Doombringer flapped its wings, generating a wind current around him. The sight of the majestic creature sent a wave of relief through everyone.
"Hahaha, with Doombringer here, I think the town will dodge this bullet," one awakened laughed.
"Yes, even though Doombringer won't be able to deal with the beast alone, at least it will buy us time for the others to return to the barony. Then I can confidently say we'll survive this calamity."
These conversations bolstered the confidence of the others, and they couldn't help but smile.
Meanwhile, Doombringer grew closer to his master. Nathan watched, smiling despite his broken teeth. He didn't know whether to be angry at the beast for not heeding his call, but on second thought, after seeing what it did, he felt happy instead.
Nathan's speed was almost comparable to Doombringer's, and even he had taken so long. He couldn't even begin to imagine what would have happened if Doombringer had listened to his call and carried him here.
"The walls would have been breached, and thousands of my citizens would have lost their lives." Nathan felt a chill run through his aged spine. The thought alone was gruesome.
"Thankfully, Doombringer arrived earlier than I did." Coming out of his thoughts, the baron locked eyes with Doombringer, who had closed the final distance.
'Wait...' At such close proximity, Nathan felt something odd. Something was strange about Doombringer. He tried hard to figure it out but to no avail.
"What is wrong?" Elvin, noticing Nathan's restlessness, couldn't help but ask with slight worry.
"S-something is wrong with Doombringer," Nathan responded, eyes narrowing.
"W-w-" Elvin opened his mouth to say something, but before he could finish, Nathan suddenly exclaimed loudly, startling his friend and the guards on the walls.
"Its eyes... they're different!" Nathan shouted. Doombringer's eyes were naturally red, but now they seemed even deeper and more intimidating. Looking at Doombringer, it felt as if he was staring at an entirely different creature.
Elvin followed Nathan's gaze, and his eyes widened as well. "Oh shit, you're right!"
Before the two could jump out of the way, Doombringer's giant maw opened, revealing a furious ball of blue and red flame!
A massive column of flame shot out, engulfing the two men and raising a swirling cloud of dust.
This sudden turn of events left everyone stunned, their mouths hanging open in disbelief.
"What... just happened?" Someone exclaimed.
"D-did Doombringer just kill the baron and the commander?" Another whispered, still in shock.
Just then, Hans and the others arrived and witnessed the devastating sight, all equally stunned.
"Nooo!" Serena, who had been atop the carriage all this while, shouted as she saw two of her favorite uncles being burned alive by the friendly wyvern.
"How!" Hans exclaimed, unable to believe his eyes. "How is this possible!"
"We've known Doombringer for years, and he's never harmed anyone in the barony," Gordon said. "So why would he hurt someone today...and not just anyone but his own master?"
Everyone present felt a mix of shock and confusion.
"We...we need to do something, or it's going to kill Uncle Nathan!" Serena shouted, then her heart sank as she realized something. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground. "H...he's probably dead already!"
All the fun moments she had spent with Nathan resurfaced in her head.
Then she thought about Nox.
"No! No! Nox would go crazy if he learns about this."
'Dammit! We're too late!' Even Gordon and Hans clenched their fists and ground their teeth.
A heavy, oppressive silence descended on the battlefield, broken only by the intense crackling of the flaming column reverberating through the air.
At the top floor of Eve's manor, the ant queen stared wide-eyed. The green flames that constantly flickered within Skully's eyes stopped as if…
"Ooof...I didn't see this coming," the black-carapaced ant scourge king was also at a loss for words.
"Does...does this mean…" an awakend stammered, tears almost streaming down his face.
"Don't say it!" another guard shouted, his eyes burning with determination. "He can't be!"
"No matter how hard I try to be positive, this...I just don't see any way he could survive this."
"Damn this beast!" Someone shouted, fury palpable in his voice as he nocked an arrow and fired it at Doombringer's hard scales.
That act of defiance set off a chain reaction, and they began unleashing a barrage of attacks on Doombringer. The pain and anger of losing their beloved baron and commander clouded their thoughts, and they forgot that Doombringer was once a friend.
"Don't let it go scot-free!"
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Dozens of arrows flashed through the air, piercing the beast's scales.
However, the arrows barely scratched Doombringer's hard scales, as if they were striking solid stone.
"Target its eyes! Its mouth! Everyone, go all out! Whatever you do, make sure you eliminate this monster!"
A few minutes ago, the Awakened had been fearful, and their marksmanship was clumsy. But now, every single arrow landed on the beast.
"Come on! We can't stand idle …" Hans growled, his eyes burning with anger as he charged into battle. The rest of the Awakened followed, charging with tears and weapons at the ready.
"At this point...we have to get involved; if not, everyone will die here," Skully said solemnly. He had known Nathan for a long time and knew that he was a good man who had the barony in mind. Despite his wild personality, Nathan was willing to sacrifice anything—even his pride—for those he cared for.
The ant queen nodded.
"My queen," the ant king called out. "Think about this carefully...you know the huma—"
"Hold it, my love," the ant queen interrupted in a somber tone. "Those people...those people that just got killed are among the ones my master loves most in this world! We must take revenge!"
On the battlefield, under the rain of arrows, sword slashes, and magical attacks, a booming voice soon called out from the flames.
"Everyone, cease fire!" The booming voice echoed through the air, and the attacks immediately stopped. Under the stunned gaze of everyone, Nathan stepped out clad in glistening red armor with the Silent Whisper insignia on its chest.