Book 1 Chapter 958

958.

Rysar fell into chaos due to the fight between Arion and Azonia.

Fortunately, there were no casualties.

Considering the scale of the battle, it was a near miracle, but it was not mere coincidence.

It was possible because the fight took place in the realm of extrasensory perception.

While Rysar was in chaos.

"Phew. Suppression complete."

Celia, who had occupied the city walls, let out a light sigh.

Most of the soldiers guarding the city walls were ordinary people.

The elite knights, mages, and summoners who protected the city all resided in the lord's castle.

Moreover, the lord's closest confidantes, known as Rysar's guardians, did not even show themselves on the city walls.

They were no match for the hero candidates.

The captain of the guard shouted.

"Hey! Do you think you can get away with doing this?!"

The soldiers guarding the city walls, led by the captain of the guard, wore angry expressions.

Seeing them, Celia said,

"First, please listen to me."

"Recently, monsters from Tartarus have been appearing within the city, and is that also your doing?! How can you, wearing the guise of humans, join hands with Tartarus?! How many people in this city…!"

"So, please, just listen to me?"

Celia maintained her composure, not getting swept up in the excited emotions of the captain of the guard.

Whatever the case, from their perspective, it must have looked like they suddenly appeared and occupied the city walls.

However, for the hero candidates, there was a reason they had to do this.

'Rysar said that they were instantly overwhelmed by the onslaught of demons and monsters.'

Celia glanced at the city walls of Rysar.

Celia, originally from the Rodren Empire, had grown up seeing countless city walls and fortresses.

Sturdy and tall walls built with the empire's overwhelming national power.

However, none of Rodren's walls could compare to Rysar's walls.

After all, these were walls that had long defended against Tartarus's attacks, along with Gardsron during the Age of Calamity.

Throughout the history of the world, walls with such defensive capabilities would be few and far between.

Yet, Rysar's walls crumbled with disconcerting ease.

What that meant was simple.

'Lady Azonia said that traitors opened the walls.'

That was why they collapsed without even a proper resistance.

It was unknown who the traitors were.

That was why it was necessary to occupy the walls.

"This is the wall defended by the Guardian of the Azure Sky! Lord Agon! Do you think I will hand it over so easily to people like you…!"

"A large-scale invasion from Tartarus will occur soon."

Celia said calmly.

At her words, the captain of the guard paused.

"We came to help Rysar."

"Then why did you subdue us!"

"There's a reason."

"A reason?"

Distrust lingered on the captain of the guard's face.

Now in his old age, he had guarded Rysar's walls for many years.

From the time the Guardian of the Azure Sky protected Rysar.

He had no talent for magic or summoning.

Nor did he have exceptional aura talent.

He could use aura, but only weakly.

Yet, despite this, he had survived by defending the city walls in this desperate age.

Surviving meant being strong.

While his objective strength might be weak, his senses were excellent.

And those senses told him that the girl's words were not lies.

'No, it's strange in the first place.'

There was a peculiar dignity about this girl.

A word forgotten in the Age of Calamity.

It reminded him of nobles from the ancient era.

'And those eyes.'

They shone brightly.

Eyes that were rarely seen in this era.

'They resemble the heroes from Gardsron who came last time.'

Perhaps they were not enemies.

He thought so, but he did not lower his guard.

Then.

Fwoosh-!

"Celia. How is it here?"

"It's mostly done. How about your side?"

"Same here."

Abad flew over.

Hearing their conversation, the captain of the guard realized that the walls in other areas had also been subdued.

'What on earth is happening? Great chaos is occurring within the city, and the walls are being subdued by unknown individuals…!'

The captain of the guard felt anxious.

Then.

Whoosh-!

A giant summoning circle appeared in the sky above Rysar's walls.

Soon, the undead began to pour down like rain from the 검붉은 summoning circle.

The captain of the guard's face turned pale.

"L-Lord of the Undead…!"

It was the summoning circle of Tartarus's supreme commander, the Lord of the Undead.

It wasn't just the Lord of the Undead who appeared.

Summoning circles of other legion commanders also began to adorn the sky.

As immense dark magic began to swirl due to the sudden appearance of the legion commanders, the faces of those subdued turned pale.

The faces of the first and second-year students who were subduing them also stiffened.

"Th-That's a Legion Commander…"

"Gulp."

Faced with the appearance of destructive beings far beyond imagination, everyone looked at Celia and Abad with tense expressions.

Though their expressions were stern, no sign of anxiety was visible.

The difference of only a year or two from the first and second-year students was vast compared to the battle lines they had experienced.

Celia, gazing at the legion commanders with a stern face, let out a hollow laugh.

"Why are you laughing?"

"No. I'm just realizing that my school life hasn't been smooth at all."

Most third-year students at Rumeun would have frozen in fear.

However, while Celia and Abad might feel fear, they were not frozen.

Moreover.

There were Grand Heroes and even Heroes of Creation here.

Celia took a deep breath and said to the captain of the guard,

"Do you believe us now?"

"…Why did you subdue us?"

In response to the captain of the guard's question, Celia said,

"There are traitors. They must have opened the walls when they attacked."

"That's preposterous!"

The captain of the guard showed an expression of disbelief.

"The Tartarus monsters' only goal is the destruction of the world! So how can there be traitors?!"

Even if they betrayed and cooperated with Tartarus, if the world was destroyed, they would burn with it, so why would they betray?

It made no sense to common sense.

However, Celia could only give a bitter smile.

"I know. Why do they betray?"

Celia couldn't understand their foolishness.

Then.

"Captain of the Guard, listen!"

A voice amplified by magic resonated from below the city walls.

"Head to the lord's castle with your troops immediately! The lord's castle is currently under attack by assailants!"

At that, the captain of the guard showed a bewildered expression.

Celia glanced at a student from Rumeun's magic department, a first-year.

The first-year released the magic restraining the captain of the guard.

The captain of the guard, looking at Celia with confused eyes, ran to the wall and shouted down,

"The Legion Commanders are attacking now! We cannot abandon the walls carelessly!"

"Hey! That's not important right now! What's important is the lord's castle!"

The mage who came as an envoy from the lord's castle shouted with an angry face.

"……"

The captain of the guard remained silent.

Rysar's lord and his closest confidantes.

In this Age of Calamity, food and supplies were inevitably limited.

Yet, the captain of the guard knew that they lived in comfort even in this Age of Calamity.

However, he couldn't rebel against it.

The power of the lord's castle was crucial for defending Rysar.

Still, the captain of the guard believed that they would be of great help when Rysar was in danger.

But recently.

They did not appear during the large-scale monster invasion.

Instead, it was the heroes from Gardsron who saved them.

The refugee city was strangely unaffected by Tartarus's invasions.

While it seemed to enjoy peace because of that, in reality, it had been rotting for a long time.

The captain of the guard was not unaware of that.

'Even so… Could they really sacrifice the entire city…?'

"Hurry up and follow orders! Lead your troops to the lord's castle!"

"If the walls fall, people will die!"

"I don't care! The lord is more important than those ignorant masses! Don't they know that Rysar can only be maintained if we exist…!"

Thwack-!

"Gasp?!"

The mage, shouting with bloodshot eyes, suddenly clutched his chest.

Drip- drip-

Blood dripped from the hilt of the dagger that had somehow embedded itself in his chest.

"Now it's quiet."

Chen Xia smiled faintly.

"Xia!"

Celia quickly called out to Chen Xia.

Chen Xia waved her hand lightly and nudged the mage.

Thump-

The mage who fell to the ground gasped for air.

"S-Save me…"

"I'll save you. But answer me this one thing."

Chen Xia placed her white hand on the dagger and smiled faintly.

"You and the others, including the lord, made a deal to hand Rysar over to Tartarus, didn't you?"

"Th-That's…"

"We know everything. Tell the soldiers guarding the walls directly."

Chen Xia smiled cheerfully as usual.

But her eyes were chillingly cold.

Seeing him hesitate to answer, Chen Xia pressed the dagger with her fingertip.

"There are many others who can speak besides you."

"Y-Yes…! N-No! That's right! The lord promised us wealth and prosperity from Tartarus and agreed to hand Rysar over to Tartarus…! I opposed it! I…!"

His voice echoed so that the soldiers guarding the walls could hear it.

Such things were happening in various places on Rysar's walls, not just here.

"S-Since I told you the truth… S-Save me… Save me."

"Wow."

Chen Xia exclaimed.

"You tried to kill countless people, yet you want to be saved?"

"You didn't promise to save me…!"

Thrust-!

"Of course, that was a lie."

"Gasp?!"

Chen Xia's fingertip pressed the hilt of the dagger.

The dagger burrowed into his flesh so deeply that it was invisible.

The mage, coughing up blood violently, died instantly.

Chen Xia stood up and climbed onto the city walls.

By now, the legion commanders and their accompanying forces had been summoned, and giant summoning circles were being drawn in the sky again by the legion commanders' dark magic.

The air swirled.

It was easy to guess what was being summoned.

Chen Xia looked at the captain of the guard and said,

"The lord's castle abandoned Rysar."

"……"

The captain of the guard closed his eyes in silence.

He knew something was strange.

But he hadn't expected that such a thing would happen.

"C-Captain… Do you believe those words?"

"They might have been threatened…"

"B-But asking us to abandon the walls was definitely strange."

The soldiers following him were in disarray.

'I don't know what to believe. However.'

"Tartarus will be here soon. What will you do?"

The captain of the guard gripped his sword.

"There is only one thing we must do."

He said with firm resolve.

Although his power was not great.

However, having survived the Age of Calamity and guarded Rysar's walls, he deserved to be called a hero.

"Guard the walls."

Watching the man who silently did his best, Celia thought.

'…It's because of people like this that the world hasn't been destroyed.'

It wasn't just the Grand Heroes.

There were people who would risk everything for others.

Such individuals gathered one by one, creating a great possibility, and it was because of the Grand Heroes who faced Erebus with that possibility that the world could finally be saved.

"He's a cool old man."

At that moment, someone descended from the air and landed on the city walls.

"I like brave men."

"Lord Azonia!"

"That damn face always annoys me."

Azonia scowled upon seeing the face of Hell Kaiser in the distance.

And he got up.

"The preparations on the other walls are almost complete. Now we just need the reinforcements."

"Reinforcements? There are reinforcements?"

The captain of the guard asked with a bewildered expression, and Azonia smiled faintly.

"Of course, old man."

Then.

Flash-!

A magic circle was drawn in the sky above Rysar.

The beautiful summoning circle, glowing pure white, was a giant warp gate.

Along with it, a pillar of light descended onto the city walls.

The first to appear were four people.

Seeing the beautiful woman at the forefront, the captain of the guard spoke her name.

"Hero of Gardsron… Lisinas?"

Led by Lisinas, Luna and Kyle appeared.

Azonia's jaw dropped.

Celia and Chen Xia covered their mouths without realizing it.

Amidst this, Driana, standing next to Duweno, said,

"Lord Duweno. You should stand with the four representatives."

"I have nothing to do with those idiots."

Duweno drew a cold line.

'No, why are their eyes like that? Did they fight?'

Despite their majestic entrance, Lisinas, Luna, and Kyle had bruises on one eye each.

Then Leo approached Azonia.

"Where is Arion?"

"Lord Arion is over there… Huh?"

Azonia, who had been pointing below the city walls, widened his eyes.

Arion had disappeared with Ar, who had been holding him.

"You rascal! You ran away again!"

As Azonia glared, a message suddenly appeared before his eyes.

All the strategists' eyes widened as they looked at the message that appeared before them.

Leo smirked as he saw the objective.

"It seems they've decided to fight."

[Strategy objective has been changed.]

[Strategy Objective (Hidden): Save Rysar.]