Meanwhile, the despair inside Leonora only continued worsening with every passing minute.

The flesh tendrils kept emerging endlessly from beneath the fractured streets like an unstoppable infestation. Some of it burst violently from the widening cracks while others slithered rapidly along walls and rooftops searching for prey. Their movements looked chaotic and animalistic yet there was still an eerie purpose behind them. Every time civilians attempted to flee through open streets, the corrupted flesh roots immediately lunged toward them like predators sensing blood.

The defenders fought desperately to stop them.

Knights continuously hacked apart the writhing masses with swords glowing from Magic reinforcement while archers fired volleys of enchanted arrows from elevated positions above the streets. Mages unleashed waves of fire, wind blades, and spirit purification spells toward the spreading corruption.

But despite all that, the flesh tendrils continued appearing. Every destroyed root seemed to be replaced by two more erupting from another fracture nearby.

"LEFT SIDE! PROTECT THE EVACUATION GROUP!"

"Another crack opened near the southern district!"

"Don’t let them surround the civilians!"

The streets had become a battlefield filled with screams, collapsing buildings, rain, smoke, and corrupted flesh.

In the middle of all that chaos, King Garrie continued fighting personally alongside his soldiers.

Golden Magic exploded around his sword every time he swung it. Flesh tendrils split apart beneath his attacks, black blood sprayed across the flooded streets. He shouted orders constantly while battling at the same time.

"Push them back from the shelters!"

"Archers to the rooftops!"

"Mages reinforce the western district barriers immediately!"

But even while giving commands, Garrie slowly realized something grim. He no longer felt like a king sitting upon a throne commanding a kingdom. Right now, he was no different from an ordinary frontline warrior desperately trying to survive together with everyone else.

There was no time to organize formations properly or to establish stable command lines or battlefield structure. The disaster had erupted too suddenly and too violently. Leonora had been thrown directly into chaos before anyone could prepare and the corruption kept spreading.

—

Meanwhile, above the city inside the great tower overlooking Leonora, Archmage Velrion stood silently behind a massive window while storm clouds darkened the skies outside.

The old mage’s expression was grim. Even from here he could already feel the overwhelming chaotic Magic spreading throughout the kingdom. The air had become polluted with corruption energy thick enough to disturb the flow of Spirit Magic inside the tower.

He already understood the situation below without needing reports from a few minutes ago. The enemy had breached the city. But despite that, Velrion forced himself to remain at his desk.

Countless Magical instruments floated around the chamber while glowing runes continuously rotated above complicated Spirit formations spread across the floor. The calibration process remained unfinished. Right now, that calibration was one of the kingdom’s highest priorities.

If completed properly, it could stabilize the Sky Anchor and strengthen their resistance against the corruption.

That was why Velrion endured the sounds outside. He trusted King Garrie and the defenders to hold the city long enough. At least... he wanted to believe they could.

But as time passed, the screams outside only became louder.

Explosions echoed through the streets below while tremors continued shaking parts of the tower. He heard the sounds of collapsing buildings mixed together with terrified cries of pain and desperate battle commands.

Eventually, Velrion slowly stopped his writing and walked away from his desk and approached the massive window fully.

What he saw outside immediately stunned him. Dark cracks had spread across entire sections of Leonora while flesh tendrils moved wildly through the streets below. Defenders fought desperately everywhere he looked. Fires spread across damaged districts while civilians fled beneath heavy rain and storm winds.

And there, among the chaos itself, King Garrie fought personally on the frontline.

Velrion’s eyes narrowed. The king was still fighting fiercely. But the Archmage could immediately see the larger problem.

There was no organization anymore. The battle had become complete chaos. If this continued much longer, even King Garrie himself would eventually die in the middle of the endless fighting.

Velrion slowly closed his eyes for a brief moment before making his decision.

Then immediately after, he turned away from the window and abandoned the entire calibration process. The floating instruments and unfinished formations remained active behind him as the Archmage raised one hand calmly.

Several powerful spirit entities immediately materialized around his body in flashes of silver-blue light.

Without hesitation, Velrion stepped toward the open air beyond the tower balcony before flying directly into the storm. His robes whipped violently beneath the rain and wind while Spirit Magic surged around him. His destination was obvious, to the king. Right now, the king needed space to become a king again instead of merely another warrior drowning in chaos.

A violent surge of Spirit Magic suddenly swept across the flooded street.

King Garrie barely had time to turn before Archmage Velrion landed heavily beside him in a burst of silver-blue light. The rain exploded from the impact while several spirit entities immediately spiraled around the Archmage like living storms.

Then Velrion attacked. The spirits shot into the air at terrifying speed before crashing directly into the flesh tendrils spreading across the streets. Explosions of Spirit Magic erupted everywhere. Several gigantic roots immediately burst apart while others were frozen in the middle of its movement before being shredded into pieces by spinning blades of compressed wind.

The defenders nearby stared in shock.

"Archmage Velrion!" one of the knights shouted in relief.

Velrion ignored them for now. His sharp eyes immediately turned toward King Garrie.

"Retreat from the frontline," he ordered heavily. "You need to command the kingdom properly."

King Garrie immediately frowned. "But—"

"No," Velrion cut him off firmly while another spirit blasted apart a lunging tendril nearby. "You are fighting like a warrior right now. That is not what Leonora needs."

The old Archmage stepped forward while Spirit Magic surged violently around him.

"You must see this battle from a ruler’s perspective or this kingdom will not survive."

King Garrie hesitated. Then he looked toward Velrion grimly. "What about your project?"

Velrion’s expression hardened slightly. "...It can wait," he answered heavily.

Silence passed between them for a brief moment before King Garrie finally nodded.

Then reluctantly, the king stepped away from the frontline while Velrion remained behind facing the endless flesh tendrils alone beneath the storm.

—