At the periphery of the Outer Highlands.
Tall grass swayed beneath the evening wind.
A figure in flowing purple robes walked through them without following a path.
Her long black hair fluttered behind while her robes brushed against the grass.
A few seeds got stuck on the fabric, but Celeste did not bother removing them.
She kept walking until she reached the edge of a tall cliff.
From here, mountains stretched as far as her brown eyes could see.
The peaks gradually lowered in the distance and turned into forests. Beyond those forests were human settlements, railway tracks, and the county belonging to House D’Arc.
Celeste sat down in a lotus position and stared in that direction for a while.
There was no hatred or anger on her face, just the absolute calmness of a still lake.
A cold breeze brushed past her, and she finally said,
"D’Arc County is my enemy."
...
Deep within the Highlands.
The dragon was still curled around its egg.
One of its wings covered the top while the other lay motionlessly on the ground. Its claws surrounded the egg from either side, not leaving the slightest opening.
Blood had accumulated between the cracks beneath its body.
The dragon breathed slowly.
Each breath made ash and dust rise from the ground.
The egg pulsed.
A weak light seeped from beneath the dragon’s scales.
The dragon lowered its head and gently pressed its snout against the egg.
At this moment, something moved inside its largest wound.
The dragon’s body stiffened.
Its claws dug into the rocks.
Crack!
A scale beside its injury broke and fell down.
The wound that should’ve been healing slowly tore further apart. Fresh blood poured out and trickled down the dragon’s body.
A dark metallic sheen spread over the exposed flesh and pale bones.
The dragon released a low, pained growl and tried to suppress whatever was inside.
Its massive body trembled.
The rocks around it cracked.
For a few seconds, everything remained under control.
Then, a faint pulse escaped from its injury.
The pressure went through the ground and disappeared into the surrounding mountains.
Inside a burrow nearby, a rabbit opened its eyes.
Its body began trembling.
The bones cracked beneath the skin and its teeth grew long enough to pierce the lower lip.
Blood dripped from its mouth.
The rabbit crawled out and looked around in confusion.
It did not know where to go.
It only knew that staying here would result in death.
The rabbit rushed into the forest.
Birds flew out from the trees at once.
Their cries filled the evening skies as they abandoned their nests and disappeared beyond the mountains.
Farther away, something large shifted beneath the forest.
One tree fell.
A few seconds later, another followed.
The dragon heard the distant noises but did not lift its head.
It curled itself more tightly around the egg.
...
Copper Town.
The sun was close to disappearing behind the Highlands.
Its golden light stretched across the northern road and shone upon the monsters’ blood.
"Keep moving!"
"Don’t stop near the gates!"
"Children and injured to the left!"
The Railguards continued directing the villagers.
The second group had almost completely entered Copper Town. Many abandoned their carts outside while a few struggled to bring in the grain sacks and medicines.
The elderly were supported by Railguards.
Children cried in the arms of mounted guards.
Everyone who entered the gates looked behind at least once.
Vanessa was still outside, surrounded by monster corpses. Some were piled atop each other while others blocked parts of the road.
On the tree nearby, Felicia had a calm expression and continued to pull her bowstring, but the frequency had dipped tremendously.
Swish!
An arrow went past Vanessa and entered the eye of a wolf trying to attack from behind.
Despite reaching her limit, she retained a sharp accuracy.
Vanessa did not notice the attack.
Her spear tore through a serpent’s open mouth and emerged from the back of its head.
She pulled the spear out.
Her bloodied fingers slipped.
Vanessa looked at her hand for a second.
The entire sleeve had turned dark red.
Blood dripped from her fingertips and fell on the road.
She still felt no pain.
But her fingers were no longer responding properly.
Vanessa changed the spear to her other hand.
A group of wolves came out of the forest.
A faint smile appeared on her face again.
From atop the northern wall, Vincent watched through his binoculars.
The smile made his eyebrows knit.
He looked at the bell but stopped himself from issuing an order at the last second.
’She grows in such conditions. Just a bit more and I’ll issue a retreat order. Just a bit more...’
A Railguard rushed up the stairs and stopped before Vincent.
"My lord!"
Vincent lowered his binoculars.
"Did Ridge Hamlet arrive?"
The Railguard shook his head.
"There are still no signs of them. Should we send riders through the western road?"
Vincent frowned.
"No," he said decisively. "We will wait for a bit. If they arrive, welcome them. If not..."
The Railguard dare not inquire further. He nodded in understanding, bowed and left.
More than two hundred people were still outside somewhere.
The sun was setting.
Vanessa was injured.
The monsters continued to come out in groups.
His sister would not be able to hold out for longer.
If the villagers did not arrive before she retreated, it was entirely upon them.
Two hundred people might die, but nothing could be done about it.
’My sister matters more.’
This was the truth and Vincent wouldn’t think otherwise.
He could only raise his binoculars and look at the distant forest again, hoping,
’You guys... please make it in time...’
At this moment, the horses near the gate became restless.
One neighed loudly and raised its front legs, almost throwing the rider off.
Another snapped the rope tied around its neck and ran deeper into the town.
Cows struggled against their owners.
Dogs barked at the northern mountains.
The chickens inside the cages flapped their wings so intensely that feathers flew everywhere.
"What happened?" Vincent asked.
The Railguards looked at each other.
Nobody knew.
A faint vibration passed through the wall.
It was weak enough to be mistaken for imagination, but the water inside a guard’s cup began rippling.
Dust fell from between the stones.
The bell swayed lightly on its own.
[Ding!]
A familiar mechanical sound rang inside Vincent’s head.
A system screen appeared before his eyes.
[Warning.]
[Event #002 has accelerated.]
[Current progression has exceeded—]
Vincent did not finish reading.
The Railguards on the wall suddenly began looking up.
A shadow passed over Copper Town.
Vincent lifted his head.
Birds covered the sky.
There were so many that the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind their wings.
Some were ordinary birds.
Some were large enough to carry a person.
They flew past Copper Town without stopping.
The feathers falling from above made the residents scream and rush inside their houses.
Vincent dismissed the system notification.
He looked toward the Highlands.
The mountains seemed darker than before.
At first, he thought it was because the sun was setting.
The shadow covered one slope after another and made the trees difficult to distinguish.
But then, something felt wrong.
He raised his binoculars, and adjusted the focus, staring at the lowest mountain.
’Huh...’
Something that looked like a large bush lifted its head.
A pair of long horns came into view.
The shadow beside it moved and revealed multiple wolves pressed against each other.
Vincent slowly moved his binoculars across the slope.
There were deer.
Boars.
Black serpents filling the spaces between them.
There were creatures he had never seen as well. Some were taller than the trees while some crawled with more legs than Vincent could count.
’What in the fuck?!’
He shifted his binoculars toward the next mountain.
It was the same.
He looked at the one behind it.
The same.
Every visible slope was covered.
There was barely any ground or trees left to see.
Vincent’s hands trembled.
The binoculars slipped and fell with a thud.
Chills upon chills ran down his spine as he could not even think of an amount to describe the number of monsters!
Hundreds felt too small. Thousands did not seem right either!
Beside Vincent, Anastasia stared at the Highlands with her face turning pale.
In all four of her past iterations, monsters appeared gradually.
Settlements were attacked one after another and Copper Town only became a battlefield much later.
The entire Highlands had never moved at once.
She stared at the mountains with an almost absentminded gaze, as if accepting the doom that was about to descend.
"Ring the bell!"
The bell keeper did not move. He was too shocked upon the sight of monsters everywhere and the birds in the sky.
Below the wall, Felicia’s professional smile disappeared as she felt something wrong.
Vanessa stopped moving as well.
The wolves surrounding her no longer tried to attack.
They turned around and stared at the mountains.
Their bodies trembled.
A serpent lowered itself against the ground.
The boar beside it whimpered.
For a brief moment, the road became silent.
Then, something on the first mountain moved forward.
The monsters beside it followed.
The rows behind them began moving as well.
Trees bent beneath their bodies.
Some were uprooted and disappeared inside the black mass.
Dust rose from the slopes and spread through the evening sky.
The second mountain began moving.
Then the third.
The valleys filled.
The forests disappeared.
The distant sound gradually reached Copper Town.
It wasn’t a howl or roar.
It was the ground being struck by countless hooves, claws, and bodies at the same time.
The sound got louder with each second.
Vincent stared at the sight.
The monsters Vanessa had been fighting until now weren’t an attack.
They were the ones that escaped first.
What was coming now...
Vincent’s gaze momentarily shifted.
It dropped to the northern road.
Vanessa was still outside.
She stood between Copper Town and a sea of monsters large enough to cover the Highlands.
His pupils shrank to a needlepoint.
He immediately slapped the bell keeper’s back.
"Fucking ring the bell!!!"
The bell keeper came to his senses and trembled, then immediately pulled the rope.
Dong.
Dong.
* * *
[End of Volume 1: An Heir to Ruin]
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