“““Ooooooouaghhhhh!!”””
With a cry that shook the ash-gray clouds above, the minions of evil began their dark advance.
“The enemy is descending from the walls! East, West, South…they’re coming from every direction!!”
Atop Guild HQ, in the northwestern district, Raul screamed his report. The armies of evil approached on all sides, leaving no hope of escape.
Finn, however, did not let Raul’s panicking disturb him. He calmly proceeded with his orders.
“Mages! Magic swordfighters! Prepare to attack at will! Let them come into range, but don’t give them a chance to set off any explosives!”
Finn’s commands were carried across the battlefield either by messengers, or through the signals of magic-stone beacons.
“Ooooooaughhhh!!”
Right on cue, the barrage commenced. Fire, ice, lightning—missiles of every element were hurled into the enemy ranks, detonating in earthshaking explosions.
The war with evil had well and truly begun.
“Besieged on all sides…?! I didn’t know the Evils still had so many troops!”
By occupying the city walls, the Evils had turned Orario’s greatest defensive feature into the bars of a cage. Royman watched the opening of hostilities from the rooftop of the Guild and quailed in fright at their foes’ complete and utter positional superiority.
“They must be sending everyone they have!” he cried. But Finn narrowed his eyes.
“Correction,” he said. “Not quite everyone.”
“Oh, it’s begun!” Valletta cackled. “It’s really started now!”
From her position atop the walls, she looked down at the city, where already the streets had turned to chaos.
“But you know,” she added with a grin. “Where’s the fun if we don’t add a little twist?”
She peered across the war zone—toward the rooftop of Guild HQ, where she knew Finn must be watching as well. Then, in a loud voice, she declared…
“I’m the kinda gal who likes a big, flashy opening! Feast your eyes on this!!”
The Evils lieutenant snapped her fingers. The sharp sound hung in the air for a moment. Then…
An explosion.
“Wh-what?! What was that noise?!” cried Royman as a tremor knocked him from his feet and onto his rump. It was a quake unlike anything the Dungeon had spat out so far.
Scanning the horizon, Raul’s eyes finally fell on columns of smoke.
“I-it’s an explosion!” he yelled. “They’ve destroyed the city gates!”
“What?! Which gates?!”
Raul’s face went pale as he stammered.
“A-all of them…”
“…What?”
When Raul finally got over the shock enough to elaborate, he yelled his report as loudly as he could.
“All the city gates have been destroyed! And that’s not all! Monsters are entering the city from outside!!”
Deafening screams and rumbling howls filled the air.
There were eight gates equally spaced around the circumference of Orario. And now, from every cardinal direction, monsters began flooding into the city.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Aaaaaaaghhh!”
“Graaaaaarghhh!!”
Stepping over the ruins of a collapsed house, the monsters poured into Orario like an invading army. Within the shelters, the city’s residents were pushed to the brink of despair. The heavy footfalls of a host thousands strong signaled the desecration of their home.
Meanwhile, jubilant cries rose up from the other side.
“Hah-hah-hah-hah! Ain’t that a beautiful sight?! Now this place has really gone to the dogs!”
To Valletta and her fellow Evils, the sight of monsters within the city walls symbolized the downfall of their hated foe. She watched with glee as the invaders advanced on the embattled adventurers.
“Let me see you cry! Let me see you break! Let me see you die! In the end, I’ll be the last one standing!!”
“Th-this can’t be happening… Monsters, here in Orario, the bulwark of the entire world?!”
Meanwhile, back atop Guild HQ, all the color had drained from Royman’s face.
“This is outrageous! Those monsters defile the legacy of our great and noble ancestors!”
“It’s the obvious move,” replied Finn without batting an eye. “If I were in Valletta’s position, I’d do the exact same thing.”
“Wh-what?!”
“Valletta’s job is to cause mayhem and destruction. For that, monsters make the perfect pawns. All she has to do is lure them into the city, and they take care of the rest. This is just another reason they wanted to occupy the walls.”
In terms of pure combat ability, the Evils were sorely lacking compared to the entire city of Orario, which could call upon many upper-class adventurers. In such a situation, it made perfect sense to focus on quantity instead. Finn knew and understood this better than anyone, but Raul and Royman both found the prum captain’s calm deduction shocking. The latter was especially bewildered, as he immediately went red-faced and began ranting at Finn.
“I don’t believe you, Mr. Deimne! You knew this all along and did nothing to prevent it?! Why?!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Royman,” Finn answered without turning around, “You know full well it would’ve been impossible to protect the gates. If we even made the attempt, Babel and the five strongholds would’ve fallen instantly.”
His steely gaze remained fixed on the city as his keen mind analyzed the many factors at play.
“It doesn’t matter if our enemy destroys the gates, the walls, or even the city itself. We can always rebuild, just like our ancestors built this city before us.”
“…!”
“Don’t forget our priorities,” Finn reiterated. “We must defend Babel to the last. Failure is not an option.”
A cold calculation. A rational choice. Even Royman hesitated to speak carelessly in the face of Finn’s blinding determination.
“B-but even so!” he stuttered at last. “The city is almost in ruins as we speak! Do you have any idea how much it’s going to cost to repair if things get any—”
“Groaaaaaaaghhh!”
“Wha—?!”
“That’s enough, Royman. The enemy is coming. Go back inside.”
“Grr…! Listen to me, Mr. Deimne! You had better win this war, you hear me? If you don’t, I’ll have some stern words for you!!”
After speaking like a true bureaucrat. Royman disappeared inside the Guild HQ building just as the sound of monster roars filled the air. Finn didn’t once look away from the battlefield to watch him go.
“Of course we will,” he muttered, now only to himself. “That’s what we’re here for.”
His azure eyes scanned the streets below, where the initial exchange of magical blasts, arrows, and breath attacks was drawing to a close. Waves upon waves of monsters and cultists descended on the strongholds in the city, and on the adventurers who guarded them.
Due north of Babel, in the fortified Loki Familia home, Dyne silently readied his weapon as he stood alongside Bahra and Noir.
“Here they come…” Noir muttered.
In the south, within the famed Casino that stood amid the ruined shopping district, Falgar gripped his weapon and lowered his center of gravity, while dozens of Berbera stood by his side.
“Let them come!” he roared.
In the east, Allen’s eyes burned with a murderous rage.
“…I’m gonna turn you into roadkill!”
He launched himself at the enemy. The city’s spear rapidly closed the distance between the oncoming enemies, and just as the two were about to clash…
The hero spoke.
“It’s time. The battle has begun.”
All across the city, combatants roared in agreement with his words—words they couldn’t possibly hear. Their voices rose as one, united in opposition to the resounding voice of evil.