Chapter 73
When Alnazir reacted, the Emperor’s grin widened.
“So what exactly did you do in Aldehallow to make that witch abandon such a powerful trump card like you and run?”
“……”
“If she saw your true nature, it’s only natural she couldn’t handle it. You are destruction incarnate.”
The Emperor sneered, calling him something that knew only how to destroy.
Alnazir inwardly admitted it wasn’t entirely wrong. She was far too fragile, too insignificant to truly withstand him. In the end, she was only human.
The real problem was that a mere human had managed to stir something unusual inside him.
“How many witches have you killed?”
“…?”
“Don’t pretend. I am the one who watches. I can see everything in this world.”
The Emperor puffed himself up.
Utter nonsense. Since arriving here, Alnazir hadn’t killed a single person. In fact, the problem was precisely that he hadn’t killed anyone.
The Emperor was clearly mistaken, yet he carried on boasting as if unaware of his error.
“The witch wants to cast you into eternal solitude.”
For a moment Alnazir thought it was another lie.
Annoyingly, this time it was true.
He rose slowly from the depths of his inner sea and approached the cliff where the Emperor stood. The cliff was high, but Alnazir could grow as tall as he pleased.
“Come to think of it, there’s no reason for me to hide myself from you.”
The Emperor wasn’t part of the golden army. He certainly wasn’t one of the people of Aldehallow whom Fay had desperately tried to protect. There was no need to hold back to avoid harming him. No need to tolerate his noise or simply watch in restraint.
Alnazir leaned closer, examining the Emperor’s face in detail, and curved his lips in a chilling smile.
* * *
At dawn, the golden army surged forward.
Aldehallow gathered every witch and civilian who could fight—excluding the elderly and the very young—to defend the city.
Everyone capable of battle stepped onto the field. Merga could not appear, but Virelda stood in her place. As the one called the next guardian, her magic was unrivaled among the witches.
But even Virelda, formidable as she was, couldn’t endure against an enemy ten times their number. By midday, the outer wall had completely fallen.
The traps Fay had painstakingly set only slowed the enemy briefly. They didn’t hold for long. The soldiers advanced without hesitation, stepping over their fallen comrades as if they were nothing more than stones.
“We can’t hold this position any longer! We need to retreat inside!”
A witch urged Virelda to give the order to fall back. The inner wall was close to collapsing as well.
But Virelda shook her head.
“If we don’t stop them here, they’ll reach the children. If we retreat now, we all die together!”
She insisted they had to hold this line. Raising her wand high, she swept it toward the sky.
Moments later, a rain of flaming arrows poured down.
Yet even those fierce flames dwindled to the strength of matchsticks when they struck the soldiers’ shields, which were wrapped in divine power. The arrows bounced off uselessly, rolling to the ground before extinguishing.
“Damn it. We have to deal with those cursed shields first!”
“Don’t hit them with magic directly—use physical attacks! Throw stones!”
“Fay.”
As she struggled to move a massive boulder, Fay thought she heard someone whisper her name.
The voice was faint, almost indistinct, but it sounded like him. She looked around quickly. He was nowhere to be seen.
It must have been wishful thinking. A hallucination born from wanting him to appear and save them.
Fay almost scoffed at herself. Who was it that had boldly declared she didn’t need him?
“Don’t just stand there! Keep throwing!”
Virelda’s shout snapped her back to reality.
There was something she had to do right now. Regret and longing could wait.
Her voice would no longer reach him anyway.
Using magic, Fay lifted a massive stone. Even with magical assistance, it was unbearably heavy. Sweat beaded on her forehead.
With all her strength, she hurled it toward the enemy.
Five soldiers were crushed and flung aside.
The flicker of triumph lasted only a moment. Soon, even more soldiers swarmed around the fallen stone.
“Don’t stop! Keep throwing!”
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