Under My Protection

Star River Enters Dream charged forward several times with his longsword, slashing down. The blade struck the white bones and produced only tiny sparks, no different from scratching an itch.

Having accepted reality, Star River Enters Dream chose to retreat behind the city wall and devote himself to clearing away the collapsed rubble, rescuing the injured citizens buried beneath it.

Looking across all of Hope Island, three-quarters of the city walls had already collapsed. Only the final section remained, swaying precariously. It could not withstand even two blows from the Ten-Thousand-Bone Giant. The defensive line had completely ceased to exist in all but name.

National Server Little Luban stared at the livestream on the virtual screen and watched Ling Chu climb onto the Moss Giant's breastbone, breaking through the desperate situation step by step.

But the cries of agony rising and falling behind him, and the citizens collapsing one after another, constantly reminded him that they could not hold on any longer.

He hurried to Edmund's side. "Sir, give the order to retreat! City Lord Ling Chu gave clear instructions: once the city walls fall, we must immediately lead all citizens to retreat to the Back Mountain Temple! If we wait any longer, it'll be too late!"

Edmund stood atop the ruined wall, his eyes red-rimmed.

Of course he knew the walls could not be held. He had known it all along.

But when he looked at the lush, mature Farmland spread across the island, at the rows of Stone House homes everyone had built and reinforced with their own hands, at everything they had spent two months pouring their hearts into clearing and constructing—

The countless days and nights of labor from the citizens, the countless drops of sweat, were all about to be buried beneath the monster's trampling.