging as well.
Seeing the wind pressure cannon equipped at the back of the vessel and its aerodynamic design tailored specifically for speed...
He could indeed foresee how fast this little thing could go once the wind pressure cannon was activated.
But he had thought that since there were so many demons on the way back...
This little mage would show some concern like he did on the trip out.
He thought the boy would control the speed to prevent them from crashing into those monsters in the sky.
As it turned out.
The boy simply slapped the wind pressure cannon.
Full throttle.
Overload.
Absolute racing.
He didn't slow down. Not even once.
Barna had only just finished fastening all the seatbelts the previous second, and then...
Whoosh—
A white light pierced the horizon.
He only felt a blur before his eyes, all the demons around them turning into streaks of light, and then...
By the time he regained his senses, they were already back in the city...
Balin and the other dwarf pillars stared blankly at Lin Gui.
One moment, they were worried about their safety.
The next, the party had returned.
They had returned completely unscathed.
Lin Gui looked at their injuries.
The deep claw mark on Balin's chest was still seeping blood.
The dwarf beside him had his entire arm in a bandage sling.
Another had his forehead wrapped in gauze, blood still soaking through.
He was silent for a second.
"Um... the second batch for the train is almost finished loading."
He paused.
"Do you... want to rest for a while?"
Gulp.
Balin swallowed hard.
He and the other dwarves looked at each other.
In those eyes, it was hard to tell whether there was relief or embarrassment.
Suddenly, they felt like their behavior of deliberately holding out for four minutes longer than expected to cover Lin Gui...
Made them look like fools.
After a moment of silence.
Balin cleared his throat.
"Ahem, about that..."
He looked at Lin Gui.
"You mentioned earlier that we only needed to distract them for a few seconds?"
Lin Gui replied:
"Thirty seconds is enough."
He glanced at the bloodied wounds of Balin and the others.
"If things get too difficult, twenty seconds will do."
Balin's mouth twitched.
He took a deep breath, turned his head, and looked at the dwarf pillars beside him, who were equally bloodied.
"Can you still fight?"
"We can!"
"Let's go!"
Balin stood up, grabbed his battle-axe, and strode back outside.
...
At the West Gate.
A new train had finished loading, its narrow body coiled on the ground like an iron dragon waiting to wake.
Lin Gui took Barna back to the engine.
Behind them, the massive iron gate slowly opened.
Artillery roared, and demons shrieked.
The train took flight once more.
...
This time, when Lin Gui arrived at Shield Island with the train, the situation had changed.
The area Grom and the others were building was already covered with demons on the outside of the barrier.
They were packed together in dense layers, covering that pale blue curtain of light like ants.
And what made one's skin crawl the most was that...
An Epic Demon Lord was repeatedly striking the barrier with terrifying attacks.
Boom—!
Boom—!
With every impact, the barrier trembled violently, its light flickering as if it might shatter at any moment.
The appearance of an Epic Demon had disrupted their plans.
Barna frowned deeply as he looked at Lin Gui.
"Can your magic hide us from this demon lord?"
Lin Gui shook his head.
"As long as I get close, it will definitely discover me."
He looked at the gargantuan creature.
"But don't worry."
He paused.
"There's only one. It's easily handled."
Barna was taken aback.
"How will you handle it?"
Lin Gui said plainly:
"You and I will go and lure that demon away."
Barna frowned.
"And what about the supplies?"
Lin Gui's expression remained neutral.
"Let them head there on their own."
Barna: ???
His eyes widened as he looked at Lin Gui like he was looking at a madman.
"On their own??"
"Is the train going to grow wings and fly there by itself?"
Lin Gui didn't explain.
He acted immediately.
He boarded the flying vessel and left the train.
Then, Barna witnessed a scene he would never forget in his entire life.
The massive object, dozens of meters long, didn't fall just because Lin Gui had left it.
It simply hovered in mid-air.
Then, it slowly changed direction.
It circled in the sky.
As if it had truly come to life, it simply floated there, awaiting Lin Gui's command.
What confused Barna even more was that...
The concealment magic cast upon the train hadn't vanished just because Lin Gui had left.
Those demons still hadn't discovered its presence.
Once everything was ready, Lin Gui steered the flying vessel and looked at the Epic Demon Lord attacking the barrier.
"I need a viable legendary attack spell."
Barna took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart.
He raised his staff.
A chant rang out.
Brown magical light gathered in front of the flying vessel, and a massive magic circle quickly took form.
The circle was covered in complex runes, nested in layers that rotated, growing brighter and more dazzling by the second.
Lin Gui gripped the controls of the flying vessel.
He accelerated abruptly.
The vessel became a streak of light, charging straight toward the Epic Demon.
The moment they closed in.
Barna's staff pointed forward.
The magic circle suddenly burst, and a massive earth spike condensed out of thin air, slamming into the demon with the force of a thunderbolt.
Boom!!
The Epic Demon was knocked back a step and let out a heaven-shaking roar.
It snapped its head around.
Those blood-red eyes locked onto the flying vessel.
The corners of Lin Gui's mouth curled up slightly.
The flying vessel banked sharply, flying at top speed toward Shield City.
The demon roared, leaping down from the edge of the island and crashing into the black seawater, creating a towering wave.
Then, it began its pursuit across the sea.
That massive body swam through the water at an incredible speed.
Like a warship out of control, it cleaved through the black waves, frantically chasing the flying vessel.
As it swam, it let out low, deep growls.
And just as they left.
The train that had been waiting in the sky moved.
It silently drifted toward the top of the barrier.
Then, as if it had lost control, it began to plunge downward.
Evidently, it had reached the maximum limit of Lin Gui's control range.
What vanished wasn't just the Levitation spell cast upon it, but also the Shroud of the Gloomy Night.
The exposure of the train instantly allowed the demons to discover the anomaly, and they lunged toward it.
But the train's weight of a hundred tons crushed everything in its path.
It pressed through all the obstructing demons, crashing straight into the barrier.
Rate on N.U.
