A deep hum resonated. In front of Raul’s group, three magic circles flickered. Although they were not yet activated, the magic circles were so powerful and complex that mana was flowing out of them.
“What should we do?”
“I don’t know. It’s a dilemma.”
The reason why Rabel and Raul were pondering over the magic circles. It was because these magic circles were transmission circles created by imperial mages.
“The destination is definitely near the ‘barrier’. We’ve been receiving signals continuously since a while ago, what should we do?”
Regan, the mage of the hero party, asked very politely. He had been showing a rather stiff attitude, but the moment Rabel appeared, he turned so submissive that he seemed like a completely different person.
‘Well, to a 5th-circle mage, an 8th-circle mage is like a god.’
As Raul transcended his previous level, there were changes in his skill compendium. While his rank itself didn’t rise, the amount and power of his mana increased.
Thanks to that, Rabel could now cast up to 8th-circle magic. She was not far from regaining her original level.
“Have you heard anything about the situation near the barrier?”
Raul asked, but Saintess Kiera shook her head.
“No, there was no special news until we left the forward base.”
It turned out that the saintess’s party had left the forward base Gamma a week earlier than Raul’s group.
‘We thought we were hurrying too…’
Surprisingly, the saintess’s party had reportedly teleported straight from the problematic Dennis Viscounty’s domain to near the forward base Gamma.
It was said that due to various coordinate disruption magic and mana distortions, direct teleportation to Copse Road was nearly impossible…
‘Well, they are the hero party for a reason. Regan is no ordinary mage either.’
In any case, it seemed difficult to obtain information useful to them.
“What are you fretting over? It looks obviously troublesome, why don’t you just erase it?”
Jake said in frustration, but Raul shook his head.
“Erasing the magic circle is easy, but something about it bothers me.”
‘If we handle it well, something might unfold…’
Despite completing the resealing, Raul had not yet left the sealed area. He had achieved the primary goal of rescuing his brother, but various situations still troubled him.
The excuse was Josh, who went to bring reinforcements. They decided to wait for him because there was a risk of missing paths and getting separated.
In the meantime, they also needed to treat the injured and recover their strength.
Clang! Clash!
In the open space next to the camp they had set up, sparring was in full swing. His brother Lawrence and Kane were exchanging blows with their respective weapons.
Lawrence, his second brother, was wielding two greatswords with his four arms, pressing Kane hard. Surprisingly, the third and fourth swords were imbued with aura.
“Haah!”
In response, Kane’s hunting knife, although faintly, was also emitting a green aura.
‘This is something…’
Raul felt content just watching. Lawrence, Kane, and Jake had all barely stepped into the realm of masters.
Their actual level was top-tier expert, but they had become capable of wielding real aura.
“Through special experiences, they have engraved the usage of aura into their bodies. Soon, as they naturally comprehend its essence, they will completely ascend to that level.”
Such was the analysis of their mentor, Caldenas.
‘Could Jake become a master before Sir Philip?’
Though it would be an amusing situation, considering the discipline of the knight order, it could be a problem. In any case, it was a happy dilemma for Raul.
If those at the top level all step into the master’s realm…
‘Father, second brother, myself, sir Philip, Jake, Kane, and Pierce. Ah, and my eldest brother isn’t far off either…’
That alone made eight people. An enormous force for a single family. Though it was still far from enough on a continental scale, within the Ruben Kingdom, no one would be able to disregard them.
If that happened, they could seriously influence the progression of the scenario.
‘First, I need to resolve the current issue.’
Raul gazed sharply at the three magic circles that had been flickering with a dark light for over half a day. Just then, he heard a voice in his head.
“Master! Master, are you safe?”
Josh had stepped into the restricted zone with reinforcements.
***
“Hey you, it’s all over now!”
“Ouch, ow! I did my best to hurry!”
Jake said playfully, putting Josh in a headlock.
Even without Josh’s words, everyone knew how much he had hurried. The distance involved in returning through the restricted zone, passing through the dungeon, and coming back to the camp where the knights were waiting was no joke.
Raul had expected it to take at least another day or two. However, Josh had only brought back the twenty First Order knights who had accompanied him initially.
“Is that all the reinforcements? Didn’t you take Commander Julius’s signal device just in case?”
Raul asked with a puzzled expression, and Josh answered with a stern face.
“Master, we have a serious problem! We might not have the luxury of discussing this now!”
“What do you mean?”
“The Empire! The imperial army has shown up in front of forward base Gamma!”
“What…!”
Everyone in the command tent turned pale. It had been decades since the great war had ended. Although the imperial army had crossed Copse Road a few times, they had rarely shown up since the construction of the barrier.
“Explain in detail! How many imperial soldiers are there? What about the base? The barrier?”
“Though I only heard it secondhand, the imperial army numbers at least thirty thousand! The commander urgently sent messengers to gather all forces from nearby camps and dungeons to the base. Since we weren’t assigned to the barrier, we could move independently, but given the situation, I couldn’t bring other reinforcements.”
“Thirty thousand or more…!”
Lawrence and the special exploration team members’ faces darkened. Such a large imperial movement had not occurred since the barrier was constructed.
“Are they planning a full-scale war…?”
It had been over thirty years since wars between nations had disappeared from the Connect Continent. The weight of the word “war” made everyone’s hearts heavy.
“Calm down, everyone. There’s no way the imperial army would attack head-on as long as the barrier is intact. Josh, did you hear anything about the barrier?”
“There was no particular news when I left the camp. However, there were rumors that if the imperial army’s offensive intensifies, they might abandon the forward base and retreat beyond the barrier.”
“Abandon the forward base?”
Though called forward bases, they were essentially large castles.
Considerable effort had been made to secure them amidst constant onslaughts from monsters and the undead. Abandoning them seemed unthinkable.
“The rumors are probably true.”
Lawrence said in a hardened voice.
“It wasn’t just the imperial army. If the number of monsters becomes unmanageable, there was a pre-existing plan to abandon the forward base.”
It seemed a plan had been prepared to withdraw temporarily to the barrier if the special exploration team couldn’t find and block the passage connected to the restricted zone.
“Wait a minute! Are you saying our escape route might be blocked right now?”
Shimar, the guide of the hero party, asked with a panicked expression.
“I can’t guarantee it. Even if our forces are resisting at the forward base, the monster situation is likely dire. The troops guarding the elements probably all withdrew to the forward base.”
There was also a risk that the imperial army had taken the route leading to the forward base. Currently, this camp had about a hundred people.
Raul and about twenty First Order knights. Lawrence and about sixty special exploration team members. The hero party and their accompanying players, about twenty in number.
‘A forcible breakthrough would be impossible.’
Raul shook his head. Even though he had reached the master level and had three near-master level knights, breaking through the imperial army was unthinkable. An army of thirty thousand likely included ‘them’.
The Imperial Knights. The pinnacle of the empire’s numerous knights, and the emperor’s true sword. Those engraved with the emperor’s personal seal were real monsters that even ordinary masters couldn’t handle.
In his previous life, he had encountered them a few times but only managed to flee shamefully using allied NPC masters as shields.
‘Now, maybe…!’
He wondered if he might be able to face them now, but he wasn’t alone.
Furthermore, the Imperial Knights were always accompanied by several superhumans (masters or mages above 7th-circle).
Even the lowest level of superhumans was still a significant threat.
‘If so….’
Raul’s mind started to work furiously.
***
Boom!
Clashing sound erupted!
Sparks flew in all directions, and the clashing sounds of spears and swords echoed incessantly.
“Hold your ground until the end! This place must never be breached!”
Vice Commander Hansley kept shouting with a hoarse voice.
Fortunately, the soldiers’ morale was high, and so far, there had been no fatal breaches in the defense line, but the situation was far from easy.
‘How could this happen…!’
The battle was raging here. Here, directly behind the barrier, was the fortress facing the city of Porta. Porta, the city that served as the supply depot for the barrier and its point of interface with the outside world.
The gigantic city of Porta was now engulfed in flames. Inside the city, intermittent battles were still ongoing, and on the large avenue….
“Vice Commander! Over a thousand additional monsters have been observed in the southern direction of the avenue. There doesn’t seem to be any significant changes in the main camp of the imperial army stationed at Porta’s entrance!”
“Redeploy a thousand archers stationed on the front of the barrier towards the city. And inform the commanders again: Hold your positions and do not enter the city under any circumstances!”
“Yes, sir!”
Veins bulged on Hansley’s hand as he gripped his sword tightly.
‘Damn it. I can’t do anything but watch.’
Families and acquaintances of the barrier soldiers were staying in Porta. It was naturally right to go and rescue them, but they couldn’t do that.
‘Damn those imperial bastards! What the hell did they do?’
In the plaza right in front of Porta’s main gate, where the imperial army’s main camp was positioned, there were as many as five ominous ‘Gates of Darkness’ open in the air.
And, floating in front of them, a ‘building’.
A structure resembling a small temple, exuding an overwhelming concentration of demonic energy that almost suffocated. Hansley could guess what it was without seeing it directly.
It had to be a high-ranking demon. And accompanying that one were four others with similarly menacing auras. A total of five demons were inside that floating temple.
The problem was that a massive presence could also be felt in the main camp of the imperial army. Though it didn’t reach the level of a demon, it was clearly a master-level superhuman.
Even though Hansley was a mid-tier master, it was impossible to handle all of them alone.
‘Fortunately, the barrier’s wards and defensive magic circles are still functioning properly….’
But, it was hard to determine how long they could hold out if the demons and the imperial superhumans attacked.
One thing was certain: no matter how strong, the barriers and defense arrays couldn’t protect them forever.
‘We need Commander Julius and Lord Tabion to join us to stand a chance.’
However, that was unlikely to happen anytime soon. Just before the barrier faced this sudden attack, a report had come in that the imperial army had appeared in front of Forward Base Gamma.
‘If the barrier falls, it’s the end!’
It wasn’t just them at risk; the entire continent would be thrown into turmoil.
The alliance between the Empire and the demons. One had to worry whether the kingdoms, accustomed to peace, could respond adequately.
At the very least, just before Porta was overrun and communications were cut off, they had sent an emergency alert via the hotline to each kingdom.
If proper measures were taken, reinforcements would arrive within a week at the latest.
‘I’ll do whatever it takes to defend this barrier until then!’
Hansley leaped towards the black horde of monsters flooding in, fiercely swinging his blue aura blade.
(To be continued…)