"ERZA!!" Rollo shouted, pushing the crowd around him, and punching a few of the knights unconscious.
Emerging from the swirling smoke left by the thunderbolt, Erza cursed under her breath, "Dammit!"
She was unharmed, but the twisted expression on her face revealed how narrowly she escaped.
Kragorn, the Stormrage Behemoth, stood towering above, lightning crackling between its horns. "You resist, but what is resistance against the storm?" He boomed. "It comes, it crushes, it leaves nothing behind. You have nowhere to run, no escape. Lower your sword, or—"
"Shut it!" Erza channeled her power and ignited her blade again.
"Fine, then crumble!" Kragorn taunted, watching her advance.
Meanwhile, Marcus stood among the circle of female archers, hands raised in concentration as he chanted his spells.
His role was to heal the wounded and support the combatants—but now, he faced a grim dilemma: heal the possessed male knights, or leave them to die.
The thought of allowing them to die was unbearable, yet healing would only give them another chance to kill the women.
*Slash—*
"AUGH!!!"
"Sir Marcus, help!"
[Ultra Healing!]
The female knights were barely holding on. They were torn between defending their priest, fighting the waves, and fending off the men who fell to the Siren's control.
All that Marcus could do was to keep them in the fight, constantly healing them. But that would only delay the disaster.
He needed to break the Siren's hold—but freeing the men would drain the time and energy he needed to maintain the barriers protecting the town.
With no one to stop them, the gigantic Dreadmire Brutes slowly lumbered toward the walls of Valkeries, their intention clear—break the town's defenses and let the army of monsters flood inside.
[Dreadmire Brutes Lv.???] x 80
Marcus's staff flared with holy light as he directed a barrier toward the walls, reinforcing them.
*Boom—* *Boom—* *Boom—*
The Brutes slammed into the barriers, creating cracks within them.
*Boom—* *Boom—* *Boom—*
With each blow, the cracks widened. No Brute would be a threat to Marcus's barriers—but their sheer numbers were draining his mana fast, and holding them all at once was growing harder by the second.
'I have no other choice,' Marcus decided to weaken the barriers around the church for the moment. This reduced the protections against the few monsters remaining inside the town, but it allowed him to redirect that energy to fortify the outer walls against the much greater hordes outside.
Every moment spent reinforcing the defenses brought him closer to the brink of exhaustion. His focus was stretched thin, and when his gaze flicked toward the knights—now puppets of the Dark Siren—his heart sank.
Knights—both men and women—began to fall, while others lay injured across the field. The battle was quickly devolving into an inevitable bloodbath. He knew he had to break her spell, but with the burden of protecting the town resting solely on him—doing anything else felt nearly impossible.
"Marcus, do something!" Rollo grunted, deflecting another strike from one of his men. His movements were slowing, not from fatigue, but from reluctance. He couldn't bear to harm his own men, and the Dark Siren was taking advantage of that. She smiled wickedly from a distance, her haunting melody growing louder.
"I'm working on freeing them! Just give me a moment!" Marcus shouted, his voice strained from maintaining the barrier.
*Clang—* *Clang—*
Erza gritted her teeth as she clashed with both bosses, her sword ringing out with each blow. She could handle either opponent alone, but together, they were overwhelming. "I can't hold this much longer!" she shouted, blood trickling from a cut on her cheek.
Everything had fallen apart in minutes. Those under Selira's control were as good as dead, and those who still had their minds were on the verge of breaking. In the middle of it all stood Rollo.
He was helpless before his own army. None of his companions could help—not the knights, not Erza, not Marcus. But he didn't blame them. Not even the men who had turned on him. They were all victims—victims of that witch. And the only one who could stop her was him.
Suddenly, a knight managed to grab him from behind, locking his arms in place. Another rushed forward, sword raised for a lethal strike.
Rollo lashed out with a powerful kick, knocking the blade down—but it wasn't enough. The knight's fist still came hurtling toward his face.
"Stop, Normland!" Rollo roared, his voice raw with desperation. Blood dripped from his teeth as he glared at the man before him.
He knew him by the name, he knew his family, his son. These weren't just his men, they were his brothers.
Normland froze, his sword wavering. His eyes flickered—just for a moment—recognition breaking through the haze.
But the Siren's song sank its claws deeper. Pulling him back into obedience.
*Boom*
Another punch came flying at Rollo, no hesitation behind it. But this time, the knight's momentary pause gave Rollo just enough time—he slipped the blow, broke free from the other knight with a brutal backward headbutt, and drove a punishing kick into Normland's face.
Rollo exhaled sharply, staring down at the unconscious knights.
"Forgive me."
With all his might, he thrust the hilt of his sword into the ground.
The ground shuddered, and cracks split through the earth like lightning, knocking the surrounding knights off their feet.
Rollo charged forward, driving the pommel of his sword into the face of one companion and slashing another with the back of its blade, breaking his ribs.
He had no choice. If Valkeries was to survive, he had to act. If he wavered they'd eventually breach into the city—killing the very people the knights had sworn to protect, even their loved ones.
With that thought fueling him, Rollo broke free from the encirclement and raced toward the Dark Siren, who observed him with a wicked smile.
"Watching you come at me with such might makes me want to embrace you, Sir Rollo," she taunted, fingers grazing her flushed cheek. Her expression darkened. "But you dared to refuse my love. I do not care for that half-breed in the rear but you—you, Sir Rollo, are what I desire most. The more you reject me, the deeper my hunger grows."
"Sing as long as you want; I will never yield. This heart of mine will never beat for another woman," he declared, each word heavy with conviction.
Selira's face twisted with anger. With no one left between her and Rollo but beasts, he rushed forward, sword raised and eyes locked on her throat.
Watching him approach, she smiled slyly.
"What a knot we're in, Sir Rollo," she said, pointing a long fingernail toward him. "You see, I'm a jealous woman. If you refuse to be mine, then I'll have no choice but to kill you."
Rollo scoffed, "Give it your best shot!"
He beheaded the last monster in his way, and with all his might, he lunged at her directly, ready to spill her blood. But just before he reached her, he froze in place.
He tried with all his might to move, but his body refused to respond. His mind was clear—fully his—but his muscles ignored every command.
[Seductive Gaze]
"What have you done to me?" he growled, fury burning in his chest as he watched the Dark Siren walking toward him.
"You see, even if you refuse to yield, I can still make you submit," she said with a sickly sweet smile, trailing a long fingernail along his cheek. "This spell usually lets me take full control of your body, but unfortunately, I'm pressed for time."
As she retreated into the shadows, she playfully blew him a kiss. "Now!"
In the distance, Kragorn—the Stormrage Behemoth—summoned an enormous bolt of lightning above his horns, far larger than before. Meanwhile, Erza struggled against Zarok, who had managed to restrain her.
He snickered.
"There's no reason to resist. After him, you're next."
As Zarok said those words, Kragorn unleashed his attack.
*Zizizizizi—*
*Boom—*
Helpless, Erza and Rollo could only watch in horror as the bolt of lightning hurtled toward him.
"ROLLO!!!"
At that moment, a dark figure rushed toward him.
***
"No, I can't," Jan replied firmly to Sophia's offer.
"What do you mean you can't?"
"I was told not to join the battlefield."
"Then let me go alone."
"I can't allow that eith—"
*Rumble—*
"Kyaaaah!"
"Everyone, stay calm!"
"We're okay, do not worry!"
The ground shook violently, startling the townsfolk inside the church. Maria and the other knights' voices echoed in the distance, attempting to reassure the panicking crowd.
But their efforts seemed futile; the ongoing tremors, coupled with the chaotic sounds of battle, only heightened the townsfolk's anxiety. It was clear to everyone that something was gravely wrong.
[Magical barrier's condition: 62%]
As the ground settled, Sophia turned back to Jan and whispered,
"Listen, I'm no expert, but I can feel it—the barrier is weakening by the second, even though the church itself isn't under attack." Her voice was uncharacteristically calm and serious.
"Do you mean—"
"Yes. I don't know exactly what's happening, but for the barrier to falter like this… the battle must be intense enough that Dad's struggling to maintain its full strength."
"This can't be. Rollo is out there, and Aunt Erza is fighting too, along with the knights..."
"It's not always enough. It was not enough back then."
"Back when?!"
"Back when I was foolish and weak. I thought those three would defeat the beasts like they always did. But then the worst happened—the beasts broke into the town, and nearly half of it was destroyed. So many lives were lost, including Aunt Violena and Snow..."
Sophia hesitated, then continued, "I watched them die. It broke Uncle Rollo's heart—he was never the same after that. That day, I swore I'd never let it happen again. I'd become strong enough to stand beside them on the battlefield… strong enough to make sure I'd never see my uncle cry again."
*Rumble—* *Rumble—*
[Magical barrier's condition: 44%]
"Look, I won't blame you if you want to stay, but if you're going to stop me—"
"Well, that's a pain."
"I don't care! I told you, you won't stop me—"
"Not that," Jan interrupted. "I mean, dealing with a drunkard is enough of a pain; I don't want him crying on top of that. I'm coming with you."
"Are you sure you want to come?!" Sophia examined Jan from head to toe.
"I said I'm coming already..."
"And you won't slow me down?"
"..."
"You sure seem determined. I like that," Sophia 's gaze softened as she saw the seriousness in Jan's eyes. "Then take this." Without warning, she unsheathed a sword from her belt and handed it to him.
"What is this?!"
"You... you lost your sword last time," Sophia stammered, "And you also saved me from that slimy thing. I felt bad for you since you only got that old book, so... Just take it already!" She pushed the sword into Jan's arms, quickly turning away.
"O-Okay, thanks..."
"N-No need to thank me! Let's hurry; I have a bad feeling about this."
"Alright," Jan replied, securing the sword to his waist. "So, how are we going to do this?"
"We just need to sneak to the back of the church. There's a backdoor that will get us out in no time."
"Are you sure about not taking Maria along?" Jan glanced at her sister, who was still tending to the injured.
"She's obsessed with following orders. She'll just try to stop us."
"Okay then, what are we waiting for?!"
*Rumble—* *Rumble—*
"Kyaaaaaahhhh!!"
[Magical barrier's condition: 31%]
"This!" Sophia said, immediately moving.
Startled by her sudden movement, Jan quickly followed her—she was already a few steps ahead.
She was swift and quiet, careful not to draw attention.
With Jan trailing closely behind, they quickly reached the end of the church.
Crouching before the open door, she whispered, "Quickly, go in."
Jan entered, and she swiftly followed, closing the door behind her.
*Click—*
"Phew!" Sophia exhaled, wiping her forehead. "We're safe for now, but we don't have time to waste. Let's go!"
"Yes!"
Without further hesitation, the two started running down the corridor, eager to escape the church.
"I know a shortcut, follow me!"
As soon as they stepped outside, Sophia led the way, navigating through the dark alleys with surprising ease. Jan struggled to see ahead, but with each step he could tell that they were getting closer and closer to the battlefield.
The cries of the knights grew louder, and the light from outside the walls became brighter.
As they approached the northern gate, the booming sounds intensified, and the cracks in the magical barriers protecting the walls were now visible. It was clear that the monsters were mounting a fierce assault.
Finally, rushing out of the gate, they beheld the chaos that lay before them.