The scene below looked chaotic, but upon closer inspection, it became clear the Val Kingdom's troops were not just fighting the massive Behemoth of Inferno—they were trying to capture it. Brig's gut churned. Capturing the Demon King's pet was nothing short of insanity. Did they not realize this wasn't a small border dispute? This was essentially an act of war, a slap in the Demon King's face! Brigs felt uneasy. The Val Kingdom and the Demon Clan had a tenuous relationship at best, with small skirmishes here and there, but always an underlying mutual respect. This, however, felt like a step too far. And then there was the group of individuals standing off to the side, not participating but observing the battle with an unsettling air of superiority.
Haruto's eyes darted between the troops and the Behemoth. Something wasn't right. The soldiers weren't coordinated like a unit, rather they seemed to be trying to outdo each other, as if they were more interested in personal glory than actually fighting the Behemoth effectively. Stranger still was how the group of four standing to the side hadn't moved a muscle. Their intentions were a mystery.
As Solan crept closer to get a better view, his eyes widened in alarm. "No… no… no! Why are they here?"
Cohn noticed and shot him a sharp look. "Something you want to share with the class?" His voice dripped with suspicion.
Solan hesitated, biting his lip. He knew something. Brigs, sensing his reluctance, pressed further. "Solan, if you know anything, now is the time to mention it. We're too deep into this to hold back information."
With a sigh of defeat, Solan finally spoke. "A while back, I overheard rumors. I was traveling and stopped at a pub. The word was that Val had been making strange moves—abnormal troop movements, attacks, secret missions. The advice was simple: stay away if you didn't want trouble. Now, those four over there? That's big trouble. They're four of the five Saints."
Haruto frowned, unfamiliar with the term. "Saints? Is that some kind of important group?"
Brig and Cohn stared at him in disbelief. Gale, meanwhile, furrowed her brow in thought. "The Saints… I've heard that name before."
"You probably have," Brigs said gravely. "They're Val's equivalent of our Vanguard."
Haruto's eyes widened in shock, understanding finally dawning on him ."The Vanguard? You mean those four are their elite force? Why are they here? And what do they want with the Behemoth?" he asked, perplexed.
Brigs nodded. "Exactly. What are they planning?"
"I don't know," Solan muttered. "But whatever it is, it can't be good."
Cohn scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "Who cares? It's not our problem. This has nothing to do with our mission."
Gale agreed, folding her arms. "Cohn's right. We have a task to complete, and this isn't it. The Saints are dangerous, sure, but we're not here to get involved in whatever they're doing. We're still miles from the border."
Brigs remained silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on the Behemoth as it continued to thrash. But then his voice cut through the tension. "We're not leaving." The group froze, surprised by the sudden authority in his tone. "This event, whatever it is, is too significant to ignore. It falls within the purview of our mission to assess potential threats," Brig said firmly. He leaned in closer to Haruto and lowered his voice. "Have you noticed it too?"
Haruto felt the knot in his stomach tighten. The divine band on his wrist had already alerted him of something ominous.
[The Legendary Class, Behemoth of the Inferno, is being afflicted by an outside force. Time to assimilation: 5 minutes.]
Haruto's stomach churned at the word "assimilation. The message was vague, but the implications were clear. Something unnatural was happening, and whatever it was, it didn't bode well. The soldiers might look like they were in control, but whatever was happening had only minutes left. He wasn't keen on sticking around to find out what 'assimilation' meant.
"We need to move now," Haruto said, a sense of urgency filling his voice. "Whatever's going on down there is bad, and I don't want to be here when it escalates."
Brigs agreed, surprising the group even further. "This is beyond anything we anticipated, but it's still our duty to investigate. We can no longer afford to keep our distance. We need to understand what's happening."
Solan sighed. "Well, whatever we do, we do it together.
Cohn, however, wasn't having it. "Brigs you can't be serious! We should be heading for the border, not gawking at some spectacle. What's the point?"
"Have you forgotten we're still under the formation's effects?" Solan reminded him. "We can't stray too far from each other. And clearly, Haruto and Brigs know something we don't."
"Exactly," Haruto added. "Something's wrong with that Behemoth, and I don't want to be caught here when it breaks loose."
Cohn clenched his fists, ready to argue, but Gale laid a calming hand on his shoulder. "It's not worth it, Cohn. We've been outvoted."
Reluctantly, Cohn fell silent, though his frustration was palpable. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."
As they began moving down the hill toward the battlefield, Solan couldn't help but notice the intense focus Haruto had on the Behemoth. Something was pulling him toward the conflict, almost like he sensed something others couldn't.
As they neared the bottom, the battle seemed to reach a turning point. A cheer erupted from the Val soldiers as the Behemoth fell eerily still.
"Oh no…" Haruto muttered under his breath. They had waited too long. Whatever the soldiers had been trying to do had succeeded.
The group reached the bottom of the hill just as one of the Saints moved toward the now motionless Behemoth, his expression smug. The Behemoth was now standing completely still, motionless, its massive form frozen as if waiting for something.
It was now or never. Brig stepped forward, his voice booming with authority. "What do you think you're doing? Do you have any idea of the consequences of your actions? You risk eternal war with the Demon Clan!"
One of the Saints turned, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Oh? What's this? Some little lambs have wandered into the slaughter?" His words were met with chuckles from the soldiers, the sinister undertone in their laughter unnerving the group.
Brig's fists clenched. "This is no laughing matter! If you leave now, you might avoid provoking an all-out war. The Kingdom of Mordell will not come to Val's aid when the Demon Clan retaliates!"
Another Saint sneered, stepping forward. "Leave it to Mordell's Warlords to invent rules that suit them. We go where we please, Warlord. No Demon Clan, no Kingdom, no one will dictate our actions. If you kneel now and pledge to the almighty darkness, perhaps we'll let you live. Because in the end, you're all dead, and you just don't know it."
Every member of Brig's group bristled with fury. The arrogance of the Saints was palpable. Brig had heard rumors about their overconfidence, but seeing it firsthand was a different matter.
Suddenly, one of the Saints recognized Solan. "Hmph, you again. I see you've brought friends this time. A rabbit in the lion's den, trying to play hero."
"They're supposed to be like our Vanguard?" Haruto scoffed. "They seem more like a bunch of idiots who don't know when to leave well enough alone."
The Val soldiers' eyes flared with rage at the insult. The Saints, however, seemed more intrigued than offended. One of them, Raphael, locked his gaze onto Haruto, his eyes narrowing. "You dare speak such words to me, boy? Tell me. What gives you such confidence? Is it the meager wind element I am sensing?"
"Raphael, worried about some wet behind the ears brat?" one of the other Saints mocked.
Raphael smirked. "Not worried. But it's always best to extinguish a flame before it becomes a wildfire." He stated as he released his own wind element.
Raphael smirked and raised his arm, pointing it toward Haruto and his comrades. "Wipe them out. None of them must live to report what they've seen here."
Without warning, the Val soldiers surged forward, weapons raised, their eyes gleaming with murderous intent.
Brigs quickly drew his giant sword and buckler shield. "I guess we're doing this, Prepare yourselves!" he shouted.
As the first wave of soldiers reached them, Haruto summoned his wind element, his body glowing faintly with energy. He unleashed a rapid series of wind slashes, cutting through the nearest attackers with ease. But more were coming.
Brigs and Cohn took the brunt of the assault, their weapons clashing against Val steel. Cohn's movements were sharp and precise, as he dispatched each enemy with ruthless efficiency. Brigs, meanwhile, used his shield to block and counter, his immense strength keeping the enemy at bay.
"Solan! Cover the rear!" Gale shouted, casting healing spells as fast as she could, her mana draining rapidly as the battle intensified.
Solan quickly repositioned himself, launching bursts of energy at any soldier who tried to flank them.
Haruto, in the midst of the chaos, couldn't shake the feeling that something worse was coming and as he glanced at the Behemoth, he realized the creature's eyes were glowing faintly. Something terrible was about to happen, and they had only moments to prepare.
And then, the ground began to rumble.