Flying night demons with bat wings and claws let out piercing shrieks as they charged toward the city lights.
Huge swamp colossi, formed of sludge and bones, crashed heavily from the sky, their thunderous landings blending instantly with the screams of civilians.
Countless shadows, agile and sharp-jointed Predators, rained down like droplets, swiftly crawling across the walls in search of any living prey.
Before the alarm could even sound, the massacre had already begun.
“No…”
A young magic girl stared at the apocalyptic scene before her, despair in her voice, the Magic Staff in her hand nearly slipping from her grasp.
“How could this be… inside the royal city…”
Panic spread like a plague within the encircled area.
They were the elite of Arslan, battle-hardened warriors, but their battlegrounds had always been the border fortresses and the Wasteland Battlefield.
Protecting civilians was their sacred duty—yet now, those they protected stood exposed and fragile beneath the fangs of monsters.
In the silence, Farushil’s voice struck like a hammer shattering the ice, clear and resolute.
“Quick! Evacuate the citizens!”
Her voice cut through the chaos, her calm forming an invisible shield that barely steadied the terror-shaken hearts of the magic girls.
“Eileen! Take a squad, organize a defense line from the east city gate, and guide the civilians to retreat! The rest, form squads and clear the Bonewing Night Demons on the streets to buy time for the people! Don’t linger in battle—focus on rescue!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Eileen’s face was drained of color, but Farushil’s steady command brought her focus back.
She knew—any hesitation or fear now would be fatal.
Quickly, she called out the names of several girls.
Magical lights of various colors flared as they formed a defensive formation and charged without hesitation toward the most chaotic streets.
The other magic girls sprang into action as well.
They no longer looked up at the two terrifying, god-like figures battling above but turned their attention to the threats closest at hand.
Icicles, fireballs, and wind blades crisscrossed above the streets, striking the diving Bonewing Night Demons with precision, clearing desperate paths of survival for fleeing civilians.
On the rooftop, only Farushil and [Shadowfang Warbreaker] remained.
Zehril watched with interest, smiling as if unconcerned by the magic girls rushing to the rescue.
His gaze never left Farushil from start to finish.
Then, he slowly raised a hand—across the roaring monsters and the burning city—and gave Farushil a flawless, elegant military salute.
That salute.
It was like a key unlocking a sealed memory.
In an instant, Farushil’s world lost all color, leaving only the ashes of black and white.
The roar of monsters and the collapse of buildings faded from her ears, replaced by sounds from another battlefield—the muddy slog through the swamps, the dying gasps of comrades, the muffled tearing of flesh by claws.
That time…
That time she and Eileen led a magic girl squad deep into the forbidden domain of the Demon Realm, passing four supply points on their retreat yet finding nothing.
Farushil led the exhausted, magic-drained girls to slay the Brood King, only to be surrounded by Zehril’s monsters.
Trapped and cornered, reason told her the only right answer was to abandon everyone and break out alone—perhaps gaining a slim chance at survival.
Just as General Zhao Baiyu, ancestor of Yingyue, once brought back the secret of the kingdom’s rise and fall alone.
But when she shared this with Eileen and the others, she saw no resentment in those destined to be abandoned—only genuine joy.
Their leader, their totem, could buy a chance at survival through their sacrifice.
If not for the players’ timely aid in the end, that day would have been the burial day for Eileen and her team.
Eileen and the others survived… but I did not.
Farushil thought.
For so long, I’ve been tormented by guilt for that instant of hesitation—the guilt of a deserter that still burns my soul.
This time, the citizens of the royal city are behind me.
This time, there is no retreat.
Zehril…
It’s time to settle accounts.
—
“Protect the people!!”
Eileen screamed hoarsely.
She swung her Magic Staff, a barrier of light barely holding back several low-level monsters.
But under the relentless assault, the barrier trembled and its glow quickly faded.
The other magic girls were already locked in bitter combat.
In groups of three or five, they formed small defensive formations, using magic bullets, ice spears, and flames to desperately clear monsters near the evacuating crowds.
Yet there were simply too many monsters, endless and overwhelming, as if all the filth of the forbidden Demon Realm had poured into the prosperous royal city.
No…
At this rate, everyone will die.
The evacuation was too slow, the monsters unending.
With only a few dozen magic girls, it was impossible to both defend everyone and hold back a beast tide of this scale.
I have to think of a way…
Something that can disrupt the battlefield instantly and buy time for the evacuation.
Farushil’s gaze pierced through the endless monsters below and landed on a brilliantly lit, ornate building—the Golden Iris Hotel.
Inside, panicked nobles and diners scattered like headless flies, and that fat figure—Finance Minister Bartow—was being hustled toward the back door by guards.
Heh…
Another insane plan rapidly took shape in her mind.
At this moment, only greater madness could carve a path through overwhelming despair.
“Such a grand scene… what a pity [Bunny] isn’t here.”
[Shadowfang Warbreaker] muttered beside her.
“If she were, maybe she’d have a chance against these summoned beasts…”
Ah…
He still didn’t know that [Bunny] was already…
She’d have to explain later!
Farushil whirled toward [Shadowfang Warbreaker].
“Don’t you like thrilling missions?”
Her voice was low, but her ice-blue eyes burned with determination.
“Now, I’m giving you a task worthy of bragging for a lifetime.”
“Do you want me to go up and twist off that pretentious tuxedo guy’s head? Sounds like a pretty lucrative quest.”
“No time for jokes.”
Farushil’s face was deathly pale from blood loss, but her eyes blazed like twin flames of icy ghostfire.
“I need you to do something.
Immediately.
Right now.”
“See that hotel?”
……
Zehril watched Farushil and the player whisper with interest, making no move to stop them.
In his eyes, unless they blew up half the royal city, Farushil’s tiny force stood no chance.
As Farushil finished her instructions, the smile on [Shadowfang Warbreaker]’s face froze, replaced by shock and disbelief.
“Damn…”
He couldn’t help but curse, but excitement flashed in his eyes.
“Are you serious?
This…
This is the wildest storyline I’ve ever played in any game!”
Rather than being afraid, he was ignited by the sheer audacity of the plan.
This was the game experience he craved—chaos, thrill, and the unpredictable!
Farushil’s gaze stabbed at him like a blade.
“Can you do it?”
“Ha! What can’t a player do?”
Jiang You laughed loudly.
He sheathed his twin blades, his presence instantly sharpening to a deadly edge.
“How could I miss out on such an epic event?
Wait for it, Blessed One—three minutes… no, five minutes!
I’ll make sure this party gets even livelier!”
Before the words had faded, his figure blurred into a shadow, leaping from the rooftop and vanishing into the chaos below.
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