Before the Storm Breaks

Then Clara who was at the front of all the adventurers was still feeling a bit nervous but she never showed it on her face.

The cold morning wind brushed against her blonde hair as she stood atop the walls of Fantom City.

Below her, thousands of defenders waited.

Ahead of her, an endless sea of undead slowly marched closer.

The vibrations from their footsteps traveled through the ground and into her boots.

Every step of that monstrous army felt like a countdown.

A countdown toward death.

Yet Clara’s expression remained calm.

Steady.

Unshaken.

At least on the surface.

Inside, however, her thoughts were anything but calm.

She thought about her mother lying motionless in bed.

She thought about Kary and Nira.

She thought about the promise she made them.

And then...

A certain man’s face appeared in her mind.

Black hair.

Golden eyes.

That annoyingly relaxed smile.

Victor.

Clara immediately frowned.

"Why am I thinking about that idiot now?"

She clicked her tongue.

Yet despite her annoyance, the image remained.

For some reason, imagining his carefree expression eased a tiny portion of the pressure weighing on her chest.

A faint smile almost appeared.

Almost.

"If we survive this..."

She stopped herself.

The words remained unfinished.

Then she shook her head.

"No point thinking about nonsense."

Still...

A small part of her hoped she would see him again.

Beside her were Lane, Videl, Eon, Brinda, Ruby, and Natalia.

As the battle drew closer, each of them carried different thoughts inside their hearts.

Lane stood quietly while gripping her weapon.

Unlike the others, her thoughts were surprisingly simple.

Victor.

That was all.

The beautiful black-haired woman stared toward the distant undead army while her imagination ran wild.

"If I defeat enough undead..."

Her eyes sparkled.

"Victor will definitely praise me."

She nodded seriously.

Then another thought suddenly appeared.

"Wait."

Lane froze.

"What if I defeat the Elder Necromancer?"

Her eyes widened.

"Victor might be happy."

Another pause.

Then horror appeared on her face.

"What if he’s angry because I stole his prey?"

Another pause.

"What if he’s angry because I’m thinking about him right now?"

Lane’s face immediately turned pale.

"Oh no."

She grabbed both sides of her head.

"This is bad."

Nearby adventurers stared at her strange behavior.

Lane quickly straightened herself.

"C-Calm down."

The more she tried calming down, the more nervous she became.

Videl stood nearby.

The blonde woman stared toward the frightened civilians gathered behind the walls.

Mothers hugged children.

Old men prayed.

Young soldiers struggled to hide their trembling hands.

Seeing all of it strengthened her resolve.

Her sapphire eyes slowly hardened.

"It’s finally my time."

She tightened her grip around her Long Sword.

"To prove my worth."

Not only to herself.

Not only to these people.

But also to Victor.

The man she loved.

The man she wanted to stand beside.

"I won’t be a useless hero who only talks about ideals."

Her heart pounded.

"I’ll become someone worthy of protecting others."

Her gaze never left the approaching army.

"I’ll protect these people."

"I’ll protect their smiles."

"I’ll protect their happiness."

Eon stood beside her.

The giant battle axe in his hands seemed unusually heavy today.

Yet his blood was boiling.

The smell of war.

The smell of death.

The tension hanging over the battlefield.

Instead of frightening him...

It excited him.

At first he had been confused by that feeling.

But now he accepted it.

A grin slowly appeared.

"Maybe I’m crazier than I thought."

His grip tightened.

"Good."

Brinda stood nearby holding a tall staff.

The red orb floating at its tip glowed brightly.

Mana swirled around her body.

One spell.

Two spells.

Three spells.

She continuously prepared delayed magic.

Afterward she drank a mana potion.

A refreshing sensation immediately spread throughout her body.

Brinda smiled.

Then her thoughts wandered toward Victor.

"If I perform well today..."

Her cheeks reddened slightly.

"Maybe he’ll finally notice me more."

The purple-haired beauty looked toward the endless undead army.

Instead of fear...

She felt motivation.

Victor admired strength.

Everyone knew that.

"If I destroy enough undead..."

A confident smile appeared.

"He’ll definitely see me differently."

A dangerous amount of confidence suddenly filled her.

Nearby Eon noticed.

"Why are you smiling like that?"

Brinda immediately coughed.

"None of your business."

Ruby meanwhile looked incredibly excited.

Far too excited.

Her emerald eyes practically sparkled.

The massive battlefield.

The approaching army.

The overwhelming danger.

Everything made her heart race.

As the chosen maiden of the Dragon War Goddess Kia, battle itself energized her.

The more dangerous the battlefield became...

The more alive she felt.

Ruby stretched her body.

"Finally."

A huge grin appeared.

"I was getting bored."

Natalia looked at her.

"You are smiling way too much."

Ruby laughed.

"I know."

"That isn’t normal."

"Never said I was normal."

Natalia sighed.

Somehow she wasn’t surprised anymore.

Unlike Ruby, Natalia’s thoughts remained focused elsewhere.

Her blue eyes observed the civilians gathered behind the defensive lines.

Thousands of innocent people.

Families.

Children.

Elderly citizens.

If the battle went badly...

They would be the ones who suffered.

Should she escort them away?

Or remain here and fight?

The Goddess of Justice demanded difficult choices.

And justice was rarely simple.

Natalia quietly whispered.

"Lady Jenna..."

Her fingers gently touched the holy symbol around her neck.

"Guide me."

...

As everyone was lost in their own thoughts, a sudden disturbance appeared high above the battlefield.

Someone pointed upward.

"What is that?"

Heads turned.

Eyes widened.

The clouds above suddenly shifted.

Then two gigantic shadows emerged.

The creatures descended from the heavens like falling mountains.

BOOOOOOM!

BOOOOOOM!

The earth shook violently.

Dust exploded into the sky.

They landed behind the undead army.

Even from such a distance everyone could clearly see them.

Silence immediately fell.

Absolute silence.

Then someone whispered.

"No..."

Massive wings.

Towering skeletal bodies.

Ancient draconic skulls.

Empty eye sockets glowing with ghostly green flames.

Undead Dragons.

True dragons.

Not young dragons.

Not lesser dragons.

Adult dragons.

Their enormous skeletal forms towered above the battlefield.

Even from miles away their presence could be felt.

Predators.

Kings of the sky.

Monsters that once ruled entire regions.

And now...

They served the Elder Necromancer.

Fear spread through the defenders like wildfire.

Some soldiers dropped their weapons.

Others stared blankly.

A few began quietly praying.

The young undead dragon from before had nearly destroyed them.

These two were three times larger.

Three times more terrifying.

Three times more powerful.

Hope rapidly vanished.

Despair replaced it.

Even Videl felt it.

For a brief moment.

Just a brief moment.

The terrifying sight pierced through her confidence.

Her breathing stopped.

Her heart trembled.

The feeling lasted less than a second.

Then she gritted her teeth.

Hard.

Her hands tightened around the Long Sword.

The fear remained.

But so did her resolve.

"No."

Her voice was quiet.

Yet firm.

"We can still fight."

The blonde woman stepped forward.

Her eyes never left the gigantic undead dragons standing beyond the horizon.

Fear existed.

Despair existed.

But heroes were not people without fear.

Heroes were people who continued moving forward despite it.

And Videl intended to move forward.