White Stone Slope was still a long way from Holy Spirit City.
But the sounds of impacts outside the city were already coming one after another, making even the loose stones on the slope tremble.
Yūki was in no hurry to head downhill.
If he plunged into the Zombie Tide now, whether his courage would earn recognition was uncertain, but his intelligence would definitely be questioned first.
He took Silent Magician and Snowstorm Princess around behind the slope, concealing themselves behind several protruding white rocks to observe the city's defenses first.
A golden barrier covered all of Holy Spirit City, and three towers continuously channeled sunlight into it.
Whenever a Rotwing Monster crashed into it, a ring of golden patterns rippled across its surface, burning the creature to black ash.
At first, those golden patterns could spread several dozen meters.
Before long, their range had shrunk to a little over ten meters.
A massive beast clad in bone armor braved the bombardment and charged up to the city, slamming its forehead into the barrier.
The golden light flashed, but actually failed to repel it immediately.
"The barrier's energy is dropping."
Silent Magician looked up at the three towers. "The city's power supply can't keep up with its consumption."
Snowstorm Princess hugged her ice hammer, her little face scrunching up.
"With so many dark creatures outside, couldn't they break the barrier even if they just lined up and rammed it?"
"Pretty much."
Yūki counted the Rotwing Monsters in the air, then looked at the endless ranks of undead soldiers on the ground. "They're trading fodder for the city's defensive energy. Even if each one only drains a little, it can't hold out."
There was nothing particularly clever about this tactic.
But when the fodder really did cover the entire plain, even