Chapter 74: Revelation (1)
Evening was falling. The wick of Serenia’s conflict burned brighter with every passing second. Those who fought did so with their entire might.
As the battle wore on, the slight yet crucial advantage the defenders of Serenia had gained by striking first and with great force began to slip away.
CRASH!
The stone walls crumbled as the wyverns’ explosive fireballs slammed into them.
Blood spilled upon the ground as casualties began to mount.
The guards, the CEF, the citizens, and their mounts were none of them spared from the heavy mist of war that swallowed everything in its path.
"Dumas! Break through to the north!"
Adam roared the command. Dumas took in the desperate situation near the northern wall, where the enemy wyverns were rapidly tearing through their soldiers and artillery.
He sprinted along the ramparts and leaped high into the open sky. Requiring no solid platform this time, he kicked the empty air with sheer physical force to propel himself, then enveloped his feet in a sharp Sword Aura, bounding off the lingering magical circles suspended in the air.
Within moments, he found himself directly face-to-face with a massive wyvern.
Heavy metal plating encased its fangs and muzzle, and the beast furiously unleashed a torrent of flame.
Dumas cleaved directly through the blaze, twisting his body mid-air to utilize the blast’s momentum as a propellant, landing squarely upon the wyvern’s armored head.
At that exact moment, hundreds of arrows came whistling through the air, aimed directly at him.
"Do they have no regard for their own mount?" he muttered, feeling a trace of pity. Although the beast wore a protective metal visor to shield it from harm, he still felt uneasy, wondering what would happen if it had been left completely unprotected.
The heavy metallic helmet slipped from the beast’s snout, and the entire armored headpiece crashed to the earth below.
Dumas had already delivered a precise strike with his blade.
The wyvern shrieked in agony as the initial volley of friendly arrows began to pierce its exposed scales, though they only dug in shallowly.
"What in the world?!" the CEF Paladin riding the beast roared. He lunged forward, swinging a heavy mace in his hand, aiming straight for Dumas’ head.
Dumas ducked beneath the swing, countering with a quick thrust using the pommel of his sword. Unfazed, the paladin retaliated with a fierce kick. As the rider planted his foot, the magical runes carved into his chest armor and knee plates flared with raw mana, conjuring massive hammers of shimmering divine energy.
Dumas smirked and parried the blow, or rather, he redirected the trajectory of the impact. The redirected strike crashed heavily into the wyvern once more, forcing another cry of pain from the beast.
When a magical spear materialized from the space beneath his feet, the knight captain kicked it aside, redirecting its path as well.
"How is this possible?! AAHK!"
The redirected spear plunged directly into the Paladin. Having secured the exact openings he required, Dumas knew the fight was finished. Delivering a flurry of blinding slashes that the Paladin could not even comprehend, Dumas dispatched him and sprinted toward the wyvern’s snout. They were hovering perilously above the ramparts, on the verge of crashing down at any second.
"Whoa, steady there! Come on, let’s go, little wyvern!"
He yanked hard on the reins, guiding the massive beast toward the clouds. Well-trained to obey commands, the wyvern soared upward, spinning around to face the battlefield once more.
Only to find the remaining fleet of wyverns descending upon them in unison.
Every single one of them was hurtling forward, fully prepared to crash directly into the stone wall.
"Oh, they truly have no regard for these creatures," he muttered.
***
Meanwhile, a small infiltration team navigating the outskirts of the battlefield had nearly reached their objective.
Phantom had already cleared the entire path. Not a single enemy soldier remained on guard to monitor this sector. With the main conflict raging fiercely elsewhere, this secure corridor leading straight to the heart of the enemy camp was entirely wide open.
"As if sneaking through there twice wasn’t impressive enough?"
The surrounding trees and boulders featured crude, humorous caricatures carved with a knife, clearly indicating their next direction.
His first trip had been to secure crucial intelligence on the CEF’s battle strategies, while his second trip was done simply for the fun of it, ensuring a perfectly clear path for the team.
The individuals making up this team, however, were the most notable aspect of the plan.
Arlene was part of the group, naturally, since they intended to commandeer the CEF wizards and their broadcasting equipment to establish a connection with the capital, and any interruption in the magical frequencies would cause the entire plan to fail.
To ensure her safety, the second most formidable swordfighter in the city, Nea Alba, had also joined the ranks of this small squad.
And purely because she felt inclined to join, and because her powerful spells were absolutely vital for their stealth, Weiss, the legendary Witch Queen, accompanied them as well.
Serving as their potential diversion, the gardener golem, Mr. Gnome, had taken this responsibility upon himself, though something lingering in the air seemed to deeply unnerve him.
"That butler is remarkably talented," Nea noted.
"A butler, is he? Miss Witch, does this man genuinely claim that his name is simply Phantom and nothing else?"
"Why," Weiss responded, furrowing her brow in response to Nea’s query. "What other name would he possibly claim if he is indeed only Phantom?"
"Is that so..." Nea murmured.
"Indeed! It is rather impressive. Look, there is the next hand-carved marker. Let us make our way up."
"..."
The silent golem could not voice his thoughts, and even if he could, he preferred to remain quiet given the gravity of the situation.
The team’s route led steadily upward toward the crest of the hill where the main barracks were situated. This area, usually the most densely populated, had grown entirely deserted as the battle raged on.
They successfully navigated all the way to the rear of the primary command tent. Under the current circumstances, only a single sentry stood watch at the front entrance, allowing the group to quietly slip inside through the back.
The moment they stepped through the heavy canvas flap of the tent, their attention was drawn to the floor. Two wizards lay bound and gagged, their limbs tied together in an incredibly convoluted and absurd fashion.
Beside them lay the unconscious General of the army. A magical tome was hovering behind him, repeatedly and rhythmically slamming onto the commander’s head every few seconds. Its pages fluttered open mid-air, allowing Weiss to catch a brief glimpse of the text.
[Kuh kuh kuh! Now you shall feel my ultimate wrath. Take this! I have saved the entire city, hahaha!]
The Grimoire of Lilith was actively roleplaying. Weiss resolutely chose not to acknowledge it, as she simply could not bring herself to do so.
Lastly, sitting comfortably in a chair at the far end of the tent, was her butler.
Phantom.
"Hello there," he said, waving his hands with an easy smile. "The guards outside are under the impression that the General is currently on a highly sensitive call. The CEF is quite rigid about its protocols, is it not?"
