Chapter 131
“Ultimately.”
“It’s come to this again.”
Cynthia and Emily muttered in unison, almost as if they had rehearsed it.
Elaine quietly sipped her tea beside them, saying nothing.
In just a few days, the continent had undergone rapid and drastic changes.
The officially announced resurrection of the demon Satan in the north, followed by his declaration of war.
An unprecedented alliance of every nation on the continent.
And all of this had occurred within merely two days.
“Ryu isn’t here again.”
“Yeah, as expected.”
Slurp—
Once again, it was only Cynthia and Emily speaking while Elaine silently drank her tea.
All three of them were well aware of how busy Ryu was.
Unlike them, Ryu wasn’t just a student; he worked alongside Yuria, the leader of the Peace Coalition Forces.
Not to mention he was also a member of the Black Shadow Corps.
“But is it right for us to just sit here doing nothing?”
Cynthia muttered in frustration, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction.
Hearing her, Elaine, who had been silently listening until now, finally spoke.
“Even if we go, we won’t be much help.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Cynthia clicked her tongue in disappointment, agreeing with Elaine’s assessment but still feeling regretful.
She knew her abilities wouldn’t be of much help, yet she still wanted to do something—anything.
After all, this was a global emergency.
Though she was technically an academy student, she believed she could do more than an ordinary civilian.
Cynthia’s righteous nature made it unbearable for her to stand idly by in such a situation.
“I wish I could be with my aunt…”
Emily chimed in, echoing Cynthia’s sentiment with a hint of sadness.
Slurp—
Elaine, however, remained silent, continuing to sip her tea.
Having witnessed the battle between Ryu and Satan up close, Elaine deeply understood one thing:
She was utterly powerless in the face of Satan.
Far from being helpful, her presence in such a battle would only be a liability.
If Satan had taken her hostage during that midnight battle and used her to threaten Ryu…
‘If that had happened, both of them would’ve been doomed.’
Elaine took another sip of her tea, her thoughts tinged with bitterness.
The fight between Ryu and Satan had left a deep impression on her.
Watching their battle, Elaine had felt an insurmountable wall.
Never before—not even while watching her father, the Ironclad Knight—had she experienced such a feeling.
While her father’s swordsmanship inspired admiration and respect, Elaine had always believed she could one day reach that level herself.
But watching Ryu and Satan, she felt no such confidence.
It was a sheer gap in power.
It was as if she had glimpsed a realm completely beyond her reach, no matter what she did.
Watching powerful combatants usually ignited her competitive spirit and filled her with determination, but this time was different.
This was not mere motivation; it was overwhelming despair.
Perhaps that’s why Elaine found Cynthia and Emily’s conversation so futile.
With their current abilities, participating in a battle against Satan would be pointless.
As she had feared, they’d likely only end up being a hindrance.
“Elaine, do you think we could find a way to get back to the north through your father? Or maybe Professor Cassis?”
“It’s probably impossible.”
Elaine answered Cynthia’s question without even taking a moment to think.
And then it happened.
Ding—
A clear and resonant sound, like glass being struck, accompanied by the simultaneous vibration of all three communication devices.
“Hm?”
All three of them—Elaine, Cynthia, and Emily—instinctively took out their communication devices.
Infusing them with mana, the devices lit up, and a video began to play.
“What’s… this?”
The footage displayed monsters moving in an orderly formation.
“Is this live…?”
Cynthia muttered in disbelief.
The “army” of monsters in the video seemed far larger than the horde that had shattered the barrier a few days ago.
It was an utterly surreal sight.
***
“Shit…”
Someone muttered under their breath, voicing the collective fear of the entire Peace Coalition Forces as they watched the monster army approach.
There was no doubt about what they were seeing in the distance: monsters.
An unbelievable number of monsters, enough to make one wonder if the north had always harbored such a vast population of them.
Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding—!
The emergency bells rang throughout the camp as the black mass, once just a dot in the distance, was confirmed to be monsters.
The horde was far larger than the one that had shattered the barrier and witnessed Satan’s declaration of war just days ago.
“Why now?!”
Yuria’s deputy muttered in disbelief, his eyes fixed on the advancing monsters.
The “three-day” deadline Satan had declared had not yet arrived.
So why were the monsters advancing now?
‘Engaging them with our current forces would be suicide.’
The deputy quickly assessed the situation.
The coalition forces were in even worse shape than they had been a few days ago.
After Satan’s declaration of war, many members of the Peace Coalition Forces returned to their respective nations.
It was a step backward to prepare for a larger advance.
With the situation now a continent-wide crisis, they left to inform their countries and gather reinforcements.
Even Yuria, the leader of the Peace Coalition Forces, was absent, having gone to meet with the Black Shadow Corps.
In such a state, fighting an overwhelming number of monsters would likely not have been an option, even if Yuria were present.
“We need to retreat quickly.”
Yuria’s deputy made a swift judgment in his mind.
“Abandon this place and prepare to retreat!”
Shouting to the coalition forces, the deputy simultaneously issued several orders to his subordinates.
First, to broadcast the advancing monsters in real time across the entire continent.
Second, to inform the commanders of each nation’s forces, currently advancing toward the north, of the situation.
‘Damn it, trusting a demon’s words was a mistake.’
The deputy clicked his tongue in frustration as he observed the approaching monster army through his telescope.
Not only him, but everyone who had heard Satan’s lieutenant’s declaration that day had thought little of it.
In hindsight, believing the words of a demon had been a dangerously naive decision.
“Quickly!”
“Hurry up with the evacuation!”
“Leave anything unnecessary behind!”
As the coalition forces scrambled to prepare for retreat, Yuria’s deputy made his way toward the walls.
What had initially appeared as dots in the sky were now unmistakably a swarm of wyverns, gradually blanketing the heavens.
“This is ridiculous.”
The deputy muttered to himself as he stared at the sheer number of monsters.
When the barrier was broken a few days ago, he thought nothing could surpass that threat.
Gulp.
Just as the deputy swallowed dryly and reached for his communication device—
Rumble—
“What the—”
Suddenly, the ground and the walls began to shake violently as if an earthquake had struck.
But it wasn’t an earthquake.
The ground further away remained perfectly still, untouched by any tremors.
“What is this…!”
Boom—!
The deputy’s startled shout was interrupted by a loud explosion as a section of the wall crumbled.
Boom! Boom!
The thunderous noise didn’t stop.
One part of the wall collapsed entirely, and soon, other sections followed, falling apart as if they were made of sand.
“It’s a giant centipede!”
Amid the dust and debris, someone’s horrified scream echoed.
Breaking through the rubble and emerging from the ground was a massive centipede.
A monster known for living deep underground and having an intensely solitary nature, rarely seen with others of its kind.
But this time was different. Dozens of giant centipedes surged from the earth, tearing down the walls.
As the walls fell, chaos erupted within the coalition camp.
Since the forces were in the middle of retreat preparations rather than battle, the damage was catastrophic.
“Was this a trap?”
Having fallen from the wall, Yuria’s deputy struggled to regain his composure and scanned his surroundings.
The first thing he checked was the distant monster army.
They were still advancing slowly from far away.
“Hah.”
Boom—
The deputy let out a sigh, only to see another centipede burst out of the ground nearby.
In mere seconds, the once-sturdy walls were reduced to rubble.
“Lady Yuria…”
Boom—
Those were the deputy’s final words before the ground beneath him shook, and a centipede emerged, its grotesque jaws opening wide.
“Everyone, run!!”
The centipedes, now unrestricted by the shattered barrier, infiltrated directly beneath the walls.
Although the massive monster army hadn’t even arrived yet, the centipedes alone had already brought the coalition camp to ruin.
‘Hah… hah…’
Hovering in the air using levitation magic, a soldier broadcasting the scene in real time panted heavily.
The coalition forces were unable to mount any proper resistance.
Some were impaled by the centipedes’ legs, while others were crushed under the debris of the destroyed walls.
‘We must retreat.’
The soldier, tasked with broadcasting the situation by the deputy’s orders, instinctively began to descend toward the ground.
It was an act of pure survival instinct.
Reporting the situation could wait. First, he needed to survive.
The true beginning of the war had arrived.
—
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