Ares’ Bridge.
A path and fortress built over the waters converging from the upper streams of the Beckden Mountain Range. Once a symbol of the kingdom’s prosperity, it now seems to mock the retreating humans.
Blocking the sturdy bridge’s entrance, weapons aimed at the kingdom, the demons, whether by choice or sheer lack of aesthetic sense, had strewn it with unidentified flesh and blood. Hans watched from a distance, his brows furrowed.
Having witnessed countless horrors, the blood and entrails decorating Ares’ Bridge were a level above. It nearly made him vomit, but he endured it.
As the Commander of the Royal Knights, he couldn’t show weakness. Yet, he couldn’t help but frown. Fortunately, they all mistook his expression.
‘It’s a terrifying sight, even for the Commander.’
‘He must be thinking about the sacrificed victims.’
‘As the teacher commanded… I must do this!!!’
‘Feeling queasy…’
Hans and the members had thoughts that were starkly contrary. But they all shared a common goal: to eliminate the Mud Guardian guarding Ares’ Bridge and reclaim the fortress.
And now, a month later, the expedition of the Human Kingdom and the Royal Knights had begun. Of course, the expedition wasn’t far, but the kingdom’s military moved first.
With disciplined precision, they brought catapults and ballistae and began firing. A massive rock hurled from a catapult struck Ares’ Bridge, debris scattering all around.
Perhaps because it was their home being attacked, monsters surged from Ares’ Bridge, charging toward them. But the royal military swiftly raised their shields.
“These soldiers are well-trained for their level.”
“It means they were prepared for a day like this.”
“Indeed… the Human King must be cautious.”
It wasn’t easy to hone troops to this degree; it meant they had engaged in training close to actual combat and had significant experience hunting monsters.
“They’re proving to be more helpful than I thought. What a pleasant surprise.”
“Plus, the Guards seem more capable than expected.”
“Was it Melissa leading them? Hmm, not a bad warrior.”
Bayard was overwhelmed by momentum, but Melissa was the knight responsible for the kingdom’s guards. She had enough skill to be acknowledged by Yuren. Things were flowing quite well at first.
Things might not have been perfect, but overall, they were proceeding according to plan. Trained soldiers were cutting through the monsters without suffering any damage; they were being slaughtered.
That was all fine until something else burst forth from Ares’ Bridge. Something fell among the impeccably arranged soldiers. It was none other than entrails.
“W-What is this?!”
“Are those entrails wriggling?!”
“Uwaaaah!!”
Even the most well-trained soldier would struggle to maintain composure when wriggling entrails were raining down like rain. Those able to maintain their sanity in such circumstances would be few and far between.
Thanks to their training and current momentum, they held their formation, but as time passed, their morale could definitely falter, and the formation would crumble.
Hans clicked his tongue. He wanted to get a clearer view of the enemy’s strength, but delaying here wouldn’t be beneficial. Yuren, who locked eyes with Hans, nodded and leaped into the sky.
Soon, her body transformed into that of a giant dragon. It enlarged massively, covering the sky, and opened its mouth to unleash a torrent of flame. The dragon’s breath struck the fortress.
“Not a bad start.”
“There are few that can withstand a Dragon Breath.”
“Now’s our chance! Push forward!!!”
Thanks to Yuren’s breath, their momentum swung back. They realized the dragon was on their side. Seizing the opportunity, Melissa urged the soldiers and charged forward.
Melissa was indeed a capable knight. She wasn’t just watching from the back; she was leading the charge while issuing commands. Of course, it wasn’t ideal for a commander to be at the forefront.
If the commander leading and directing the troops perished, even a battle already won could turn disastrous. Yet, there was a simple reason why Melissa was in front.
She was confident in her ability to protect herself while commanding. That’s why she was in charge of the Guard. And indeed, Melissa was fulfilling her role well.
In no time, soldiers reached the fortress, bringing ladders to prepare for the siege. Hans, watching from afar on a boat, nodded and called to Yuren.
“It’s time. Let’s infiltrate.”
[I’ll take care of it with pleasure.]
“Let’s give it a try.”
While soldiers attacked the fortress head-on, the Royal Knights would enter from within. Yuren’s role was to aid that entry. All members climbed on board.
Yuren then soared into the sky once more. From high above, she could see the fierce fighting among the soldiers. Sacrifices are inevitable in war. Therefore, we must win.
To make everyone’s sacrifices worthwhile, the dragon began to soar down towards Ares’ Bridge like a meteor. In that moment, Hans was slightly taken aback.
‘What the heck is this? Why is this happening?’
Initially, the plan was to fly in from the sky, but now it was plunging like a cannonball! Yet, that surprise was brief. Soon, Yuren crashed to the ground.
“Is everyone okay?”
“This is nothing at all!”
“Do you think it’ll take more than this to faint?!”
“Hmm! That’s the point of our rigorous training.”
“….”
What kind of training led to this chaos? That thought nearly slipped out, but Hans suppressed it. Even hiding his shaking legs was a struggle.
The members had already positioned themselves as if it was second nature. Hans looked up. The interior of the fortress was a chaotic sight. It felt more like stepping into living entrails than a fortress.
He’d anticipated something like this when the wriggling entrails were spewed out, but to think the fortress was alive. Hans frowned. If that were true, one of the seven hearts must be in this fortress…
“Commander, what are you thinking so deeply about?”
“This could get more troublesome than I thought.”
“Did you discover something?”
“This fortress is alive. If that’s true, there’s a high chance that the seven hearts are scattered somewhere in this fortress.”
Hans made that judgment based on his experience. After all, there were indeed maps in the game that featured mechanisms based on destroying flesh. Right now, Ares’ Bridge felt similarly alive.
“That’s not entirely unreasonable.”
“Right.”
“Shall we split up to destroy them then?”
“…That’s the best option.”
For a brief moment, Hans hesitated. Should he really send them off like this? Or should he use Time Stop now? He pondered but ultimately arrived at one conclusion.
“Let’s go. Find the locations of the seven hearts.”
Using Time Stop to locate them was practically impossible. Setting aside the penalties, without fighting, they wouldn’t just expose something as critical as hearts.
Whooom!!
The sword strapped to his waist began to resonate loudly, but Hans was too caught up in the urgent situation to notice. The moment his command was issued, the members dashed forward.
“Then we have no choice but to split up.”
“I’ll handle Helia.”
“…I don’t want to admit it, but it can’t be helped.”
“Clara, Ruby. I think it’s time for you to pull your weight. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes! Leave it to us!”
With seven hearts and seven members, Helia, still young, couldn’t handle it all alone. Thus, Yuren was forced to accompany Helia.
With Yuren’s power, she would adequately cover Helia from a distance. Clara and Ruby were taking on a solo mission for the first time. They had gained experience and recognition through training from Yuren and Cluna.
However, Hans wore a grim expression. That was because he too had to move solo.
‘Right now, I’m weaker than Helia. Damn it.’
Hans witnessed Helia’s newly developed swordsmanship. It had surpassed even the fictional Thunder Dragon Sword Technique into a new realm. Helia applied that swordsmanship, achieving conditional victory in sparring against Yuren.
Though Yuren was being lenient, Helia was the first to accomplish what Clara and Ruby had failed to do.
Yet, unaware of that situation, the members scattered into the fortress without hesitation. Alone, Hans could only wear a dazed expression.
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