Chapter 281: Chapter 54: Legend! Legend! (Part 2)

The Vilt Kingdom had only one publicly known Legend: Otto, the "Steel Lion," who guarded the Royal Capital.

’Now, on this distant Northern Border, a second one has appeared at such a critical moment?’

’And it seems he was just promoted?’

Duke Hakon, the Ironspine Duke, who had been as silent as a mountain, now had the corners of his mouth slowly curve into a knowing smile.

He didn’t look at Bishop Saint Cyril. His gaze remained fixed on the dark blue figure moving swiftly across the battlefield, charging toward the eastern ridge, as if he had long anticipated this.

"He is a Legend." Duke Hakon’s voice was steady, affirming Bishop Saint Cyril’s judgment. "And not just any newly-ascended Legend. His control over his power, and the Thunder clinging to that sword... very interesting."

Metropolitan Bishop Valken’s ice-blue eyes glanced at Murphy, then toward the main battlefield where the situation at the Central Tower was still critical. "It doesn’t matter how he appeared or how he was promoted. What matters is that he is here now."

He turned to Duke Hakon and Bishop Saint Cyril. "A new Legend, even one who has just crossed the threshold, is worth far more than ten Great Knights! He can significantly relieve the pressure on Quentin and might even be able to turn the tide at the Central Tower! We must contact him immediately and guide him to the most critical point on the battlefield!"

Bishop Saint Cyril slowly nodded. "Lord Valken is absolutely right. The addition of a Legendary Knight is a crucial weight on the scales. However... he seems to be heading for the eastern ridge?"

Metropolitan Bishop Valken’s brow furrowed slightly. "It seems he is a kind-hearted Legend. But war is not an act of charity. He must understand where the key to victory lies."

The knowing smile on Duke Hakon’s face vanished. He gave a direct order to a waiting officer. "Dispatch a Messenger Soldier at once. Try to contact the Governor of Melfield. Inform him of the situation at the Central Tower and Sir Quentin Thorn’s position. Also, relay to all units: be on the lookout for a Legendary Knight in a dark blue silhouette, wielding a Dark Gold Longsword and wreathed in purple Thunder. They are to cooperate with him and not impede him in any way."

"Yes, Lord Duke!" The officer snapped to attention, accepted the order with a loud affirmation, and hurried off to relay the command.

...

On the eastern ridge, an abandoned patrol path had now become a Purgatory on earth.

The narrow, rugged path was crammed with civilians who had been herded there.

They were sallow and gaunt, their eyes hollow. Most clutched nothing more than crude wooden clubs, rusty farm tools, or sharp rocks they had picked up along the way.

From ahead came the horrifying scrape of claws on rock, low snarls, and the short, sharp screams of companions who suddenly vanished.

Behind them, the cold shouts of the Peric Clan soldiers and the crack of whips through the air were like a fatal curse, pushing them step by step into the abyss of death.

"Keep moving! Don’t stop! Block those monsters! For your families!" an officer standing on higher ground screamed himself hoarse. But his eyes, just like those of the soldiers below him, held only an icy coldness, devoid of any warmth.

The crowd writhed in abject terror.

A gaunt old man was shoved forward. He tripped on a rock, stumbled, and fell, the wooden club tumbling from his grasp.

He struggled to get back up, but his limbs were weak with exhaustion and fear.

"ROAR!"

From the shadows, a dark red figure shot out like a phantom!

It was a Razor Hound. Its body was slender yet brimming with explosive power, its limbs long and wiry. Its claws glinted with a metallic sheen, and its compound eyes glowed like two scarlet will-o’-the-wisps in the dim light.

It was astonishingly fast, its target clear.

The fallen old man.

SQUELCH!

Its claws easily tore through the old man’s thin linen clothes, sending up a spray of warm blood.

The old man let out a single, short grunt before falling silent forever.

"AHHH—!" The nearby civilians shrieked in terror, instinctively surging backward, but the wall of people and the soldiers’ whips behind them left no room for escape.

More Razor Hounds emerged from crevices and shadows. They seemed to enjoy the hunt, making no move to scatter the crowd in a large-scale assault. Instead, like a pack of wolves toying with its prey, they launched swift, sporadic attacks, each one precisely claiming a life or two.

Screams, cries, the crunch of bone, and the sound of flesh being torn all blended into a horrific cacophony.

The few soldiers who did intervene merely used the crowd as a screen to launch sneak attacks and temporarily repel the monsters. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

A young mother clutched an infant to her chest, her back pressed against the cold rock wall, her body trembling like a leaf.

The infant, as if sensing the extreme danger, let out a piercing, shrill wail that was especially jarring in this field of death.

The compound eyes of a Razor Hound immediately locked onto the conspicuous target. It lowered its body, a threatening growl rumbling in its throat as it tensed to pounce.

All color drained from the mother’s face, her eyes filled with nothing but pure terror and despair. She hugged the child tighter in a futile gesture, as if trying to completely shield it with her own body.

Not far away, behind a protruding rock, Elizabeth was being closely guarded by the Female Knight, Alison.

She was supposed to be "escorted" back to the Inner Castle, but on the way, she had heard the earth-shattering screams and sounds of battle from the eastern ridge.

Ignoring Alison’s attempts to stop her, she had insisted on investigating, only to witness this scene from Hell—a sight a hundred times more brutal than the square in the Lower District.

The civilians were being driven toward the monsters like cattle.

The callous soldiers only cared about slowing the enemy’s advance, turning a blind eye to the one-sided slaughter unfolding before them.