Chapter 362 - They're here!
Inside the headquarters of the Ishtar familia aside from a few adventurers on patrol duty, nearly everyone stood along the outer walls staring at the distant thunderclouds.
Given the tense atmosphere hanging over the district, such an abnormal phenomenon could not help but draw their eyes.
"The storm is clearing."
Aisha muttered, her brow furrowing as she watched the thunderclouds scatter and the thunder fade away.
"Was it really just a freak weather event?" asked the short haired girl beside her.
Aside from its intimidating display, nothing else had happened.
"It was just a little rain and thunder, yet all of you are panicking over nothing," Phryne sneered.
"You jumped too," Aisha retorted coldly.
"That was because I am the captain, and I have to manage you useless fools," Phryne spat back in disdain.
"If you lot had not been cowering here, do you think I would have bothered sending scouts for something so boring?"
Aisha and the others glared at her in disgust but none of them argued, knowing it would be a complete waste of breath.
"I'm going back inside. Standing around listening to your drivel is a waste of my time."
"Tell me when the sword princess arrives," Phryne turned away from the wall to head back toward the center of the city.
"Look, Eric and the others are back," the short haired girl shouted, pointing toward several figures running toward the fortress from a distance.
Eric was one of the scouts sent out earlier.
They were sprinting back far faster than they had left, as if a terrifying beast were snapping at their heels, driving them to run for their lives toward the gates.
"Back already?" Phryne halted her steps, her bloated face twisting into a hideous smirk as she let out a cackling laugh.
"They pushed themselves so hard just to carry out my order. My charm truly is irresistible."
"Open the gate and let them in," Aisha ordered the guards below.
Moments later, the heavy gates creaked open, and the scouts were brought up to the top of the wall.
"What happened out there to make you panic like that?" Aisha asked, staring at the exhausted scouts.
Seeing their terrified faces, Aisha and the adventurers knew something was wrong.
If it had been a routine inspection, they would never look so shaken like survivors who had cheated death.
Only someone as delusional as Phryne could believe they were running out of devotion to her.
To any normal person, her toad like figure was repulsive.
"It... it is Mahiro and the sword princess..." The scouts quickly gasped out everything they had seen.
"Are you saying that storm was created by Mahiro?"
"That those thunderclouds were brought forth by his magic, and that he summoned an entire army of lightning monsters?" Aisha asked.
"Yes, Lady Aisha," the scout replied earnestly.
"How could that be? Mahiro is just a rookie. Magic on that scale is beyond even nine hell." Phryne blurted out.
"Are you lying to me? You know what happens to anyone who tries to fool me."
"Have you ever seen a rookie who can wipe out level 3 adventurers in the blink of an eye?" Aisha countered with a cold sneer.
Phryne scowled at the rebuke.
Despite her vile nature, she had earned her position as captain of the Ishtar familia through raw power and she was far from stupid.
The rumors about Mahiro, combined with the recent events, made it impossible to deny his strength.
"You useless trash," Phryne growled, her eyes narrowing as a dangerous aura rolled off her.
"Enough, Phryne," Aisha interrupted. "As our captain, you should return to the throne room and wait."
"Once the battle begins, things will become chaotic. My concern is that they might try to slip past the frontline and target you directly."
"What absurd drivel. I'm not weak like the rest of you," Phryne explained.
"I will wait inside and watch you humiliate yourselves."
"I only care about putting that sword princess in her place, so don't expect me to clean up your mess if you fail."
"Rest assured, even if I die out here, I'll not ask you for help," Aisha replied with a mocking smile.
Giving Aisha a fierce glare, Phryne turned and stomped away, her heavy footsteps echoing as she left the wall and walked toward the center of the fortress.
"Pass the word down. Everyone stay sharp. The enemy will be here soon." Aisha ordered calmly as soon as Phryne was gone, systematically deploying her forces to organize the best defense possible.
Moments later...
"What is that?" asked one of the adventurers patrolling beneath the wall, feeling the ground shake beneath his boots.
"The enemy is here!" someone shouted from above the wall.
Every adventurer atop the wall turned to look.
In the distance, a massive tide of giants and colossal beasts charged toward them in force.
"What on earth is that?"
"Could that be the army of thunder beasts Eric was talking about?"
"Mahiro and the sword princess are here!"
Aisha felt her heart skip a beat as she watched the thunderous army draw near.
Compared to the monsters found in the dungeon, these beasts carried an imposing suffocating pressure.
Each creature seemed formed from shimmering gold, its entire body wrapped in lightning.
They marched in tight formation like a disciplined army, threatening to crush everything in their path.
"Archers, take your positions! Mages, begin chanting your spells!" Aisha commanded calmly, though a dread grew inside her as the army drew closer.
"Loose arrows!"
While the beasts were still a kilometer away from the fortress, a dark rain of arrows poured from the walls, flying toward the advancing front.
The bows used by the adventurers were custom crafted, granting them far greater range and force than standard weaponry.
Yet when the volley struck the thunder beasts, the shafts bounced off as if hitting solid steel, failing to inflict even a scratch.
Following a clatter of metallic impacts, the arrows dropped harmlessly to the dirt.
"How can this be? The arrows are useless!" The Ishtar familia froze in shock, their hands stopping mid draw as they stared in disbelief at the unstoppable march of the beasts.
"Don't panic! Let the mages take the front!" Aisha shouted, swallowing her own shock as she steadied her troops.
Dozens of mages along the battlements began chanting their incantations, preparing to unleash their spells.
Compared to physical projectiles, magic carried far greater destructive power.
"Look up! In the sky!" someone yelled, warning the defense force.
Above them, dozens of pterosaurs plummeted from the clouds, diving straight toward the adventurers on the wall.
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