Chapter 587: Fortress Defense (IX)
The black-armored knight’s laughter made Sein purse his lips.
As an external support mage, Sein was not bound to fight to the death like the registered knights from the orders.
He could have slipped away early.
However, the complex, chaotic situation around him left no time for such considerations.
By the time he realized the battle was untenable and withdrawal necessary, it was already too late!
Creatures from the Thunderfall World surrounded him from all directions.
Instead of trying to escape alone, he should rely on the other registered knights nearby and fight alongside them.
This way, maybe Sein could last a little longer.
There was also another reason—while he could escape, Kelman Grantt could not.
The Order of the Steel Fist had not issued a withdrawal order, expecting these knights to continue holding their ground.
Sometimes the orders were as cold as that, but the knights had no choice—it was a clause signed in the contract.
Sein sometimes wondered if one day the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring would issue him an order to hold his ground under circumstances where he would most likely die. Would he comply?
He supposed he would.
The Magus World’s emphasis on the spirit of the contract had attracted the attention of countless surrounding civilizations.
Even those worlds that were hostile to the Magus World had to admit that this was one of its strengths.
In fact, this was the reason why many world civilizations were eager to sign contracts with the Magus World during negotiations.
As a member of the Magus World, Sein was, of course, influenced by this cultural norm.
Moreover, if the divine towers really issued such a deadly order, the situation must have reached a critical level, necessitating certain “sacrifices”.
If Master Lorianne required him to sacrifice himself, he would do so without hestiation.
After all, he had gained much from his mentor and naturally felt compelled to assist.
The knights probably did not ponder as much as Sein did, but their adherence to the spirit of the contract was just as firm.
What really drove these knights to stay and fight until the bitter end was their bloodlust and their determination to accomplish their missions.
The Magus World, most powerful in the region, boasted knights and mages with qualities unimaginable to other civilizations.
As the creatures of the Thunderfall World charged again, Gould, the black-armored knight who had bonded with Sein on the battlefield, appeared to have no strength left to continue fighting.
Sein would not simply stand by and watch him fall.
He summoned his remaining elemental energy to conjure walls of fire around Gould, shielding him from threats on all sides.
No sooner had he unleashed the Fire Wall spell than a harsh bolt of lightning streaked toward Sein from behind.
Even without turning, Sein could already feel the paralyzing energy approaching.
“WATCH OUT!” Gould shouted from not too far away.
However, it was a little too late for Sein to react.
Yuri, piloting her mecha, was further away, and Sev was attending to Kelman at Sein’s request.
For a split second, Sein wondered if he could withstand the lightning attack while mustering as much of his elemental energy as possible.
He should be able to, given his constitution.
However, that would come with a significant cost as Sein was no longer in the peak condition he had been when he first entered the battle.
He had sustained injuries, with both his focus and mana reserves nearly depleted.
Yet, as Sein turned to face the impending strike, the lightning that should have struck him never hit.
A flash of red light appeared before him—it was Natalya, who had activated her devil form.
Natalya, who was also fighting nearby, had teamed up with Sein several times during this conflict.
Their previous encounter had left them feeling awkward around each other. Sein usually ignored her, and Natalya never spoke to him.
In such a critical moment, it was unexpected for Natalya to rush to Sein’s aid just in time.
Typically, it was the hero who saved the damsel, but in this instance, it was the damsel saving the hero.
Considering the roles of knights and mages in interplanar wars, knights were indeed tasked with protecting mages.
Natalya appeared slightly different from when she had last fought against Sein.
Her transformation had deepened significantly; not only had her stature increased, but a pair of black devil wings now spread impressively behind her.
Could it be that in their previous duel, Natalya had also held back, just as Sein had?
Natalya shielded Sein protectively with her black devil wings. With a loud battle cry, she swung her massive crimson sword fiercely.
Searing fire and dazzling lightning met in a clash.
The explosive collision of energies created a crater ten meters in diameter on the battlefield.
Amidst this respite from combat, Sein had to set aside any previous grievances with Natalya.
The Verdant Flame Heart Rod in his hand began accumulating energy before he unleashed a bright beam of light.
Considering his weakened state and the constant number of Thunderfall World creatures encircling him, Sein resolved to release several more Viridescent Seeds.
He had already scattered quite a few before.
The pack of Viridescent Seeds that Lorianne had given him had been greatly depleted over the years.
Even now, Sein still had the most precious milky-white Viridescent Seed in his clutch.
Glancing around, it seemed there was no longer any need to prolong the battle.
With this milky-white Viridescent Seed, Sein and the others might stand a chance of surviving.
***
Sein never got the chance to activate the milky-white Viridescent Seed.
The Thunderfall World creatures, which had been relentlessly attacking, began to retreat as the dazzling purple light streaked across the sky.
It turned out to be a retreat signal from the Rank Four creature known as Violet Thunder.
Initially, these creatures hesitated, with some outright refusing to disengage, driven by a fierce desire to continue battling the knights and mages defending the fortress.
But then, a rumble echoed as the ground began to tremble.
Led by the higher-ranked Thunderfall World creatures, a large-scale withdrawal ensued near the main fortress base of the Thunder Plains.
The tremors originated from the northeast.
Though only the sound was perceptible initially, it suggested the approach of a metallic torrent.
After clearing the front lines of nearly a million from the Thunderfall World Army, the main forces of the Order of the Steel Fist had finally returned!
The verdant flame elemental energy that had been churning within Sein abruptly ceased.
Sein did not pursue the retreating Thunderfall World Army. Instead, he collapsed carelessly among the fortress ruins, lying on his back and gasping for air, seemingly drained of all strength.
His elemental body slowly reverted to his human appearance.
Not far from him, Gould, clad in black armor, lay motionless in a pool of blood, his condition uncertain.
Natalya was not faring much better; she lay near Sein, her limbs spread out on the ground.
“Don’t go thinking that I’ll agree to marry you just because you’ve saved my life. That’s never going to happen between us,” Sein declared bluntly.
Natalya simply rolled her eyes at him.