"Siege bell! All capable fighters to the city defenses—now! Civilians, evacuate to shelters!"
Another figure rushed in right behind him—an Adventurers’ Guild representative, cloak snapping as she moved.
"Anyone with a guild plate, move out imdiately!" she yelled. "This is not a drill!"
The inn exploded into motion.
Mike slowly lowered his spoon.
He stared at his half-eaten al.
Then leaned back with a long, deeply offended sigh.
"...I just wanted a quiet al."
Golden mana began to stir around him again, faint at first, then steady.
Seris slamd her bowl down, eyes blazing. "These monsters really co out at a wrong ti."
She cracked her knuckles, gears and runes faintly glowing along her gloves. "I’m taking my frustration out on these bad-timing monsters."
Elina stood as well, staff already in hand. Her calm smile hadn’t changed—but there was steel beneath it now.
"Looks like rest will have to wait."
Mike rose to his feet, sword humming softly as he picked it up.
"Well then," he said, a thin smile forming as the bell continued to ring outside, "let’s go handle it quickly."
The three of them turned toward the door together.
They pushed through the inn doors and stepped straight into tension.
The streets that had been lively monts ago were now eerily empty.
Shops were shuttered tight, wooden planks slamd into place. Windows were barred. Doors locked. Only the echo of the siege bell and hurried footsteps remained as civilians rushed toward underground shelters.
Torches flared to life along the main roads as city guards sprinted past in formation.
Mike glanced around, taking it in.
"...Looks like monster sieges are common around here."
Elina nodded, her grip tightening on her staff. "Rykan borders several wild zones. The city’s prepared—but that also ans the waves are usually serious."
Seris smirked, eyes sharp. "Good. That ans we won’t have to hold back."
They followed the flow of ard adventurers and guards until the massive city wall lood above them—stone etched with defensive runes, already glowing faintly as mana was fed into the barrier.
Ropes dropped. Ladders were thrown up. Mages were already gathering atop the battlents.
An officer shouted orders from atop the wall.
"Mages and ranged dealers to the wall! Close-range fighters hold the ground near the gates!"
Mike gave a short nod and stepped away as the order passed down the line.
Seris and Elina moved toward the ladders without hesitation, ascending to the top where spellcasters were taking positions. Golem knights unfolded from Seris’s storage rings, marching into formation along the battlents, shields locking together.
Mike headed toward the main gate.
The massive iron doors were shut tight, reinforced with glowing sigils. Dozens of lee fighters gathered there—adventurers, city guards, rcenaries—all waiting.
Mike stopped near the front.
He exhaled slowly.
"Alright," he murmured.
Golden light flared.
The ground rippled as two summoning circles blood beside him.
A blur of silver and wind burst forth first—Zephyr, the spirit wolf emperor, landing silently with eyes glowing like moonlit blue.
A second circle erupted in heat and fla.
Pyra, the lava python, coiled into existence with a deep, rumbling hiss, molten cracks running along its massive body as heat distorted the air around it.
Nearby fighters instinctively took a step back.
"...What the hell," soone whispered.
Mike rested his sword on his shoulder, eyes fixed on the dark horizon beyond the gate where distant roars were already beginning to echo.
"Let’s get this over with," he said calmly.
Above, on the wall, Seris adjusted her stance and smiled down at the battlefield. Elina raised her staff, erald mana gathering at its tip.
All were ready for the battle.
A horn blared from the watchtower.
"Contact!" a lookout shouted. "Monster wave sighted—three hundred ters out!"
The ground beyond the walls began to tremble.
From the darkness of the plains, shapes erged—first a few, then dozens, then a tide. Twisted silhouettes moved under the moonlight: armored beetle beasts, horned hounds with burning eyes, ogres dragging crude weapons, and clusters of smaller monsters swarming between their legs.
A wave.
Mana surged along the city wall as the defensive runes fully activated, forming a faint translucent barrier that shimred like glass.
On the battlents, Seris raised her hand. Her golem knights stepped forward as one, shields locking, rune-lines blazing.
"Target Monsters," she called out sharply, her voice carrying with artificer-enhanced clarity. "Range markers set. Fire on my signal."
Elina planted her staff into the stone.
Erald light spread outward, threading through the wall and flowing down toward the gate like living veins.
"Support spells ready," she said calmly. "Healing zones prepared. Everyone you can co inside to heal yourself in middle of battles."
Below, near the gate, the lee fighters tightened formation.
The monsters drew closer. Their roars grew louder, mixing into a deafening chorus that rattled armor and nerves alike. So of the newer adventurers swallowed hard. A few tightened their grips until their knuckles went white.
Zephyr growled low, fur lifting as wind gathered around him.
Pyra’s body heated further, magma dripping onto the stone and hissing as it hit.
Mike finally lifted his sword.
Golden aura poured out, no longer restrained. It wrapped around his body like a second sun, sharp and overwhelming. The pressure alone made nearby fighters instinctively step aside, creating a clear space around him.
"...That mana," a veteran guard muttered. "Is he a commander-class?"
Mike didn’t answer.
The monster wave hit the outer kill zone.
Seris’s hand dropped.
"Fire."
The night exploded.
Spells rained down from the wall—arcs of lightning, spears of ice, compressed fireballs, and humming bolts of pure mana. Explosions tore through the front ranks of the monsters, bodies flying, earth churning.
At the sa ti, Elina’s magic flared.
Green light spread across the ground near the gate, forming a wide support field.
It was an amplification buff type field that instantly empowered the lee fighters.
"Frontline, advance!" the city officer shouted.
The gates opened just enough.
Mike stepped forward.
"Zephyr," he said calmly, not even looking at his companion. "Left flank."
The wolf vanished.
A shockwave of wind tore through the monsters on the left side as Zephyr reappeared among them, claws flashing faster than the eye could track. Heads flew. Bodies collapsed before sound could follow.
"Pyra," Mike continued. "Break their center."
Pyra roared.
The lava python surged forward, slamming into the ground. A river of molten fire erupted outward, swallowing monsters whole. Stone cracked. Heat distorted the battlefield as screams turned to silence.
Mike walked straight into the chaos.
Reviews
All reviews (0)