“Whew, whew.”
Lawrence planted one of his greatswords into the ground for balance, panting heavily.
‘Damn it….’
Behind him, a dozen of his comrades from the Special Exploration Team stood their ground, still gripping their swords to the end.
Beyond his comrades, at the innermost part, were heaps of injured colleagues and the corpses of dozens who had already lost their lives. Floating in the air among them was a crimson jewel, as big as a human torso, emitting a sinister light.
Lawrence bit his lip as he gazed at the sinister crimson jewel.
‘That was the beginning of everything.’
A few weeks ago.
Lawrence and about twenty members of the Special Exploration Team had finally discovered a secret passage connected to the Forbidden Zone.
According to the plan, they were to set up camp and wait for the follow-up team, but things took a turn for the worse.
Unfortunately, just as they made the discovery, monsters poured out of the passage, and in the midst of fighting them off, they got sucked into the Forbidden Zone by a strange light.
‘If only we had withdrawn back then…’
But Lawrence shook his head. Even if the team’s situation might have improved, the entire continent would have faced a great crisis. When the Exploration Team came to their senses after being sucked into the Forbidden Zone, they saw a temple in the distance between two cliffs.
“What is that?”
Then, right next to them, people appeared in a flash of light in an open area.
“Isn’t that the leader of the 2nd Exploration Team?”
“Huh, how did the leader of the 1st Team get here?”
Within mere minutes of that encounter, all 100 members of the five Special Exploration Teams had gathered in one place. Everyone was confused by this unexpected encounter, and the team leaders had no choice.
‘Is it impossible to return immediately?’
The passage magic circle that seemed to have expelled them had already vanished. In any case, if they wanted to return, they had to find the path again.
But fate didn’t even allow that.
“Look! There’s a strange light over there!”
A ominous crimson light shot up toward the sky from the temple, sending a chilling aura over everyone. In the end, they moved toward the temple.
All five team leaders were knights of the highest level, Expert-Class or higher, and all team members were elite, at least of Expert level, so they believed they could handle any situation.
And what they saw when they got there was:
Whooom!
Thud, boom!
A giant Naga warrior, over 5 meters tall, was slicing through enemies with aura blades emanating from four weapons.
“Shah. I will. Not forgive you!”
Around the Naga warrior, the ground was already littered with the torn bodies of cavalry and Imperial knights, yet still, over a thousand Imperial soldiers were encircling him.
Moreover, demonic creatures that sprang from two active Dark Gates were charging at him, their numbers never dwindling no matter how many he cut down.
“Ha, what a noisy monster about to die.”
“When you die, your body will be part of my collection. Be grateful for serving His Majesty.”
And there were a knight and a mage trash-talking from a distance.
“Ha ha ha, the quality of the guardians has really fallen. With this level, we alone are enough.”
“If we offer his head, the Count will be pleased.”
From the Dark Gates, two horned demonic beings walked out, flashing sinister smiles.
“Wh-what should we do?”
The trembling voice of the leader of the 2nd team asked Lawrence as they stood watching the unexpected scene, and Lawrence fell into deep thought.
Even at a glance, it was clear that the Imperial forces had used some trick to open the gates, and the Naga warrior was trying to stop them.
‘But would it make a difference if we joined the fight now….’
The thought of whether they could actually help was doubtful. Among the combatants in the field, at least two hundred Imperial knights looked to be of Expert level or higher.
Moreover, all the demonic creatures that came out of the Dark Gates were using mana. And the horned demonic beings that emerged from the gate exuded an aura that suggested they were at least at ‘Master’ level.
The biggest problem was whether the Naga warrior would recognize them as allies.
‘If we step in now, we’ll only meet a pointless death.’
Lawrence’s mind was telling him to stay cautious, but his hands itched. The battlefield before him, filled with powerful enemies, stirred his instincts, making him crave the fight. However, as the leader of the Exploration Team, he had to suppress his primal urges.
“It would be best to keep watching for now. But be ready to jump in at any moment.”
“Understood, team Leader.”
The team members had all volunteered for the Special Exploration Team’s mission. Perhaps that’s why no one mentioned retreat.
Time passed slowly, and the battle at the temple began to tip in favor of one side.
“Damn it. Is this what it means to be a guardian?”
A demon with a thumb-sized horn on the left side of his head muttered while oozing black blood, and then his body split in half and turned into black smoke that was sucked back into the gate.
Another demon was decapitated and vanished without saying a word.
The corpses of dark knights, demonic creatures, and undead, who didn’t retreat even amid a Master-level clash, literally covered the temple floor.
Yet, despite the overwhelming number of enemies, the relentless assault continued.
“Heh heh, cough. How about giving up your stubbornness and retreating?”
The black-armored Imperial Knight, Master Ezekiel, laughed, spitting blood. Though wounded, his sword still blazed fiercely with a dark red aura blade.
In contrast, the Naga warrior, the guardian Nemadotoji, had lost three of his four arms, and his body, flickering as if it might disappear at any moment, was a blurry shadow of its former self.
“Shut. Up. And come. At me. Shah!”
Behind his fading figure, the crimson jewel glowed poignantly, sending energy to the guardian.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
From a distance, the 7th Circle necromancer of the Empire, McClanahan, watched the bloody battle with hands behind his back, clapping in admiration.
“Even after breaking three sealing stones, to have such power! Truly, you’re more than qualified to serve His Majesty. Isn’t losing three arms enough? You should consider the trouble I’ll go through to reattach them.”
Boom!
An explosion erupted at the feet of the guardian as a corpse tore apart, bones shooting up to pierce his body.
“Shah! Futile. You. Wretched. Humans.”
Nemadotoji, as if expecting it, released an aura that deflected the explosion and spears, stepping back slightly.
Even though wounded, he, who was once called an absolute being, couldn’t fall to these hyena-like humans.
However, reality is merciless.
Tricked by the cunning humans into leaving his post, three of his sealing stones were destroyed. The power of the remaining sealing stone was barely sufficient to maintain his form.
All the energy he had saved was exhausted in the previous battle, leaving him unsure of how much longer he could last.
Desperately, he had sent a signal to his descendants for help, but it seemed they wouldn’t arrive in time.
‘Is this also fate…?’
With a bitter expression, the guardian Nemadotoji turned his head toward somewhere.
***
When their eyes met, something communicated directly into Lawrence’s mind. He bit his lip, gave a decisive nod, and shouted.
“Charge! Break through the enemy lines and protect the sealing stone!”
“Follow the leader!”
“Whoooaaa!”
With Lawrence swinging his greatsword at the forefront, the 100 members of the Special Exploration Team charged into the battlefield.
Coincidentally, there were no threatening enemies between them and the location of the final sealing stone. The Empire’s Master and the necromancer, who sensed something was amiss, were held back by the guardian Nemadotoji.
Clang! Swish.
The mana blades of the Special Exploration Team slashed through dark knights and demonic creatures, clearing a path, and finally, they reached the small area influenced by the power of the sealing stone.
“Hmph. Do they think the addition of a few rats will change anything?”
“If they had stayed hidden quietly, they might have breathed a little longer. Foolish experiments, tsk tsk.”
The two elite figures from the Empire seemed neither surprised nor concerned about the arrival of the exploration team. After all, even 100 Expert-level knights couldn’t shift the tide of this battlefield.
At that moment, the guardian Nemadotoji, with a peculiar expression, shouted.
“Shah. Foolish. Invaders. You will. Pay the. Price for. Your sins. Shah!”
Suddenly, his body turned into crimson flames, emitting immense heat. Then, his flaming body was absorbed into the final crimson sealing stone.
“Heh, did he self-destruct? That’s no fun.”
Master Ezekiel stuck out his tongue playfully, while McClanahan frowned.
“Do you think shedding your body can escape my grasp? I will squeeze your soul and make you an eternal servant of His Majesty.”
But their assumptions were utterly wrong.
Guuwoong, Flash!
The crimson sealing stone flashed and emitted a strong beam of light, which flowed straight into Lawrence’s body.
Not only that, thin threads of mana extended and pierced the bodies of the other exploration team members, forming a new barrier with a radius of about 30 meters.
“What! What are you doing…!”
Master Ezekiel hurriedly drew his aura blade and rushed toward the sealing stone, but—
Clang!
“Grr! Who are you?”
He was swiftly pushed back as soon as he stepped into the barrier, shouting furiously.
“Me? My name is Lawrence de Ashton. I am the new guardian, inheriting the will of Nemadotoji!”
Shaaing!
Two more arms sprouted from his shoulders, blazing with brilliant orange aura blades.
Other exploration team members, empowered by the sealing stone, also erupted with strength, surpassing their previous limits and forming ranks behind Lawrence.
“Come at us, you filthy dogs of the Empire!”
It was the beginning of the second battle and a long fight ahead.
***
Fifteen days had passed since the battle began. Despite their initial strong start, the tide had shifted back in favor of the Empire.
The power Lawrence had gained as a new guardian was enough to defend the sealing stone, but insufficient to defeat the enemy. This was because his ability to manifest the aura blade was limited to the ‘inside the barrier’.
Had he more time, Lawrence could have understood and utilized Nemadotoji’s inherited power. But there was no such luxury now, and manifesting his aura with the support of the sealing stone was the best he could do.
The same went for the other team members. The amplification of their power was effective only within the 30-meter radius barrier.
As a result, they had no choice but to hold their ground inside the barrier, and the relentless battle left them exhausted.
Though reinforcements from the Naga clan had arrived to ease their burden, more than half of them were already incapacitated.
And now. Even as Lawrence inherited the guardian’s power, he was not invincible. Having barely slept or drunk a sip of water for nearly two weeks, he had reached his limit.
The Empire’s two elites ensured that Lawrence could not rest, tormenting him continuously despite the odds. In contrast, Master Ezekiel had even healed his internal injuries, and McClanahan was endlessly raising undead using the abundant corpses.
“Yaaaaawn. You’re still fighting? You should lie down and rest when tired, or have a meal when hungry. Oh, I forgot, you’re not exactly human anymore, so I guess it’s okay.”
Master Ezekiel taunted lazily as he stretched after a sound sleep in the tent.
“If you’re awake, let’s wrap this up. We’ve wasted enough time. Making the main force’s mage knights wait is not a good move.”
“I know, but it’s not our fault those things emerged. Let’s keep it simple.”
“They’re exhausted now, so it won’t be hard. I’ll prepare the gate transfer.”
“Fine, you strict bastard.”
Ezekiel swaggered toward the barrier, grinning widely.
“Just try to hold this!”
As his longsword cut through the air, dozens of large circular mana blades flew towards the barrier like boomerangs.
“Ugh.”
Lawrence hurriedly raised his greatsword to deflect them. The mana blades aimed straight for his team members and the sealing stone.
His comrades, busy fending off demonic creatures and undead, couldn’t properly block Ezekiel’s attack. Ezekiel, launching mana blades just outside the barrier, suddenly saw an opening.
‘An opening!’
A dark red aura blade shot towards Lawrence’s chest like a flash of lightning. Lawrence quickly tried to block it with his fourth arm, but he was already half a step too late.
‘It’s over!’
Ezekiel’s lips curled into a wide smile.
Clang! Bang.
“What now?”
His thought of an end was premature. Ezekiel was suddenly knocked back outside the barrier by something intervening. There was no time for complaints.
Clang! Clangclash!
Ezekiel hurriedly raised his longsword to deflect the barrage of weapons.
‘What the hell is this!’
Angered, Ezekiel saw that the weapons were imbued with golden mana and a subtle divine power, relentlessly aiming for him.
“You damn fool. Do you take me lightly!”
Boom!
With an explosive sound like a bomb, the dozens of weapons flying at him broke and scattered. His face was now covered in red tattoos.
(To be continued…)