TBATE Volume 7

by Divergence (epub)

  Through sheer willpower, I got back up to my feet. Blood continued to flow freely out of my mangled arm but it was okay. I knew what I had to do. 

  “I hope you can forgive your sister… for not being able to make it back home,” I mumbled.

  I took a step to the side, creating a trail with my blood. The pain was beginning to subside a little as my arm grew numb, which was good. 

  Fane came into view, but he was barely standing as well. He was dripping almost as much blood as I was. 

  With neither of us able to even muster a word, Fane continued to protect me as I made the array, strengthening it with the sheer amounts of blood I was spilling. 

  I took another step, but I must’ve lost consciousness because I found the world turned on its side. Fane was still on his feet, holding off Albold and another elf. 

  Almost there. 

  I crawled, dragging my maimed arm on the ground to continue the bloody trail, but the loss of blood must have affected my vision. 

  An entire row of trees had moved and bent out of the way to reveal a towering wall. And on the top of the wall were hundreds of elves, each armed with either staves or bows. The staves were glowing in all sorts of colors, some green, some yellow, others blu— 

  “Circe!” Fane screamed, snapping me out of my daze. 

  A desperate scream tore out from my throat as I ignited every ounce of mana I had left through my crest. My vision blurred and I fell to my side, but I didn’t care. I knew it had worked. 

  Every imprint I had left in the forest was now connected and displayed to every sentry waiting outside the forest. I had created the trail for our army.

  I managed to crack a smile as I faced the wave of spells and arrows almost upon us. I hoped they could see me my expression so they’d know…

  Even this damned forest won’t keep you safe anymore. 

  The Alacryan army is coming for you. 

   

  Chapter 214: Welcoming Gift

  ARTHUR LEYWIN

  “We need to go warn the others!” Tess stressed, mana enveloping her body as she prepared to jump off the cliff.

  I grabbed her wrist. “I’ll warn everyone. You need to go get your teammates. You have a mission.”

  “That beast horde is more than a day early, Art! The people here aren’t prepared for this. I should stay and—”

  “That’s what I’m here for, Tess,” I cut in firmly. “You have your orders from your commanding captain. I won’t go as far as to order you to leave, but if things are looking bad here, I suspect the troops requesting for backup in Elenoir might be having it worse.”

  There was a tense moment of silence. Tess’ brows furrowed and her jaws tightened in frustration, but she finally relented. “Fine. I’ll gather my team and report to Captain Jesmiya before leaving.”

  “Good. Even if you are at an advantage in the forest, be careful,” I replied with a gentle smile.

  “That’s what I wanted to say, dummy,” she said before grabbing me by the scruff of my mantle and pulling me into a kiss.

  As she let go and walked toward the edge of the cliff, I found myself subconsciously touching my own lips in a daze.

  Tess smiled at me, her flushed cheeks betraying her bold move. Tugging on the chain of her leaf charm, she locked gazes with me. “Remember the promise.”

  I smiled back, all too aware of how hot my face had become.  

  “I promise,” I replied, holding up my half of the charm dangling around my neck.

  And like that, Tess jumped off the cliff, sailing down like an emerald comet.  I watched her go while convincing myself that what I said to her was for the best. I didn’t want her to stay here. Even if she was one of the few mages in this continent that wouldn’t slow me down, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to go all out without worrying about her.

  At least in the Elshire Forest, she’d only have to be careful of stragglers lost in an environment that she could freely navigate through.

  “It’s for the best, Arthur,” I mumbled to myself. After a moment, I reached out to Sylvie and informed her of the situation before leaping off the cliff.

  ***

  Despite the bombshell that was thrown, the people of the Wall handled the news rather well. That didn’t mean they didn’t panic, but with the tight leadership and the fact that most of the people present were either trained soldiers or veteran adventurers, they were quick to adapt.

  Trodius was especially quick to think on his feet. Quickly gathering the mercenary adventurers, he assigned them to help out at different parts of the walls that needed fortification.

  Workers continued their efforts inside the underground routes leading out from the Wall with the help of some of the soldiers. Jesmiya immediately sent out orders for each of the units making up her Trailblazer Division to be dispatched into appropriate positions in preparation for the horde.

  The Bulwark Division, composed of a bit less than two thousand soldiers, had complete confidence and trust in their captain. Perhaps it was because we were on the defense and had the massive wall to protect us, but even knowing that they were vastly outnumbered, they were ready to march outside the Wall without hesitation.  

  In the span of an hour, archers and conjurers were positioned on every floor of the Wall behind arrowslits. Melee troops—both warriors and augmenters alike—were being filed into formation just behind the entrance leading out into the Beast Glades, prepared to advance into battle against the approaching beast horde.

  As for myself, I waited inside the meeting tent with Sylvie. Trodius was buried behind several stacks of paper on his desk, leaving me with a blissful few moments of peace as I checked the contents of my dimension ring. The only useful thing I had in it was Dawn’s Ballad, cracked and broken but still better than any other weapons I’d used.

  I took it out, inspecting the cracks and splinters scattered across the translucent teal blade.

  I really wish this damn weapon inside my hand would manifest already, I cursed in my head.

  ‘Now would be as good a time as any,’ Sylvie agreed.

  “General. Please, reconsider. Allow us to accompany you,” Gavik’s deep voice resounded.

  I looked at the burly adventurer and the curly-haired mage beside him. “As I said before, your job will be to support the troops here.”

  Callum spoke up, frustration evident in his voice. “Commander Virion had personally picked the two of us to assist you in battle. If something were to happen after sending you by yourself—”

  “I’m not looking down on you two, but the chances of something happening to me and Sylvie only increases if you two come with us,” I stated, not taking my eyes off Dawn’s Ballad.

  “Please excuse the intrusion. Father, I brought the weapons you asked for,” a clear voice rang.

  I looked up to see a tall woman with bright red eyes and dark skin that seemed even darker with the splotches of soot. In her toned arms were two swords, one longer than the other.

  “Ah! Come in, Senyir.” Trodius waved the woman over, a rare smile on his face. “Arthur, this is Senyir Flamesworth. My daughter and the master blacksmith of the Wall.”

  Tess had referred to a little girl’s master as Senyir back when we were touring the Wall together. Tess even seemed to have a good relationship with her, but even so…  

  The very mention of the word ‘daughter’ coming from Trodius’ lips annoyed me. Memories of Jasmine as she told me her life story resurfaced, leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

  Still, I kept my personal feelings of the senior captain down and introduced myself to the woman.

  “Arthur Leywin. Pleasure to meet you,” I said, sheathing Dawn’s Ballad.

  “Senyir here is one of the finest blacksmiths in Sapin, on par with even the master smiths of Darv due of her excellent control and implementation of fire magic during the forging process,” Trodius boasted.

  ‘Your anger
is leaking onto me,’ Sylvie conveyed gently.

  I can’t help it.

  “I heard from Tessia that you prefer thinner blades,” Senyir said as she handed me the longer of the two swords. “I’m sure it’s nowhere near the same level compared to your weapon but my father informed me that you’ll be in battle for an extended period of time. Having multiple backup weapons won’t do you any harm.”

  “Thank you,” I replied, drawing the sword from its unadorned steel scabbard. With a sharp ring, a pale gold blade about the width of three fingers came into view. After testing its balance with a few swings, I began channeling mana into the blade.

  The thin sword hummed as fire, wind, water, and earth all began to swirl around the blade in harmony. I continued injecting mana into the sword until I could see the blade beginning to deteriorate.

  “Not bad. I think it’ll suffice,” I mustered, expunging the magic surrounding the new sword and putting it back into its sheath.

  Senyir couldn’t hide the disappointment in her face as she accepted my words with a bow. “I’m honored.”

  Putting the longer sword into my ring and fastening the shorter one onto my hip alongside Dawn’s Ballad, I turned to Trodius. “Have the ground troops ready to advance as soon as I leave.”

  “I’m aware of the plan, General. Don’t worry about us and come back in one piece,” Trodius replied. “We’ll be waiting for the signal.”

  Without another word, I walked past Senyir Flamesworth and stepped out of the tent, only to be met with a thunderous cheer. Around us were soldiers, merchants and adventurers alike clapping and roaring my name.

  “Your presence is what is holding this Wall together, General,” Trodius said as he stepped just behind me.

  It was overwhelming, to say the least. But rather than feeling joy or pride at being the center of attention, I was overcome with horror because within the crowd, I spotted my father.

  He wasn’t supposed to be here. If they were down here, that meant the rest of the Twin Horns were somewhere around here as well.

  No. They were supposed to be in Blackbend City, away from this battle.

  Sylvie squeezed my hand. ‘Arthur. Everyone is watching.’

  I didn’t care. I wanted to run to my father right now and tell him to leave—leave with Mother and the Twin Horns who were surely here.  

  But I couldn’t. One look from my father stopped me in my tracks.

  The man who had raised me alongside Alice stood amongst the unit of soldiers that would be fighting outside the protection of the Wall.

  He had such a determined expression that, even as a general, I couldn’t dare stop him. I feared that if I stopped him and everyone here, they would never forgive me.

  It’s okay, Arthur. If everything goes to plan, most of these soldiers will make it out alive and your dad is one of the stronger ones out of them, I said, hoping to calm myself down.

  Swallowing the angst and the dread building up inside me, I saluted the crowd, locking gazes with my father.

  He saluted back and, despite the fight that we had not long ago, he smiled at me.

  I exchanged glances with Sylvie, and with a nod, she shifted into her draconic form. This spurred on another wave of cheers as I got on.

  My hands were trembling as I finally felt the gravity of the situation. I had brought my sister here. My parents were here as well as the Twin Horns. They, as well as the lives of everyone here cheering, depended on me.

  ‘You’re not alone, Arthur,’ Sylvie said as she spread her obsidian wings. ‘Nothing has changed from when you made the decision to bring Ellie along.’

  She was right. Despite the beast horde arriving a day earlier, the preparations had been made on-time. Both my mom and sister had the Phoenix Wyrm pendants to keep them safe and I had even given Ellie a transmission scroll to reach out to me. But even then, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

  Was it because of the promise I had made with Tess? The pendant hanging around my neck seemed to weigh down on me, but it wasn’t just that. The timing of everything happening seemed… off.

  Focus, Arthur. You’re going into battle.

  Gripping the spikes on Sylvie’s neck, I muttered, “Let’s go.”

  My bond reeled her head back and let out a deafening roar, shaking the entire ground. Some of the merchants stumbled and fell to the ground but it only rose the morale as the crowd responded back with a cheer of their own.

  We ascended with a single beat from Sylvie’s broad wings, clearing the height of the wall in just a few seconds. I had a view of both the approaching beast horde as well as the people below us that we were responsible to protect.

  ‘Are you ready?’ Sylvie asked, her excitement flooding into me.

  Not as ready as you are, I sent back with a chuckle.

  Sylvie’s laughter rang in my head before the world around us turned into a blur. With her seal released, every inch of her body was brimming with power. Each stroke of her wings made gales behind us until we were soon approaching the army of beasts.

  With mana enhanced vision, I could make out the Alacryan mages scattered within the beast horde, riding the larger beasts.

  “How about we send them a little welcoming gift?” I suggested.

  ‘My thoughts exactly,’ she responded, arching her wings to hover. Space began to distort as mana gathered into Sylvie’s open maw.

  A golden white sphere formed and grew larger with every passing breath until it was even larger than me.  

  The sphere erupted into a beam of pure mana. There was no sound to be heard from the attack, only pure destruction as the blow marked the start of the battle.

   

  Chapter 215: Two Versus An Army

  I watched as the hole that had been formed from Sylvie’s attack slowly disappeared—covered by the sea of mana beasts steadily marching toward the Wall.  

  Despite the devastation the blast had caused, any signs of the damage had soon become swept away.

  Sylvie released another blast of mana, but this time several shields compounded upon one another, taking the brunt of the attack before shattering layer by layer.

  Looks like we won’t be able to comfortably just rain spells down on them, I mused.

  ‘We would run out of mana long before even making a dent anyway,’ Sylvie responded.

  ‘After you,’ she transmitted, giving me a toothy grin.

  Try to keep up, I sent back.

  Falling head-first from several thousand feet in the air into an army of magical beasts should’ve normally caused some sort of fear or anxiety, but that wasn’t the case. My heart beat against my ribcage not out of fear, but excitement.

  As if feeding off my emotions, mana flooded out into my body as I continued my plunge. Wind gathered around me, swirling and condensing as I collided into the center of the beast horde.

  The layers of wind surrounding me burst into an explosion of gales, shredding and pushing away the hundreds of beasts caught in the blast.

  I stood up in the center of the crater I had created as thousands of monstrous eyes glared down at me from above.

  There was a breath of silence as I waited with Dawn’s Ballad in my hand. Mana surged around me, itching to let loose.

  That’s when the first battle cry was unleashed. It came from a bipedal canine that appeared at least three times my height with claws and fangs that glowed menacingly.

  It let loose a howl that spurred the others surrounding me, as if waking them up from their stupor. The zombie-like mana beasts that seemed almost drugged all spurred to life in a concert of cries, roars, and jarring screeches.

  But piercing through the cries of the corrupted mana beasts was the thunderous roar of my bond as she landed. She immediately ripped out the bipedal canine’s throat with her fangs and slammed four other mana beasts with a swipe of her tail.

  ‘Try to keep up,’ Sylvie mocked as she continued tearing her way through the ocean of beasts.

  With a chort
le, I leaped out of the crater and on top of a reptilian mana beast with three tails. Before the beast could even make a sound, its head was already cleanly separated from its body and I was onto the next beast.

  Disoriented and furious at our arrival, the mana beasts clumped together as they all tried to get their claws, talons, or paws on me. I constantly used wind magic to create space for me to swing my sword.

  For some time, I limited my mana, using my battle prowess accumulated through my two lifetimes and Dawn’s Ballad to cut down the enemies that never ended. Killing one beast meant that two or three replaced it, but we had prepared for this. After all, this wasn’t a battle I was supposed to win; this was a battle of attrition.

  In the chaos of battle where dozens of razor-sharp fangs and talons swiped at you from all directions, there was no time to communicate with each other. Sylvie and I relied on reading each other’s mental state in case one of us needed help.

  Time crawled—or was it that time was flying by? It was impossible to tell as the debris from the battle had long since covered the sky. Swallowing my impatience, I limited mana usage to body strengthening and weapon augmentation as Dawn’s Ballad drew crescents of teal in debris-filled land.

  A pack of wolves, each the size of Boo, carefully circled around me. Other mana beasts cleared the way, obviously fearful of the creatures clad in lightning.

  These ones seem to have some brains, I thought. It was obvious by their murky black pelts that the wolves had been corrupted, but unlike the other beasts that had marched mindlessly toward the Wall, these ones remained alert and kept their formation.

  The one leading the pack—a larger wolf with a spikier mane and horn—let out a bark and instantly, the twelve others pounced at me with crackling thunder glowing their surroundings.

  Rather than waste energy dodging and killing them one by one, I cast twelve spikes of earth from the ground with the stomp of my feet. The thunder wolves were skewered mid-leap, giving me the leisure to go after the leader that had managed to dodge my spell.

  Baring its teeth as tendrils of electricity gathered around him, the leader attacked. I dodged its mid-air slash, but the lightning surrounding its claws struck me in the shoulder.