Breakthrough to Terra's Citadel
Ludenberg Lavante swung Libera without respite, pressing forward. The knight faculty students, now gripping their weapons, followed in his wake, unleashing their skills with sharpened ferocity against the erosion beasts. It was as if they resented their earlier helplessness without arms—their sword strokes cut far more viciously than back at Solemnute Adem. Was it the brush with death facing the beasts head-on? Or perhaps the presence of Ludenberg at the vanguard? The students no longer recoiled in excessive fear at the sight of erosion beasts.
"Don't stop! Keep running!"
At Ludenberg's barked command, everyone—students included—poured every ounce of strength into their sprint.
Ahead loomed a mid-level erosion beast. Unlike the humanoid ones from before, this beast took the form of a massive four-legged creature with a pair of enormous horns. Unlike the others, it didn't fire projectiles from its body. But it looked far tougher than anything they'd faced so far.
No complex maneuvers were needed. The beast simply trusted its armored hide and charged Ludenberg headlong in brute fury.
Boom!
A thunderous crash shattered the earth from its paws, sending a fierce gust whipping up to Ludenberg. He didn't dodge. He couldn't. The moment he evaded, everyone behind him would be swept into its assault.
So he met it head-on. Planting his feet wide, he thrust Libera with all his might straight into the beast's armored brow.
Shunk—
Libera pierced the beast's forehead without the slightest resistance. But Ludenberg knew this wasn't over. A normal creature would drop dead on the spot, but this was an erosion beast. It wouldn't die from a single blow like that.
As expected, the beast shoved its head forward, Libera still embedded in its brow. Its solid horns aimed straight for Ludenberg's heart.
But Ludenberg didn't yield his chest so easily. In that split second, he wrenched Libera downward. The blade tore a gruesome gash from brow to jaw, blunting the beast's momentum.
Ludenberg seized the opening, ducking under its head.
Slash—
He severed its neck clean. The headless body slammed neck-first into the ground, struggling to regenerate, but Ludenberg's follow-up strike pierced its heart.
The entire exchange unfolded in a heartbeat. Leaving the beast's foul corpse behind, Ludenberg charged onward.
'Terra Cathedral... there it is. Wait.'
Scanning ahead intently for the cathedral, he soon spotted it: the Terra Cathedral, ringed by towering earthen walls rising from the ground.
'Earthen walls? Could it be Terra's Citadel? They might have sealed the main gate too.'
A sealed gate would spell trouble, but having already bolted from the forge, he had no other options. All he could do was hope the cathedral opened its doors. Even knowing this, Ludenberg raised his voice to bolster the group's morale.
"Hurry! The Terra Cathedral's just ahead!"
Hope lit the faces of everyone at his shout.
Up front, Ludenberg dispatched the mid-level erosion beast with swift precision. In the rear, Ashytara Solenute blocked incoming assaults from mid-level beasts, steadily advancing the line. She pushed herself only when necessary, channeling her divine power solely to deflect the most dangerous strikes.
Thankfully, the mid-level beasts seemed instinctively wary of the Solem flames cloaking her, holding back from aggressive pursuit.
Rather than overextend to slay them, Ashytara focused on sealing off their attacks to safeguard the formation. The other students guarding the rear bolstered stability with binding saint laws, tying the beasts' feet as best they could.
The path to the Terra Cathedral was grueling, but nothing could halt their desperate advance.
At last, the cathedral's walled silhouette came into view—along with erosion beasts hammering at its gates.
"Damn it. They sealed the main gate after all."
Embarrassment flickered across Ludenberg's face. He'd half-expected it upon first sighting the walls, but confirmation stung.
The same dismay spread to the others' expressions.
The moment the erosion rift tore open, Saintess Idilrock Seraha had rallied with Archbishop Harmata Tehner to evacuate nearby citizens and retreat to the Terra Cathedral. Fortunately, the prayer rite had been held right beside it, allowing them to hole up swiftly without casualties and mount a defensive stand against the erosion beasts.
Idilrock, alongside Harmata and the Terra priests, formed a saint law at the cathedral's heart to bar the beasts' entry.
The saint law: Terra's Citadel. It conjured walls of divinely infused earth to shield a vast area—the pinnacle of Terra's defensive arts, unmatched in its field. The impure erosion beasts couldn't breach it easily.
Still, it was too soon for relief. Mid-level beasts battered it for now without breaking through, but given the rift's scale engulfing Solemnute, high-level beasts were surely coming. In the worst case, even highest-level ones.
Idilrock gritted her teeth. The citadel drained the priests' divine power just to maintain—even now, it was holding. But if they couldn't clear the surrounding beasts before it faltered, the endless onslaught would overwhelm them.
Then, abruptly, the pressure on the citadel eased somewhat.
"Huh?"
The other priests mirrored her confusion. Moments later, word spread from the knights watching the main gate.
"What is it?"
"Students from Solemnute Adem, leading a group of citizens, are breaking through the erosion beasts toward us."
"My god. So that's why the assaults on the citadel lightened..."
"Yes. The beasts are redirecting at them now. What are your orders, Saintess?"
"We save them. Open the citadel gate. Hold until they make it inside. Can you do it?"
"We'll give it everything."
Idilrock nodded. "I'm counting on you. Opening the gate now."
She manipulated Terra's Citadel. A resounding boom echoed as the cathedral's enveloping gate swung open.
"Huh?"
"The gate's opening! They must've spotted us!"
Despair lifted from weary faces, legs finding fresh vigor.
"Everyone, push! We're almost there!"
At the cry, even the citizens bolstered by saint laws quickened their pace.
Ludenberg cleaved erosion beasts from the lead with Libera, students and citizens pressing behind. Ashytara parried pursuers' blades with her greatsword, incinerating some with flames—and at last, the entire group breached the Terra Cathedral.
As the main gate sealed, Terra's Citadel reactivated, plugging the entrance.
"Haa... we made it."
Students and citizens collapsed in relief, legs giving out. Only Ludenberg stood unscathed. Seizing the chaos, he slipped toward Ashytara.
"Tara."
"Lud. You hurt?"
"I'm fine. You?"
"Me too."
"Ha... thank god."
Ludenberg swept a hand over his face, exhaling relief.
"Yeah. No deaths... truly a miracle. I didn't see any major injuries either."
"Right."
"What now?"
"Not sure. I didn't plan past this. Probably... hunker down and hold out."
As the two pondered next steps, a voice cut in.
"Who led this group? I have questions!"
A cathedral knight scanned for the leader. Every survivor pointed to Ludenberg and Ashytara.
"Those two."
A citizen's words guided the knight straight to them.
"You led the group? I need to—wait, my god. Princess Ashytara?"
He gaped upon clearly seeing her face.
"Yes."
"Are you all right?"
"Lucky for me, no injuries. Check the others first."
"Understood. Forgive the lack of proper courtesy in this crisis."
"It's fine. Not the time for that."
Ashytara waved him off. In the brief pause, Ludenberg leaned in quietly.
"Excuse me. How long can this citadel hold?"
"You're... the boy who led them?"
"Yes. Ludenberg Lavante."
"Ludenberg Lavante...? No divine power, and you're Duke Lavante's son?"
The knight's eyes widened. Ludenberg nodded silently.
"Handling mid-level erosion beasts without divine power. Incredible."
"Thank you. But that's not the priority now."
Stressing the gravity, Ludenberg refocused him. The knight composed himself and nodded.
"Right. The citadel's duration? Hard to say exactly, but not long. Even with the Saintess and most priests pooling their power..."
He lowered his voice, mindful of panic among the reassured citizens.
"Then the moment divine power runs dry is the danger point."
"Exactly. Without capital guards or imperial knights by the time it falls, we're in trouble."
"And the capital guards are on the opposite side. The cathedral's isolated by beasts now."
The knight bowed his head gravely.
"...Yes."
"Not a great situation. Any other plans?"
"Nothing yet. We'll know when the Saintess and Archbishop give orders. Rest for now. You too, Princess. Must've been exhausting."
Ludenberg and Ashytara nodded.
"Got it."
'Nothing to do for now. Might as well rest.'
"What happens next..."
"It'll be okay. The capital guards and imperial knights will come."
To Ashytara's anxious tone, Ludenberg could only reassure her. The outlook showed no sign of improving.