Chapter 167: Nightmare King’s Army

His fingers tightened. "So you’re finally here."

A massive army slowly emerged from the darkness beyond the Fortress.

At first, Edgar could only see countless shadows moving through the fog but they were all Nightmares.

Hundreds of them emerged from the forest, followed by hundreds more, until the entire area beyond the Fortress was covered by their enormous bodies.

Several possessed multiple eyes scattered across their faces, while others had horns, tails, wings, or twisted limbs.

Crimson flames burned inside their eyes, illuminating the darkness around them as their footsteps shook the ground.

Edgar stood on top of the Fortress Wall and watched them silently.

The army was much larger than the one that had attacked him before, but what caught his attention wasn’t simply their numbers.

They were organized.

The Nightmares weren’t rushing toward the Fortress like mindless beasts this time.

Edgar’s eyes slowly moved through the army until he saw a familiar figure.

A little girl was sitting on the shoulder of an enormous Nightmare, her small legs hanging beside its neck while she casually rested one hand against its head.

She looked almost completely out of place among the monstrous army surrounding her.

Edgar recognized her immediately. She was the little girl who had commanded the previous attack.

The first general.

The moment she noticed Edgar standing on the wall, a smile appeared on her face.

"Long time no see."

Edgar didn’t answer. His eyes moved away from her and continued examining the army.

Two other figures slowly stepped forward from among the Nightmares.

The first was an incredibly tall Nightmare with four massive arms, and each hand carried a different weapon.

A gigantic sword rested in one hand, a spear in another, while an axe and a hammer made from the bones of some unknown creature occupied the remaining two.

Its body was covered in thick black armor, and two enormous horns curved backward from its head.

The second general looked completely different.

It was a thin humanoid Nightmare covered in pale white skin, with a long robe hanging from its body.

Its face was almost completely featureless except for a single vertical eye in the center of its forehead, while several strange black objects floated silently around it.

Edgar could immediately feel the enormous amount of energy radiating from both of them.

’Generals.’

He didn’t know their names, but there was no doubt that they were far stronger than the ordinary Nightmares surrounding them.

Suddenly, the army began parting. Something was approaching from behind them.

The Nightmares lowered their heads as a strange carriage slowly emerged from the darkness, but it wasn’t being pulled by horses.

Four enormous Giants carried it on their shoulders, each of them taller than the Fortress Wall and strong enough to make the ground tremble with every step.

The carriage itself was made from a strange dark material that reflected the moonlight.

...Sitting upon it was a man.

Edgar’s eyes narrowed as soon as he saw him.

The man possessed a massive, well-built body, with muscles that were clearly visible even beneath his simple clothing.

His skin had a golden hue that almost made him appear as though he had been carved from some kind of precious metal.

Long black hair fell behind his shoulders, and his expression remained completely calm as he looked toward the Fortress.

Edgar immediately understood who he was.

...The Nightmare King.

The four Giants carrying the carriage slowly lowered it, allowing the King to look directly toward the Fortress.

For several seconds, complete silence filled the battlefield.

Then the little girl jumped down from the shoulder of the giant Nightmare and walked toward the Fortress.

She stopped several dozen metres away from the walls before looking up at Edgar.

"Edgar." Her voice carried clearly through the darkness. "You’ve grown stronger since the last time we met."

"So have you."

The little girl smiled slightly. "I suppose that’s why the King decided to come personally."

Edgar’s eyes shifted toward the golden-skinned man.

The Nightmare King still hadn’t moved.

The little girl placed her hands behind her back and looked toward Edgar with a surprisingly calm expression.

"I came here to make you an offer." Edgar remained silent, waiting for her to continue. "You have something we want."

Her eyes shifted toward the Fortress. "Give us Hera."

Edgar’s expression immediately became cold.

The little girl continued before he could answer. "If you hand her over, we will leave this place alone. Your Fortress, your people, your soldiers, and everything else under your protection will remain untouched."

Edgar stared at her for several seconds. "And you expect me to believe that?"

"You don’t have to believe me." She shrugged. "You only need to understand that the King doesn’t particularly care about this place."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "He only wants her."

Edgar looked toward the Nightmare King again.

The man was still sitting on his carriage with the same bored expression, as though the entire conversation wasn’t worth his attention.

Edgar turned back toward the little girl.

"No."

The girl’s smile disappeared. "You should think carefully before giving your answer."

"I already have." Edgar’s voice remained calm. "Hera isn’t something I’m going to hand over."

The little girl sighed and shook her head.

"You’re making a mistake."

Edgar didn’t respond. A young voice suddenly came from beside him.

Andrew was standing nearby, staring at the enormous Nightmare army with a nervous expression.

He swallowed before speaking. "I like your bravery, but can we actually win against something like this?"

Edgar glanced toward him before turning his gaze back. The Nightmares stretched across the horizon.

Three generals stood among them, and behind all of those monsters sat the Nightmare King.

Edgar looked toward his soldiers. "We’re going to find out."

He turned toward the Fortress. "Get ready."

The Soul Guardians immediately moved into position.

The archers took their places along the walls while the Storm Ballistas rotated toward the approaching army.

The Watch Towers activated one after another, and the gravity zones surrounding the Fortress began glowing faintly beneath the ground.

The newly created Soul Guardians also moved into formation.

The Giants stood near the gates while the winged guardians took to the sky.

Human warriors formed defensive lines along the walls, with the larger Soul Guardians positioned behind them.

Edgar stood in the center of it all.

Through the Soul Network, he could feel every Soul Guardian connected to him.

Hundreds of different presences filled his mind, allowing him to see through their eyes and sense their movements without needing to stand beside them.

He had an army of his own.

The little girl looked toward the Fortress one last time. "You really won’t give her to us?"

"No."

The girl sighed. "Then there is nothing more to discuss."

She turned around and began walking back toward the Nightmare army.

At that moment, the Nightmare King finally moved. His golden eyes slowly lifted toward the Fortress.

Edgar’s body tensed as the King’s gaze settled on him.

For a brief moment, the entire battlefield seemed unnaturally quiet.

The King raised one hand.

He didn’t shout or give a long speech.

He simply pointed toward the Fortress with the same bored expression he had worn since arriving.

"Attack."

The massive army immediately began charging.

BOOM!

Thousands of Nightmares rushed toward the Fortress at the same time, causing the ground to shake violently beneath their feet.

Their combined roars echoed through the forest and sent countless birds fleeing from the surrounding trees.

The fog was torn apart by their movement as the Nightmares charged from several different directions.

Edgar watched them approach before raising one hand.

"Fire."

The Storm Ballistas activated simultaneously.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Hundreds of enchanted bolts tore through the darkness before crashing into the approaching Nightmares.

The explosions ripped through their front ranks, sending pieces of black flesh flying through the air and leaving dozens of monsters collapsing onto the ground.

However, the Nightmares behind them didn’t slow down.

They simply climbed over the bodies of their fallen comrades and continued charging toward the Fortress.

Edgar immediately activated the gravity zones.

The ground beneath the Nightmares suddenly distorted as an enormous gravitational force descended upon them.

Several creatures were slammed violently into the earth, their bodies crushed beneath their own increased weight.

The Nightmares behind them continued forward, trampling over their fallen comrades as even more monsters entered the affected areas.

A brilliant beam of golden-white energy erupted from the Fortress.

It swept across the battlefield and engulfed dozens of Nightmares, causing their bodies to burn under the overwhelming heat.

Some were reduced to ash almost instantly, while others continued crawling forward despite their flesh melting away.

Edgar’s expression became serious. The army was advancing far too quickly.

Edgar could feel an ominous energy gathering around it.

But despite everything happening around him, his attention eventually returned to the Nightmare King.

The King was still sitting on his carriage.

Edgar stared at him across the battlefield and felt a strange pressure spreading through his body.

The battle had only just begun, yet Edgar already understood one thing.

The monsters attacking the Fortress were not the most frightening thing on the battlefield.

The real threat was the King sitting quietly behind them.