Albeit with a slight mishap at the start, their quest proceeded without much trouble.

With the witches casting death curses left and right, no demon could even roar at them, much less touch the Humvee's exterior. As planned, an hour later, they arrived at their first stop: the nearest minor fortress—their initial checkpoint.

Fixing the fortress took no more than a few seconds, but activating the teleportation array and waiting for other witches to man the fortress took quite a while.

They couldn't leave the fortress until everything was set, after all.

If they abandoned it too early, only death awaited those left behind.

After about 15 minutes, everything was sufficiently prepared for Axel's group to leave. And just like that, while slaying all demons along the way, they reached the next fortress, and then the one after that, and so on.

At noon, they stopped at the fifth minor fortress for a brief lunch.

During this time, Axel observed how the other witches defended the minor fortresses.

Unlike Penelope, Gwyneth, Nina, and Axel's other guards, the witches did not possess overpowered equipment. As such, their methods of fighting back against the demons were quite different.

"Blind! Weakness! Slow!"

"Paralysis! Blight! Black Death!"

"Defense Break!"

Instead of taking down the enemies in one go, they layered curses upon curses on their foes. However, given the high resistance of the high-level demons this deep into the red zone, their curses shouldn't have worked.

The fortress itself was the reason their curses were effective.

From what Axel heard from Nina...

"The fortress's core releases a powerful holy wave that weakens the resistance of demons that approach. With their resistance lowered, the curses of normal witches can break through."

Or something like that.

It was a curious mechanism.

But thinking it might be some sort of ancient, powerful artifact, Axel quickly accepted the explanation.

Once they finished lunch, they continued on their way.

However, their actions remained unchanged.

They killed demons as they drove, stopped by smaller fortresses, and called for backup. They repeated this four more times before finally reaching the last one.

"So this is it..."

Axel said as he climbed down from the Humvee, staring ahead.

"The last fortress."

Looking at the map Nina had drawn, Axel's journey had created a straight line spanning 3,000 kilometers north of the Red Zone—a feeble bulwark against the demon tide.

While this meant that all fortresses along the line could be attacked from multiple directions, it also suggested that, if they executed their plan well enough, they could triangulate and clear all remaining demons in between, reclaiming a significant piece of their land from the Red Zone.

Axel felt a surge of excitement now that it was the last one.

At long last, his quest was nearing its conclusion.

"Alright, let's begin, shall we?"

Without wanting to delay things further, Axel turned to the girls and urged them onward.

They moved closer to the fortress, intending to reach the wall and start repairs, but...

"W-Wait!" Gwyneth called out, her voice tinged with panic. "Something's off, Sir... We should back up!"

"Huh?"

Axel glanced at her, intrigued, but before he could ask—just as his right leg pressed down on the red soil—they heard a loud click.

It wasn't mechanical; it was something magical.

The sound of a magical trap being triggered.

"Shit...!"

Axel reacted quickly, jumping back to stay with the witches.

But he was too late. The trap had already been activated and could not be stopped.

Around them, a thin film of purple-black light rose, creating a dome that enclosed them. It was large enough to encompass the entire ruins of the last major fortress—spanning several kilometers—with the center right where Axel stood.

"This... are we trapped inside this dome?" Axel muttered, frustration creeping into his voice.

If Navi or Mimir had been present, he could have asked them about the barrier, but unfortunately, they had yet to return. However, he wouldn't have to wait long to understand what was happening.

The ground shook.

The tremor was so strong that half of the witches fell to the ground, while the others knelt, struggling to maintain their composure.

They all understood what the shaking signified... Something was coming!

"No way..."

By coincidence, Axel was the first to recognize what was happening.

He watched as the ruins of the fortress began to move. The blocks that formed the large structure rearranged themselves into a singular, vaguely humanoid shape.

Recognizing that familiar form, with a glowing core in the center, Axel couldn't help but grumble, "The ruins... became a giant fucking golem!"

This situation was dire for several reasons.

First, its size. Since the fortress covered several kilometers, there was no shortage of materials. By the time the golem completed its construction, it stood at least a kilometer tall, dwarfing Axel and the others below.

It felt like they were about to take on a mountain!

Even Vulcanus wasn't this tall!

Second, a golem technically isn't a living being... This meant that curses would be ineffective against it. In short, the witches were powerless against the massive figure before them!

And lastly...

"How the hell are we supposed to beat a fortress like that...?"

They could try smashing it with the witches' staves, but that would be like hitting a rock with an egg—totally ineffective.

A sword? It might scratch the stone and marble, but it wouldn't deal significant damage given the golem's massive size.

Guns? They might work if they had anti-material-level weaponry, but the only thing Axel had on hand was the minigun.

The only weapon Axel could think of that might be effective was a bomb. However, that would obliterate everything in the vicinity—not just the enemy, but also themselves.

"Damn it..."

After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, only one idea seemed feasible.

"We're retreating!" he shouted. "We can't fight this giant! Get outside the barrier!"

His order went unquestioned.

The girls had come to the same conclusion.

They quickly turned around, racing back to the Humvee. Axel spun the car around and floored the gas, pushing it to maximum speed.

"OH NO...!"

But the giant golem was on the move.

It reached out its hand, effortlessly chasing after Axel's vehicle.

Even at over 120 kilometers per hour, the hand was gaining on them!

"Shit, shit, shit...!" Axel cursed as he watched the hand approach from the side mirrors.

The hand slammed down... and by sheer luck, it missed. The Humvee slipped through the gap between two fingers and continued its escape!

The impact of the hand on the ground destroyed the terrain, sending the Humvee airborne, but it didn't stop them.

"That's the edge of the seal...!" Nina shouted, alerting everyone.

Axel didn't slow down. He drove toward it fearlessly—and immediately regretted his decision.

The Humvee collided with the barrier, causing it to come to an abrupt halt... It was solid.

All the passengers were thrown forward, crashing into the driver's seat. If they had been ordinary people, without enhanced stats, that could have been fatal!

But what was even more depressing was one undeniable truth...

"We're... trapped with this giant..."

There was no escape.

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