Meanwhile, during the encounter at the Southern Forest, these ominous, vicious shadows appeared. Their eyes glow in scarlet as they emerge from the darkness.
An overwhelming wave of Shadow enveloped the Temple grounds. Their growls and screeching broke the cold, solemn night.
Captain Jairu, Gwyddien, and the fifteen guards are in their designated positions. They steeled their hearts as the terrifying scene unfolds before them.
Gwyddien is in command as he positions himself in the rooftop. He immediately casts a support spell to protect his comrades.
His powerful earth elemental Guardian Spirit appears beside him. She awaits her Master's command as she observes the situation.
Poison Ivy is a beautiful, floral spirit under Gwyddien. She is well skilled in magic and an expert handling a whip.
Ivy has lime green skin and scarlet, wavy hair. She has captivating almond-shaped, obsidian eyes and plump red lips that can captivate her anyone.
She is a seductress who can poison anybody with her touch and a kiss. She is tall and slender as she floats beside her Master.
Gwyddien took a long time for this fiery lass to submit. She is very reliable, confident, and strong-willed.
Meanwhile, the men securing the grounds defended their posts from the aggressive intruders. There are only fifteen men aside from Captain Jairu, but their prowess should never be underestimated.
They can cast magic arts and wield their weapons with efficiency. They are all gallant, reliable, and powerful men who diligently protect these grounds for ages.
On the other hand, Lumina has curled herself on a hedge. She observes everyone lazily as she yawns.
Gwyddien witnesses her unbelievable display. He can't believe Little Eu entrusted his safety with this cuddle creature.
"Master." Ivy said, breaking his train of thoughts.
He shrugged at Lumina's nonchalance and decided to get serious handling the matters beforehand. He let his spirit guardian join the elite guards to defend the temple grounds.
Ivy is please as she enters the battlefield. She has been idling around the temple doing menial tasks, and it bores her.
Having some piece of the action spices up things and hones one's skills from time to time. Ivy descended as she summons her spiky, poisonous whip and enters the battlefield.
Her red robe gently flutters as she descends. Her precision is simply spectacular as she eradicates a group of shadows charging to her location.
She has a satisfied and seductive smile the entire time. Ivy is obviously enjoying herself.
Gwyddien waves his wand while he supports everyone and targets those on their blindspots. His eyes gleam as he easily defeats the shadows.
"I am invincible!" Gwyd said followed by a sinister laugh.
Lumina can't believe this young man was reluctant to take the job earlier. He is obviously in high spirits and enjoying himself.
"You seem overjoyed dealing with these abominations, Gwyd. I thought you said you are a pacifist. Look at yourself. You evolve to a sinister devil witch. Your Mistress would be proud." Lumina chuckles in amusement.
For a short while, he froze from Lumina's words as he recalls the incident earlier. He has continuously been degrading himself and his capabilities.
He was mentored by the Divine Witch Circe and Little Eu, who both praised his exceptional improvements. He didn't believe them until that moment.
He always thought they are just saying it to uplift his spirits and not give up on his dreams.
Despite his hang-ups, Eu and the Divine Witch are very supportive. There was never a day they didn't to encourage and believe in him.
Today, he has proven himself that they are right all along. He is not just a nobody who has mediocre abilities. He is Gwyddien, and he is a gifted witch.
His chocolate, hazel eyes gleam at the realization. He is indeed someone more than meets the eye.
"You flatter me, Lumina. You are just jealous. Your Mistress has chosen a very gifted apprentice." he refuted confidently.
He cast another spell to heal his comrades, depleted magical essence, and reinforced the barriers. Despite this, the Shadows continue to come in waves.
Eu ensured that her barrier would only allow them to enter at this point. It is better than restricting them completely and breached it from all directions. This will give them better control of the situation.
"Don't be full of yourself, Little Witch. I am pretty sure my apprentice will able to defeat you even with his eyes close. No offense." Lumina chuckles nonchalantly.
She stood up as she stretches her body to throw herself into the fray. She is now well-rested, and its time for her grand entrance.
Lumina jumped from the hedge, and a bright, warm light basked the premises. Everyone saw the Majestic beast takes form and emerges in shimmering radiance.
Her light is calming and has a healing effect. It washed away their tiredness and rejuvenated them.
Her golden antlers sparkle with her matching hooves and her pure white body. Her wings create a powerful gust of wind pushing back and disintegrating the Shadows close by.
Despite knowing she is someone not to be underestimated, Ivy can't help rolling her eyes at Lumina's arrival. Her eyes have a glint of jealousy while everyone's attention is withdrawn from her.
"Show off!" Ivy mumbles.
Lumina cast a pleased smile as she responded via telepathy.
'Don't be jealous. You had your moment.' she chuckles.
The seemingly futile struggle continues to drag. The Shadows continue to overwhelm Jairu's group with their great numbers, and their assault is not slowing down.
It's normal that everyone is starting to feel exhaustion despite Gwyddien's efforts to heal them. He, himself is feeling the toll on his body after all.
Unexpectedly, Di'Anon and his group finally arrive. The five newcomers came out from nowhere and assisted the weary men.
"Rest for a while, Jairu." Di'Anon advised.
"Don't worry. I can still fight." Captain Jairu responded smugly.
He waves his cleaver sword effortlessly to show off he is not done fighting the relentless beasts. The wave of fiery attack obliterated the line of shadows approaching them.
Di'Anon nods as he let him do as he wishes. He knows that everyone must be reaching their limits, but who could comfortably rest in this situation?
Meanwhile, Gwyddien started laughing as he saw the reinforcements. He feels waves of relief upon seeing Di'Anon and the others arrive at the scene.
It brings new waves of hope for him as he cast another set of enchantments to support everyone. His shrieky laugh resonates and mixed with eerie growls of the Shadows.
"I assume that is Gwyddien...? Is he always like that...?" Canon curiously asked.
"I suppose the correct question is, what happened to him." Eirwen responded.
Looking back, Gwyddien is timid and cowardly. Who would assume he has this sinister side of him? He is obviously enjoying the battlefield.
"How long has he been there...?" Seig asked.
He is surprised how well Gwyddien is holding up and his performance in the field. He is like a totally different person.
"Witch Gwyddien is there since the beginning. His supportive magic has been very helpful." one of the guards responded.
"Yes. He almost cried when the Captain dragged him to the assembly hall. I never thought he could be reliable. As a matter of fact, I am quite impressed." one chime in.
Everyone nods in agreement. This young Witch will surely come along way with his given skills. He might not realize it yet, but he will surely be someone not to be underestimated.
Then again, they expect no less knowing he is Little Eu's apprentice.
Ivy hides her smugly smile from everyone's outstanding feedback. She is confident with Gwyddien's abilities and his determination to surpass himself.
He might need a little work of his self-esteem. Then again, that will give her the opportunity to whip him out of his shell too.
'Of course, he is simply exemplar! I won't accept someone less to be my Master.' she thought.
While everyone is busy fending off against this sea of these atrocities, a watchful eye carefully observes them. He is quite satisfied with how things are unfolding as his crystal blue eyes shimmer in contentment.
There are only twenty men in Limes Temple, a witch apprentice, a majestic beast, and a Spirit Guardian, yet they are displaying such a remarkable feat. One would assume there are more pushing these endless hostiles back.
Even Captain Jairu doubted Eu's decision to let them handle this matter. Now, using the other group sounds overkill.
Then again, he wonders, what is the situation on the other side? What is so important in there that Eu lured the Divine Lord to Southern Forest?
Meanwhile, the battle in the Southern Forest has finally ended. The Divine Lord secured the Shadow, who instigate this incident.
The Shadow is not as mindless as the rest. He is on his knees as he awaits his impending doom.
His fiery red eyes look around to give them one last look. Even though he wasn't able to kill the Master's sibling, he is still contented on his achievements.
"Do you really believe you have won? Guess again, you didn't…" he revealed.
He let out a sinister laugh before turning into ashes and disappearing into the darkness.
Cold tingling sensation trickle on everyone's spines. They look at the direction of Limes Temple and witness the terrifying darkness enveloping it.
What is happening...?
They didn't notice the terrifying event in Limes Temple while they control the situation. It was indeed a surprise how everything unfolded on their end.
Meanwhile, the Divine Lord Foeni's hand shiver at the dread sight. He is stunned, speechless, and blank.
"My Lord, please go ahead. We will handle matters here." Vice-Captain Mineaus suggested.
He doesn't want to detain the worried Lord knowing the person he values most might be in danger. He wants to be considerate.
The Divine Lord snaps from his trance as he nods. Haru volunteers to accompany him back to ensure his safety.
'Please be safe...'