Chapter 129: Golden Beam
Arthur raced across the rooftops, Goblin Hunters continuing to follow beneath him. Every rooftop already had another Hunter waiting, replacement spears ready, new launch positions set.
Arthur had now killed over twenty-five Thunderbirds. Golden feathers rained across the city, their corpses crashing through buildings below.
For a brief moment it looked like Arthur’s strategy was working. But when Arthur landed on another rooftop. He saw a Goblin Hunter was already waiting with him, getting ready to launch him.
But then Arthur froze as he saw a bolt of lightning rushing down at the Goblin.
Arthur didn’t think, and he shoved the Hunter aside.
BOOOOOOOOOM!!
Lightning exploded across Arthur’s shoulder, and he crashed through the rooftop instead.
The Hunter stared. "P-Prophet! You shouldn’t have–"
Arthur slowly climbed back onto the roof, smoke rising from one sleeve with a smile. "Don’t worry, it didn’t even hurt."
The Goblin Hunter’s eyes widened.
"Besides, I still need someone to throw me."
The Hunter’s eyes shook.
Without another word, he gripped the spear as Arthur stepped onto it. "Again."
The Hunter launched him even harder than before.
And he cut through another of the Thunderbirds before landing on the rooftop. Then, as he continued running, he glanced to see Eden was fine and sighed in relief. "Eden, do you–"
"No! How can I abandon you? W-We are partners!"
Arthur trembled before smiling. "I really do have the best partners."
Eden nodded before looking at the Thunderbirds, and then her eyes narrowed as she noticed something. Suddenly she tugged Arthur’s collar. "Left!" she said.
Arthur immediately rolled. A bolt of lightning crashed exactly where he had been standing, turning the rooftop into ash.
Arthur blinked. "You knew?" he said.
Eden quickly nodded before pointing toward another Thunderbird. "I... I can see weird energy gathering up through their body and then the path it’s aiming at."
Arthur blinked before a smile slowly appeared. "You’re incredible," he said.
Eden puffed out her tiny chest proudly.
And then he continued moving as he evaded more attacks. Eden frowned before golden threads spread outward from her tiny body.
[Vision Sharing].
Every Goblin Hunter suddenly gasped, and then he froze. For a split second, he could see through every hunter’s eyes, and they could see through his.
Arthur staggered as his vision split apart, and then he saw twenty rooftops. Then thirty Goblin Hunters, and for some reason even hundreds of Thunderbirds.
Everything happened at once.
One Hunter ducked.
Another fell.
Another launched a spear.
Arthur couldn’t tell which pair of eyes belonged to him anymore, and his head pounded.
"Arthur!" Eden grabbed his shoulder. "Focus on what matters."
Arthur closed his eyes and then, after one breath. he opened them again to see the chaos organized itself. Every Hunter became another extension of his own body, and he smiled.
"Now I understand."
A Hunter shouted, "Behind you!"
Arthur ducked as a Thunderbird tried to take off his head.
Another Hunter yelled, "Above!"
He then jumped before lightning struck.
Another Goblin Hunter spotted one of the Thunderbirds preparing another attack. "Two of them are coming on your left!"
He immediately adjusted, and the communication instantly became smoother. The Goblin Hunters were no longer fighting as individuals but together.
Arthur grinned. "Now this changes everything," he said.
Then a screech, and they looked up to see every Thunderbird suddenly stop chasing Arthur. Instead, they all looked upward, and Arthur followed their gaze.
His smile disappeared.
Two enormous Thunderbirds descended, one surrounded by yellow lightning, one surrounded by blue lightning, both nearly twice the size of the others. Their pressure alone made the surrounding Thunderbirds retreat.
One Goblin Hunter whispered, "Chiefs."
The two birds spread their wings, and yellow and blue lightning crashed downward. Buildings didn’t explode. They vanished, reduced to ash instantly.
Arthur’s expression hardened. "That’s new," he said.
[Command Authority].
Golden light rushed out from Arthur and then swept through the flock. Every ordinary Thunderbird suddenly turned, their eyes losing focus.
Arthur pointed. "Attack those two!"
Dozens of Thunderbirds instantly rushed toward their own Chiefs. The two Chiefs screeched furiously as chaos erupted around them.
[War Shout].
"FREEZE!"
The command echoed, and the two Chiefs paused. Only for an instant, but it was still long enough for lightning from the controlled Thunderbirds to slam into both Chiefs.
Arthur jumped. A Goblin Hunter had already arrived beneath him. No words exchanged. The Hunter bent his spear. Arthur launched.
He flew toward the stunned Chief, his spear igniting.
[Magic Burst].
[Armor Piercing].
He aimed directly for its neck.
Then one Thunderbird Chief suddenly shook off the stun, its entire body crackling with lightning. Arthur didn’t notice.
Eden did. "Arthur!" she shouted, pointing. Mana exploded inside the Chief’s chest.
Arthur instantly changed plans. Instead of attacking, he thrust directly into the incoming lightning. The explosion from Magic Burst launched him backward, and he crashed through a rooftop, rolled, slid, and stopped.
"Ow," he said.
He slowly stood. The two Chiefs glared at him, neither seriously injured. Arthur smiled anyway. "Now we’re talking," he said.
Arthur immediately ran as he continued leading them away. The two Chiefs pursued, every ordinary Thunderbird following behind them.
Dozens of birds followed behind one man.
The blue Chief attacked first, and lightning crashed down. Arthur dodged left, but it was exactly where the yellow Chief wanted him.
Another bolt exploded beneath his feet, and he leaped again.
Another attack.
Another dodge.
Another lightning strike.
Only after the fifth attack did Arthur realize. "They aren’t trying to hit me..." His eyes widened. "They’re trying to control where I go–"
And it was then the next rooftop exploded before he landed on it. There were no Hunters or spears he could use to launch himself upwards. Just as six bolts of lightning rushed down, striking him.
Arthur twisted in midair before he thrust out Dusk towards the side of the roof wall.
[Magic Burst]
The explosion changed his direction just enough to crash onto a chimney instead, and he exhaled slowly. "...That was close."
Above him...
The two Chiefs looked at each other and then smiled.
The blue Chief screeched once, and then the ordinary Thunderbirds immediately changed formation.
No longer diving one by one but attacking in waves.
The first forced Arthur to dodge.
The second cut off his escape.
The third waited for him to land.
Arthur sighed. "They’re commanding the flock better now."
The rooftops became another battlefield.
But fortunately, they simply adapted. As with the Vision Sharing, Arthur could see a better map of where the birds were trying to lead him. And the Goblins could spread out as he leapt across the buildings faster and better.
Every rooftop became another launch point. And when one of the Thunderbirds tried to rush him down. Eden suddenly glowed, tiny golden particles drifting through the air, and then she winked at them.
[Charm].
The Thunderbird hesitated, its lightning pausing for only a heartbeat. Arthur immediately appeared, one spear finding its mark, and one Thunderbird lost its head entirely.
The Chief screeched in fury.
And then a minute later, a Chief prepared a devastating lightning stream. Eden used Charm again, and its attack fired a fraction of a second late.
Arthur narrowly escaped.
The blue Chief trembled in rage before its eyes locked onto Eden.
Lightning gathered before both Chiefs unleashed lightning that was rushing from the front and then coming from the back. Arthur quickly launched himself towards the ground, evading the attack.
But then he shivered as he saw one of the Goblin Hunters whose eyes he could see through. A Streak of lightning was following behind him, but it wasn’t aimed at him.
It was Eden.
Arthur noticed immediately. "...No."
Eden noticed as well as he turned around, but froze in fright as the streak was slowly descending down on it.
[Guardian Shield]
Instantly, a golden dome appeared around Arthur and Eden before the streak of lightning crashed against it.
Arthur quickly checked over Eden before sighing in relief as he held her tightly. "You’re okay."
Eden’s tiny hands trembled. "...I’m sorry."
Arthur shook his head. "No. That means they finally realized..." He looked toward both Chiefs. "You’re dangerous."
Eden blinked before smiling proudly.
Arthur then looked up at the two Thunderbird Chiefs who were glaring down. He couldn’t blame them; without Eden, he might have long since been dead already.
With a chuckle, he kept on rushing as the birds screeched.
...
At the wall, Mithra watched things grow worse. Much worse. The beasts never stopped. Every one that died, three more climbed over the wall in its place.
Goblin Archers no longer had time to aim, firing point-blank into the crowd instead. Goblin Spearmen fought with broken spears, jabbing whatever remained of the shafts. Goblin Healers healed while dragging the wounded away from the edge.
Goblin Riders repeatedly charged into openings, driving back whatever tried to breach. Goblin Mages collapsed from mana exhaustion one after another.
Yet the beasts kept climbing.
A Goblin Spearman drove his broken weapon into a Crystal Serpent. But the wooden shaft snapped.
The serpent kept coming.
Another Goblin immediately stepped in front of him and then another. Neither carried proper weapons anymore. One fought with a hammer while the other fought with nothing more than a sharpened piece of stone.
Their previous weapons were lost during all the constant skirmishes.
Behind them, exhausted Goblin Mages dragged themselves back onto their feet despite their mana already being empty.
One raised his trembling staff anyway.
Nothing happened.
He smiled bitterly.
Then used the staff itself to strike a Fire Lizard climbing onto the wall.
Nobody had enough strength anymore.
So they simply refused to stop fighting.
Only then did Melo move through the battlefield.
One Crystal Serpent suddenly turned, hissing at empty air, convinced by her illusion that another Goblin stood beside it. It lunged and fell off the wall entirely.
Another group reached the top. Melo’s eyes glowed, and several of them suddenly stopped, their eyelids growing heavy, collapsing asleep on the stone. Goblin Spearmen immediately finished them.
One Fire Lizard leaped toward a wounded Goblin. Melo’s tail flashed, slicing completely through it before it could land. The Goblin stared at her.
"Thank you," he said.
Melo simply smiled.
The pressure kept increasing. Every Goblin was doing everything possible. Still they were losing ground.
Eventually, craaaaaaaack!! Part of the wall exploded. Not cracked. Exploded. An entire opening appeared, and beasts immediately rushed through. Behemoths. Crystal Serpents. Fire Lizards. Everything.
Mithra immediately jumped. "I’ll hold the breach!" she shouted.
She knew. If this opening wasn’t sealed, the city fell.
Before she reached it, a roar. Not from the beasts. From above.
A golden beam tore across the battlefield, striking directly beside the breach.
Booooooooom!! A pillar of golden fire erupted, and everything nearby disappeared. The charging beasts, gone.
Silence.
The Goblins stared. One whispered, "What now?"
Another gripped his weapon tighter. "What else can this battlefield throw at us?"
The smoke slowly parted. A gigantic golden dragon circled overhead, its crimson markings glowing brilliantly.
Mephistopheles.
Leon stood calmly atop the dragon, golden hair, golden eyes, Pathfinder Academy uniform, two swords resting over his shoulders. A grin spread across his face.
"I knew something interesting would happen if Arthur was involved!" he called down.
Mithra burst into laughter. "Then stop watching and help!" she shouted.
Leon laughed. "I was planning to," he said.
Mephistopheles twisted, its massive tail slamming into Leon’s boots. Instead of launching him upward, it launched him like a cannonball, straight toward Arthur.
...
Arthur was still fighting when one Thunderbird Chief suddenly sensed danger and looked upward. Too late.
Leon crashed directly into it, both swords plunging into its back. The Chief screamed, and both of them crashed through a building.
Leon landed, pulling his swords free. The Chief’s body suddenly glowed.
Eden immediately pointed. "Something is coming!" she shouted.
Arthur blinked before glancing, and then his eyes widened when he saw Leon jump away as lightning erupted where he had been standing.
Arthur landed beside him. "Leon?" he said.
Leon laughed. "Took me long enough?" he said.
Arthur shrugged. "I wasn’t expecting you," he said. "But I wasn’t surprised either."
Leon glanced toward Eden sitting on Arthur’s shoulder. "Another friend?" he asked.
Arthur smiled. "My new Partner, Eden. She’s been doing half the work."
Eden proudly folded her tiny arms.
Leon chuckled. "Hm? You aren’t a Silver Rank—"
"To make it short, my Mana Realm is bigger than normal."
Leon blinked, then shook his head in amusement. "Classic, Arthur," he said.
"You don’t seem as shocked as the others," Arthur said.
"I can only say it’s to be expected," Leon said.
Arthur laughed while Eden blinked. "I like your golden eyes and hair," she said.
Leon paused, then grinned. "And I like your silver hair," he said.
Eden giggled. "How did you find us?" she asked.
"I just followed the siege of beasts," Leon said.
Arthur blinked. "You thought we’d be involved?"
Leon pointed at the battlefield. "Who else causes this much trouble?"
Arthur couldn’t help laughing. "Fair," he said, twirling his spear. "Then let’s clip their wings."
Leon spun both swords. "Gladly," he said.
Without another word, both charged.
Arthur took the blue Chief. Leon took the yellow one.
...
Back at the wall, seeing Leon arrive lifted everyone’s spirits. Mephistopheles flew overhead, golden flames sweeping through the walls the beasts tried to climb. And then its clear claws tore through beasts on top of the wall, and then its body crashed directly through enemy formations below.
[Golden Surge].
Golden energy exploded from Mephistopheles’s body, clearing another massive section of the battlefield.
Goblin morale rose.
Cheers erupted across the wall. "We’re pushing them back!"
A Goblin Rider laughed as his Blazefang Lion crashed through another Fire Lizard.
An exhausted Goblin Mage slumped against the wall, smiling for the first time since the battle began.
A wounded Goblin looked toward the sky. "...We survived."
Even Mithra allowed herself one slow breath. "...Maybe..."
Then...
The smile vanished from her face. "...No."
As she felt the stone beneath tremble.
Once.
Twice.
Then the entire wall lurched violently.
A Goblin lost his footing. "What was—"
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Another section of the wall exploded inward, and this time something enormous pushed through.
Not an Ape or a Serpent.
The Stonehorn Behemoth Chief, even bigger than the others, armored plates covering its body, its shoulders barely fitting through the breach.
Every Goblin froze. "How," one whispered, "do we stop that?"
Before anyone could answer, Mephistopheles dove, golden flames surrounding it, crashing directly into the Behemoth.
Booooooooooom!!
The impact threw both beasts back outside the city.
Mithra exhaled, then gripped her sword again. "Keep fighting!" she shouted.
The Goblins roared.
The siege continued.