"How much longer!?" shouted Reyn, who had run out of arrows and was trying to pick up arrows embedded in the bodies of the knights while dodging attacks. Rako protected him from behind, casting spells at the Homas, resulting in a significant number of the vehicles' wreckages around them. However, thanks to this, the knights found it more difficult to approach, especially with Rako and the elves continuously using ranged attacks.
Glok struggled to hold the front line, facing those who managed to avoid death only to open the door and find him as his large sword split them apart. Glok didn't hold back at all, exerting everything he had, as if he were using the Berserker skill. Unfortunately, the skill could only be used for five minutes. Not to mention Glok's remaining mana was running low, he could only rely on ordinary attacks to save his remaining mana for emergencies.
The golden magic circle under Teena shone ever brighter, golden mana particles forming there, slowly rising to create a long stream of mana gathering not far above. Magic incantations continued to flow from her mouth until sweat drenched her body due to the full concentration she was giving. Otherwise, this spell would fail, and they would all be hit by the resulting explosion. They couldn't let that happen, or Teena would be in great danger.
"I'm out of arrows!" shouted one of the elf soldiers.
"Use whatever you find! Don't let them disrupt Teena's concentration!" shouted Reyn as he ran to the back to grab the three rifles from earlier. He hoped Copperhaven hadn't placed magic seals on the weapons or they would lose their chance to fight back.
Once he got them, he didn't forget to take three leather pouches belonging to the rifle knights, then he hurried back, giving the three rifles to the two elves who had run out of arrows and keeping one for himself. He aimed it at the approaching Homa, sighting with his right eye while exhaling slowly. He pulled the trigger, creating a thunderous sound from the magic explosion that produced a bluish muzzle flash. A condensed mana shot was fired, feeling so dense with sparks of electricity starting to emanate. The projectile sped quickly toward its target, and just as it was in front of the driver's face, an explosion occurred, hitting two Homas passing by, causing them to crash forward into the kingdom's wall.
Smoke hissed from the rifle's barrel. Reyn examined it, checked the leather pouch, and found bright blue spheres. He fiddled with the weapon, trying to figure out how to reload, then accidentally discovered it while dodging shots. A compartment on the right side of the rifle opened, the same size as the ammunition he found. Reyn inserted one and the compartment closed automatically. At that moment, he grinned while watching the approaching Homas
Once the smoke ceased, he pulled the trigger again, and another explosion sent several Homas falling. Glok turned to Reyn, surprised to find him holding one of Copperhaven's strange weapons.
"What is that?" Glok asked curiously.
"Their new weapon. Copperhaven was foolish enough not to use magic seals on these. We can use them to fight back now," replied Reyn, looking very excited. Compared to his arrows, this weapon was truly incredible and incomparable.
Glok stared at it for a moment, feeling a bit uneasy about the foreign weapon. He didn't understand why, but he sensed that Copperhaven had some plan involving them, something that made his heart feel uneasy.
However, the sound of Homas engines brought them back to focus. The large airship was still ahead, with Ailord nowhere in sight. Reyn had sent some elf soldiers to help him deal with Copperhaven's knights and their vice captain. But after the two disappeared inside a house, they were no longer seen, and it had been a minute since then.
Glok wanted to go there, to check if Ailord was alright. Nothing should be able to harm Ailord, but he remembered the damaged part of his lower left rib. If even one attack hit that area, Ailord could die, especially with Death's Touch still trying to spread.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise from behind. They looked back and saw the house where Ailord and the vice captain were had been destroyed. Glok shouted his name but couldn't go because several Copperhaven knights appeared in front of him. He clicked his tongue in frustration, using a skill to slice them in two with one swing. He could feel his body weakening, his mana nearly depleted. If he used that skill one more time, his mana would be completely exhausted, putting him in grave danger. His wounds from using Berserker hadn't healed yet, and coupled with mana depletion, it was certain he would die.
"Ailord is out!" shouted Rako.
Glok turned to see Ailord walking out, carrying the vice captain, making him wonder why he was doing that. The girl wasn't a citizen of the kingdom to be saved but rather the enemy's vice captain who should be killed or left to die. Taking her hostage was pointless because she would just kill herself according to Copperhaven's teachings, where their lives belonged to Copperhaven and were used solely for its future. A twisted doctrine, but one that had made them the most feared rulers.
Ailord looked at the beautiful face. She slightly opened her eyes, blinking with a smile that disappeared as soon as the Copperhaven knights approached. They raised their swords, ready to strike, with mana glowing brightly on their blades.
"If you dare harm her, we'll make sure you die!" shouted one of them.
"Harm her? She's already dying. If you are even a little late, she would have lost her life," replied Ailord.
"He can actually speak," muttered another knight, who immediately received a kick.
The knight in front cleared his throat, stepped forward, and sheathed his sword. "Hand her over to us, and we will retreat," he requested.
Ailord's eyebrows raised; he hadn't expected Copperhaven to soften because of him. It seemed she was more important than he had thought. "Oh? Doesn't Copperhaven disregard the lives of its soldiers?" Ailord sneered and handed her over to the knight. "Go, if you're still here in the next 15 seconds, I'll kill you all. One, two, three..."
Hearing him start counting, they rushed off with angry expressions. Their hands gripped their sword hilts tightly, suppressing their anger at having to flee, something so shameful in Copperhaven. If other soldiers heard about this, they would be ridiculed or even lose their lives.
"Captain, why didn't we just leave her? How are we supposed to explain this later?" one of the subordinates asked, worry evident on his young face.
The Captain was aware of their current actions; he knew they should have left the vice captain of the Zayn knight forces to continue their mission. But if they lost her, Captain Zayn could lose control, endangering not only Veyrain but their entire forces. He couldn't let that happen, or Copperhaven would lose their best troops, inviting further threats.
This war had already placed them in a dangerous position, with one continent as their enemy. If their main force was annihilated here, Veyrain would struggle to survive. After all, the person now in his arms was the creator of their Constructs and new weapons. Losing her would be a significant problem, and the Captain was confident the leaders would understand why they fled.
Ailord watched them retreat, especially the figure who now closed her eyes, briefly opening them to glance at him before pretending to be unconscious again. A smile formed on his face, recalling what had transpired not only in the room but also inside the house earlier. Who would have thought those moments would happen in a place where they both could have died?
However, Ailord couldn't dwell on it.
He leaped onto the wall, surprising Glok and the others, then continued to jump towards the large airship that was getting closer. The hangar gate reopened, indicating that more Homa would come out. He stomped on the row of Homas near the kingdom wall, using them as stepping stones, with the last Homa being flung down as Ailord jumped far and managed to enter it, which turned out to be much larger than expected.
Reyn was stunned, still unable to believe what he had just seen, while a triumphant smile was evident on Glok's face.