Near Vidona, nestled by the Silent Forest, the sky began to dim. Yet, the sun was not obscured by gathering storm clouds, but by an innumerable swarm of avian demonic beasts.
With frantic beats of their wings, they rapidly descended upon Vidona. A palpable, crushing pressure emanated from their vast numbers, causing the heroes stationed on the city walls to involuntarily hold their breath.
Evidently, the knights had not anticipated the beast tide’s eruption today, nor its sheer, overwhelming scale. They stood rooted to their spots, each one utterly bewildered.
“Quick! The alarm! Sound the alarm now! Get the city’s residents into the underground shelters!”
Roland, witnessing their inaction, shot them a furious glance before letting out a piercing cry. Only then did they awaken from their stupor, scrambling to pull the levers for the beast tide alarm.
呜——
A shrill, piercing alarm blared across the city. The moment its sound reached them, many residents instantly abandoned their tasks, gathered their essential belongings, and hurried towards the designated beast tide shelters.
Only a small fraction, however, remained unconcerned. They dismissed it as just another beast tide, convinced that the hero knights would resolve it quickly, just as they always did.
These individuals remained stubbornly in place, casting scornful glances at the panicked masses fleeing for safety. From time to time, they even hurled derisive remarks, as if their inaction somehow elevated them above the others.
Meanwhile, atop the city walls, Roland’s temper flared once more.
“Where’s the magic barrier? Hurry up! Is this your first time facing a beast tide?!”
With a frustrated grunt, she seized a knight by the arm, delivering a harsh reprimand. The knight, in turn, could only nod profusely, not daring to utter a single word in defiance.
While heroes typically held no authority to command knights, Roland was a formidable Fourth-Tier Hero. Within his heart, the knight harbored a considerable degree of apprehension toward her.
As Roland observed the knights’ chaotic disarray, the fury simmering within her proved impossible to quell.
In preparation for beast tides, Vidona possessed not only its robust city walls but also a pre-arranged magic barrier.
This barrier was capable of enveloping the entire city, temporarily withstanding the onslaught of a beast tide while simultaneously providing a secure vantage point for them to unleash their counter-attacking magic.
Vidona had endured beast tide assaults for years. By all accounts, the knights should have long since become adept at deploying the magic barrier. Yet, why did these knights appear utterly bewildered, as if they were novices facing a beast tide for the very first time?
“What’s wrong with these knights? Didn’t Roy tell them about the danger level of this beast tide?!”
If it were possible, Roland desperately wished to confront Governor Roy, seize him by the collar, and demand answers directly.
“Captain, this beast tide…”
Behind her, Roland’s teammate appeared exceptionally troubled. Following their gaze, Roland redirected her attention back to the encroaching beast tide.
As they drew nearer to Vidona, Roland began to discern their approximate magical power levels.
一阶、二阶、三阶……
With each powerful magical beast she detected, her heart plummeted further. Her expression grew utterly grim, particularly when she sensed the presence of a Fourth-tier demonic beast.
In any beast tide, the demonic beasts spearheading the charge are invariably the weakest. The truly fearsome creatures typically lie in wait at the rear, moving forward with the overwhelming flow.
Yet, this time, even among the vanguard, Fourth-tier demonic beasts were appearing. This ominous sign suggested that the beast tide would likely feature Fifth-tier, or even Sixth-tier, demonic beasts.
At this realization, Roland’s resolve began to waver.
Sharlene, the city’s most powerful hero, was merely Fifth-tier; she would be no match for a Sixth-tier demonic beast. To withstand this beast tide, unless…
The image of the black-robed instructor flickered through her mind. She knew this senior was incredibly formidable, but even they alone seemed somewhat helpless against such an overwhelming, apocalyptic beast tide.
She was not the only one capable of discerning the demonic beasts’ magical tiers. Upon realizing the potential presence of Fifth-tier and Sixth-tier demonic beasts within the tide, the faces of both heroes and knights alike drained of all color.
Against demonic beasts of such caliber, did defending the city even remain a viable option?
Instinctively, some yearned to flee the city walls. Yet, upon remembering that their loved ones remained within Vidona, they steeled themselves and once more took up their positions.
They were not merely defending Vidona; they were safeguarding their very homes.
Dust billowed into the air as the stampeding beast tide surged ever closer. In the midst of their rising tension, they heard a resonant hum. A shimmering, pale blue magic barrier then enveloped the entirety of Vidona, abruptly halting the beast tide’s relentless advance.
This newly erected barrier offered them a fragile glimmer of hope. Seizing the opportunity, they unleashed a barrage of vibrant, dazzling spells upon the beast tide, striving to permanently halt its progression beyond the protective shield.
For a time, a gruesome spectacle unfolded within the beast tide: flesh and blood flew, casualties mounted severely, and the dismembered remains of fallen demonic beasts became objects of savage contention among their brethren, sparking even greater internal strife.
In stark contrast to the heroes’ swift preparations, the knights only now scrambled to deploy their magic-powered cannons, hastily positioning them atop the city walls.
After crushing the stored magic stones, scorching golden fireballs erupted from the cannon barrels, hurtling into the beast tide and triggering a series of thunderous explosions and deafening roars.
Under the devastating assault of these cannons, both First-tier and Second-tier demonic beasts were obliterated, reduced to pulverized fragments. Only the more resilient Third-tier demonic beasts managed to endure the artillery fire without succumbing.
Witnessing the beast tide’s momentum falter, the heroes collectively exhaled in relief, seizing a brief moment of respite. Only Roland, however, kept her gaze rigidly fixed upon the barrier, mentally bracing herself for the absolute worst.
She knew, with chilling certainty, that the beast tide would not be halted so easily.
Inevitably, not long after, a faint cracking sound echoed from above the magic barrier. As everyone looked up, they watched fragments of the shield drift downwards from a widening fissure, mirroring the fragile hope that was now slipping away.
The barrier shattered with a deafening roar, and the beast tide surged forward once more. Perhaps due to their extreme proximity to Vidona, the ground tremors intensified dramatically, making it nearly impossible for ordinary people to maintain their footing.
Roland again grabbed the arm of a knight beside her, asking loudly: “How much longer until the reinforcements Roy called for arrive at Vidona?!”
“S-still a day! But it’s said that the one coming to support is Urgal’s hero Skyfire…”
“A day?! That long?! And what if it’s Skyfire? By the time she arrives, Vidona will probably already be a ruin!”
Angrily shoving the knight aside, Roland’s contempt for Roy, Vidona’s governor, deepened considerably.
The prolific emergence of Third-tier demonic beasts from the Silent Forest was far from a recent phenomenon. Yet, this scoundrel had made absolutely no preparations for the beast tide, and even the knights under his command proved utterly inadequate!
Utterly incompetent!
If Vidona somehow managed to survive this beast tide, Roy would undoubtedly be overthrown!
However, lamenting the governor’s incompetence now served no purpose. Roland forcibly suppressed her rising indignation, then turned her gaze to the surging beast tide and spoke to her teammate beside her:
“Prepare for battle. For Vidona…”
The brown-haired girl fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then resolutely took her place beside Roland, casting protective magic enchantments upon both herself and her captain.
Although the odds of survival in such a battle were perilously slim, they found themselves with no other choice. For behind them lay Vidona, their cherished home.
The cannons could no longer stem the beast tide’s relentless progression. The moment the first demonic beast reached the foot of the city wall, the true battle erupted in full force.