"At night?! Isn't it too dangerous, Sir Axel?"

Princess Penelope quickly raised her voice in disagreement.

"With the darkness encroaching on the Red Zone, we'd basically be marching blind!"

And just as she claimed, the Red Zone isn't really "red" in the literal sense. Rather, because of the thick miasma present everywhere, the deeper you go, the closer it gets to pitch black—dark enough that you can't even see your own hands without a powerful enough light source.

Moving in that condition is suicide… if not for one thing.

"Shut up and just follow," Axel growled. "I'm in a hurry. I can't waste any more time. If you can't follow me, then stay in the safety of this fortress."

"Kuh…! You rude—!"

Penelope didn't expect someone to dare speak to her that brashly, especially not a man. She was angry and wanted to lash out, only for Nina to step in and mediate.

"S-Sister Fria, it's fine. I'll accompany Sir Axel, so you should stay in the fortress as he said…"

Although Nina was just trying to keep things civil, her words ticked Penelope off even more. "What? You think I'm scared just because it's a little dark?! If you're going, I'm going too!"

"T-Then me too…!" Gwyneth squeezed in, despite shaking in fear.

"I'm coming with you, elder sisters…!"

The rest, as if getting infected, chimed in. "We'll follow the princesses!"

And because the three princesses declared their participation, the group ended up the same as usual. Everyone would be tagging along.

"Suit yourselves. Just don't complain later…"

Axel shrugged as he headed for the Humvee parked outside the gate.

Of course, everyone but him was nervous. After all, it was their first time traveling through the night across the Red Zone.

The dangers felt close, reaching out at them from within the thick darkness—like monsters would pop up the moment they blinked.

"Everyone on?" Axel raised his voice—basically a rhetorical question. "Then, we're setting off!"

He started the engine, then turned on the headlights. The next moment, two spears of light pierced the darkness, bringing light to the surroundings. Not just that—he switched on the light bars mounted around the Humvee's roof, illuminating the entire area surrounding them.

"T-This is…!"

Instantly, the darkness retreated.

With the powerful beams, it almost felt like daytime had arrived instead!

Their fears eased, and at the same time, their respect for Axel—who could chase away the darkness so casually—rose.

The engine roared, and the vehicle rolled forward.

With the lights doing their job, Axel could drive at full speed without worry. Since there were no other vehicles in this world, he didn't need to lower his high beams and simply sped through fearlessly.

"D-Demons spawning at the 10 and 1 o'clock positions!"

But at night, miasma gathers faster, causing demons to spawn quicker.

In short, more obstacles for the team.

Axel, however, gave a simple command. "Blast them with Death Curses at max range, covering the whole field. Don't hold back."

"H-Huh?"

Of course, Axel couldn't expect them to accurately target demons far away and hidden in darkness. Although some of them might actually pull it off, that'd be way too straining. And slowing down every time would take too long. Thus, this was the most efficient method.

Just blast anything living in the surroundings!

Luckily, friendly fire wasn't a concern.

With everyone's skill level and their familiarity with their buffed spells (thanks to their Axel-given equipment), they should be able to cast Death Curses without endangering anyone in the car.

Even if something went wrong, they all carried max-level Substitute Dolls, so it's perfectly safe.

Penelope looked confused, but seeing Nina nod seriously, she relented.

"Everyone, do as Sir Axel said! Curse of Death at maximum range!"

Leading by example, Penelope cast first.

She chanted the short version before "catching" everything within 10 kilometers of the Humvee. Her casting speed and range were both top-notch!

"S-Signals lost!" Nina reported immediately, smiling.

The demons were successfully cleared!

Penelope slumped into her seat, panting. Though it was just one curse, it drained half her life energy in an instant. Despite succeeding, it wasn't something she could do repeatedly.

"Good job." Axel praised before handing mana potions to Nina. "Distribute them to those who need them. We'll be continuing like this, so hang on."

His tone sounded like a joke, but he was dead serious.

Even when Nina declared that enemies as strong as Cyclopes were being summoned, Axel didn't slow down; they kept heading straight for the next fortress.

It was the witches who suffered.

Casting Death Curse nonstop, making sure no demons got close. Drinking potions until their stomachs churned. Enduring the shaking and bouncing inside the Humvee.

Given the high-level shock absorption of the vehicle, the fact that they were still getting thrown around said everything about the terrain.

Some even got carsick and threw up, filling the Humvee with a rancid smell.

Worse, they couldn't open the windows for fresh air. With their speed, opening them would be dangerous. Even the front windshield and other windows cracked after hitting some random "something" in the air.

Thus, for the entire one-hour ride, they had no choice but to endure.

"Finally… we've arrived."

Once Axel stopped, everyone immediately jumped out as if fleeing. The stench was so awful that they were grateful to breathe the miasma-filled air of the fortress.

They got out, but Axel kept the engine running.

The lights were still needed against the Red Zone's darkness.

"Alright, guess it's time for me to work now."

The demons around the fortress were already gone. They'd been wiped out by the max-range Death Curses long before arrival. So he could start without waiting.

Knowing what happened with the previous major fortress, Axel prepared for the long haul.

He set up a campfire, a seat, and a few small tent-buildings nearby for them to use alternately.

"Go freshen up in there." He pointed at the modular buildings. "Ask Nina how to use the shower. There should be enough water for everyone."

The girls said nothing but were grateful.

After all, they smelled rancid—the smell of vomit clinging to their skin and clothes.

Meanwhile, Axel sat on the chair he prepared, facing the campfire, before touching the ground as a new pop-up appeared.

[

Name: Witcheria Frontline Fortress (Major) #288

Repairable: True

Estimated Cost: 36.2 billion Colts

Repair Cost: 31.5 billion Colts

Repair Duration: 1 hour, 20 minutes, 53 seconds

]

As expected, it was time-consuming, but similar to the previous fortress.

"Alright…" Without delay, he chanted silently. "Repair!"

And the countdown began.

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