A Chinese Bell had just rung inside Ryu’s head and it left him blanked.

[ANNOUNCEMENT: God Game Mission 01 – Player Welcoming]

An autonomous female voice is heard. It sounded like an in game message.

[Game Type – Monster Subjugation | Scale – Besieging | Level – Level 1

Objectives:

Kill or route all Monsters.

Total Monsters count 6,099.

Bonus Demons 6.

Challenge level 1 – 25.

Notes:

Killing monsters and demons based on level grants experience points to advance player levels.

Capturing monsters is possible will appropriate equipment.

With this announcement defence building is banned.

Player allowed to summoning until start of battle.

Battle starts in 01 hour.

End of Announcement. Good Hunting to Player]

Ryu is shell shocked. Everything sounded too unreal. He was praying that this was a prank.

While Ryu was pale faced, Tolle calls out to him concerning. Ryu waken from his stupor, and shares the details to Tolle. Tolle steels himself as he replies exaggeratedly.

[Understood. Please calm down commander. We will bring you Victory]

With that Tolle dash off to make the immediate arrangements.

[Master: I suggest master summon more supplies now as you cannot do so later. Additional weapon stockpiles, munitions and rations are suggested]

AI also voices suggestions to Ryu which he immediate calls out.

The fortress goes into lock down as all engineering units outside are called back and the gates reinforced.

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45 minutes had quickly passed since the announcement. During the time Ryu has also summoned weapons for himself. These include a carbine, dagger and short sword. Additionally, he wore body armor over his Gakuran. He also summoned a stock of binoculars and rudimentary equipment such as spears, sabers and iron shields.

Engineers man the forts cannons and soldiers line the wall with their rifles. Ryu had also provided them with binoculars.

Howitzers are placed on either side of the central tower with an observer on the top deck to direct bombardment.

In 15 minutes the battle will start.

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Another ring of the Chinese bell resounds within Ryu. This marks the start of battle time.

An eerie silence descends across the fort. With the ringing of the bell, a downpour starts.

Ryu’s forces are at a disadvantage. Gunpowder is bad in wet weather. He only has old technology at his disposal and not modern items which are versatile even in wet weather.

Then the ground starts shaking and low roars are heard from the forests. Within 2 breaths time, several silhouettes dash out. Several giant wolves and foxes are discernible from among them.

Several hundred monsters rush towards the fort. Because of the open ground, cannons fire off. The loud booms of canon fire, mark the start of the true battle.

Ryu is positioned at the top balcony of the central tower. Tolle and 2 platoons are with him for his protection. All other combat groups are up along the walls. They are maneuvering the multi-lined gunnery with solders swapping out after each shot. This is a technique introduced by Oda Nobunaga during his campaigns of the Sengoku era.

The cavalry is organized in the central plaza waiting to ride towards any who make it through the main gate.

Ryu silently prays things do not go awry.

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(Tolle’s POV)

I try to reassure the commander with a calm smile but the commander doesn’t seem to notice this.

Keeping a lookout over the battlefield, Tolle lightly contemplates.

Slowly the downpour turns to a thunderstorm as it gets heavier.

Tolle laments and schemes on how he would handle with any threats to Ryu’s position and life. Ryu is completely unaware of Tolle’s thinking and personality and will only learn of this later.

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Just as Ryu ponders over this, a loud roar reverberates out from the depths of the forest. This roar was unimaginable from the several monsters like large foxes, hybrid boars, bears and gorillas have approached the fort so far.

[What was that?]

Ryu can’t help but exclaim.

Before anyone could respond to him, a large Minotaur like monster walks out of the woods. It is almost 10 meters tall, with the total appearance of the once mythical Minotaur from Greek mythology.

Ryu blanches completely. Tolle on the other hand, immediate orders the howitzers to fire on the area around the Minotaur.

Ryu wonders.

The Minotaur slowly steps out into the open. As it opens its mouth to release another roar, the howitzers fired away. The rounds fall in the area around it and some on it and explode with loud bangs and booms.

Ryu watched attentively with binoculars, hoping that the Minotaur is killed with just that.

As the smoke clears away. To Ryu’s dismays the Minotaur only has superficial injuries. The gleam in its eyes intensifies as it furious lets out a roar and dashed.

[Cannon batteries on the gate, aim at the Minotaur. All howitzers focus on suppression bombard of the area in front of the gate]

Ryu immediate shouts out orders.

Alarm bells are ringing in his head. They are telling him to not let the Minotaur reach the gates.

The soldiers immediate act on Ryu’s order and start their bombardment. Under heavy fire from cannons, the Minotaur is forced to slow down and another round of howitzer fire blasts around it.

This time it is heavily injured with a lost arm and leg. Another round of canon fire blasts its head and kills it.

There was a total of 700 meters form the edge of the woods to the forts walls. Within that short amount of time, it had reached within 300 meters of the walls. Ryu couldn’t help but feel the pressure of its speed. He did not want to think what might have happened if it had reached.

Just as he let loose a sigh of relief.

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(POV from the Walls)

[What the hell are these things?]

[According to command, they are monsters]

[Don’t have a choice but to believe it]

The monsters up until now have come at the fort frenzied. Even with severe injuries and lost limbs, they all make attempts to reach the walls and gate.

[How long is this going to go on for?]

[Command hasn’t said anything on this]

[What about the captain or the vice?]

[They haven’t said anything either]

A soldier looks back towards the central tower and finds Ryu, the commander on the balcony with binoculars. Tolech, the Lieutenant Commander is also with him.

[Remember guys, we are the commander’s strength. He has given all resources and supplies we have asked for. It’s up to us to get the victory for the commander]

[Remember the captain’s words, ‘for everything we kill, adds strength for the commander’. We must hold on and bring victory for the commander]

[YEAH!!]

Invigorated many of the troops yell out. Many of them are exhausted. The monsters were frightening. Most of them thought of the monsters as demons. There were unaware of the expected enemy composition, but only new that enemy was stronger than whole of the fort garrison. The battle is to prove their usefulness for the commander.

[For the Commander, we will give our lives! For glory is to be in his service!]

A last fanatical holler was released by the troops across the walls. They were yet to know the cruel reality ahead of them.

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After releasing a slight sigh, Ryu takes a flask to drink some water. Mid way during this drink, several roars reverberate out from the woods again. This time more Minotaur like monsters and Cyclopes walk out.

Ryu felt despair at these huge monstrosities. At their feet several hundreds of smaller monsters walk out.

The battle has finally reach its main act. Tolle’s eyes narrow with a gleam at the sight of the monster army.