Until recently, three of the most powerful people in the world belonged to the Ragneif Republic of Magic. Unfortunately, this was no longer the case. The Master of the Mage Tower was dead, which started a lasting conflict with Guild Master of the Nighthawks, Fleagel Knight. On top of that, Moriphys had been imprisoned after his now infamous plan to kidnap the Divine Emissary failed. They should've contacted the Divine Emissary in advance and negotiated his return, but regretting what they didn't do wasn't going to be any help in this situation.
The mage knights gathered at the central plaza of Gehenid shortly after declaring an emergency battle. Among them were five knights from the top knight divisions selected to clear the gate. The gate that had grown in size since its first appearance, and now stood as overbearing and oppressive as a castle gate in a land of giants, releasing a level of demonic energy that none of them had ever experienced before. This was most definitely an SS-class gate... perhaps even an SSS-class gate.
"All knights, enter!"
The commander in chief's proclamation activated the army made up of mage knights, mages, and white wizards. Those standing at the front had just taken their first step into the vortex, when they were almost instantly stopped in their tracks.
"Ahhh!"
Those who were about to enter began to shriek, for a dark flame spread across the entrance of the gate and forced back the subjugation unit.
Flabbergasted, the commander in chief murmured, "We can't enter?"
And that was when something strange began to happen. Although it was the middle of the day in Gehenid, the bright sky turned black in an instant, engulfing the city in darkness.
"I-Is it a solar eclipse?"
But this wasn't an astrological phenomenon where the sun had been blocked by the moonâthis was more like all of the light had been extinguished. The city, which was known for being lit up by street lights at night, was now shrouded in darkness.
The mages had just started creating sparks to guide their way amidst anxious murmurs when three sources of light appeared in the endless darkness of the sky. One was a blue, distorted half moon, another was a red, blood-soaked full moon, and the last was a purple, melted crescent moon. They were nearly aligned vertically, with the half moon and the full moon sat in the center of the sky, however the crescent moon was slightly off to the side at an eleven o'clock angle. It appeared almost as if they were representing the needles of a clock that was about to reach midnight.
This was a sight any subjugation unit would instantly recognize.
"H-Huh?! Why have the moons of the Demon Realm appeared outside the dungeon?!"
"And all three of them at once!"
Even the commander in chief was taking in the ominous sign with fear in her eyes. Just then, the head of the sixth mage knights division, who had been assigned the task of rescuing patients, approached Laxadora Ruwell with more bad news.
"There is a problem, commander."
"What could be a bigger problem than what we're seeing right now?" she replied in frustration.
The commander of the sixth mage knights division maintained his grim expression and reported, "It is impossible to leave Gehenid via the central street, and none of the teleportation stones are working."
"What?"
Only then did the look of utter disbelief paint the commander's face, for there was only one situation in which a teleportation stone didn't work. A chill washed over her from head to toe.
Face pale, she shouted across the troops, "Everyone, get away from the gate!"
The moment she gave the command, the dark green air flowing out of the gate suddenly stopped.
Slash!
Without a moment's warning, all the mage knights within a five-meter radius of the gate were severed in half at the torso as the gate rumbled to reveal a foreign presence to the human world. A skeleton appeared, consisting of only an upper body and wearing a black robe while carrying a reaper's scytheâit was the Grim Reaper Lord, the S-class demon Lord Ailette and Tesilid had once battled in the Depths of Pandora dungeon. However, this time there were two Grim Reaper Lords who took the lead, followed by other demons that slowly crept into the Human Realm.
Clatter, clatter!
The creatures screeched and giggled menacingly as they poured out of the dungeon. Resentful skeletons, wicked clowns, ball-jointed marionettes, seductive dream demons, eerie vampires and chimeras stumbled out of the dungeon one after the other. It was as if a Halloween parade was taking place, as an incredible mass of demons casually poured onto the streets of the city, turning what used to be a bustling alley of stores that sold magical wares into a demon's market.
The entire street began to change. Lamps turned into jack-o-lanterns with grotesquely stretched mouths, store signs took on the shape of black bats, while the trees lining the cobblestone road shriveled and died. The city was slowly transformed into a cemetery dotted with burial mounds and tombstones. The environment of the Demon Realm spread until the entirety of Gehenid had been taken over. A chorus of shouts called out the same desperate realization.
"I-It's a dungeon burst!"
Their screams seemed to trigger the bloodlust of the hordes of demonic soldiers already upon them.
"Kill! Kill the humans!"
"Hunt the humans!"
The parade through town had ended, and the demons assumed their usual nature as they began attacking the humans indiscriminately. It could be described as nothing but a bloodbath.
"Mage knights! Defend!"
The humans struggled to survive in the midst of chaos.
â
At the same time in Fanel, the capital of Elfenheim, a mob of citizens was screaming just outside the doors of the Vatican, brutally fighting each other for the chance to get inside.
"Ahhh! Please let me in! I need to get inside!"
"Get out of the way! I said move!"
"There's someone belowâ Ugh!"
The crowd was trying desperately to squeeze into the Vatican, crushing their fellow citizens beneath their feet as they pushed against the entrance. The pure white marble triumphal arch that led into the Vatican now looked like a gateway to hell as more and more people perished while trying to get inside.
Several members of the Vatican observed the scene from higher floors.
"We took in 60 percent of the city's population. We are at our limit, Your Holiness."
"Close the gate."
The captain of the guard immediately obeyed Pope Senedict's command and closed the gate against the frantic mob. Shutting off the path to salvation filled the crowd with echoes of despair, and they shrieked and wailed as they pounded against the walls.
The Vatican had assumed a very different strategy from the Mage Tower when the disaster arrived. They had determined early on that they would not be able to defend themselves against numerous S-class bosses and ten thousand demons with their current army, so the council of cardinals agreed to turn the Vatican into a fort instead of wasting their military forces by attempting a counter-attack.
The maximum number of civilians they could accept was 60 percent of the population, while another 10 percent were expected to have escaped the city on their own. In other words, it was a strategy that knowingly and callously sacrificed 30 percent of the entire capital's citizenry. The 60 percent that had managed to enter the Vatican weren't entirely safe either since the Vatican could be destroyed as well, however one particular member of the religious order did give the rest of them some hope.
"Whew..."
Currently, Saintess Muriel was executing an important ritual at the grand worship hall as the cardinals watched.
"Are you all right, Saintess Muriel?"
"Yes. I'm fine, Cardinal Dekal," replied Muriel with a sorrowful smile despite the droplets of sweat that clung to her forehead. She truly represented the expectation of a saint who was willing to endure pain and suffering for the greater good.
"Indeed, you are a Tier 8 saintess sent to us by God."
"She is a role model for all members of the church."
"I must agree with that."
A compliment from one person quickly turned into a wave of compliments offered by the other cardinals as well, which was expected considering how their lives currently depended on Muriel Phylise.
In front of Muriel was a long flagpole, longer than she was tall, which stood perfectly straight in the air. At the top of the pole was a golden flag that fluttered despite the complete lack of wind inside the worship hall. It was the artifact, Sacred Place Establishment, which Muriel was pouring her Tier 8 Divine Power into in order to establish the entire Vatican as a safe zone. With this, those inside were safe from the demons indiscriminately slaughtering the people beyond the Vatican walls. All they had to do now was wait inside the safe zone for reinforcements.
Members of the religious order were confident that the Divine Emissary and the master of the holy sword would arrive shortly to resolve the situation for them. After all, the two were sworn servants of the Vatican, and no doubt the kingdom and the duchy would also send assistance in the form of additional forces.
Ignoring a dungeon burst would result in the encroachment of the entire continent beyond the borders of the Vatican, therefore it was in everyone's interest to stop the attack before it spread. The cardinals had no idea that all of the other capitals were simultaneously experiencing the same phenomenon, so they quelled their concerns through prayer.
"Protect us, Strict Order and Goodness."
"We pray to our absolute and omnipotent God, deliver us from this crisis and..."
Their voices filled the grand worship hall, and Muriel took a moment to close her eyes and say a prayer while maintaining her focus on sustaining the Sacred Place Establishment.
Before the divine power of your humble servant depletes and leads to the destruction of the Vatican, may this disaster end... Or may the master of the holy sword's life come to an end first. She prayed sincerely and desperately for the survival of this world.
â
The situation in Feronsa, the capital of the Duchy of Heathfenrir, was much better than the situation at Gehenid or Fanel. The dungeon burst had occurred at a circular plaza in the city center, so Heathfenrir's strategy to defend themselves from the emerging demons was simpleâhe split his military force into four groups and had them block each of the four streets that stretched out from the plaza.
It seemed that the greatest number of demons would pour in through the street toward the north, which was directly facing the gate. Despite the onslaught of demons, the battle there wasn't as brutal as everyone expected because there was one person who single-handedly swayed the fight in the human force's favor.
"Argh! Humph!"
Grand Duke Heathfenrir furiously punched his fist with a force so great that it split the very particles in the air, creating a violent burst of energy. Although none of the demons came in direct contact with Heathfenrir's fist, he was an aura master who could deliver insurmountable force in the direction of his attack.
"Ahhh!"
"Nooo!"
Clatter, clatter!
The demons that were bombarded by the aura canon shrieked desperately as they melted away. Grand Duke Heathfenrir's attack resulted in the annihilation of all demonic creatures within fifty meters of where he stood. On top of that, the wind and shockwave created by the punch broke the ground apart, forming a gigantic path, large enough for four carriages to ride through at once. Had there been a row of trees on either side, the new rift through the city would look no different from a massive, paved street.
Although as an aura master deacon, the grand duke didn't wield a sword, his uniquely powerful martial arts, merged with his master level aura, could exert an attack that was equivalent to that of a siege weapon.
"Wow, His Grace is amazing!"
"Indeed, he's the sword of the continent! I mean, the fist!"
"We love you!"
Grand Duke Heathfenrir's pecs twitched bashfully as the evacuating citizens cheered him on.