After the trio made their escape, Elion and the others didn’t waste any ti, apart from taking a few minutes to express their awe at Elion’s power.
Afterwards, they pushed forward and began cleaning up the battlefield, capitalising on the montum from the earlier clash.
With the demon heroes gone, the remaining forces quickly lost their edge, and under the combined pressure of Elion and the coalition mages, the demons were forced into yet another retreat on the eastern front.
Though there were plenty who were too stupid to heed the call for a retreat, it seed there were even more smart demons who realised that they were quickly getting mowed down.
The battlefield slowly cleared after that, allowing the coalition forces a mont of respite, which they used to shower praises on their heroes and to sing songs of victory that would no doubt be written into bards.
Elion’s na had spread to all the other camps a month ago, but after he had vanished, those who hadn’t witnessed the scene had co to the conclusion that it was a made-up story.
However, after this battle, the news of a fourth hero amongst their ranks began to spread far and wide, more so since Elion had done most of the work.
Elion had assud that Zenovia and the others would head back to camp to rest after such an intense fight... but they didn’t.
Instead, they pulled out high-grade healing potions and mana potions, replenishing themselves almost instantly. Within minutes, they looked as if they had barely fought at all.
It was clear that the coalition wasn’t holding back when it ca to supporting their ’summoned heroes’.
Maya had even been given a new legendary-grade staff that significantly amplified her magic, while Aeron wielded a legendary-grade sword of his own.
Elion had asked why they hadn’t used the potions during the fight, and it turned out that they had been waiting for the perfect mont, no doubt until things beca so grave that they would be forced to use them.
Though they had been handed quite a decent stock of resources, they were still finite and also definitely ridiculously expensive. Even Yakuza had not been treated this well with resources despite being a captain.
’They’re quite generous with their resources...’ Elion had thought.
Once things were stabilised, the five of them, Yakuza included, mounted up and took to the skies once again, this ti heading toward the western front.
It was a considerable distance away, aning it would take a few hours to reach, so they left the aftermath and cleanup to Yakuza’s subordinates.
Along the way, Elion received a notification from the trial’s mysterious voice. It told him that an objective had been completed...Defeating the demon heroes in battle.
At the sa ti, the progress gauge for the main objective appeared before him:
[Main objective: Help the coalition army fend off the demon lord’s army – 60% Complete]
It seed like the system had been updating his progress even while he had been unconscious.
After confirming with the others, he was relieved to find that their objectives were aligned. He didn’t really need to be present to pass the trial, it seed.
So long as his allies finished the mission for him, he would pass, but no doubt he would be judged properly once the trial ended.
He wouldn’t be surprised if Uta and those other two got an even better overall result than him, even though they ended up failing their objective.
That would have been the case if he had stayed cooped up by the ti the trial ended. However, that was no longer the case.
More importantly...
He was happy to see that they really hadn’t been asked to directly defeat the Demon King after all, just as he had hoped.
As far as Elion knew, that figure was a legendary existence who was supposed to be at the saint mage level at the peak of his strength.
And against sothing like that, they wouldn’t stand a chance. In fact, they would be crushed like bugs.
Yakuza slowed his wyvern’s speed and guided it alongside Elion’s bird, gliding steadily beside him. It seed he wanted to speak before they reached the western front.
He wasn’t acting like his usual Elion fanboy self, so Elion figured this was sothing serious.
"I have so news," Yakuza said simply.
He nodded ahead toward the other three flying in front of them.
"The other heroes have already t the court of nobles, as well as the king of the human kingdom. Of course, we had already notified the capital of your presence... and your sudden disappearance," he added. "But we were told to bring you in for your knighthood as soon as you return."
Elion raised a brow.
"Yes," Yakuza continued, "the others have already been knighted. It’s customary for those who contribute greatly during tis of war... and you’ve already done more than enough for our cause to warrant that."
Elion didn’t respond imdiately. He hadn’t expected sothing like this at all.
But it would be strange for him to refuse if the others had already accepted. He didn’t need to think too deeply to co to a decision.
He didn’t really have a good experience with nobles, so he wasn’t expecting too much from people in their station, but he had to admit, he was kind of looking forward to eventually eting the king.
If his mory served him right, then the father of the current King Alexander Starhaven should have been the ruler at this ti.
’His na was lroy Starhaven if I’m not mistaken.’
He was widely known as the hero king who worked alongside the likes of Xavier Dawncrest(William’s Grandfather), whom the Xavier Elion knew was nad after, Noctis Chronos, Celeste’s grandfather, and Fenrir, the legendary Saint wolfkin, to defeat and eventually seal away the demon king along with the rest of his kind.
"It would be an honour," he said simply, even if it sounded a bit cheesy coming from his own lips.
"I expect you’ll also be awarded proper armour and a sword befitting of a hero once that’s settled," Yakuza added.
Elion’s smile widened faintly. Now that was speaking his language.
’A legendary-grade sword that I don’t even have to work for... hell yeah,’ he thought. ’I wonder if I can take it out of this trial...’
And though he wasn’t much of an armour person, he would take that too. Maybe it would sell for a decent amount.
Yakuza suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"...Why do I feel like you’re thinking of sothing dishonourable?"
"What?" Elion blinked.
"You’re imagining things, Yakuza. Are you okay?" he asked innocently as he tilted his head to the side.
Yakuza cleared his throat.
"Never mind," he said simply, before tugging on the reins and urging his wyvern forward.
Elion watched him go for a mont, then shifted his gaze toward his supposed fellow heroes: his fellow trial takers. They were riding on the sa species of large bird as he was.
It seed to be the military standard for most low-ranking mages and warriors in the coalition army, so they had plenty of them.
The three of them had been oddly quiet.
Though Maya and Zenovia exchanged a few words and giggles every now and then, it seed they had grown closer during the ti they had spent together.
Elion’s eyes drifted toward Maya.
Her figure was mostly concealed beneath the loose mage’s robe she wore, the fabric flowing gently in the wind. The leather boots on her feet reached almost all the way up to her knees.
His mind wandered back to the incident at the river, and he imprinted that scene of her naked body with what he was looking at now. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Then he shifted his gaze to Zenovia. He gave a small, almost instinctive nod to himself.
’Yeah... she’s the one.’
Her figure was perfect for his tastes. Strong and balanced. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to look for long.
She suddenly snapped her head back and glared at him. Her ssage was all too clear.
’I know you’re oogling.’
Elion imdiately raised his hands off the reins in mock surrender, smiling lightly as if pleading innocence.
Maya seed to have caught the exchange just after Zenovia turned away. She glanced at Elion from the corner of her eye, then quickly looked away, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
Maybe she had also recalled the incident as well.
After that, they rode through the clear skies.
From ti to ti, they had to descend and intervene in smaller skirmishes below, assisting coalition mages who were clashing with scattered demon groups. Because of that, the journey took longer than anticipated.
Along the way, Aeron conversed with Yakuza, while Maya spoke quietly with Zenovia.
Elion just watched and observed silently.
Eventually, they reached the western battle front.
According to what Yakuza had told him, this was where the beastn clans’ territory bordered the great forest.
As expected, most of the forces here were beastn, holding the line on their own land, though there were still plenty of humans, elves, dwarves, and even a few vampires assisting them.
The battlefield below was catastrophic.
It looked worse than the east. Far worse. As they descended from the skies, it took now more than a few seconds for the five of them to see a shocking sight.
Sothing they would have never expected to witness when they started making their way here. For a long mont that seed to stretch for far longer than it was in reality, no one spoke.
It seed like all six captains had been deployed here.
Kael.
The human warrior who wielded a broad longsword.
Sylvara.
The elven mage and archer.
Olga.
The lionkin from one of the beastn clans.
Linda.
The dwarf woman.
Cassiel.
The vampire captain in charge of a section of the scouting corps and night operations.
Lyria.
The wolfkin scouts leader.
All of them lay scattered across the broken ground, in pools of their own blood, and their bodies completely still.
Their empty eyes were open, staring up at the sky, and their expressions frozen in stubborn defiance.
Reluctant and unyielding even in death. But they were gone, all of them were dead.
And standing over them, laughing like a madman, was a hulking four-ard demon, holding a thin longsword in each ripped hand.
Every single one of those swords was drenched and soaked in the blood of those who had fallen beneath its blades.
Yakuza dropped from his wyvern and hit the ground, imdiately collapsing to his knees beside the closest body, and he let out the most soul-wrenching cry Elion had ever heard.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
A sound so raw...
So broken...
That even Elion felt his heart twist in his chest.
User Comments
0 comments from readers