The Tide Begins to Turn

"What did you say...?"

"If you really want to save as many as possible, I need you to stay here and prepare yourself. Sir Max is too old and can no longer exert as much strength as before, and without Victor or Isabella around no one aside from you and Lane could handle those things over there."

Clara slowly raised her hand and pointed beyond the endless battlefield.

Far in the distance...

Two colossal undead dragons rested upon a barren hill like patient kings waiting for their moment to descend. Their enormous skeletal bodies were wrapped in black mist. Every breath escaping their jaws carried chilling cemetery-cold mana that froze the surrounding grass.

Neither had moved.

Neither needed to.

Their empty eye sockets overlooked the battlefield as though the massacre unfolding below was nothing more than entertainment.

Videl felt her heart sink.

If creatures like those entered the battle...

The defenders would have no chance.

"If you go in now and waste your strength when the crucial moment comes and you fail, not just us—everyone in this town will die. Do you want that to happen?!"

Silence.

Only the distant sounds of battle remained.

Videl slowly lowered her head.

Blood trickled from the corner of her lips as she bit down so hard that she broke the skin. Her entire body trembled with helplessness.

If only...

If only I was stronger...

The thought repeated endlessly inside her mind.

If she possessed Victor’s strength...

If she had trained harder...

If she had been powerful enough...

None of this would have happened.

For the first time in years, she truly understood the cruel law of this world.

Compassion alone could not protect anyone.

Only strength could.

Her nails dug into her palms until blood stained her fingers, but she endured the pain without making a sound.

Beside her, Lane remained completely still.

Unlike Videl, her expression never changed. Her calm black eyes quietly observed every movement across the battlefield.

She wasn’t heartless.

She was waiting.

Waiting for the exact moment when her strength would matter most.

One careless decision now could doom everyone inside Fantom City.

Seeing Videl quiet down, Clara released a quiet sigh before turning back toward the battlefield.

The initial charge had become a nightmare.

Most of the volunteer footmen who had rushed out earlier now lay scattered across the blood-soaked plain.

Broken spears.

Splintered shields.

Abandoned swords.

The corpses of ordinary people who had taken up arms for their families covered the ground.

Yet a few dozen defenders still fought desperately.

They stood back-to-back, refusing to abandon one another despite being surrounded on every side.

Some could barely lift their weapons anymore.

Others fought with shattered shields or blood-soaked hands.

Every second they remained alive bought precious time for the city.

On another section of the wall, Sir Max watched the battle unfold.

His weathered face remained calm, but his clenched jaw betrayed his thoughts.

"This is worse than I expected..."

The old knight had witnessed countless battles throughout his life.

None had resembled this.

Against living enemies, fear eventually appeared.

Fatigue weakened their swords.

Pain slowed their movements.

The undead knew none of those things.

They simply continued walking.

Step after relentless step.

As Clara and Max considered their next move, a powerful voice suddenly shattered the heavy silence.

"I can’t take it anymore! I need to release this feeling that’s burning within me!"

Before anyone could react, Ruby vaulted over the city wall.

Her scarlet hair fluttered wildly behind her as golden-red mana erupted around her body.

A magnificent halberd materialized in her grasp with a burst of radiant light.

Without hesitation...

She charged.

The skeletal warriors turned toward the lone woman racing across the battlefield.

Ruby’s lips curved into a fearless smile.

She planted one foot firmly against the ground before spinning.

Her halberd swept outward like a crimson storm.

Three skeletal warriors were torn apart instantly.

Fragments of bone scattered across the battlefield.

She never slowed.

Her weapon danced with astonishing precision.

The blade slashed upward, cleaving another skeleton in half before reversing direction and smashing the shaft across another’s skull.

Every movement flowed naturally into the next.

Graceful.

Efficient.

Deadly.

Dark mana surged toward her from the surrounding undead.

Ruby answered by raising one hand.

Golden light burst from the holy crest upon her arm.

Several radiant spears formed overhead before descending like falling stars.

Boom!

The explosion of divine magic engulfed dozens of skeletal warriors.

Bones flew through the air while corrupted mana evaporated beneath the sacred light.

The undead immediately rushed toward the new threat.

Instead of retreating...

Ruby laughed.

As she smashed her way through the enemy ranks she shouted at the undead.

"I Ruby Hvanttar the holy maiden of the Dragon War Goddess Kia, shall grant you a glorious battle!"

Her booming declaration echoed across the battlefield.

More skeletons flooded toward her.

She thrust her halberd forward, piercing one warrior before using its body to sweep another off its feet.

The blade flashed repeatedly.

Heads rolled.

Shields shattered.

Holy light exploded every time her weapon struck, blasting back groups of undead that tried to surround her.

From the city walls, even the exhausted defenders stared in disbelief.

For a brief moment...

The seemingly unstoppable tide had halted.

Sir Max immediately recognized the opportunity.

Seeing Ruby carve a path through the center of the enemy formation and draw countless undead toward herself, he understood exactly what needed to be done.

He raised his sword.

"Knights! Move!"

The city gates opened just enough for the mounted knights to surge forward.

They slammed into the enemy’s exposed left flank.

Lances pierced skeletal warriors before swords finished those still standing.

At almost the same moment, Clara narrowed her eyes.

"Adventurers! Right flank! Now!"

The adventurers answered without hesitation.

Veteran fighters rushed from the opposite side, crashing into the undead formation while its attention remained fixed on Ruby.

Although none of them had planned this attack beforehand...

Everything aligned perfectly.

The undead formation collapsed between three separate assaults.

Skeletal warriors fell one after another beneath coordinated attacks.

For the first time since the battle began...

The defenders pushed the enemy backward.

Ruby continued charging deeper and deeper into the battlefield.

The thrill of battle burned brightly within her.

She spun her halberd again, destroying another cluster of undead with a burst of radiant mana.

Only after the last skeleton before her crumbled did she finally notice something.

She had gone too far.

The gap behind her had already closed.

Thousands of undead now stood between her and Fantom City’s walls.

Even Ruby couldn’t break through alone.

Instead of fear...

A bright smile appeared on her face.

"So this is what a real battlefield feels like..."

Then—

A chain suddenly shot through the battlefield like a silver serpent.

It wrapped securely around Ruby’s waist.

"What—?"

Before she could react, the chain violently pulled her backward.

Skeletons lunged where she had been standing only a heartbeat earlier.

Ruby flew across the battlefield as the chain dragged her out of the encirclement.

Standing atop the city wall, Natalia gritted her teeth while pulling with all her strength.

"I swear... you’re the most reckless woman I’ve ever met!"

Despite finding Ruby impossible to deal with, Natalia had never intended to leave her to die.

The chain continued retracting until Ruby safely landed near the walls.

Sir Max’s knights and Clara’s adventurers immediately began their orderly withdrawal after the successful strike, cutting down pursuing undead before retreating through the city gates.

The knights and adventurers retreated back into the fortress after that successful attack.