Duo Leveling LITRPG | Post Apocalyptic | SYSTEM-Chapter 199 - 259 - The Firewall Falls

And just like that—the invasion began the very next day.

"Captain! The vaccines are advancing!"

"The shoreline's overrun! There are hundreds—at the very least!"

"Captain! What do we do?!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Aaaaaah!"

Paradise—so peaceful, so serene, like something out of Hawaii—was transformed into hell in the blink of an eye.

Michael scanned the swarm of vaccines pouring in from beyond the coastline and gave his orders in a firm voice.

"Everyone calm down. This is what we've been preparing for. Stick to the plan. Evacuation teams, get the NPCs and civilians to the shelters. The rest of you—follow me!"

"Yes, sir!"

He directed the remaining players into position and began fortifying the beach.

Then, eyes narrowed, he leveled his weapon at the encroaching horde beyond the horizon.

"What's the status on the firewall?"

"Activating now!"

Zzzzt…!

The surrounding sea began to seethe and boil—and in a flash, a shimmering wall of water surged up around Paradise, enclosing it in a transparent barrier.

The first wall of defense—the firewall they had spent painstaking effort building to fend off the vaccines.

"Discharge the current and release the virus."

"Understood!"

Water alone wouldn't overload the vaccine data streams—not when facing hundreds of them.

So the wall of water had been infused with electricity and laced with self-replicating viruses—each one deadly to the vaccine's data structure.

It was a wide-area offensive—some would be affected, some wouldn't. But it would hit something.

Fzzzzzt—!

Just as expected, several vaccines began to disintegrate the moment they touched the firewall.

Michael steadied his breath.

"This is just the beginning. Stay sharp."

"...Yes, sir!"

The problem was—the number of vaccines disintegrating against the wall was outpaced by the number forcing their way through.

And some had already begun evolving—Phase Two variants began to appear here and there.

The firewall, built through such strenuous effort, didn't last long before it was breached.

Michael muttered grimly.

"…It was only ever meant to buy us time. The real fight starts now. Do we have comms?"

"Yes, right here—"

"Don't forget. Even if we die, we take as many of them with us as we can. That's why we're here."

The players nodded silently.

That heavy silence carried conviction.

Michael swallowed a sigh and turned again toward the oncoming monsters.

These creatures were born for a single purpose: to erase this world.

But Michael had no intention of being erased quietly.

And no player here desired such a meaningless death.

If they could fight, they would.

With burning eyes, Michael shouted,

"OPEN FIRE!"

TATATATATATATAT!

"FIREEEEEE!"

"SHOOT! SHOOT! KILL THEM ALL!"

"AAAAARGH!"

Gunfire erupted across the beach.

The bullets—laced with specialized viruses—tore through the waves and collided with vaccine bodies.

Would the bullet vanish?

Or the vaccine?

One or the other had to disappear. In the midst of that brutal tradeoff, Michael issued another signal.

A squadron of players, waiting in the wings, took to the skies on wyverns and swept over the battlefield.

"Dropping viruses!"

"Release!"

Like bombers, they flew overhead—dropping not actual bombs, but high-yield virus payloads designed specifically for vaccines.

Each bomb condensed dozens of viruses into a single detonation.

Vaccines caught in the blast zones dissolved on the spot.

But—

"AAAAAGHH!"

"They're firing beams—!"

The assault onlyPowerged to slow the enemy's advance. One by one, players were hit by annihilation beams and disappeared without even a scream.

Gritting his teeth, Michael grabbed his radio.

"Missiles—now!"

"…Firing!"

And then—modern weapons, totally foreign to this fantasy world, rained down like steel rain on the advancing enemy.

Missiles curved through the sky and slammed directly into the vaccine hordes, detonating with blinding force.

The battle for the shoreline looked more like a warzone than anything else.

Vaccines pressing toward land.

Players scrambling to hold the line.

"Don't stop! Pour on more firepower!"

"Don't let them breach the perimeter before evacuation's complete! Fight like your lives depend on it!"

"Shit! I'm out of ammo!"

"Resupply! Get more virus rounds out here!"

But as the minutes ticked by, it became clear: the players were being pushed back.

The sheer number of vaccines outmatched the available virus ammunition.

And no matter how concentrated their fire, it was becoming impossible to hold the line.

Then came the worst news of all.

"C-Captain! A portal just opened inside the town!"

"What?! But that entrance was sealed—!"

"It's broken! What do we do?! If this keeps up, the shelters will—!"

Panic began spreading fast through the ranks.

A portal opening inside the city meant vaccines were pouring in from the rear.

If things continued, the players could easily be caught in a pincer.

And if the shelters fell?

There would be no reason left to protect this place.

Michael clenched his jaw and barked,

"Hold your positions! Defending this line comes first!"

"But sir! If the town falls, it's all over! We won't have anything left to—!"

"I said don't worry about the town! Focus on this!"

Despite the objections, Michael held his ground. The players looked uncertain, glancing at each other—but in the end, they chose to trust in his leadership.

Every single one held their ground and pulled their triggers.

Their counterattack continued—until the last bullet was spent.

"We're almost out of ammo, Captain!"

"The right flank just got breached!"

"Anyone?! I need a clip—!"

The end was near.

"Captain… Phase Three."

Michael turned to see vaccines rising from the sea—no longer in orb form, but humanoid.

Even Phase Two had nearly annihilated their forces.

And now, they had finally evolved to Phase Three.

He looked around at his remaining comrades and said quietly,

"…You've all done well."

"…Yes, sir."

"I've had to sacrifice your lives. I hope you won't resent me too much for it."

"We'll see. Depends on how you end this."

With a dry laugh, they turned to face the overwhelming swarm.

Our bullets are nearly gone…

There was almost nothing the surviving players could do now.

Then someone muttered,

"But… what about the town? If it's fallen, then us dying here is really just…"

"It's fine," Michael said, interrupting calmly. "I guarantee it's safe."