The Guardian

Chapter 235: Great Battle

In a meditative position with her sword in her lap, Aurora took a deep breath.

Closing her eyes, she felt her own anxiety and concern for the situation she was about to face.

The deaths and the fallen... This was going to be a war.

She didn’t like wars, but in this case, she knew it was inevitable, at least for her.

She wanted to take part to lessen the casualties of the soldiers and the members of the force, but mainly to ensure victory.

That she was present at this moment made it clear that she could do more than she had imagined.

Go further with her objective than she had hoped.

So she wished... And so she would.

Inhaling and exhaling calmly, she felt her body revitalized as she absorbed the magical energy.

Worries left her body, and she opened her eyes, determined.

Looking at her long sword that had no remarkable details, she took it in calmly.

How many people were killed by her sword?

She didn’t count the number, but she knew it was quite a few... And the number would continue to grow.

Her goal to help was filled with uncertainty and it was a dark path on which she could get lost at any moment when she made the wrong decision.

There wasn’t something beyond ‘helping’ and if there was, then she didn’t get to know it yet.

But that was enough for her, at this point, she had moved for less.

Looking down at her sword, she carefully sheathed it in its scabbard and, after checking her combat suit, she nodded calmly.

Her combat suit was the same one she wore as a fighter, and it was a dedicated fighter style, but that was good enough for her.

If she wore her other combat armor that she wore when trying to hide her identity, it would be a dangerous move and that was why this was fine now.

Now she would act immediately from the start... The uncertainty of a battlefield was always high, and the priority was speed, which only as a swordsman could achieve.

Leaving the barracks room, she noticed many people moving from one side to the other.

Leaving the building, she moved to the courtyard where the army forces were located.

The tanks from last time were ready and these ‘Colossus I’ tanks showed strong combat endurance.

While the speed was slow when firing, the power was high and they were very useful to serve as protection.

That meant that soldiers could protect themselves by using it as a shield.

There were also light combat vehicles with less powerful cannons, but they fired faster, and around them were the soldiers.

Some of them were using swords, bows, wands, and others were using modern weapons, but they all had one similarity.

They were wearing armor with exoskeletons capable of increasing the average strength of a common soldier to a C-Rank fighter, and some captains had the same design as Leslie.

Armor that increased strength, agility, and endurance to that of a normal B-Rank fighter and allowed them a strength boost to reach A-Rank.

However, even though the ability remained that way, the design was focused more on offense and defense, very different from Leslie’s combat armor, which had many unique features.

A Taranis Company design in cooperation with the Cosmos Company... It was a fearsome technology, as a B-ranked fighter already had great strength.

Of course, having the strength and knowing how to use it were two different things.

The group was not big, and that was because, to head for the abyssal portal, they would mobilize from different streets in small groups.

That way, they avoided large-scale spells that could cause many fatalities and at the same time cause pressure from several directions.

Elsewhere were the paladins of the Church of Time and Space who were in the majority.

They carried ‘tower’ shields that were large enough to protect their entire body and in their hands were long swords.

Equipped with full-body battle armor, their faces could not be seen through the helmets, but they all acted strictly as they waited.

Other paladins were present from other churches and also several priests of healing magic.

The Church of the Earth Gods, the Church of Knowledge, the Church of the Celestial God Zabathza.

And then there were several imperial soldiers whose solemnity made it clear that they were all professionals.

They were under the command of Alros, Meden, and Siba, just like before, but this time it was noticeable that they brought the elite.

Some were elves, humans, and dwarves, but all had serious expressions.

They were few in number and were distributed throughout the southern area from where they would advance with their respective captains.

Aurora tapped the handle of her sword.

“Nervous?” Alice asked, coming over.

Alice was about to pull out some chips, but stopped when she saw her expression.

“Yes, as usual,” Aurora replied in a light tone.

Was she nervous?

Yes.

It was unavoidable, but that wouldn’t affect the way she would move.

“I’ll take care of moving right away. What will you do?” Alice asked, putting away her bag of chips.

She could tell her sister was infected by her seriousness, and Aurora gave her a half-smile.

“I’ll move forward lending support,” Aurora replied in a clear tone.

The seventy members of the force were divided surrounding Constanta City, and they had to advance all the way to take the abyssal portal.

The idea was to stop the rival S-Ranks and advance paving a path for the different squads.

If they reached the abyssal portal and secured it, that was great, but because of the high number of enemy forces, it was dangerous to be surrounded.

That was why quite a few of those individuals would advance with their respective groups, along with their squads led by the other thirty S-Ranks who were in charge of protecting them.

Of course, there were definite teams to advance to the end and one of that teams was Theodore.

Another was the imperial force members who had years of experience, such as Alros, Meden, Siba, and Urfin, who were over a hundred years old and had been through all kinds of events.

Those teams would advance to the end, opening a path, unleashing themselves completely and surely the enemies would prioritize stopping them, and it was for that reason that other S-ranks had to intervene to defend them.

In her case, her group had a greater freedom, although Aurora would advance supporting... That meant that she would move around the area, lending support to the squads.

“Fine, then I’ll be the same and go mobile,” Alice commented with a smile.

Aurora looked at her sister, who was dressed in casual clothes she always wore and while it gave her a certain comfortable charm, it didn’t seem to give her protection.

Still, it was better than her wearing the dresses she was so fond of wearing... Though both were created using high-quality materials and they were enchanted.

“Comfort first,” Alice said as she felt Aurora’s gaze and, smiling at her, she added. “Besides, it will be fun if they try to touch me.”

Her smile seemed cocky and was full of confidence... Overwhelming confidence.

While those who didn’t know her would assume it was empty confidence, Alice could wrap herself in a cocoon in an instant before anyone could touch her, or her own darkness could even swallow her.

Aurora shook her head.

If there was one thing that relaxed her about all of this, it was that she could trust her sister and no matter how quirky she was, Alice was strong.

“It’s time,” Liam reported coming over and with a serious look, asked. “Don’t you want me to go?”

Officially, only Aurora and Alice were members of the Imperial forces and not Liam, so he had no duty to participate and while he was hired separately, it was about other issues.

“No, stay here. Didn’t they say? You’ll be more useful here. You have experience mastering the drone defense system,” Aurora replied, shaking her head.

Her gaze was directed to the place from where Liam had approached.

There were different drones in charge of storing other drones in extended spaces inside... They were like space rings, but even bigger, and those were spread all over Constanta City.

That was the technological support of the Cosmos Company, who sent such drones with some mechanics to take care of everything.

Liam knew some mechanics and had joined the group of mechanics to increase efficiency when attacking.

There were other S-Rank mechanics, but Liam was highly experienced handling drones at long ranges and on a large scale.

In Zerzura, he was someone who took control of many drones frequently.

“Well, that’s better,” Liam replied and, giving a laugh, stated. “I’ll test all your new drones and then, after the job is done, I’ll see if I can take several of them.”

His gaze sparkled with a child’s enthusiasm for his new toys, and Aurora simply shook her head.

Despite his youthful appearance, Liam, in a few years, would reach his thirties and was still just as lively as a teenager.

As Liam left to cooperate with the other mechanics, the authorities warned that they were about to begin the raid.

Aurora watched as the soldiers prepared themselves, and the tanks began their operation.

The number of allied forces participating was close to two thousand, and among them were adventurers with their guilds, heroes, mercenaries, paladins, priests, and soldiers.

Each had different professions, but all were prepared for the assault.

The number was smaller than the goblins and it was not because they were underestimating them, but on the contrary.

The soldiers of Romania were selected from the most expert and those with the most experience, the adventurers and heroes were either strong or had a great experience.

With the paladins, it was the same and although there were some who were inexperienced or who had not been through a war, some of them were veterans who had even participated in the European-demon war a few years ago.

There were even quite a few former players who had probably had all kinds of experiences in Terra nova.

The time came and their group began to march.

Here there were two S-Ranks apart from the two of them, and they had already defined what their movements would be.

The platoon had also defined their travel route, so they just marched.

The tension increased and Aurora walked calmly, feeling some anxiety for the combat that was to come.

The goblins noticed them and Aurora felt it as she looked at the buildings.

Surely, at this time, all the enemy forces were preparing for the assault of the allied forces.

The goblins had experience with the last time and especially knew that it was possible that someone informed them of the human tactics.

That hypothesis came after analyzing that Demon Lord Pezak had procured goblin women and children, revealing that this demon lord could connect and relate to the goblins in some way.

That they extended their network of influence, occupied buildings, and now sent no group of little devils as cannon fodder, showed that they were trying new tactics.

“The artillery will start.” Cardinal Auguste announced.

The forces were stretched to the limit and Aurora could see ahead barricades, pits, and all sorts of obstructions to vehicles.

She could also sense several hidden presences in the alley ahead, waiting for them to pass to attack.

As they split into different alleys, they could not hide everywhere like last time.

A whistling sound reached her ear, and Aurora looked at a building in the distance.

It was a tall building that could be seen from her position and from that place she could feel several gazes and even if she concentrated, she could see several goblins inside.

That tower was one of the three control towers that the goblins used.

Several missiles traveled through the sky, leaving a trail in their path heading for those buildings and then...

*BOOM*

Hitting from the base and middle of the building causing a deafening explosion.

The building collapsed, crushing the creatures inside and raising a cloud of dust.

The barrier of the building was strong and although it managed to repel part of the impact, it was not enough.

Terra nova had long ranged spells, and the earthlings had the technology, not using it was like not using a natural talent.

*BOOM*

Other explosions sounded in the distance as the missiles also hit other buildings.

“GRAAA!”

Then a roar resounded with fury as from afar, the leaders led by the one known as Zrag rose up.

Cardinal Auguste immediately appeared and, without hesitation, both groups attacked each other in the sky.

Four against one.

The goblins didn’t give their all, but neither did they.

Aurora unsheathed her sword as she heard the noise from behind her and looking ahead to where the goblins were ready hidden in the alley, she saw a drone fly.

Then another, and another... From five, they became ten, from ten to thirty, and the number increased like wasps.

The number of allied forces was lower, but the number of drones was high.

Aurora’s expression turned serious as she watched the drones shoot at the goblins, causing them to come out from where they were hiding.

The great battle had begun.

******

With his weapon in his hands, a soldier climbed the steps of a building quickly.

The sounds and shouts of battle rang out, but he continued up the steps of the building.

Then, when he reached the roof, he approached the edge and readied his rifle to fire.

“Mage attack coming!”

In the alleyway of his team were a colossus tank and two light combat vehicles and one of those vehicles was pierced by a thick spear.

In between the vehicles were soldiers firing their weapons, engaging a group of goblins who were barricaded in some buildings.

Two S-ranks were fighting in the middle of both buildings, destroying everything in their path, and the paladin of order dedicated to protect them was doing an excellent job in restraining his opponent.

That was why the goblin shamans revealed themselves from a balcony and cast a combined spell.

With so many mages joining in, the spell was like a huge flare wanting to devour their group standing in the middle of the street.

The paladins with their tower shields rushed forward and drove their shields into the ground in front of the platoon.

They created a shield wall and from those shields, a barrier spread out, combining with those of their partner, managing to create a barrier that repelled the war spell.

“Take those bastards down!” ordered the paladin in chief.

The tank had already targeted that balcony and fired immediately.

*BOOM*

Its powerful shot that could take down an A-Range was concentrated, which meant that, while the explosion wasn’t huge, it completely shattered the entire balcony.

However, the sniper saw that those shamans had jumped to escape, and he moved.

Taking aim with his rapid-fire sniper rifle, he, as someone with a mastery of firearms, took aim in an instant.

Through the scope, he could see out the window a shaman breathing heavily and then fired.

*Bang!

His bullet went through the glass and hit the shaman’s head.

“Gurrua!”

At the war cries and shouts of the soldiers, the sniper heard the guttural sounds coming from that building and he fired again.

*Bang*

His shot went through the wall where another shaman was hiding and went all the way through.

At that moment, they reacted smartly and erected a barrier, but the sniper fired at other archers.

One bullet, one down... The goblin archers were shot down at a high speed.

Then, the S-Rank goblin noticed the causer and, with his sword, released a large slash that broke part of the building.

The sniper had jumped with his weapon in his arms, rolling across the roof.

When he looked at the position he had found himself in, he could see a terrifying cut that had split part of the building, giving proof of the might of an S-Rank.

Without needing to look, he could hear the gunfire and attacks from his group towards that S-Rank to support their leader leading to the goblin retreating.

“Call for reinforcements!”

A voice sounded over the comm system of a nearby squad and seeing that he was close the sniper moved even though his heart was pounding with fear.

Taking a position with his rifle, he looked down the main street.

It was a major crossroad of the main street, they were engaged in a bloody battle.

Paladins were serving to protect their comrades, while archers and soldiers from both sides were exchanging attacks.

Spells were flying everywhere, and goblins were resisting in the buildings using barriers and casting spells.

Some ballistas were firing at a light combat vehicle and the colossal tanks that resisted with their barrier, but still, the allied forces were the ones in trouble because they were using those same tanks as protection in that open junction.

The sniper looked through the peephole at the goblin mage who was firing his spells, facing three S-ranks.

As an ice and water mage, he was causing destruction around the area.

Facing three earthling S-ranks, the shaman made it clear that he was a chief among chiefs with his level of strength.

The sniper looked to the balcony where he saw other shamans preparing their spells and calmly took aim after switching to a penetrating anti-barrage bullet.

The distance was higher than before, so he had to aim well and he knew there were barriers and that was why he switched bullets.

Then, in his vision, he saw it... A young woman with black arms behind her back that she used to move advanced at a high speed and with those same arms, she opened a gap between the buildings.

When she reached inside, the black arms extended like spears and pierced the shamans, killing them on the spot, but those spears advanced through the wall to the other building.

The sniper drew in a cold breath as he watched the black arms reach up through the floor, piercing everything they came across as if it had a life of its own.

“...”

Then, as they finished off their enemies, the black arms retracted at an enormous speed and because of the countless holes, an entire building collapsed, spreading a cloud of smoke and dust.

The young woman, using her black arms, continued to go deep into the abyssal portal.

The colossal tanks moved past the rubble and stepped over the corpses of their enemies.

They cut through everything in their path to continue the advance, leaving one S-Rank to accompany them as the other two held the shaman back.

“Gururuaaa!”

A roar came from the sky and when the sniper looked, he could see the three strongest chiefs... A big muscular one, a small one, and a medium-sized shaman.

Led by a goblin who had a large sword.

Cardinal Auguste stood in front of them, while the surrounding space twisted between the unreal and the real.

Wailing screams reached the ears of all those watching, but it was more terrifying for the goblins, who had wild expressions.

“GURURUA!” shouted the shaman, spreading his voice all over the place, then stepping back he pulled out a sphere.

Cardinal Auguste waved his hand, distorting the space between the unreal and real, but the other leaders moved by extending slashes with their sword aura, managing to repel that attack, allowing the shaman to move.

Their way of cooperating to repel an SS Rank attack made it clear that they had overwhelming experience.

The shaman, with time to spare, used a black sphere that glowed slightly and released a powerful wave that spread throughout the area.

According to the report, that artifact was called the ‘sphere of unity’ and gave a boost of strength to the goblins.

And it also marked the midpoint of the battle.

“GURRUURUAA!” the leader of all the goblins roared, releasing a crushing pressure at the boundary of an S-Rank and SS-Rank.

The others were also similar, managing to make Cardinal Auguste’s expression turn serious.

******

An S-Rank adventurer withstood the greatsword of a swordsman with his shield... A muscular hobgoblin with a scar.

“Ughh...” Letting out a groan, the floor shattered as the greatsword struck his shield.

The arm holding the shield let out a not at all pleasant sound, and the adventurer waved his sword to make his foe back up.

The hobgoblin did, but in the midst of that, he just dodged the daggers of an S-ranked assassin and then deflected the spear of another S-ranked adventurer.

Three against one, the hobgoblin was surrounded, and still the battle remained a draw.

Wolves mounted by little devils emerged from a tunnel and managed to engage the platoon of allied forces in close combat.

The paladins, soldiers, and adventurers were in a bloody battle.

“GURURUA!” with a war cry, the hobgoblin charged forward again, aiming at the assassin.

The adventurer leapt forward again, using his shield to take the blow, and as he tried to move forward, he saw a group of goblins attack the spearman.

The goblin deflected the assassin’s dagger and then, with overwhelming force, struck the adventurer’s shield again.

*BOOM*

Blow after blow, the adventurer resisted as his arm hurt terribly.

He was waiting for the assassin’s attack, and that attack came immediately as his companion struck again at a high speed, managing to wound the goblin enough to make the adventurer move.

With his magical energy in his shield, the adventurer performed a typical ‘shield smash’ with all his might, managing to create a burst of force.

*BOOM*

The fighter thought the goblin was going to defend itself, but the hobgoblin took the blow full force and used it to push itself through the air towards the platoon.

The adventurer’s expression turned pale, but he had just used his armor’s blinking move and couldn’t move.

The hobgoblin spun in the air and charged the platoon without hesitation.

Some paladins got in the way with their tower shields, but the goblin just hit with full force, managing to send them flying.

The goblin’s target was a colossal tank whose cannon was aimed at him.

Those tanks were the shields of the platoons and thanks to their strong barriers, they were an excellent means of protection, but they were also a fearsome means of attack if they fired.

Now that part of his team had been killed, and the drones had been eliminated, those tanks were the mainstay for the main force.

The hobgoblin readied himself with all his might to cut down everything in his path, but as his slash descended, another sword stepped in.

*BOOM*

The greatsword struck the sword held by a young woman who had used the blink ability and a large crater was created as the two forces collided.

The adventurer noticed that even though the young woman gave a grimace at the powerful slash, that was all... That alone let it be seen that her strength was inferior, but not that much.

“Take out the wolf riders. I can take care of him for a few minutes,” ordered the young woman.

The adventurer obeyed immediately, as he had heard in the meeting that she had faced this same hobgoblin before.

Taking a potion to regain his body’s stamina and another to harden his bones, the adventurer with his shield advanced forward, hitting all the hobgoblins.

The assassin and spearman also moved, and the difference between fighting those riders and the hobgoblin was gigantic.

Slashing and slashing at those enemies, the adventurer looked at the young black-haired woman.

*BOOM*

She dodged the slashes with quick, nimble steps, deflecting the hobgoblin’s force.

She understood that she could not match the hobgoblin in strength and so she deflected the force of the greatsword with an expert’s dexterity.

She seemed to only dodge, but when her opponent was exhausted, she would disappear, leaving a cut on her opponent’s body.

Focused entirely on agility and speed, she had tremendous speed.

Then he saw it, when she dodged the hobgoblin’s greatsword she signaled him with her hands.

The adventurer understood immediately and signaled to the spearman and assassin that they had greatly reduced the pressure on the main force.

His companions understood immediately, and when the hobgoblin made his attack, the spearman moved first.

Using his spear aura, he thrust his spear forward, creating a piercing attack that the hobgoblin dodged.

The spearman was not bothered because the assassin concealed his presence and, with a blink; he cut the hobgoblin’s ankle, causing him to fall to his knees on the ground.

For his part, the adventurer had already moved, charging with his shield and his sword, surrounded by his sword aura, focused on making a penetrating attack capable of piercing a fighter’s body.

The creature had a high defense, and this was his best attack, however, the hobgoblin ignored it and turned around swinging his sword.

The young woman, who had jumped silently going for his head, contorted her body in the air, dodging that great sword, and instead of cutting the head, she managed to cut only the hobgoblin’s chest.

The adventurer thrust his sword into the back of that green creature that had ignored him, but that mighty hobgoblin hit his shield.

“GURURUA!” the hobgoblin shouted in anger and spite as the wound on his back bled.

That wound was deep and while the adventurer knew it was not fatal, his sword was designed with only one edge and the other part with small locks, with the idea of creating bleeding in his enemies.

“Be careful. He’s wanting to go all out. It’s best to play defensively,” the young woman reported with a serious look.

“I understand. The three of us can defend ourselves. You can move forward,” said the adventurer and seeing her look, he revealed. “Someone stronger is needed up ahead.”

Up ahead was where the abyssal portal was located, and battle noises could be heard around that area.

It was clear that someone of that woman’s strength would be useful further ahead than here.

The team agreed and now that their enemy was a beast that was bleeding out and they needed to play defense without pressuring it... Three, to attack was difficult, but to defend was not going to see any problems.

“I understand. Good luck,” the young woman said after advancing forward.

The hobgoblin realized what she wished to do, but the adventurer blinked to break his stride and resisted the mighty blade.

Each had work to do.

******

Aurora advanced through the alleys, ignoring the noise of battle.

A ‘battlefield’ was created in the sky, preventing powerful attacks from coming out while preventing anyone from watching what was happening and likewise preventing anyone from leaving.

Containing the bosses was a troublesome and very important task.

Passing through some alleys at high speed, Aurora heard even more battle noises and then came to the portal.

That large abysmal portal was in the center of a shattered square and all around it were Alice, Meden, and Urfin fighting oncoming goblins.

There were a few teams of A-Rank goblins attacking and they were defending well against those three S-ranks, but the biggest problem was the mages and archers quartered inside the buildings.

Aurora immediately moved forward in a hurry and her green-colored sword aura covered the blade of her sword.

“DIE HUMANS!”

The goblin’s screams sounded clear in her ears thanks to having the opportunity to go through the blessing of the Goddess of Knowledge before.

It was the same for all the high ranks, except for some individuals who did not receive the baptism of the Goddess of Knowledge.

However, Aurora ignored that cry and made a one hundred and eighty-degree turn.

Hundreds of slashes were fired around her, targeting all the buildings.

The archers hid behind the walls, unaware that her green-colored slashes were not only fast but always hit her target.

“Agh!”

“Gaaaa!”

“Gaaaa!”

Shrieks and screams of pain came from everywhere as his sword slash cut through every obstruction, hitting those it was meant to cut.

Her green aura represented in essence that her slash would always reach its target and when that target was a weak creature, it was easy to know the outcome.

Reaching the side of her companions, Aurora looked at the abyssal portal behind her.

It was trembling subtly, perhaps from all the spells and attacks happening around it along with all the high-level battles.

Still, the portal was surrounded by a translucent layer that forced it to maintain some stability and Urfin broke some scrolls, generating some extra barriers.

Then he pulled out his two battle axes that were stained with blood.

“Reinforcements will be coming,” Urfin said in a serious tone.

“And theirs too.” Meden pointed to the path on the other side.

A little devil with tattoos on his face was approaching swiftly, accompanied by a small group of Rank A’s who appeared to be the elite.

The hands of those creatures were bloodied as well as the armor, evidencing that they had just gone through the bloodbath of this bloody battle.

That was a high-ranking group.

“Alice, protect the portal. Meden take care of the goblins. I and Aurora will go for that little devil.” Urfin ordered, swinging his two battle axes.

Aurora readied her sword, and when the little devil came into her attack range, they both charged.

The little devil threw blackish-colored daggers and Urfin deflected them, but Aurora just contorted her body in the air without losing speed.

Creating platforms at the last moment, she gave herself the push she needed to nimbly slash.

*Boom!

The little devil recoiled as his daggers deflected her sword, by his face turned ugly as he realized her strength was just as terrifying as her speed.

*BOOM*

Urfin, without giving him a chance, pressed back, creating a crater as his battle axes hit the ground.

Meden rushed towards the elite group and fought them with her large hammer, from her force control it was clear that she was holding back.

That was because below them were the civilians.

The little devil advanced with great speed to cut them both, but Aurora only deflected his daggers, clearly capturing his swift movements.

The little devil disappeared from sight, but before her eyes it was visible and she reacted by dodging and defending.

Urfin was slower, but his blows were powerful, and his axes were also faster.

Then, when they both heard a message in her ear, they backed away at the same time.

The goblin tensed, and then his expression changed with fear.

*BOOM*

A sudden explosion engulfed the whole place as Theodore used psionic energy to cause an explosion of fire.

The goblin went half-burned into the air, and in the sky, Alros appeared and with a graceful twist cut down the goblin, who had to sacrifice his arm to avoid losing his head.

Gritting his teeth, the goblin immediately retreated backward, dodging the flames of Siba, who resembled a fire snake.

Goblins began to arrive from elsewhere in a hasty retreat, and on the part of the allied forces, it was similar.

Dan and the paladin Amanda arrived together landing in the middle of the group and at the same time passing through the buildings, Marius Posse and Adala approached.

In the distance, some tanks could be seen advancing with several other S-ranks who were trying to pass the enemy lines that were slowly reaching the abyssal portal.

The battlefield in the sky broke up, and the leaders descended without landing, because Cardinal Auguste was giving a cold stare.

The leader was coldly looking at everything and the three leaders were quite badly wounded, but crazy expressions were noticeable.

From the other side appeared Duke Kristoph, who wore a serious expression as he maintained the complex spell on his own.

The magical energy emanating from his body was amazing.

At the end, from the tunnel, where the civilian members of that race were, Cardinal Najjar came out with a serious expression.

She coming out so calmly showed that she had taken care of the civilian goblins secretly to prevent the high-level battle from bringing down the subway area.

Aurora watched this tense scenario with her sword in her hand.

The allied forces were surrounding them, then there were the goblins and back to them at the abyssal portal.

The high commanders of both sides were in the sky-bound.

“It’s time for you to surrender...”

“Freedom! Oh, sweet freedom!”

A voice sounded behind Aurora’s back, and her skin stood on end, feeling a chill.

It was a strange and frightening sensation, like a chilling aura spreading and when Aurora looked she could see a man pulling half of his body out of the portal.

He was a former member of the expedition, being the former leader of the Victrix guild.

The abysmal portal shook with darkness, and the man pushed his body... Or what was left of it.

“Oh, sweet freedom...” murmured that man with the black eyes.

A mass of grotesque darkness made up the lower part of his body as he tried to get out and in front of everyone who was stunned, he broke the barrier.

“Stop him!”

“Kill the humans!”

The first voice came from Duke Kristoph and the second shout came from the leaders, but both were useless.

The spell was designed to stabilize the portal from this side, but not the other... And this was a bilateral portal.

When that creature came out breaking the barrier, his grotesque body trying to pass through the abyssal portal made that portal unable to withstand it.

Then it spread like a tear through empty space, revealing pure darkness that made Aurora’s eyes widen for ‘Chaos’ in its purest form.

Her instincts screamed for her to escape and the screams of those who watched that darkness echoed as the corruption affected the weakest.

Cardinal Najjar reached out her hand, making time turn back using the power of her god, but ‘Time’ and ‘Chaos’ were primordial energies... Divine energies and both repelled each other.

Then everything went black... As the Abyssal Portal drained out, swallowing those closest to it.