BOOOOOMMMMM
Thundering noises hammered down the capital as the sky was painted black and red. Flames rose from the ground, giving life to heat and light as they devoured the surroundings like hungry beasts.
The carnival which was once filled with happiness was now shadowed by the large plumes of smoke, casting dark shadows towards the panicking crowd. Chaos. All that there was was chaos.
One boom... Two booms.. Three booms...
The more bombs exploded, the more chaotic the carnival became. There were a total of seven large explosions near the carnival, all powerful enough to erase whole villages, only leaving behind large scars on the ground.
Fortunately, no one was gravely hurt or killed in those explosions. With Grey's "Divine Eyes", they were able to determine the locations where mana was strangely built up in just a fraction of a second. He and Yuna used barrier magic to contain the explosions and direct them upwards.
"What the hell just happened?!" ［Julius］
"Is everyone alright?!" ［Elaine］
There were traces of confusion across everyone's faces as they watched the sea of black smoke cover the vast sky. The only ones who knew what was happening were Grey and Yuna.
Claaannggg
A sharp metallic noise reverberated throughout the air as a muscular figure tried to strike down a knight. Luckily, the knight's reflexes were fast enough to react and block the said attack.
Clang Clang Clang
More and more metallic sounds rang all over the carnival as more and more unruly figures showed up from who knows where. They have just been teleported inside and are already wreaking havoc.
"Hahahaha! Is this all you got?!"
"Defend the citizensー Ugh!"
Yelled a knight as he looked at his comrades, but in that short moment his guard was let down, an enemy struck his torso, making him cough involuntarily. A smile was plastered on the assaulter's face, but it was one which didn't last long.
As knights were much stronger than mere bandits and criminals on average, the knight quickly recovered and struck back the assaulter, turning his smiling face into a complete mess as the knight pummeled him down.
"Kehehehehe!"
The citizens tried to run away from danger, but what awaited them were just another rough bunch with disgusting smiles stuck on their faces. They were lying in wait, cornering many of the citizens.
"Everyone, grab your weapons and get ready for battle!" ［Julius］
"""Yes!""
Of course, Julius and company didn't just stand by and watch. The rings on their fingers shone dimly as things materialized in front of them. They were their trusty weapons which were stored in their storage rings.
As they were all children of nobility and royalty, it was only natural that they possess storage rings which are expensive for normal people. They may only be able to store a small space, but it was enough for them to store their weapons.
The knights and soldiers were greatly outnumbered, but thanks to Julius and the others' help, the playing field has become more even, or rather, the tide has completely turned with Grey and Yuna's presence.
⟨⟨Thunderpierce!⟩⟩ ［Julius］
⟨⟨Flame Burst!⟩⟩ ［Amelia］
⟨⟨Geyser!⟩⟩ ［Elise］
Colors flashed all over the carnival as magic was thrown around from place to place. Accompanied by the screams of pain and war cries, the carnival became more chaotic.
More knights and soldiers arrived with time, but more enemies were also teleported in the same place. It was because the carnival was the most crowded place in the royal capital that the most number of enemies was concentrated there.
"Kugh!"
"Ugwaak!"
Of course, it didn't matter how many enemies there were. It only takes Grey and Yuna a single strike to defeat any of them. If there weren't any civilians or other people around, they could have finished all enemies off in a single sweep.
Simultaneously, Grey casted both curse and illusion magic towards the enemies, making them confuse their allies with their enemies, effectively rendering the enemies' large number useless.
'What the heck...' ［Julius］
But even with how much chaos there was, Julius couldn't help but notice something amazing in the corner of his eyes. It was a little girl who didn't fall behind him when it came to fighting the enemies.
The little girl was none other than Eliza who, even with her small figure, didn't fight it hard fighting against full-grown adults. Rather, she used her small body to her advantage and attacked the enemies on theit blind spots.
If there was one flaw about Eliza, it was that she was not able to completely finish off her enemies, and only render them unconscious. Killing a person was still something she was not able to do. Even then, her abilities were impeccable for her age.
"Ugh..." ［Eliza］
However, despite Eliza's capabilities, the scene of people cutting down one another was still too much for her. She tried her best to not falter, yet she still felt very nauseous as she witnessed the bloody scene.
While Eliza could withstand the sight of monster and beast getting cut down, the same couldn't be said when the ones involved were people. Unlike Elise and Elaine, who has gotten used to it with the use of simulations, Eliza has not.
It took Eliza her best just to not vomit on the battlefield. If it wasn't for the constant urge to vomit that she felt, she would have already defeated more than twice the number of enemies already.
"You're wide open, you little brat!"
Swiiishhh
An enemy tried to lunge at Eliza with his sword pointing at her, but he didn't even get the chance to approach her. The very moment he pointed his sword towards the little girl, an unknown force hit it, cutting his sword to half.
The man looked up to see what caused his sword to break, only to see a delicate figure whose face was covered with a hood, holding a pair of daggers in her hands. That was the last thing he saw before his consciousness faded to black.
"Trying to harm a little girl! How despicable!" ［Yuna］
Like lightning striking down the earth, Yuna's swift kick connected towards the man's open torso, blasting him dozens of meters away and breaking all of his ribs in the process.
The man was not the only one affected by Yuna's kick, there were many others caught up by the man, experiencing the same power as they collided with one another. Thankfully, all those caught up were also enemies.
"Liz, are you okay?!" ［Yuna］
"U-Un! I just need a littleー Ugh!" ［Eliza］
"It's fine. You don't have to talk anymore. I'll take you somewhere safe where you can rest, okay?" ［Yuna］
Struggling to even stand, Eliza's legs soon gave out and her face started to turn pale. The nausea only became worse the more she stayed in the battlefield riddled with the scent of blood and death.
『Grey, I'm taking Liz to a safe place. Can you handle things over there for a quick minute? I'll come back once I'm done.』 ［Yuna］
『Yeah, just take your time. Liz's safety takes priority.』 ［Grey］
『Un, thank you!』 ［Yuna］
Without any warning, Yuna carried Eliza in her arms, princess carry style, and hopped from stall to stall as she ran away from the battle. Eliza, who she was carrying, has started to faint from seeing too much blood.
Yuna's destination was just a couple hundred meters away. She descended down the knights who were on the way to help out against the criminals, making the knights in question startled and jolted subconsciously.
"Can you take care of this child?" ［Yuna］
"P-Pardon?"
A face full of confusion was about the knight as he heard Yuna's question. Well, who wouldn't be? After all, not only did she just come out of nowhere, and now she was asking for him to take care of a fainting child. Anyone would be bewildered.
"I said, can you take care of this chiー" ［Yuna］
"Hahahaha! Dieー"
Yet another one was blasted away by another of Yuna's lightning speed kicks. It was the price the man had to pay for interrupting her words. Not to mention that one of them tried to attack Eliza not long ago. She was a little bit pissed off.
The blast of wind from her kick took off her hood, revealing her pointy ears and silver hair which it once covered. The knights didn't even need to guess. They already knew who the beautiful figure in front of them was.
There was only one elf with silver hair amongst the powerful figures the knight knew. It was the elven heroine who was amongst the six who had just been awarded the medal of honor. That figure was the one who stood in front of them.
"Please, take this child to a safe place. I'll take care of everything here." ［Yuna］
"Y-Yes, Your Highness! We'll make sure to keep her safe!"
"Then, I'll be going nー Ah, right... ⟨⟨Guard⟩⟩!" ［Yuna］
Before Yuna left Eliza to the knights' care, she quickly casted "Guard" on her. It was a barrier magic spell which coats the target's body with a strong armor-like barrier. With Yuna's strength, only those at least at B-rank can hurt Eliza.
Quickly, the knights fled from the scene, leaving Yuna to deal with the remaining enemies who have become wary after seeing one of their allies get blasted away with just a single kick.
"Fuuu... Let's start, shall we?" ［Yuna］
Cold air swallowed the silent surrounding with Yuna's words as she disappeared from the enemies' sight. The silence was only broken when painful screams echoed loudly one after another.
...
"Kugh! These damn bastards!" ［Julius］
"Julius, behind you!" ［Grey］
"Got it!" ［Julius］
Clanging sounds continued to clamor around the battlefield as the battle continued to heat up. With every passing second, a person falls towards the ground, suffering heavy wounds or even death.
Thanks to the combined effort of everyone, all the innocent citizens have been safely evacuated. All that was left inside the battlefield were knights, soldiers, criminals, and Julius' small group.
The enemies' numbers have dwindled to a tenth of what it used to be. Meanwhile, their opponents have yet to lose a single person. While there were those critically injured, Grey always healed them on time and rescued them.
Only the stronger ones amongst the enemies remained which the knights needed to pair up just to fight against. They were the leaders of their own bands who refused to go down easily.
⟨⟨Gale Waltz!⟩⟩
Having been cornered, one of the enemies blasted a fury of wind blades towards the knights. Some of the knights suffered injuries from the attacks, but all were able to survive. Unfortunately, the moment they dodged, it was now Julius who was exposed to danger.
"Haap!" ［Julius］
His life on the line, Julius struck down the blades of wind by brandishing his spear as fast as he could. Desperation combined with his skills, allowed him to cancel most of the spell flying towards him.
But Julius didn't come out unscathed. He suffered a few wounds and his clothing had completely become tattered. Especially his hood, it was torn to shreds from the spell's raw strength.
The moment Julius' face was revealed, everyone inside the battlefield became frozen. It was then that both the allies and the enemies learnt of his identity. A moment which could turn the tides of the battle completely.
"It seems like God hasn't forsaken us yet! Capture the second prince and use him as a hostage!"
"Protect His Highness!"
Two opposing responses rang out from two opposing forces as they both charged towards Julius' side. One side sought to protect him while the other sought to harm him and use him to their advantage.
The two sides clashed once again, but now for a totally different cause. The short silence when Julius' identity was revealed was no more. It is now more chaotic than before as the criminal side has become completely desperate.
The clash was fiercer than ever. With how desperate the criminals were, they didn't even think twice when sacrificing their allies for the sake of their goal. They have completely become insane.
"No! Your Highnesー"
"Hahahaha! You're mine!"
A hysterical laugh echoed throughout the battlefield, but it was a short lived one. Although the enemy's blade almost reached Julius, it was stopped by an immovable force just when it was a couple inches away.
"Hey, Grey... Wasn't that one a tad bit too close...?" ［Julius］
"Shut up. You're not the only one I have to protect." ［Grey］
"Still, it would have been dangerous if you were even a second late." ［Julius］
"And whose fault was it that you were targeted? If you had been more careful, your cover wouldn't have been blown." ［Grey］
No matter what place or what time it was, Grey and Julius always found a way to banter with one another. Meanwhile, the man who tried to strike Julius down was still struggling to remove his sword from Grey's grasp, to no avail.
The man gripped his sword tightly and tried to pull as hard as he could, but the sword would not budge even a single inch. If anything, cracks started to appear on the surface of the sword as the man tried to pull harder.
"Huff... Huff... Argghhhh!!"
Deciding to give up on the sword, the man pulled back his hands and decided to throw a fist towards Grey. Unfortunately for him, even when Grey was bantering with Julius, he did not let his guard down.
Before the man's eyes could even follow, Grey had already let go of the sword and with a little twist of his body, a punch came striking down towards the man's face, blasting him the same way Yuna's previous kicks did to his allies.
Crasshhhhhh
A loud crashing sound echoed throughout the carnival as the man hit a large tree, unconscious. At the same time, the sword Grey let go of also made a clanging sound as it hit the ground.
"Tsk! Show off." ［Julius］
"Shut up." ［Grey］
Their banter finished, Grey and Julius split ways and joined the fray once again. The morale has now become higher as the knights and soldiers knew the second prince was with them. It was thanks to Julius that Grey did not need to reveal his identity.
Not long after Grey and Julius rejoined the fight, the enemies were completely wiped out, with no casualties on the soldiers' side. All who were wounded have been healed with the power of Grey's magic.
At the same time, Yuna had also finished cleaning up the enemies on her side. Since there weren't many allies on her side, she was able to go all out and eliminate the enemies without much worry.
As for the other district of the royal capital, it was already covered by the military, Kris and Aria, and of course, Grey and Yuna's familiars. With how many high-ranker level powerhouses present, the enemies stood no chance.
"It seems like everything has been taken care of. Sorry I took too long." ［Yuna］
"No worries. It was not a number we couldn't handle. Anyway... How about Liz? Is she safe?" ［Grey］
"Un. I left her in the care of the knights. I also casted "Guard" on her body just to be sure." ［Yuna］
"I see... That's good to know..." ［Grey］
Grey heaved quite the lengthy sigh of relief at Yuna's words. His eyes then looked around the perimeter, landing towards Julius, Amelia, Elise, and Elaine who were currently resting themselves under the shade of the stalls.
No matter how he thought about it, everything that happened today was out of his expectations. While it was a unique experience, Grey didn't want to go through it again. Still, he was thankful that everyone was safe.
"Haah... Looks like we could finally take a restー" ［Grey］
BOOOMMMMMM
Grey didn't even have the chance to take a seat. Just as he was about to sit down, another explosion came ringing inside his eardrums. Although the location was quite the distance away, he could still hear the explosion loud and clear.
Everyone's attention was quickly focused at the source of the explosion. It was located in the direction of the central plaza, just several hundred meters away. It was much weaker than the ones from before, it was still a dangerous one.
"Yuna!" ［Grey］
"Un!" ［Yuna］
Hastily, Grey and Yuna equipped their weapons once again and with quick feet, they rushed away to the source, fearing something terrible might have happened. Not only for the King, they were worried about the large number of civilians who were there.
...
Countless bodies lay on the ground, lifeless. Blood was spilled all over the plaza, turning the ground red. The screams of pain and agony rang throughout the air as more and more criminals were cut down.
Although the bandits and criminals could match the soldiers just fine, the same could not be said for the knights. On average, knights were 10 times more powerful than them. It was a very large power gap.
Some of the enemies tried to target the King, but they were always barricaded by the knights. Even if one did get through, they were finished off by the King's very own spear. The King was not just a sitting duck, but a ferocious tiger as well.
'Why... Why is this happening...? Why?!! Why?!! Why?!!' ［Leader］
The leader of the remaining members of Iblis was drowning in despair as he saw his plan crumble to pieces and his allies get cut down one after another. Rage boiled inside his heart but he couldn't do anything about it. He was powerless.
He already knew that the people he gathered were powerless against the knights, but he still risked it since he had planted several bombs across the capital. It was his countermeasure to make them busy and spread more chaos.
But even the explosions did not prove useful. While they did explode, they barely caused any damage. It was as if some mysterious force was protecting the royal capital, preventing it from getting destroyed.
"Goddammit! Die! ⟨⟨Explosion⟩⟩!" ［Leader］
⟨⟨Lightning Parade!⟩⟩ ［Gustav］
BOOOMMMMMM
As two spells clashed, a resounding explosion thundered all over the city. A dark grayish plume rose towards the sky, leaving behind only small fire particles which also soon returned to nothingness.
The leader struggled more and more, but even in his desperate attempts, he stood no chance against Gustav and the knights. With the passing of time, all of his remaining comrades have been slain by the knights' swords and spears. Not a single one remained.
Without resistance, as his energy and passion was burnt out, the leader slumped towards the ground as despair crawled inside his heart like a plague. He has no more will to fight, nor does he have the energy to do so.
Because of the previous explosions, all the most powerful figures in the capital have gathered. Rage and hatred burned inside the leader's eyes as he looked at the people who brought ruin to their organization. That was all he could do and all that he did.
"It's overー" ［Gustav］
Khhiieeeekkkkkkkkk
Gustav raised his sword towards the air, ready to behead the man before him, but before he could even swing his sword, a loud ear-rupturing shriek echoed madly throughout the whole capital, preventing him from doing so.
Instinctively, everyone present looked towards the sky. What they saw were black dots slowly growing larger and larger as they approached the capital closer. Soon enough, everyone's mouth hung open in agape as they witnessed an unbelievable scene unfold before them.
CHAPTER 108 END