Chapter 712
Episode 180: Each One’s Battle (Part 2)
Flash!
Every time Yulian’s brainbow Harmeela fired an arrow, a fruit from the giant beast would fall without fail. Valkas snatched the fruit midair and safely sent it to the gathering point.
Unlike the fruits that had fallen to the ground earlier, most of the prisoners trapped inside these freshly caught fruits were still alive.
The rescue pace was picking up. Enya freed the prisoners who arrived still encased in the fruits, while those who managed to walk on their own staggered behind Hedo’s back and collapsed to the ground.
Relief washed over the prisoners—most of them were alive—but it was only temporary.
“Ahhhhhh…!”
“My arm! My arm!”
“Mage, my daughter is still inside the castle! Please… please save her! Please!”
Fear consumed the humans, making them nearly impossible to control.
Some had family still trapped somewhere inside those fruits. Others screamed in pain, unable to hold back their cries. Some lost their minds and tried to break formation for no reason. Others clung to Enya, begging for help. A few even leaned recklessly against Kwal’s machinery…
Wails, groans, and screams filled the air.
With every new prisoner rescued, the gathering point guarded by Hedo descended further into chaos.
Too many had already lost family, been maimed, or were drowning in grief.
A few who still had their wits about them tried to calm the others, but if this continued, it would soon interfere with Valeria and Kwal’s analysis.
Enya was an exceptional mage. Her comrades had left her at the prisoner gathering point because her magic specialized in defense.
But Enya was also too kind-hearted. She lacked the cold ruthlessness needed to control people by harsh means in such a dire situation.
Normally, Hedo, Valeria, or Kwal would have taken on that role, but all three were so focused they couldn’t spare a thought for the prisoners.
“Stay still! Everyone, keep formation! If you don’t follow orders now, it will be difficult to help you!”
Enya shouted, but few prisoners listened.
Some even yelled back at her, questioning the point of it all.
‘I can’t afford to lose control. No matter how pitiful the prisoners are, if I can’t maintain order now, our side will be in danger. If Lord Hedo has to step in instead of me, the comrades and other prisoners being rescued without his protection could die!’
Gritting her teeth, Enya raised her staff and summoned magic to subdue those trying to break free. No matter how cruel, she had to use force.
Her staff trembled slightly. Pointing it at prisoners instead of the chaotic army was something she hadn’t expected.
“If you keep causing trouble, I have no choice. Return to formation immediately. This is your final warning.”
“Go ahead, kill me! Who asked you to save me? I’ve already lost my entire family. I have no reason to live, so I might as well—ugh!”
Suddenly, a prisoner collapsed, and Enya’s eyes widened.
She had intended to subdue them, but she hadn’t been the one to bring that person down.
Someone else had used magic before her.
“You ungrateful bastards, don’t you know how to be thankful?”
He was a prisoner who had just arrived at the gathering point—and someone with a complicated history with Enya.
“I’m Pascal Chip, a magic officer of the Imperial Guard. From now on, anyone who disobeys orders will be dealt with under military law. Do you think it’s a joke that people risked their lives to storm this hell to rescue strangers? Do you really want me to point my staff at you instead of the enemy?”
“Pascal…!?”
Pascal Chip—the former leader of the group of cadets who had bullied Enya at Biment Academy.
After the dark magic cult purge operation that Jin had led as a trainee, Pascal had changed completely. He became a respected officer in the Imperial Guard. During the Defus invasion, he protected civilians as a guard but was captured. Now rescued, he was determined to fulfill his duty.
—Someday… I will repay this debt…
Those were Pascal’s words after the dark magic cult was eradicated.
“Since that day, I promised to repay the favor somehow. I never imagined I’d be able to help now. There are Imperial Guards among the prisoners being rescued, so I will help control them alongside my men. Captain Tikan, please focus on your work.”
As Chip subdued a few more unruly prisoners, the chaos quickly subsided.
Enya could have achieved the same result, but it would have left her mentally shaken.
She nodded.
“Understood, Sir Pascal. I’ll leave it to you.”
Thus, the turmoil at the prisoner gathering point was brought under control.
Enya threw herself back into rear defense, and Hedo, briefly glancing at the disturbance behind him, swung his sword without hesitation.
Though the sun was hidden behind the haze, the time had passed six in the morning.
Three hours into the rescue operation, nearly three thousand prisoners had gathered at the point.
Compared to the estimated hundred thousand, it was a drop in the ocean—but still, a significant number of lives.
Now, the prisoners tended to the wounded and gathered the bodies of those who had succumbed.
Fortunately, no serious casualties had yet come from the Balmere Alliance.
Most were lightly injured but still running across the field, snatching fruits from the giant beasts.
Still, their stamina was not without limits. After hours in this hellish battlefield, exhaustion was inevitable.
The ones most drained were Hedo and Mary. Sweat pooled around Hedo’s feet, and Mary was gasping heavily, repeatedly pushed back as she neared Ricalton Castle.
“Huff… huff…”
Mary hadn’t yet breached the castle because the giant beasts focused their attacks on her whenever she got close.
Thanks to that, the beasts couldn’t advance as they wished, easing some pressure on Hedo. So it wasn’t a fruitless effort.
“Sis!”
Daytona leapt forward, swinging his greatsword.
A giant beast’s fist aimed at Mary was deflected, and in that moment, Daytona knocked away a rock hurled behind her.
“Are you alright?”
“Damn these bastards! Stop worrying about me and go save the prisoners! Did you really think I couldn’t handle this?”
“Sis, you’re exhausted.”
“If you keep pushing alone until you’re drained, you won’t be able to handle what happens inside Ricalton Castle. Besides, this is the area Daytona and I are responsible for. As you can see… there are no survivors here anymore.”
Mary was so overwhelmed she hadn’t even realized she’d been pushed back to the exact zone the Tona brothers covered.
“Damn it.”
“We’ll provide cover at least near the outer walls. There are prisoners there too, and we were about to move.”
“We’re not saying we’ll enter Ricalton Castle with you. As much as we want to, that’s not our role. Please allow us this.”
Mary met their eyes.
Looking into their determined, steady gazes, she could hardly believe these were the Tona brothers.
“…I thought you were idiots, but you’re finally acting like men.”
“Thanks to you and the youngest sister.”
“I’m trying to be a bit more reliable, like you said last time.”
Though clumsy, Mary recalled that even before Jin returned, when she and Defus resisted Rosa, the Tona brothers had been there.
Maybe they’d been dependable younger brothers all along. No, she was sure of it now.
“Alright, I’ll count on you a little. Can you make sure I don’t have to clear your corpses from my path?”
“Of course, sis.”
“Let’s go!”
As they pushed forward again, Mary felt the path open far more easily than before.
“Get lost, you monsters! The madwoman of the southern continent and the hellspawn are coming through!”
“Ha ha ha! Get lost, get lost!”
“Crazy bastards…”
The giant beasts, used to focusing solely on Mary, were losing their rhythm.
Within just twenty minutes, the siblings reached near the outer walls.
Mary managed to conserve some stamina, and the Tona brothers still had enough energy to retreat the way they came if needed.
“This should be enough. My rant was trash, but you’ve gotten a lot stronger.”
“Huff, huff! Thank you!”
“Now go back. I’ll move alone from here. I’m not being pushed back anymore and can get inside. Most of the giant beasts are dealt with.”
“Huff, sis!”
“What is it?”
“Good luck…”
As the Tona brothers grabbed Mary’s hands and bowed, Mary suddenly raised a dagger and scanned the surroundings.
She sensed a killing intent—different from the giant beasts—a clear, distinct hatred.
When the brothers spotted the source, their faces twisted in shock.
“T-They’re here? The ones we swore to tear apart?”
“They were supposedly pulverized during the Garden of Swords assault, but they’ve come back to life!?”
Mew and Anne.
They were watching the three siblings from the outer walls.
[Ah, really. A scene you can’t watch without tears. Wishing them luck? Since when were you two so friendly?]
[Hey, I’m a 7th class. You used to be so arrogant, but have you fallen so far you need those losers’ help? I almost feel sorry enough to kill you myself.]
The siblings glared back at Mew and Anne without a word.
“If you’re going to die, at least be buried decently. What are you, cockroaches? I don’t get why there are so many bugs coming back to life these days. But now that I think about it, it’s only right that we finish you off ourselves. Come down here, let’s settle this once and for all. This time, you won’t be getting away.”
“Looks like today’s the day we end this long, bitter grudge. All the abuse, humiliation, and disgrace you’ve thrown at us—today, we’re paying it all back with interest, you bastards!”
While Mew and Ann sneered at the Tona brothers’ words, Heitona quietly whispered to Mary.
“Sis, we’ll handle those guys. You take this chance to get inside.”
“They’re way out of your league right now. You barely have the strength to make it back.”
“No, sis. Running won’t solve anything. Besides, we’ve got a trump card too. We’re not planning to die in your place, so go on—get moving. Even if we get pushed back, Heitona and I just need to hold out until our temporary allies arrive. Good luck!”
Though they’d never planned this in advance, the Tona brothers were already leaping toward Mew and Ann before Mary could even think twice.