NOVEL WEB Chapter 713: Attacking the Capital [3]
Number Two's grip on the crystal tightened. His mind raced, weighing options that all seemed suicidal.
"Call every remaining commander," he ordered through clenched teeth. "And tell them—no one retreats without my order."
"Yes, sir!" the voice on the other end replied, though it trembled.
Outside, the faint rumble of battle was already reaching the mansion. Distant roars and the sickening crunch of collapsing buildings echoed through the capital.
Number Two looked out the wide window toward the market district. Even from here, he could see faint flashes of ice and necrotic light cutting through the skyline.
"Dammit, Noir… where are you?"
...
Thanks to the element of surprise, they were able to push the demons back at first, slaughtering thousands in just a couple of minutes.
However, the element of surprise only lasted for a short while, and now the entire Royal Capital was wide awake.
The second wave of demons crashed into Cromwell's frontline with deafening impact. These demons were not only more intelligent, but just as powerful.
"This party is about to get more lit!" Jack laughed as he lunged into the midst of the demons, his blade cutting a thin blue line across them.
They roared in agony as the arc of lightning tore through their bodies like cardboard. By now, half of the market district was submerged in blood.
Nox was in the middle of it all. Each flick of his wrist froze entire clusters of enemies, shattering them into bloody shards a moment later.
His gaze scanned his surroundings. He was looking for someone, but so far he had yet to find them.
"Hendrix... where are you," Nox mumbled to himself, his eyes narrowing.
Rumble! Rumble!
At that moment, the sky rumbled and the clouds darkened even further than they had since being corrupted by the demonic miasma.
Slowly, Nox raised his head to the sky, the rain pelting down on his face. He turned back toward the battlefield—everything still seemed in order, and the Cromwells were still in control.
Without hesitation, he stomped on the ground, which was flooding with water mixed with blood, and shot upward, landing on the roof of the closest building.
"Where is he heading?" Akira frowned, parrying a spear thrust before countering with a swift slice across her attacker's throat.
Nyx, who was fighting beside her, raised her head as well, catching sight of him leaping from building to building.
"He's probably looking for the ones in charge," she explained.
"Shouldn't we follow him?" Wendy murmured beside them.
"No, let's just focus on dealing with the monsters here. I'm sure Nox will be fine," Nyx stated.
There was hesitation on both girls' faces—it was clear they wanted to fight beside Nox, but eventually they gave up and returned to the battle at hand.
"Don't let their momentum build! Keep pressing!" Nathan shouted as a magic circle lit up before him.
From it, a giant pillar of light struck at least a hundred demons, obliterating all of them at once.
Further ahead, in the area most populated with demonic undead, Eve's giant golem swiped with one massive arm, sending a dozen demons flying into nearby stalls that crumbled under the impact.
While the fight was at its peak, Nox's boots splashed through the shallow flood of blood and rain as he moved across the rooftops. His sharp eyes scanned every street and alley, looking for even the faintest sign of Hendrix or Number Two.
Below him, the battle was becoming more chaotic by the minute. Every swing of his arm sent ice shards or spears into the horde.
Entire squads of demons froze in place mid-charge before shattering under the weight of their own momentum.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Boom! Boom! BOOOM!
The cobblestones were littered with blackened limbs, cracked weapons, and the corpses of those foolish enough to get close.
In the space of minutes, thousands had fallen to him alone. News of his slaughter was already spreading like wildfire among the demon ranks.
Fear filled the demons—their roars grew less certain, their steps slower. But the capital was vast, and reinforcements kept coming.
Nox landed on another rooftop, ice gathering along his palm before he hurled a spear into the street below.
FWOOOSH!
The weapon punched clean through a charging elite demon and skewered two more behind it.
"Tch. Not him either…" he muttered, glancing further down the district.
In the mansion, Number Two's fingers tapped against the crystal map table.
It was a spatial map created by expert-rank runesmiths, capable of tracking enemy movements in real time.
Currently, it displayed glowing markers that represented demon forces. Whole sections of the outer district were turning red (enemy-controlled), and the market district's marker was blinking violently.
"This is spiraling faster than I thought," he growled.
From the balcony came the faint whistle of incoming projectiles, followed by distant roars. He stepped outside just in time to see a squad of dragon riders flying over the rooftops, firing arrows at the demons below.
Number Two's face turned even more grim. This was the first time he was seeing such a coordinated force.
The demons were breaking formation to avoid the aerial fire, but that only made them easier prey for Nox's ground forces.
"It seems I need to head out there myself," he pondered. "I just have to hold on until Noir returns… and I hope that kid can get rid of this Beast Tamer."
The frown on his face deepened. Several years back, he had received reports about this Beast Tamer, but he hadn't paid much attention.
'If only—if only—he had gotten rid of him sooner.'
Number Two's eyes shone with resolve. "Well, it's not too late. I can still kill him—"
Suddenly, Number Two saw something that made his entire existence tremble in shock.
In the distance, he could see a red-skinned girl slaughtering demons with a blank look on her face.
"K-Kira," he muttered in a shocked voice, struggling to believe his eyes.
Meanwhile, back on the rooftop, Nox narrowed his eyes. He looked at the half-destroyed castle in the distance.
There, he could sense a familiar aura.
A smirk slowly crept onto his face. "Found you."