A clatter vibrated as 500 awakeners began to march away from the campsite.
Walking at the very front of the line was Noah. He led the way toward the castle to catch up with Vincent and his men.
Not a single awakener looked happy to see this man leading them, especially after he threatened not to give them monster cores. They had no choice but to follow him.
Everyone disliked him, and Klaus was no exception.
Monsters with battle power equal to B- and A-Class were everywhere. Klaus doubted Noah's ability to lead an army, considering how this man had killed all his men because of his carelessness.
It would be easier if Klaus himself led them, but he needed Noah in his plans.
Although the castle was in sight, it was a long way from the campsite to get there. They had been walking for 6 hours but had yet to arrive at the location.
Luckily, heaven was on their side. They didn't encounter any powerful monsters along the way. Only a few groups of 10 or 15 drakes confronted them. Maybe it was because of Vincent and his men.
After traveling for a day, they finally arrived at the foot of the mountain.
They took a short break for 2 hours before they climbed up. Then, they continued their journey with careful preparation and time conditions.
Climbing the mountain was more difficult than they imagined. The road was steep, and the ground was full of large rocks. This terrain was a nightmare for the casters and supporters. They did not have solid physical strength but had to expend extra energy to keep pace with the fighters.
The most visibly struggling person among them was Joanna Lee.
They had only been climbing for 10 minutes, but the blonde-haired girl was sweating and breathing heavily.
"Come on, Joanna. We've only been hiking, but you're already like this." Justin mocked Joanna. Though his state was similar to Joanna's.
"Shut up, Justin. You don't know what it's like to be a healer. It's very tiring."
Justin laughed. "You think I'm a fighter, huh? I'm a caster. If I can do it, so can you. Stop making excuses."
Joanna pouted. She didn't have much energy to argue with Justin.
At the same time, Klaus was in the front row, accompanying his cousin to lead the crew. He left his men to Akio for the time being.
Klaus needed to accompany Noah so that his cousin wouldn't make careless decisions. They were currently on different terrain, so he was sure the enemies they faced were different too.
"What are we going to do, Klaus?" Noah, who had always been silent, finally spoke up.
Klaus looked at him with narrowed eyes. "What you say?"
"What we're going to do after we meet them. I'm sure Vincent won't like this. What do you think we should do?"
Klaus grinned. He did not expect "we" to escape his arrogant cousin's mouth as if they were in the same position. Usually, this person always considered himself superior to others. Vincent must have really pressured Noah to make him desperate like this.
"Trust me. You don't have to worry. Everything will be fine." Klaus patted Noah's shoulder, trying to calm him down.
Noah nodded. "All right, cousin. I hope your plan doesn't fail."
Klaus smirked.
The mountain peak was quite high. The hostile terrain prevented them from getting there quickly. One footstep on a steep path was equivalent to five steps on flat ground. They would only be exhausted if they quickened their pace.
The cold began to creep into their skin as they climbed up. The silence slowly disappeared and was replaced by the tickling wind.
The awakeners had yet to encounter a single monster. Not the drakes. Not wyverns. Not even small fries. Everything seemed fine, just like climbing a mountain as usual.
However, that was the beginning of the real terror.
<My liege, something is coming.>
Klaus stopped as Laplace's voice echoed in his head. Naturally, Noah stopped too.
"What is it, cousin?" Noah furrowed his brow at the sight of the stunned Klaus.
"Didn't you hear that?"
"Heard what?"
Klaus pointed to the sky, and Noah looked up.
A thick fog limited Noah's view. He saw nothing but white. He opened his ears, concentrating on his sense of hearing, trying to hear what Klaus was talking about.
The awakeners frowned. They wondered what their boss was actually doing.
Then Noah saw something coming from the thick fog. Its very small size showed how far away he was from the object. However, the longer he looked at it, the bigger it became.
Not long after, his eyes opened wide.
"Fuck! Grab your weapons! We're going into battle!"
The awakeners were not quick to respond. They were still standing as their faces twisted in confusion.
"Monsters are coming, fools!" snapped Noah.
Only Gavin was quick to understand. He felt the evil presence approaching with every breath he took.
Until the flapping of huge wings that echoed in the sky and the whoosh of heavy breathing haunted his mind, alerting them to the impending danger.
A legendary creature with the body of a giant snake and wings folding at its sides emerged among the mist. Its red eyes glittered with a thirst for bloodshed, and its green-gold scales shone like emerald gems.
In that split-second moment, their flight or fight instincts kicked in.
"Amphiptere! Amphiptere!"
GRAAAAWWARRRR!
And then, the battle began.
The monster unleashed its first attack by powerfully flapping its pair of giant wings, summoning the wind to form a whirlwind that swept through the ranks of the awakener. Thirty awakeners were thrown into the air instantly.
"Look out! Look out! Attack coming!"
They were not to be outdone. The casters took turns summoning fire and lightning, creating a blaze of burning heat and rapid flashes of lightning.
However, Amphiptere nimbly dodged the attacks, swerved, and launched a counterattack. With a flash, it rolled them up with its massive tail.
Swaarrrr!
Noah, who had survived the first attack, trembled with fear. The horror of the monster froze him, making his legs immobilized no matter what happened.
"Hey! Noah!"
A masculine voice woke him up. Klaus stood next to his unharmed.
"We need to get away from the battle," Klaus said.
"W... what... but they're fighting that monster."
"Yeah, I know. I didn't tell you to leave your men behind. We're staying away from the battle while keeping an eye on them. You're the leader. You can't die no matter what. Understood?"
Noah nodded his head. "Yeah. I understand."
Klaus grinned. "Good." He then pulled his cousin away.
Meanwhile, the awakeners had to risk their lives to face Amphiptere.
"Fighters and tanks close the front lines. Protect the casters. Don't let our damage dealers die! Healers treat the wounded immediately!"
Gavin took over as commander. While giving instructions to his men, he looked around for Noah's whereabouts but didn't find him.
"Where are you, damn it! Don't tell me you ran away again!" growled Gavin.
GRAAAAAWWWWW!
Amphiptere went on a rampage. This monster was ten times stronger than a Wyvern. In a way, it was equivalent to an S-Class awakener. Someone had to stop it quickly before hundreds of lives were lost.
And the person who was called upon to do just that was Gavin.
"Looks like I have no choice."
Gavin drew his sword. Yellow lightning emerged from his body. The ground trembled under his feet, the wind swirled rapidly around him, and lightning flashed along his sword.
With agile movements, Gavin gilded towards Amphiptere. He spun through the air, striking with a barrage of attacks that hit the enemy with full force.
"Hyaaa!"
Slasssh!
BOOOOM
Thunder rolled out an ace of lightning sparks to chase away the blur.
"What!"
Although the attack was very powerful, it was parried easily by the agile Amphiptere, implying that calamity was about to befall the Awakeners.
Gavin did not give up. With burning determination, he unleashed shockingly fast attacks. But Amphiptere was unfazed. It hurtled forward with astonishing speed in a terrifying counterattack, flinging him into the air.
His body slammed heavily on the hard, rocky ground. His breath came in gasps, his bones crumbled, and his blood flowed in the darkness of the night. He felt a deep sense of loss, not only in himself but also in the hearts of all those who had left this world in this battle.
As Gavin tried to rise, he saw the horrifying scene around him. His comrades lay wounded or lifeless.
"Arrrggh! No! Don't kill!"
"Healer! Healer! Help me!"
"Damn it! Where's Noah! Where's that asshole!"
The strong and fearless Awakeners had fallen in this battle. The white mist became the graveyard for countless souls.
In the darkness that enveloped his heart, Gavin felt anger and despair welling up within him.
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