Chapter 266 Monsters Versus Humans
The devilish figure's mere pass through one of the windows was enough to make the wall around it explode, hurling debris and scattering a lot of dust. The creature moved its right hand as if cutting something, and all the dust dissipated in a single second.
Then the monster of the day revealed its appearance amidst a swarm of imps. It had horns curved backwards, which bent in a way that created almost a circle. His skin color was similar to that of the imps, but his muscles were very large and defined.
With a petulant smile on his face with thin, human-like features, the devilish monster smiled and said with both arms outstretched:
"Kneel before the omnipotent demon Ro—"
Before the self-styled demon could finish his sentence, five of the ten Imperial Guardsmen charged toward him. At that moment, the path of each of the guards' blades became visible in the air, as they cut through the wind and intertwined. To most of the creatures in that hall, the movements of the Imperial Guards were so fast that they were unseen, but to the others it was like a joint, coordinated dance.
Only the noises of the wind and the slashing of blades was heard, and in the end everything was silent.
The smile on the demon's face vanished, giving way to an expression that conveyed both his fright and his fear. In the speed of a simple snap of fingers, dozens of cuts appeared all over the monster's body, which didn't even have time to scream as it turned into a dense black smoke.
"What was that!?" John asked aloud as he saw the monster shattered in a second.
Ynosuke pointed with his right hand at the white armored guards just ahead. "It was them... I think."
Seeing those people on their backs wearing their shining armor, John could see a light mystically hovering over them in his imagination, as if the imperial guards were not just above average people, but people truly blessed with a higher power. His eyes sparkled like the first time he had seen real adventurers in his childhood.
The Emperor was not even surprised by the achievement of his sentries. After the demons were killed, the imps stopped entering the hall, so they were quickly exterminated, but one look through the panes of glass was enough to see that this was not the end yet.
Sheltered Halvoy was being attacked by dozens of monsters, coming from the sky, the earth and in the shadows.
When all the imps were killed, the Imperial Guards knelt before the angry gaze of Emperor Callant, who exclaimed:
"Pay attention, I want you to convey the following message: the Broteforge Empire is at war with the Melki Empire! All those who are true to the principles of our nation will have a sword and shield to fight by my side, and even those who don't care about principles, at least join us because you care about the world you live in, because this war will decide the future of humanity! Go!"
"Yes, your Imperial Majesty!
Then, beneath the feet of seven of the ten Imperial Guardsmen appeared green magic circles, and after a vivid glow the seven disappeared.
Then Callant turned to look at the half-wolf group, as well as at Morax, the demon who was trapped in the magic circle.
"You need to act as well. Amelia, you have communication skills for long distances, correct? Use this to warn Pontiff Rebeca, so that she will warn Sensory Magician Mikaela Åkerman, in case she is on our side, I already have a plan in mind. Mrs. Strogueher, you are a symbol of strength and influence of this nation, so stay somewhere safe for now, and of course you must take your daughter, she is the future of this nation. Luke and companions, I didn't know you, but you have already earned my respect, so I will make the most selfish request so far. Please get rid of this demon by your side, since his life is no longer needed, and fight alongside my guards to keep Sheltered Halvoy standing."
Everyone hesitated for a second, but the half-wolf did not. Once again he did not kneel, but slammed his right fist into the left side of his chest and roared:
"Yes, sir!"
Seeing Emperor Callant give intelligent orders, without so much as a flicker of his voice, made Luke begin to admire him.
Then everyone followed his gesture and roared in agreement with the Emperor's orders as well. When Callant left the hall, accompanied by the three remaining Imperial Guards, Ayumi and Nathalia looked at Luke, hesitant to actually take shelter somewhere.
"What are you waiting for? Go!" Luke pointed to some guards at the exit, who were taking orders from the Emperor himself to protect the Elves and Amelia.
"But..." Ayumi was saying with a hand on her chest, but was suddenly silenced by a hug from the half-wolf.
Luke laid Ayumi and Nathalia's heads against his chest, and hugged them lovingly. "Stay alive, I won't be able to keep fighting if any of you die. So don't you dare die."
They blushed, but smiled, happy. The whole half-wolf group was warmed by this scene, because now they should not only fight for themselves, but also to protect other people.
*
From that day on, everything changed. That sudden monster attack became known as the First Wave, and it revealed to the whole nation that monsters could emerge from Dungeons and that it wasn't just a rumor, especially since the attacks occurred in several locations throughout the Broteforge Empire, causing imaginable damage and hundreds of deaths.
Sheltered Halvoy, the capital, remained virtually untouched. Some of the thousands of high Rank Adventurers lived there, so the low level monsters of the First Wave had no chance to survive.
To ordinary civilians, the sky covered with imps and the ground strewn with blood was a sign that the apocalypse had arrived, but each time a civilian was saved by an Adventurer that idea of the end of the world proved distant.