"Everyone on guard! Captains, come to me."
Soon seven or eight people emerged from the crowd. They were the Knight King Albert's trusted lieutenants and his strongest warriors. All of them had a serious look on their faces; this was supposed to be a moment of celebration for victory, but the turn of events seemed to have surprised everyone.
"What enemy are we facing?"
A tall knight spoke up. He was around 30 years old, approaching six and a half feet tall with slightly curved black hair. His resolute face was chiseled like a sculpture, covered with a stubble that seemed carelessly shaved. Beneath deep-set eye sockets were a pair of light blue eyes that reminded one of a lake nestled in the valleys.
"Sir Lancelot, do you remember the ancient history I once spoke of?" The leading elf spoke warmly to the valorous knight.
You've told many fine stories, High Priestess Aspasia," the tall knight named Lancelot replied politely. "Which one do you refer to specifically?"
Elves, the favored children of heaven and earth, immortal beings. They had joined the Rebel Army not long after the rebellion broke out—successive Emperors of the Pharis Empire had ordered the dense forests of the Eastern Continent to be burnt to the ground, and those forests were the elves' home.
They guided the rebel forces through the woods, used mysterious herbs to heal the wounded, and were also the finest scouts and archers, greatly aiding the cause of the rebellion.
"Of course, I'm talking about the great war that shattered the elf race thousands of years ago," said Aspasia, the leader among the three elves. "I feel the presence of the Abyss. It seems the elders have always been right to suspect the Pharis Empire's Royal Family. Brace yourselves, the portal is stable now; something is about to come through."
The grand hall had been thoroughly destroyed, and the gravity in the area seemed to have returned to normal, with broken tiles and rubble scattered everywhere.
Only then did people notice the complex and vast Magic Formation inscribed on the ground, its deep red lines like slowly flowing blood. In mid-air, a Portal was emerging, with a terrifying aura emanating from it, and the air began to fill with the smell of sulfur.
Thud, thud, thud, a cluster of hoofbeats came from the Portal, like sharp claws scraping over rough stone, unbearable to hear.
The crowd couldn't help but take another step back, everyone's tension ratcheting up even further, and the elves took out several gemstones, murmuring in a mysterious language, as powerful energy began to gather in their hands.
Finally, with a noise like the popping of a can, several strange creatures burst forth from the Portal. They resembled hyenas in appearance but were the size of calves, with exceptional muscle definition, long, sharp teeth in their mouths, and towering bone spurs on their backs.
Some had two heads, and the one in the front had three.
The creatures seemed shocked by the sudden change in their surroundings, looking around bewildered. Realizing they were surrounded by a host of metallic monsters, they didn't attack but instead retreated and huddled together, issuing a deep growl toward the crowd as if issuing a threat.
The knights, though they had never seen such ugly creatures, instantly felt the terror of the enemy due to years of battle experience.
"Charge!"
Albert seized the moment and roared as he brandished his sword. Following his shout, the tall knight named Lancelot led the way, swinging his great Two-handed Sword. Under his lead, all the knights began their assault.
Lancelot's target was the beast with three heads at the forefront; he had discerned that it was a leader.
The creature didn't stand idly by. With a roar, it charged at the knight head-on.
When they were still several yards apart, the beast suddenly leapt into the air, all three ferocious mouths biting viciously forward.
Seeing this, Lancelot forcefully stepped forward, and the ground immediately spider-webbed with cracks. Using this foot as a pivot, he concentrated all his strength, swung his Longsword from below, and viciously thrust upward at the falling creature.
The Great Sword's length played a decisive role in this confrontation, striking the creature's middle head midair. Fangs and sharp teeth were no match for the fearsome force of the Metal weapon; the Sword Blade cut through like a hot knife through butter, splitting the creature's upper body in two, drenching Lancelot in crimson blood.
But Lancelot didn't pause for a moment, spinning around with a Horizontal Slash, and completely cleaved the body still in the air into two halves.
His triumph greatly inspired the knights behind him, and the crowd surged forward, quickly cutting down the remaining creatures, leaving the square filled with spilling blood and chunks of flesh.
"Looks pretty fierce, but it wasn't much in the end, scared me to death, hahaha..."
Relaxed voices echoed through the crowd. Fear always stems from the unknown, but once the object of your Fear is slain by your weapon, Fear vanishes like smoke.
But the captains under the Knight King didn't relax; they gathered again, looking towards the Portal in the sky. Albert spoke to the elves:
"High Priest, what exactly are these creatures? Where do they come from? What world lies beyond the Portal?"
The elven Priestess Aspasia stared bewilderedly at the bodies of the creatures, not speaking right away, while another elf responded: