Sensing something approaching, Adrian and Nathaniel quickly turned to the side, only to find a Chimera hurtling through the air towards them.
"Kiieekkk!!"
However, just before it could reach them the Chimera was forcefully flung backward as Adrian's wind bullet pierced through its crystallized heart, leaving a visible hole in its chest.
—Splat!
Black blood spurted into the air as the monster landed on the ground with a heavy thud.
Nathaniel turned toward Adrian and commanded.
"I'll handle the ground. You eliminate them from the air."
Unlike in the drainage system, where there were only a dozen creatures, there are currently an excessive number of them.
Nathaniel wanted Adrian to remain safe while fighting those creatures.
Adrian nodded in understanding.
"Understood."
Wasting no time, Nathaniel unsheathed his sword and charged towards the nearest Chimera, while Adrian conjured an earth staircase towards the sky.
Without delay, he recited a spell, and soon, five Magic Circles materialized around him.
In a split second, a barrage of Wind Bullets flew towards the Chimeras that were chasing the people below.
—Splat! —Splat! —Splat!
Each successful hit resulted in a mesmerizing display of black blood bursting into the air, resembling a macabre firework show.
The Chimeras convulsed in agony as Adrian's wind bullets pierced their hearts and their monstrous bodies to collapse in a grotesque heap with fragments of flesh from them strewn across the battlefield.
Adrian's eyes darted in every direction, scanning the chaotic plaza for any sign of the Chimeras.
With each sighting, he swiftly unleashed a volley of wind bullets to eliminate them.
Nathaniel tightened his grip on his sword and skillfully slashed it through the air multiple times, unleashing a barrage of wind bullets towards every Chimera he encountered.
"Kkiiieeekkk!!"
"Kkiieekkk!!"
They emitted guttural, throaty shrieks as, one by one, the Chimera succumbed and collapsed to the ground.
Nevertheless, Nathaniel couldn't help but think to himself that everything he had feared had been proven true.
With he and Adrian outsmarting that damn organization, there was no way they would remain idle.
As their plan continued to fail one after another, that fucking organization must also be racking their brains, just like he and Adrian did.
But still, the fact that the organization could control the children's transformation according to their wishes, it seemed that they had completed the Chimera project.
Amidst the chaos of battle, a desperate cry reached Nathaniel's ears.
"Huuaa! Help!"
As Nathaniel caught sight of the figure, he noticed a knight being pursued by a headless Chimera rapidly approaching him.
Without hesitation, Nathaniel shouted a command.
"Duck!"
Reacting swiftly, the knight instinctively dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding the deadly swipe of the Chimera's claws.
Seizing the opportunity, Nathaniel swung his sword through the air, sending a white crescent light towards the Chimera's heart.
—Splat!
The black blood of the Chimera sprayed into the air as it fell onto its back.
"Haa… haa…"
Breathing heavily, the knight struggled to catch his breath, adrenaline coursing through his veins.
Nathaniel approached him, extending a helping hand to assist him in standing.
"Are you okay?"
Nathaniel asked, concern evident in his voice.
The knight, still dazed from the intense encounter, blinked in confusion, his eyes unfocused.
"Huh?"
He managed to utter, his voice filled with disbelief.
Nathaniel raised his voice, hoping to snap him out of his confusion.
"Are you okay?!"
The knight blinked, his unfocused eyes slowly focusing on Nathaniel's face.
He nodded hesitantly, still shaken from the intense encounter.
"Y-yes! I'm—"
"Kiiieeekkk!"
Reacting swiftly, Nathaniel thrust his sword forward.
However, just before it could make contact with the Chimera, the creature's body was flung to the side, rolling several times on the ground before finally coming to a stop.
Its limbs were contorted, and blood could be seen leaking from its body, drenching the floor with its dark, black blood.
As Adrian's mana lingered in the air, Nathaniel looked up at his brother, gratitude shining in his eyes.
"Thanks!"
Adrian nodded in response before redirecting his attention to the surroundings, determined to eliminate as many Chimera as possible.
Curiosity piqued, the dazed knight finally found his voice.
He stuttered out a question, still in awe of the swift demise of the Chimera.
"H-how did you instantly kill that monster?"
Nathaniel, still in the midst of unleashing wind blades towards a Chimera crawling on a nearby building, spared a moment to answer.
"Its heart, it is its only weakness,"
The knight's eyes widened in realization.
"Its heart?"
"Kiieekkk!!"
The Chimera let out a guttural, throaty sound before finally collapsing to the ground.
"Yeah."
With that, Nathaniel resumed moving, and the Knight followed him closely whilst mumbling as he went.
"No wonder the monster refused to die despite my efforts to decapitate it."
A sudden realization struck Nathaniel, he halted his steps and reached into his Magical Sphere.
Retrieving a device, he turned towards Adrian with a sense of urgency.
"Ian! Catch this!"
Nathaniel called out, tossing the device towards his brother.
With sharp reflexes, Adrian deftly caught the device, his fingers closing around it tightly.
As he unclenched his fist, the device revealed itself to be an amplified device.
"Ian, announce the Chimera's weakness!"
Nathaniel commanded, his voice filled with urgency.
He hoped that by sharing the Chimera's weakness with the people of the city, they could save many lives and empower others to fight back against the monstrous threat.
"Got it!"
Wasting no more time, Adrian channeled his Mana into the device and began to speak.
"Pierce the monster's heart to kill it instantly!"
Adrian's voice reverberated throughout the city, capturing the attention of both survivors and those still engaged in combat with the Chimeras, as well as those who had sought refuge in fear.
"Pierce the monster's heart to kill it instantly!"
Adrian shouted once again.
"Also, please gather towards the Sun Palace entrance. We will clear the path for you, so you can pass without worries."
A brief silence followed Adrian's words, the weight of his message sinking in.
Then, a wave of determination washed over the survivors.
They began to move, their steps purposeful as they made their way towards the designated gathering point.
Soon, Adrian concluded his speech with a final message.
"Good luck."
However, before the echoes of his words could fade, a sudden and sharp whizzing sound pierced through the air, causing everyone to instinctively look up towards the sky.
Multiple blue lights ascended and converged at a single point high above.
The lights merged and transformed into a magnificent spectacle—a translucent barrier descended upon the city, its appearance reminiscent of water sliding down a glass surface.
The barrier expanded rapidly, encompassing the entire urban landscape.
"The city barrier…"
Adrian murmured to himself.
If it was like that, then it meant Arthur had already received the news about this terrorism and acted to prevent the monster from escaping outside the city.
Adrian hastily created another earth staircase, rising to a higher vantage point.
With his binoculars in hand, he focused his gaze on the Sun Castle entrance.
Through the lenses, Adrian saw countless cavaliers and knights, adorned in gleaming armor, were crossing the bridge towards the city.
Considering the size of the army, Adrian believed that the situation would be resolved quickly, and so he exclaimed.
"The reinforcement is coming!"
Nevertheless, Adrian's relief was short-lived.
—BOOM!!
A deafening explosion reverberated throughout the city, causing the ground to shake violently.
Adrian's attention was immediately drawn to the source of the disturbance—a billowing plume of thick black smoke rose high into the sky, emanating from the Mana Boulder tower in the distance.
—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!
The explosion continued to roar, its fiery blast sending black smoke spiraling into the sky.
Nathaniel, who had just regained his composure, turned to Adrian and exclaimed.
"Ian! What happened?!"
Glancing down below, Adrian shouted back.
"The Tower! I think it's under attack!"
"!"
The news hit Nathaniel like a punch to the gut, freezing him in place.
His fists clenched tightly as anger and frustration surged through him.
'Annelise! That damn bitch! She planned this chaos to steal the item!'
"Nate! Watch out!"
Adrian's urgent warning snapped Nathaniel out of his thoughts, and he quickly turned to the side, instinctively raising his sword to defend himself.
And as if the world was slowing down, Nathaniel could see the knight whom he had just saved a moment ago thrust his dagger towards him, aiming directly at his heart.
—Splat!
Crimson liquid splattered on the barrier cast by Adrian around Nathaniel when a dagger pierced through the knight's throat from behind.
As the dagger was pulled out, the knight's lifeless body crumpled to the ground, exposing an elderly man with graying hair and piercing gray eyes.
Adrian, upon catching sight of his head butler, called out to him with a voice tinged with relief.
"Fredinand! You're alive!"
The sight of his trusted head butler, whom he had presumed dead, brought a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos.
Turning to his master, Ferdinand's lips curled into a warm smile as he greeted him with a respectful nod.
"Your Highness."
Returning to the matter at hand, Adrian dismissed the barrier and promptly posed a question.
"Nate! Are you okay?"
Nathaniel, still reeling from the shock of the betrayal, forced a smile and nodded weakly.
"I'm alright… thanks for saving me!"
However, Adrian couldn't help but notice his brother's pallid face. It appeared that he was genuinely shocked and hadn't anticipated such an outcome.
Regardless, Adrian nodded in acknowledgement and gave an order to his head butler.
"Fred, please assist my brother."
"As you wish."
Suddenly, the air erupted with piercing screams and bone-chilling groans.
"Ahh!! Help me!!"
"Why—ugh!"
Adrian's horror grew as he surveyed his surroundings and witnessed not only the Chimera but also the Knights—the spies—were now hunting down the citizens.
It was utter chaos.
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