Eternal Night: Building an Empire from Scratch

Edgar’s expression changed the moment he realized what the Nightmares were doing.

The enormous creatures began spreading across the entire perimeter, slowly surrounding the settlement from every direction.

’They’re trying to find a way inside.’

Edgar’s gaze immediately shifted toward the Fortress behind him.

Hera was somewhere inside, and the little girl had already sensed her presence.

"Andrew!"

The young boy immediately turned toward him.

"Get every soldier inside the Fortress and protect the inner buildings."

Andrew’s expression became serious. "What about the walls?"

"I’ll handle the outside."

Edgar turned toward the approaching Nightmares as the four Sword-Clubs rose behind him. "Don’t let a single one reach the inner Fortress."

Andrew nodded before immediately running toward the soldiers. "You heard him! Move!"

The soldiers quickly began repositioning themselves.

Some remained on the walls with their Ballista, while others rushed toward the inner gates to prepare for anything that managed to breach the outer defenses.

Edgar remained alone before he jumped down from the wall.

Almost immediately, the two Commander-level Soul Guardians came charging and stood by his side.

Hundreds of Nightmares slowly surrounded them.

Their massive bodies moved through the darkness while their crimson eyes remained fixed on the Fortress.

Then one of them suddenly charged.

Edgar’s eyes turned focused as the first Sword-Club immediately swung forward.

BOOM!

The enormous creature was struck across the chest and thrown sideways.

Before it could hit the ground, the second weapon descended from above.

BOOM!

Its body broke beneath the impact.

Another Nightmare rushed from the opposite direction.

The third Sword-Club immediately swept across the creature’s legs.

WHOOSH!

The Nightmare collapsed as Edgar followed with a punch that sent it crashing into the ground.

More creatures rushed toward him.

The two Soul Guardian Commanders began taking the charge.

They attacked those who came close without any hesitation.

The Gorilla Commander jumped over them and slammed his fist down in rage, while the headless Guardian used his horse and sword to nimbly attack their weaknesses.

Edgar’s four Invisible Sage Hands moved almost independently as the Sword-Clubs created a storm around him.

Every strike shattered bones and sent enormous bodies flying through the darkness.

Yet the creatures kept coming. ’There are too many.’

Edgar had already killed dozens, but the army surrounding the Fortress seemed almost endless.

Worse, the dead Nightmares were beginning to rise again.

Their broken bodies slowly dragged themselves from the ground, their wounds still visible as they returned to the battlefield.

Edgar immediately realized the problem. ’If I keep fighting like this, she will keep raising them.’

He needed to destroy the bodies completely.

Edgar raised his palm as golden energy began gathering around his hand.

"Sun Blast."

BOOOOOOM!

A brilliant beam tore across the battlefield.

Several Nightmares disappeared beneath the golden light, their bodies reduced to ash.

The creatures behind them were thrown backward by the shockwave.

The little girl frowned when she saw that attack once again, and Edgar noticed it immediately. ’So that’s something she doesn’t like.’

He raised his hand again as the golden energy began gathering.

The girl suddenly raised her own hand, and the Nightmares around her immediately moved.

Several enormous creatures stepped directly into the path of Edgar’s attack.

"Protect the corpses." The girl’s voice remained calm.

Edgar’s expression became serious. ’They’re protecting the dead now.’

The Nightmares formed a living wall around the fallen bodies.

Edgar fired another Sun Blast.

BOOM!

The front line disappeared, but the creatures behind them remained protected.

The little girl continued giving commands. "Move the bodies."

Several Nightmares immediately grabbed their fallen companions and began dragging them away.

Edgar frowned.’She’s controlling the entire battlefield.’

This wasn’t simply an ability that allowed her to resurrect the dead.

She could coordinate hundreds of creatures at once.

And she was intelligent enough to understand exactly what Edgar was trying to do.

Edgar slowly relaxed. "You’re troublesome."

The girl looked toward him. "You are troublesome too."

The little girl raised her hand again. "Bring me the bride."

Several Nightmares immediately changed direction.

They ignored Edgar and rushed toward the Fortress.

Edgar’s expression instantly became cold. "You aren’t going anywhere."

He moved forward as the four Sword-Clubs swept through the battlefield.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Several creatures were knocked aside as Edgar created a path toward the Fortress.

But the Nightmares continued moving around him.

One enormous creature suddenly appeared behind Edgar and grabbed one of the Sword-Clubs.

Its enormous hands wrapped around the weapon.

The creature roared as it tried pulling the weapon away.

Edgar looked at it. "...You’re stronger than the others."

The Nightmare suddenly opened its mouth.

A dark liquid began gathering inside its throat.

Edgar’s eyes narrowed as he immediately released the Sword-Club and moved backward.

A black beam erupted from the creature’s mouth.

BOOOOOOM!

The attack tore across the battlefield, and Edgar narrowly avoided it.

The beam struck the ground behind him and created a long trench through the earth.

Edgar looked at the damage. ’Ranged abilities.’

He had expected the larger creatures to possess stronger bodies, but some of them clearly had special abilities as well.

The Nightmare charged again, and Edgar’s fourth Sage Hand grabbed the Sword-Club.

WHOOSH!

The enormous weapon flew back toward him.

Edgar caught the weapon through the invisible hand and immediately swung it forward.

BOOM!

The creature’s head exploded beneath the impact.

Edgar didn’t wait for it to rise again as he raised his palm.

"Sun Blast."

The body was completely consumed by golden flames.

Edgar looked toward the little girl, who was still standing in the distance.

The giant that had been carrying her earlier was no longer beside her.

Instead, another enormous Nightmare had approached.

The creature lowered itself, and the little girl stepped onto its shoulder.

Then she looked directly at Edgar. "You’re wasting your strength."

Edgar frowned. "What?"

"You are protecting everyone." Her crimson eyes slowly moved across the Fortress. "That’s your weakness."

She raised one hand as the Nightmares immediately began attacking from several directions.

Some rushed toward the western wall while others moved toward the eastern side.

Several began climbing onto one another to create enormous living platforms.

The upgraded surface made climbing difficult, but the Nightmares were using their own bodies as ladders.

One creature climbed onto another, and a third climbed over them.

The soldiers immediately began moving. "Don’t let them reach the top!"

Ballista bolts tore through the creatures as several fell from the growing pile, but more replaced them.

Edgar immediately moved toward that section as the four Sword-Clubs flew through the air.

WHOOSH!

BOOM!

The entire formation collapsed, but a group of smaller Nightmares had slipped toward the southern side of the Fortress.

They were moving much more quietly than the giants. ’They’re using the giants as a distraction.’

Edgar immediately turned.

"Hera."

He rushed toward the Fortress.

---

Inside the Fortress, Hera stood in the central courtyard with several soldiers and Soul Guardians surrounding her.

She had heard the explosions outside.

Every few seconds, the ground trembled beneath her feet.

She looked toward the outer wall with worry. "Where is Edgar?"

One soldier immediately answered. "Lord Edgar is fighting outside."

Hera’s hands tightened around her cloak.

She wanted to go to him, but she knew she would only become a burden if she left the protected area.

Then a strange sound came from the nearby street.

SCRAPE.

Everyone turned toward the sound.

SCRAPE.

Something was dragging its claws against the stone as the soldiers immediately raised their weapons.

"Stay behind us, Lady Hera."

Hera slowly stepped backward while several shadows appeared at the end of the street.

The soldiers prepared themselves while the human-shaped Soul Guardians stood in front.

Then the first Nightmare stepped into the light.

It was much smaller than the giants outside.

Its body was thin and twisted, with four arms hanging from its shoulders.

Its face had no eyes.

Only a long vertical mouth covered most of its head.

Hera’s expression became pale.

"That’s..."

The creature suddenly moved as a Soul Guardian barely blocked its attack.

CLANG!

The impact sent him sliding backward.

"Attack!"

The other soldiers rushed forward.

Several weapons struck the creature, but its body twisted unnaturally around the attacks.

It moved far faster than something of its appearance should have been able to.

Hera stepped backward, and she heard another sound.

SCRAPE.

She slowly turned her head.

Another creature was standing behind her.

It had a weird smile on its face as it moved inside the building.

One of the Soul Guardians immediately moved and stopped it from approaching Hera.

The house immediately turned into chaos as more and more monsters began to enter the place.

But while the attack was going on all around them, no one noticed the ground moving slightly as if it were being dug out.

Hera, who was in the middle of it all, slowly lowered her eyes.

’...What?’

In front of her, there was a small hole in the ground through which someone was staring at her.

Without any warning, that person grabbed her leg and tried to drag her in.

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