Ex rank talent Awakening: 100\% Dodge rate-Chapter 193 - : DEMON WAVE V

The war commander wore a displeased and worried expression. There would be no repercussions for him—he had been assured of that by Commander Harold—but a part of him was unwilling to obey the command.

Of course, he knew the reason: Brian was a rogue knight and the top suspect in the disappearance of General Joshua. However, this was wartime, and those details shouldn't matter, at least not in his mind. He had seen Brian's usefulness in battle, and creating a scenario to cause his death would be a blow to the empire's defense against the demon waves. He knew Brian was likely not the only loss the empire would suffer—the other foreigners would likely be caught up in the plot as well.

With no choice, the war commander steeled his heart and passed down the emperor's orders, his fear of losing his entire family to treason overriding all other concerns.

[The fourth demon wave begins now. Good luck.]

This time, demon knights were among the attacking demons, along with higher-level players.

"Long rangers! Release!" The commander ordered, though his voice lacked the boldness it once had. Most of the defenders on the castle wall misinterpreted his worry as stress, oblivious to the real weight of the command on him.

"Like we have done several times before, open the gate!" he commanded again, and the gates opened for the short rangers to pass through. However, something felt off this time. The empire's knights lagged behind the players, with no knights leaving the castle, while the players moved outside the gate. Elizabeth stalled as well.

"Princess, the commander wishes you to act as a long-range dealer this time and stay atop the castle wall. Your precise control of your ice spells is needed to protect the short rangers from surprise attacks," a knight explained before the demon wave began.

"Princess, will you be alright?" Brian asked, concerned that this might be a trap to hold her captive.

"Relax, they can't do anything to me, remember?" she replied, seeing some logic in the commander's tactics.

"True, they can't because we will be teleported to our previous location once this is over. Since you've been registered as part of our team, the moment we die, you'll no longer be registered as a teammate and will likely have to stay here," Stagnant Water added, making sure she understood.

"And you guys wouldn't be dying, right? Besides, while I'm up there, I can perfectly watch your back and ensure you don't die," she said, before leaving with the knight, ending the conversation.

Brian and Stagnant Water, knowing they couldn't change her mind and not seeing anything wrong with her decision, let it be.

Back in the present, all the short-range players charged at the demons after leaving through the gate. An odd situation followed.

Every player froze, watching as the gate closed shut. Not a single knight offered support, and they all remained within the castle while the gate was sealed. novelbuddy.cσ๓

"Commander, what is the meaning of this? Why is the gate sealed?" Elizabeth asked the war commander, her voice icy, causing the temperature around them to drop drastically.

"Calm down, princess. This is the best tactic we can use. These foreigners are immortals, so their deaths won't matter. It's better to use them as a meat shield," the commander lied to cover up the real reason.

"You call this a plan? What sort of plan is this?" she yelled, unaware that the commander was only using this excuse to mask the emperor's orders. He couldn't let the truth be known, as it would likely demoralize the knights—a situation he wanted to avoid at all costs.

Elizabeth, realizing that nothing would come from arguing with the commander, walked away, moving closer to the edge of the castle wall to perform the one task she had stayed within the castle for: to provide support.

"What the hell is going on?! Why did they lock the gate?" a player yelled, displeased by the empire's actions. Every player was equally displeased and worried, and Brian was no exception.

"What now?" Stagnant Water asked, looking at Brian.

"Guess we fight for as long as we can," Brian muttered, gripping his sword tightly and preparing for the incoming demons.

"Brace yourselves, I see. My favorite," Stagnant Water muttered under his breath, readying himself as well.

"Charge!!!" Dual Blade commanded his guild members, rallying them despite their low morale. They couldn't afford to think about the empire's betrayal now—surviving came first.

The demons clashed with the players, but despite the recovered morale, the outcome was brutal. More than a third of the players died in the first round of the encounter.

The players were fatigued, there were no knights to ease their burden, and the demons were stronger than in the previous wave.

"Stick together and support one another!" Dual Blade ordered his guild members. The players could only rely on themselves.

Brian, Stagnant Water, and Dual Blade stole the show.

Dual Blade's ruthless and dominant battle style ensured that any demon he faced didn't die a painless death. Stagnant Water's teleportation abilities and out-of-nowhere attacks decimated the demons, but the best was Brian. His techniques weren't flashy—just simple attacks with minimal effort—but they were beautiful to watch. His simple yet elegant swordsmanship captivated those who had the liberty to watch, and his energy remained at its peak.

The battle grew tougher, with minimal support from the castle wall. The players suffered heavy casualties, and those with grave injuries either bled out or succumbed to various debuffs draining their HP.

[Congratulations! Fourth wave cleared successfully.]

The fourth wave finally ended, but the players defending the empire weren't pleased. Their numbers had been reduced by more than half.

"Shit! This is nonsense! Did the empire think they could bully us like this just because we chose to defend it? They can shove their locked gates down their throat. I'm not playing this shit anymore," one player cursed violently before logging out of the frustrating game. His actions sparked others to do the same, logging out and abandoning the battle.