Chapter 274 Last Stand
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Lady Zefney's eyes fluttered open, and looking around, she found herself lying on the floor in a large hall filled with scared and crying individuals. Despite the gloominess of her surroundings, a sigh of relief escaped her lips as tears welled up in her eyes.
After taking a moment to calm her emotions, she started to look around and found a familiar man standing by her side with a smile on his face.
"Your friend is inside the healer area and is safe but unconscious," Alex said with a gentle smile.
"I... I can't remember much after those flames overcame us but thank you. You saved our lives." Lady Zefney slowly sat up and said, her voice trembling with heartfelt appreciation.
"I was just in the right place at the right time. It's a relief that you both made it through." Alex nodded, doing his best to appear humble.
"How long was I unconscious, and what happened with the demon invaders?" Lady Zefney asked, her eyes carrying fear and panic.
"You were unconscious for around fifteen minutes, and as for the demons, they would be attacking the four protected districts shortly,"
"I would advise you against joining the final battle, but it is your choice to make," Alex said, seeing her looking around the room with a determined look.
After hearing Alex's remark, she dropped her head and looked at her scorched armor, remembering her near-death experience.
"My name is Zefney, and from what I can tell, you're an immortal adventurer."
"If I survive today, I'll introduce you to my brother, an S Rank Adventurer. But in case I don't make it through, please show him this pendant and tell him that I owe you a great favor," Lady Zefney said after a brief pause, removing her necklace and handing it to Alex.
"I appreciate your kind offer, but I didn't save you in hopes of getting a reward, and If you want to give me some form of compensation, then don't die a pointless death," Alex said with a smile before turning around and heading toward the exit.
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Outside the protective barrier, Alex emerged into a scene of preparation and tension. The four protective barriers were strategically positioned, forming a tight perimeter, and soldiers had assembled in disciplined lines, creating a half-crescent formation.
Each protective barrier had its delegation of soldiers, led by various captains who stood at the helm of their respective units.
As Alex observed the scene, his attention was drawn to the commanding presence of a figure suspended in the sky, cloaked with purple lightning, under the sky filled with dark clouds crackling with lightning.
It was Army Commander Gagiel who watched the city with a cold glare as he watched the demon forces killing the remnant of the citizens left behind as they regrouped and marched toward the barriers.
When the demons first invaded the capital city, their immense army of millions entered the cities in less than thirty minutes.
However, the mere fifty thousand demons took the same amount of time to arrive in the city this time, which was unusual, but no one cared about it in the time of crisis, as it was a blessing that gave them the time to evacuate most of the citizens to safety.
Unknown to Alex or the defenders, the demons had a sinister motive behind this delay. They deliberately gave the humans false hope, allowing fear and despair to take hold as they hid, only to be crushed and slaughtered later. This manipulation served the demons' insidious purposes well.
As the demon horde approached, led by imposing demon commanders and two colossal warships looming ominously in the distance, the tension in the air was palpable.
The human army, standing resolute, was given the command and an instant later unleashed a torrent of magical spells, volleys of arrows from enchanted ballistae, and thunderous mana cannon shots that lit up the battlefield.
It was a symphony of destruction, each element adding to the chaotic cacophony as the defenders fought to hold their ground.
Yet, amidst this chaos, there was an eerie calmness within the human ranks. The soldiers remained steadfast, holding their formations with unwavering discipline.
Even the captains refrained from rushing forward to engage the demon commanders, fully understanding that their primary goal was survival.
Above the battleground, Commander Gagiel's form crackled with thunder as he summoned lightning bolts from the darkened sky. He unleashed them precisely, sending them crashing into the approaching demon forces.
The human army's main goal was survival, and keeping a semi-defensive and offensive formation was the best way to achieve it.
The demon commander at the helm took the full brunt of the incoming attacks, and the demon returned the favor as their two warships' cannons roared to life and started raining destruction.
Fiery projectiles streaked through the air, crashing into the protective barriers with bone-chilling force. The ground trembled as the barriers absorbed the impact, holding firm.
High-ranking demons, their eyes burning with malice, soared toward the human soldiers. They moved with unnatural grace, striking down defenders with ruthless efficiency.
The demons, although slightly less in number, had a considerable advantage in the form of fifth-rank warriors, with their numbers of fifth-rank warriors outnumbered the humans three to one, giving them a significant edge.
With this numerical superiority, they tore through the human front lines, wreaking havoc in their path. The earth trembled beneath their relentless assault, and the sky was ablaze with chaotic energy as the demons pressed on, determined to break the human defenses.
The best of demons at the peak of the fifth Rank moved to engage with Commander Gagiel, and he alone battled against sixteen peak fifth-rank demons.
Alex, amidst the chaos, moved like a phantom on the frontline, reaping demons' lives one after another while hoping that Lady Telyssa's words would come true and help arrive in time otherwise, the fate of the city would be the same as his previous life.
Lady Telyssa had informed Alex that the aid would be late because there were eleven cities under attack, and unknown figures had intercepted the few individuals she sent to help, and the same was true for every other city.
Lady Telyssa informed that the empire dispatched multiple elemental Rulers to handle the demons, but the enemy was prepared, and currently, only two of six elemental Rulers are freely roaming, cleaning the attacked cities and with the Molentia being in a remote area with no nearby cities the aid will take from an hour to three hours.
Lady Telyssa also gave Alex somewhat good news about how she had requested help from the faction leader, and even though she received no confirmation, she believed that the faction leader would save the city.
Alex believed that Commander Gagiel had also received such a report, and he understood that the chances of them surviving for two to three hours were zero, but the man still stood at the helm of the army, ready to complete his duty till his last breath.
Gagiel knew he was the last hope for his men, and the moment he fell would mark the destruction of this city and the death of everyone inside it.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶