Chapter 72: The Power of Myth

The captain of the siege team wore a self-satisfied grin. At this rate, it would take at most two more strikes to smash the city gate into a pile of splinters. Yet, when the ram’s horn struck the gate once more, the previously dull booming sound turned into an unnaturally sharp, metallic screech. Sparks burst from the ram’s head, the horns of the ram’s skull shattered on the spot, and the unexpected force of the rebound left every ogre siege engineer’s arms numb. The heavy battering ram slipped from their grasp and crashed to the ground. Agonizing pain shot through their toes, making them hop and wail in anguish, and the entire siege team was thrown into chaos.

On the other side of the gate, the druids, who had just finished casting a spell to turn the wooden door to iron in the nick of time, breathed sighs of relief. Not sparing a moment even to wipe the sweat from their brows, they immediately resumed their intense focus, casting spells to repair the gate.

The zero-level "Mending" spell provided only a limited burst of magic, capable of healing only the smallest crack. Fortunately, this spell required no spell slot, and the druids could cast it without limit. Adhering to the simple principle that “many hands make light work,” they erased every fissure from the gate within five minutes, transforming it into an unbreakable wall of solid iron.

The ogre siege team never even had the chance to challenge this iron barrier. From atop the high city walls, Magni spotted the ogre ranks in disarray and seized the opportunity without hesitation, ordering his kin to launch a counterattack.

The Asa warriors hauled up huge barrels of boiling oil to the battlements and poured it down from above.

The ogre engineers shrieked in agony as scalding oil rained down upon them. Hot on the heels of the boiling oil came ceramic jars filled with incendiary glue and volleys of fire arrows. Those ogres drenched in oil were set ablaze, turning into towering, human-shaped torches that rolled across the ground, howling in despair. The lucky few who escaped both boiling oil and flaming arrows were terrified out of their wits, casting aside their shields and fleeing in panic. But they made it only a few steps before stumbling and falling, ensnared by animate vines that crawled down from the city walls and coiled around them, holding them fast.

“Scoundrels, take this!” Magni roared, hurling a javelin.

Thud! An ogre, struggling desperately amidst the writhing vines, was struck by Magni’s javelin. It pierced straight through from back to chest, pinning the creature to the ground. It convulsed twice, then lay still, blood staining the surrounding greenery.

The Asa warriors beside Magni cheered in unison, their morale soaring. One after another, they hurled javelins and shot arrows, picking off the ogre engineers entangled by the vines one by one.

...

Across the battlefield, Shrek watched his entire siege team annihilated. His chest heaved with fury, and his lips were pressed into a hard line. Without a word, he swung himself onto the armored war bear known as “Baron,” lifted his gaze toward the city gate, and his eyes turned icy cold.

“My lord, do you mean to storm the gate yourself?” Cassio seized the reins, anxiously trying to dissuade Shrek. “It’s too dangerous!”

“Dangerous?” The ogre lord gave a slight flick of the reins, forcing the bard to retreat, his massive frame radiating suffocating menace. “Watch closely, Cassio. Shrek never takes risks—Shrek is the risk!”

With a squeeze of his legs, Shrek drove his spurs deep into the bear’s flanks. The armored beast let out a fearsome roar and charged straight for the city gate, like a runaway engine of steel.

Animate vines formed the first line of defense against Shrek, surging forward like a tide of green serpents, coiling around the armored bear’s limbs in an attempt to trip its stride. But compared to the brute strength of the giant bear, the slender vines were pitifully frail. In an instant, the beast tore them to shreds and trampled them underfoot.

Magni, watching from the battlements as Shrek charged alone, could not help but admire the courage of this mythic ogre. Yet admiration aside, Magni did not forget his duty, and mercilessly gave the order to strike.

The defenders had already trained their ballistae on the ogre king. At Magni’s command, a storm of whistling projectiles filled the air; countless ballista bolts and javelins rained down upon Shrek.

Confronted with a deluge of arrows, the ogre lord showed not a trace of fear. With his left hand he urged the bear to full speed, while his right brandished a tower shield of pure adamantine, blocking the incoming missiles.

The massive ballista bolts exploded against his shield, making his arm tremble slightly. Yet Shrek, sitting astride the bear’s back, didn’t flinch or bend—his posture remained upright and unyielding.

All the gigantic bolts fired by the city’s defenses were deflected by Shrek’s adamantine shield. As for the smaller javelins and arrows, he paid them no heed. Even when they struck him, he was entirely unconcerned.

The legend-forged physique of Shrek, the “Ogre Lord,” made him nearly impervious to swords, spears, and arrows. Only legendary or divine weapons could pierce his mythic hide; ordinary ones stood no chance. Moreover, his enchanted scale armor was not mere ornament—regular arrows could not hope to penetrate it, let alone inflict lethal harm.

“Damn fat brute, his hide’s like iron!” Magni muttered under his breath before calling the druids to the walls to strike the ogre lord with spells.

In Vares, a world teeming with supernatural beings, creatures resistant to physical damage were hardly rare. The best method for dealing with such foes was magic. Tough hides and hard shells might turn aside blades and arrows, but they could not withstand spellcraft.

To Magni’s mind, Shrek’s formidable defenses were limited to the physical. The combined fire and lightning of the druids would soon teach him the folly of arrogance.

Magni’s reasoning was largely sound: Shrek’s mythic skin only mitigated physical harm, leaving him as vulnerable to magic as any other. But Magni was no mythic creature himself, and thus did not fully understand his opponent—or the depths of his power.

As the druids chanted their prayers, preparing to unleash “Flame Strike” and “Call Lightning,” Shrek summoned the mythic force within him. Every inch of his flesh glimmered with a metallic sheen as divine power saturated his form. This unique ogre ability, known as “Iron Resilience,” consumed one use of “mythic power” to grant his body miraculous fortitude—rendering him immune to all attacks, physical and magical alike, for the next six seconds.

Thunder crashed down, flames engulfed Shrek, yet beneath the aegis of mythic power, the ogre king remained untouched, still charging across the battlefield atop his giant bear. As a lord with two mythic tiers, Shrek could wield such power seven times each day—enough to maintain “Iron Resilience” through a hailstorm of arrows, lightning, and magical fire as he stormed across the field, reaching the city gate. There, using his momentum, he raised his adamantine maul high and brought it down with all his might.

In that instant, the muscles of his arms bulged so fiercely they nearly split his scale armor. The heavy spiked club landed squarely against the gate, unleashing a thunderous crash that nearly ruptured the eardrums of the Asa defenders on the other side. The resulting shockwave hurled everyone nearby to the ground, leaving them dazed and reeling.

When the defenders finally regained their senses and looked up at the gate, they were struck dumb with disbelief.

That thick, steel-hard door, reinforced with divine magic, had been smashed to splinters by a single blow from Shrek! The ogre king, wielding his adamantine maul and leading his bear with one hand, rode through the now-gaping entrance. He cast a cold gaze over the Asa warriors before him and, in the tone of a conqueror, issued a solemn and imperious command:

“Lay down your arms! Choose the noblest among you to stand as your representative and surrender to Shrek!”