"Haa… Haa…" She exhaled shakily.
Sarah and her four elite guards ran as fast as they could.
Two were ahead of her, while the other two made sure they maintained the same pace as their only Priestess.
She was indispensable to them, after all.
Of everyone in the Camp, no one else could use Holy Magic. Even though she was only a Level 5 Priestess (the highest attainable level was 9) her abilities were of utmost pertinence in the ongoing war.
Of course, no one could determine the Levels except through Divine Revelation and a Spell, so they still required her aid to check just how powerful she—and everyone else—was.
"Lady Sarah, how are you feeling?" One of the guards asked her as they ran.
Even though she appeared unperturbed, they all knew how draining the Hero Summoning Ritual had been for her.
In fact, it was a miracle that the entire ritual succeded.
The guards knew how many times they had previously attempted this ritual, yet it was to no avail.
It was only when the Camp was in danger of complete obliteration that they decided to try their luck once more.
Fortunately, the heavens accepted their prayers and the hero they sought emerged.
The moment they laid their eyes on the one they had summoned, the guards did not doubt his capabilities.
His mere presence gave them confidence.
Though none could place their hands on exactly what it was that inspired such confidence, there was something about the Hero—the way he looked, moved, and spoke—that made them completely at a loss for words, flustered so to speak.
Even though no one had told him about their current predicament, he understood everything perfectly.
He was so valiant that he agreed to help them immediately, saving them a lot of time.
"I heard that something is taken in exchange for using Summoning Magic—an equivalent price must be paid by the Summoning party…" One of the guards stated nervously as he looked at Sarah, their one and only Priestess.
If that was the case, then how come she was completely fine?
"The Hero didn't even ask for anything in return… such a benevolent person… he seemed to good to be true." The second guard also stared at their most valuable—scratch that, second most valuable asset—in their battle for survival.
It wasn't as though they weren't aware of the risks of Summoning Magic. At that point, they were desperate enough to try anything, so long as it meant their collective survival.
But…
… If anything happened to the Priestess, then… the only one they would be able to count on was the Hero.
"I'm fine!" Sarah blurted out exasperatedly.
The guards quickly stood at attention the moment she snapped at them. They surmised that she probably found their worried gazes annoying.
'Well, if she says it's alright, then…'
'I'm perfectly fine… But why…?' Sarah mused.
As Sarah ran, the thought clouded her head.
Even though the guards were surprised, the one who was most amazed by her current condition was none other than the Priestess herself.
A Summoning Ritual was something that required an equivalent exchange.
In essence, if they were to summon an entity as powerful as a Hero, then the repercussions had to have been severe, dire even.
Yet, nothing happened to her. This had been bothering her since she performed the ritual.
It wasn't as though she had summoned a useless dog or something. This was a Hero— a champion of the world!
Why were there no consequences?!
Suddenly, Sarah's eyes bulged as she came to her own conclusion.
She hadn't thought of this, but maybe… just maybe…
'Did he… intentionally refuse to receive anything in return?!'
It was said that the one being summoned was the one who demanded the offering that would be paid as tribute.
What if the Hero himself didn't want anything? What if he was generous enough to appear without requesting anything from them?
'T—that makes sense!' Sarah thought with increasing conviction.
Even when he was summoned, the powerful being was fully aware of their situation and didn't even ask for compensation.
Other than the requests he made, he hadn't imposed anything on them at all!
Such a kind and benevolent being was the one she had summoned!
Sarah was overcome with emotion, but she fought to remain completely calm.
After all, the Hero had given them a simple mission.
Even if they would be completely useless when he made a grand display of his powers, he had told them to assist him in their limited capacity.
"Ten minutes, no, occupy the enemies for five minutes. By then… the preparations should be ready."
That was what their champion had said.
If it was only that long, then they would try their best. They had to.
The ceremony to summon a Hero had taken much longer, so if they could only spare that long for their almighty savior… it would be well worth it.
"Hero… I'll do my best!" Sarah mumbled underneath her breath as she closed in on the incoming crisis.
"GUARK!"
>SWISH!<
"HOLD THEM DOWN!"
>BOOOOMMMM!!<
"HIYAAAA!!!"
>WHOOOSSHH!<
"GURUUUU!!!"
>FWUUUSSSHHH!<
"ROARRRR!!!"
>VWUUMM!<
"FIGHT!"
The moment they arrived at the scene, Sarah could already see quite a number of guards on the ground. Five of them were visibly dead, the rest were terribly injured.
While she couldn't do anything about those who had lost their lives, the living still had hope.
"Holy Magic: Blessing Of Life!" The Priestess poured out her Mana and made her appeal known.
Instantly, white sparks of energy surged from her and enveloped the bloodied individuals on the ground.
Like dancing fireflies, they floated around the injured ones, radiating luminous energy.
Suddenly, the sounds of pain and agony came to a halt and wounds began closing at an incredible pace.
Before long, the fallen soldiers rose to their feet, completely healed of their battle wounds.
Sarah smiled in relief, happy she could at least do something to aid those who had survived.
If she had only been a Level 8, or maybe 9, Sarah would have been able to cast [Holy Magic: Breath Of Life], to revive the dead ones, but… unfortunately, she was still not at that level yet.
Still, the Priestess was more than happy that her earlier summoning ceremony hadn't depleted any Mana she had.
Just using this Spell had consumed over half of her Mana.
She could tell by just how drained she felt.
But, if it meant that she could help even a tiny bit, It was definitely worth it.
"I'm not done!" She shouted, once again casting another Spell.
"Holy Magic: Blessing Of Power!"
This was a Buff Spell that would raise the physical abilities of her targets at least fivefold.
With that, her Mana was exhausted.
Using two incredibly strong Spells in succession had drained her, but since it was only to buy time, Sarah needed to use all she had in her capacity to help.
In her head, the clock was ticking.
"Three more minutes…"
The warriors had gotten even more powerful thanks to the buff they received.
With everyone's morale being boosted by the Hero's appearance, and their upcoming salvation, they all fought valiantly.
The Dark-skinned Demons were slowly being pushed back, albeit temporarily.
Soon, everyone would lose their spunk, and the battle would tilt back in the favor of the Demons. The Buff would not last forever.
Before then, though, the warriors gave all they had, screaming and shouting as they broke through the enemy's thick line of defense.
"Almost time. One more minute…!!!"
At this point, Sarah was counting the seconds.
Still, she didn't lose hope.
Their Hero would soon arrive.
Once he did, the battle was as good as won! At least, that was what Sarah—no, everyone—believed. To believe otherwise would hurt too much. They had to remain positive.
One minute passed.
Then two.
Then three.
It was time for the Hero's debut.
However… there was no one in sight.
"W-where is the Hero?" She asked with fear creeping up her throat.
It started as a small whisper, but this voice began spreading among the exhausted troops.
They had fought with all their strength, refusing to spare anything.
The battle had been so intense that the other Demons who had been charged with encircling the village had to come to the Northern Gate for backup.
That was how valiantly they fought.
It was all because they knew the Hero would soon arrive.
Yet, where was their champion?
Sarah looked in the direction of the tent. Her heart was beating rapidly, and tears welled up in her eyes.
'H—Hero…!!!'
At this point, shouldn't he have been running towards them? Flying would have been fine too!
Even if he was simply strolling, any sign of the Hero would have been enough to bring rest to the minds of everyone, but there was nothing.
It was as though there was no Hero. 'This cannot be happening, not now.' She thought desperately.
"N—no…" Sarah mumbled, her body trembling.
"Guarkkk!!!" Someone screamed as he fell backward.
Their formation had finally been broken and the Demons were once again gaining the upper hand.
The soldiers were already beyond tired. The Buff had worn off, and now the only thing they felt was exhaustion.
In a few minutes, the battle would be over.
The Demons would win, end of story.
Still…
… Still…
… STILL!!!
Sarah held on to a glimmer of hope. She had no choice, without hope, she was as good as dead.
She focused her gaze in the direction of the tent, using up every inch of her vocal chords to bring forth her final plea for salvation.
"HERO, PLEASE SAVE USSSSSS!!!"
Would her prayers be answered?
Would the man of the hour hear her—no, everyone's pleas?!
The answer was…
'No response…?'
"…."
And, just as everyone was about to give in to despair…
>VWWUUUUUUUSSSSSHHHHHH!!!<
A large whirlwind began swirling at the center of the Camp settlement.
It was so massive and filled with power that all combat ceased immediately.
Both Humans and Demons had no choice but to look at the massive tornado.
And then, just as the Tornado was about to become bigger, it suddenly dispersed.
No, more like it was completely negated.
"N-no way…" Many muttered.
There was only one thing that could have obliterated such a terrific phenomenon.
It had to be something even more powerful.
"It looks like I was a little late…" A loud voice boomed.
The sound was so intimidating and overwhelming that all who heard it trembled as they stared at the one who spoke.
Their eyes bulged!
Excitement rippled through the crowd.
Everyone, without exception, looked at the one who spoke with a great surge of emotion.
For the Humans, they felt relief… and complete confidence.Finally, he was here.
But, for the enemies—the Demons—there was only fear.
"… Do not worry any longer…."
The huge figure loomed, towering above the flat wasteland and sorry excuses for tents.
His height reached the very clouds, and the glorious one was majestic enough to capture everyone's attention.
"…Why?" The marvelous voice boomed.
Sparks of thunder and swirls of energy covered him.
It was as though the giant man stood amid storms.
A giant Hero, taller than the mountains, was staring at the cluster of allies and enemies. He was capable of crushing them with a single step—or leveling everyone with a single swoop.
Yet, the Hero did no such thing.
He simply smiled with absolute confidence and gave the most assuring statement to the hopeful humans.
"… Because I am here!"