Chapter 270: Final Push.
“!!!”
Darnic’s eyes widened in surprise as an unknown man who was flying in the air just now landed in front of him.
The dust had barely settled from Kael’s landing. The scorched remains of the Sky Beasts still lay in the distance, and the echo of the Dragon’s Roar continued to ring in Darnic’s ears.
Then suddenly,
Darnic’s body flinched when the unknown man locked eyes with him.
“I’ll be taking the command here.”
He informed.
And Darnic…
“Y-Yes!”
He simply saluted, stepping aside with his head lowered.
Yes, he gave away the command.
How could he not?
He had literally seen this man descend from the skies like a war god, slay the corrupted Sky Beasts in mere seconds.
If all that wasn’t enough, the man had literally come here with a Dragon!
He was a Dragon Rider!!
How could he not give command to such a being!?
Kael nodded, not sparing him another glance. The situation was urgent, so he turned towards the battlefield and,
“Defenders of Greyvale!”
He spoke lightly; his voice, however, echoed throughout the Greyvale Town.
With Cirri controlling the sound in the air, it wasn’t a difficult task.
Kael’s voice instantly attracted all the attention. Almost everyone had seen him jump from the Dragon’s back, fly in the air, and kill the Sky Beasts in seconds.
“10 minutes.”
Kael began.
“10 minutes is all I need to end this battle and annihilate these corrupted filths that have invaded your home.
And for these 10 minutes, I require your absolute obedience.
Is that clear?”
He questioned.
The defenders, however, were unsure.
Yes, the young man was strong, there was no doubt about it, but…
Being strong wasn’t the only thing one needed to become a good leader. He needed to know not just about his enemies, but his subordinates, the terrain, and countless other things.
Not just anyone could take over the command of a Force.
It wasn’t just the defenders alone—Darnic had these doubts as well. The Captain was looking at Kael’s back with an uncertain look on his face,
But then,
“Mera Sylvia.”
Kael called out. Once again, his voice rang over the chaos of battle.
A woman with a bloodied leg froze, surprised that her name was called.
“You tore a ligament when you fell from the watchtower. You’ve been limping for the last twelve minutes. Fall back, recover, and take charge of the medical unit behind the second barricade.”
Her mouth opened slightly in disbelief.
How did he…?
She turned towards the man who had called and saw him looking at her with his piercing blue eyes, as if waiting for her answer.
“Y-Yes, my Lord!”
She nodded and did as she was told.
Kael didn’t nod. His eyes fell on another defender,
“Eldar Roen,”
He called out, his hand pointing toward the East watch post,
“There are three Corrupted Beasts circling the outer shadow of the third pillar. They’ll break through in about a minute if this continues.
Direct your archers’ attention there, slow them down.”
“Squad Leader Brian, take your men there and prepare to face those three with Eldar and his archers supporting you from behind.”
With the instructions passed, Eldar and Brian stared at each other, their shock and confusion clear. Soon, however, a determined look appeared on their faces. They nodded and then started running and passing instructions to their men according to Kael’s words.
Kael, on the other hand, had already diverted his attention somewhere else and,
“Shield Squadron Three, pull back two paces and lock shields. One of the Crawlers is underground and will erupt beneath your current position in a few seconds. Hold and prepare to kill.”
The squadron moved as they were told. They didn’t dare doubt the young man’s words, and soon enough, very quickly, they felt the ground beneath them tremble.
There was indeed a crawler underneath.
As for how the young man knew about it, they didn’t care.
They simply followed the instructions.
“Archers on the West flank, target the blackened tree beside the collapsed silo. There are three Swarmed Beasts behind it. Take them out.”
Just as the orders were passed, the arrows flew.
“RROOOAAAARRRR!!!”
The Swarmed Beasts roared in agony as they ran even further, but only one of the three made it out alive.
“Flank Unit Two, move from the left, not the right. There is debris behind the ash cloud you are seeing; it will block your path. The Brute you are facing has no eyes—it reacts to sound. Use it to your advantage and attack.”
The mentioned Unit moved as they were told, soon appearing behind the Brute because of the path Kael had pointed, and with Kael telling them the Brute’s weakness, the battle became much easier.
Kael then turned towards another and,
“You. Yes, you—Aaron. You’re exhausted, your swings have gotten weaker, the water bag you carry is empty. Retreat, hydrate, and recover. Return in 5 minutes.”
Aaron blinked, unsure how this man—this stranger—knew his name, his condition, and even the fact that his waterbag was empty.
But for now, he did as he was told and fell back.
Darnic stared at everything with his mouth agape.
Just…
Who was this man?
How did he know… everything…?
However, before he could get any answers, Kael turned towards him again and,
“You.”
“Y-Yes, my Lord!”
Darnic’s body reacted on its own.
“Three Crawlers are making their way towards the granary cellar. Take 5 defenders and deal with them.”
“Granary cellars!?”
Darnic’s eyes widened in horror.
After all, that was one of the places where the Townspeople were hiding.
“Yes, it is an important task, so I am leaving it to you.
Move quick.”
Kael ordered, and Darnic nodded back.
“Yes!”
In an instant, he ordered a few of his men to follow him as they all rushed towards the cellar. Not once did Darnic dare to doubt Kael’s words.
Kael, who was now left alone, opened the Portal, and his Fox walked out with a playful smile on her face.
“Vita, I can leave all the Aberrants to you, correct?”
“These things are extremely susceptible to illusions. Eleven of them will never be a problem. Leave them to me.”
The little Fox answered confidently.
“They are coming from the east and are about 3 km away from here.
Go.”
“You even know where they are, huh? Little Imp sure is useful in such situations.”
Vitaria chuckled.
And at her words, little Ria popped out of Kael’s pocket and,
“I am always useful.”
“Is it not your Ants that are useful? Why are you taking their credit?”
“They are my children.”
“And? You are going to take cre—”
“Vita.”
Before the Fox could continue, Kael called out.
“Not now.”
He shook his head and,
“Alright.”
Vita nodded and moved.
Only once Vita left did Kael sigh in relief. With her powers, dealing with some mindless Corrupted Beasts was no different than playing.
Even her simplest of illusions was enough to fool these things.
Yes, when it came to battle against Corrupted Beasts, little Vita was a monster.
“Father.”
While Kael was thinking all this, Imperia called out, bringing him out of his reverie.
“Right.”
Kael nodded as he once again turned towards the battlefield.
With his commands, the defenders’ trust in him had now risen to impossible levels. The situation had stabilized, the panicking soldiers had regained their fighting spirits, and Igni’s presence alone had motivated them—not just them, their Bonds were the same.
Being able to fight together with Dragons gave them all the confidence they needed.
The situation was getting better and better,
And now, it was time for the final push.