220 Arrival (1/2)

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”Ahhh!”

”Stay strong! Don't fall back! We must defend our home!”

”Go away you vile beasts!”

”Kill!”

In the southern part of the Final Haven Kingdom, the battle against the beast horde was on full throttle.

With the Golden Knights taking the stage, the rest of the defenders knew that the brutal melee against the horde was inevitable so they braced themselves. And just as they expected, even with the interception of the Golden Knights, the sheer number of the beast horde was too much for them and some manage to evade their defense.

Of course, the Golden Knights knew that such thing will happen but it doesn't mean that they have no control over it.

Those that manage to go past their defenses are either weaker beast or injured ones, the types that the rest of the defenders have no problem of eliminating. As for the real troublesome foes, they were in the far back of the horde and the Golden Knights were observing them ever since the beginning.

On the battlefield, familiar faces could be seen duking it out with the beasts.

Bradley Vermillion, the current clan head of the Vermillion Sky Clan as well members of the clan. Father of Ellen. He continuously brandished his twin swords as he reaped the lives of the beasts.

Leon Anderson, clan head of the Marching Warlords Clan. Father of Mark. Wielding a shield and a mace, he walked with pride and arrogance to the battlefield, beating the stray beasts to a pulpy mess.

Ian Gregory, Headmaster of the Heavenly Cloud Institute. Randy Gregory, Vice Headmaster of the Heavenly Cloud Institute. Paul's Father and older brother respectively. The father and son brandished their axes as they cut down the stray beasts and provide assistance to those who needed it. In fact, the students of the Genius Class were also present, however they weren't allowed to charge in blindly.

Gil Fiore, clan head of Western Star Clan. Father of Anne. Previously, he stood as one of the Captains of the Ranger Units. But now that the brutal melee began, they knew that they couldn't send volleys of arrows recklessly so instead, he watched the battlefield below with discerning eyes and will intercept attacks to provide assistance to those who needed it.

Jackson, who's the current Chief Director of the Lair Hunters, was also here. Maddock and his domesticated beasts were also providing assistance. Korra of the Ritual Waters also joined the defense.

And of course, the Alchemists of the Sacred Leaf Tavern were also present. They were stationed in the backlines as they treated the injured with their medical skills.

Luis stood by the Prince's side as they control the tempo of the battlefield. So far, results had been encouraging. The casualties were still on the low-side, while the beast horde is down to roughly 600,000 in numbers. With the constant aid of the Sacred Leaf Tavern, the injured were nursed back to health and was given a choice if they would like to retire from the fight or not.

In this large scale battle, the tavern continuously proved their worth over and over again that it caused Balmung to smile wryly. Nevertheless, he was immensely gratified to know that they were on the kingdom's side.

”Hmm!”

Luis and Balmung suddenly felt a spiking energy behind them. Both of them sharply turned their heads towards the skies with trepidation in their hearts. Just as when they thought that there was a breach, a sparkle of orange lightning distracted them.

The orange lightning precisely landed in front of them. Once the sparks disappeared, Mark's silhouette materialized before their very eyes.

Before they could even say anything, they felt another spike of energy. This time it belonged to three individuals who rode on the back of a huge falcon made out of pure wind. Once the falcon flew on top of them, it disappeared causing the three people riding it to fall. Anne and Ellen landed gracefully while Paul caused the walls to shake due to his landing.

”Ellen Vermillion/Anne Fiore/Mark Anderson/Paul Gregory. Reporting for duty!”

Balmung and Luis' face brightened up as they arrived. Just from a glance, they could tell how formidable these kids had gotten.

”It's good that you're back. It's good that you're back.” Balmung said emotionally, ”Where the other two?”

Before any of them could answer, a loud neighing startled the forces. Next, they saw a golden flash of light that stopped at the skies.