Chapter 249: Interlude (City of the Setting Sun 1)
On that day, something felt distinctly different.
Inside the chapel, the whispers that usually echoed softly had fallen silent. The priest, clearly distracted, hastily finished the prayers and dismissed everyone without ceremony.
There hadn’t been any specific event to trigger this atmosphere. Yet, the residents hurried home as if pursued by some unseen force.
Recently, there had been talk of an unusual increase in crows, or the appearance of stars that glimmered at dawn and dusk. Everyone had sensed that something was amiss.
From the Northern Highway, a group of men came running. The monk soldiers were the first to notice. With a tense air, the monk soldiers, led by Dzeichi, stood in their path.
“P-please, help us!!”
However, they were not attackers or any sort of threat; they were a merchant caravan that had set out early that morning.
“…What happened?!”
After a brief exchange of glances, the monk soldiers relaxed slightly. They recognized the faces before them.
“A monster! A monster destroyed everything!”
“…!?”
The merchants, along with their employees and guards, were in a state of panic. Although they claimed to be merchants, in reality, they were overseers sent by the Divine Nation, but that was beside the point.
As they calmed the terrified group and listened to their story, it became clear.
While traveling along the highway in their carriage, they had been pursued by a monstrous creature resembling a giant spider. It had approached them at an impossible speed, leaving them in a state of panic. Despite their best efforts, including urging their horses to run, they were quickly overtaken, and the carriage was crushed beneath the creature’s massive legs. Blocked by the spider monster, they had scattered in all directions to escape.
“What in the world was that…? I’ve never heard of such a creature…!”
Was it a new type of monster? However, this was the far eastern edge, nearly opposite the Demon Forest where monsters were known to roam. Even if a stray had wandered in, according to their accounts, the creature had attacked from behind. This suggested it had emerged from the direction of the city.
Yet, naturally, there had been no sightings or evidence of such a massive creature—one that, if the men were to be believed, was larger than any house—within the city or its surroundings.
“Understood. For now, let’s head to the lodging house. You’ve clearly run quite a distance…”
“Ah… I’m sorry, thank you… We’ve lost both our horses and carriage… We won’t be going anywhere for a while…”
With that, the monk soldiers lent their shoulders to the exhausted men and began walking toward the lodging house.
It was then that they finally noticed the sound.
“Hey, do you hear something?”
“Huh?”
“It’s like a rumbling in my stomach… Can you feel it?”
A deep, resonant sound echoed, like a distant growl. The pitch was so low that they hadn’t realized it was a sound at all.
“Ah, what is that…? It’s like an earthquake…”
It was a rare low rumble that sometimes accompanied tremors, but this sound seemed to resonate even more clearly.
“I don’t know. But first, we need to report this to the priest. Something terrible seems to be happening…”
As one of the monk soldiers looked around, he spotted something.
In a corner of the forest near the city, birds were soaring through the sky. Not just a few, but likely hundreds of them.
“Look over there! Something’s happening, over there!”
“…!”
Clearly, a large flock of birds was concentrated in one spot. Beneath them, something was lurking.
The location was distant. The weather was neither good nor bad, with a slight haze obscuring their view.
“Damn it, I can’t tell what it is, but it feels dangerous! I have a bad feeling about this!”
The monk soldiers, led by Dzeichi, chose to run with the men. They judged that time was of the essence. With strength surpassing that of an average adult male, the monk soldiers informed the merchants of their intentions and began to carry them on their backs as they ran.
But then—
In the distance, the trees erupted.
Literally, the trunks, along with their lush green leaves, seemed to explode into the air.
“…!!”
They sprang into action. The men silently quickened their pace. Within a minute, they reached the lodging house, where the monk soldiers set the merchants down and raced with all their might toward the chapel where the priest was.
Something enormous was approaching the city. That information spread rapidly throughout the entire settlement. The earth trembled, and shattered trees were unmistakably drawing closer.
“Stay calm! We will protect the city! Just get back to your homes—!”
The monk soldiers worked together to manage the situation, running through the streets and shouting to prevent the residents from panicking.
However, it was all too late. If the merchants had arrived earlier and scattered the residents before they fled, perhaps some of them could have made it to the next city to report what was happening.
From within the forest, something burst forth.
Compared to the trees, it was low. But compared to a human, it was a sight of utter despair.
It moved with long legs, swiftly surrounding the city in no time. No, it was not just one. Countless creatures spilled out from the forest, making it absurd to even try to count them.
“We’re… surrounded…!”
No one would escape. It was a manifestation of an overwhelming will. The giant spider monsters had encircled the entire city.
And then—
The ground trembled with a clattering sound. The cries of the birds grew louder.
“What… what is that…?!”
Something massive was approaching, destroying the forest in its wake. A few people jumped onto the roof of the church in a panic. They saw it. They couldn’t help but look.
It was far taller than the trees. Above all, it was unimaginably gigantic. The spider monsters surrounding the city were enormous, but they were nothing compared to this.
A deep, resonant sound echoed. The ground shook.
Eventually, the colossal entity revealed itself, blowing the forest away as it advanced. Trees that had stood in its path were uprooted and shattered.
“It’s huge…”
Someone murmured in stunned disbelief. What had happened? What was about to happen? Despite the considerable distance, it loomed above them, a pure white giant approaching like a wall. Everyone was frozen in place, paralyzed by shock and fear.
Some collapsed, unable to bear the weight of their terror.
As they looked up, the wall slowly came to a halt. The residents cautiously peeked out from their homes. The monk soldiers could do nothing but stare in awe.
But some began to realize. Despite the enormous threat looming over them, the spider monsters encircling the city remained utterly still. Even though they were right behind them, they did not budge. This meant that the colossal entity and the spider monsters were moving together.
A part of the massive wall slowly lifted. Like a window that opened without anyone’s assistance, it moved on its own.
From the opened section, small creatures—spider-like beings—began to crawl out in droves.
“O-oh no… those are… the spider monsters are coming out…!!”
Small spiders. No, that was a mistake. The white wall was far too large. The creatures that crawled out were the same size as the ones surrounding the city. Countless of them emerged from that massive entity.
“Uwaaaahhh!!”
Panic spread like wildfire. A man, unable to contain his fear, screamed and fled. This triggered a chain reaction, with residents starting to run in all directions. Some fled in their nightclothes, while others scrambled to load their belongings onto carts.
All of it was in vain.
The spider monsters that spilled from the white wall surged into the city. Their bodies, far larger than humans, moved with six legs, darting through the streets at a speed unmatched by any human.
Remembering their duty, the monk soldiers, led by Dzeichi, resolved to stop the monsters. They lunged at one of the creatures, only to be effortlessly swatted aside by its massive forelimb.
Afterword
The forces of The Tree are baring their fangs. This time, we presented the perspective of the locals. To be continued.
I’m considering the specs for the multi-legged tanks and land battleships, but I’m also imagining how they might appear from the outside while writing. It’s quite enjoyable!