[BL] Guardians of Fate
Chapter 57 - 17: The Calamity of the Planet [2]

Chapter 57: Chapter 17: The Calamity of the Planet [2]

Ardyn was rendered speechless. Stunned, he stared at the man’s hand which was glowing a bright orange, the color so vivid that it was a welcome sight in the midst of the dreary surroundings.

Still, he remained on edge since the Calamity’s roots were still destroying several houses, tearing down random buildings with unpredictable fury. He did not know when he would be targeted next.

Not only that, but the demonic entity was also approaching the city ever so slowly, the pace mostly due to its colossal build, but it might actually reach here sooner than he expected.

Which only emphasized the fact that time was truly running out.

"Are you one of Evan’s Guardians?" Ardyn blurted out.

After all, it made sense. Evan and the others stayed here so they could seal away the monster. But Ardyn had expected that they would be situated far away from the main town square and right at the edges, near the waters. So when he ran back to the city and entered the gates, he didn’t want to pass them because he didn’t want them to be distracted from their mission.

So for someone — a Guardian, obviously, because he wielded magic — to be in this part of the city, it was confusing.

"What?" The man looked startled at Ardyn’s assumption. A few seconds ago, he looked stony and almost fierce, but now he looked more human. "Are you a citizen? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I’m not exactly a citizen," Ardyn explained, cold sweat breaking out on his brow as his eyes were trained on the Calamity’s root arms lashing back and forth, continuing to turn buildings into rubble. The sound was rattling in his ears, increasing his tension and paranoia.

But he tried not to panic too much. A Guardian was here, so he should be safe, right?

What about his Summoner, though?

"Damn it. I gotta go!" Ardyn said, feeling antsy. He didn’t know whether to make a run for it or stay by this Guardian’s side. The current situation was putting a lot of pressure on him.

"Hold it right there," the man said, turning to the side and burning another root arm to ash. Ardyn watched the scene in morbid fascination, noting the way the man’s flames were such a deep orange and so intense that they burned everything so quickly. "You can’t leave."

"But I have to go," Ardyn insisted. "He needs me."

"Who?" the man demanded, turning to face him fully once more. "You... Aren’t you the Otherworlder that Evan mentioned a while back? What in the name of Celisthea are you doing here? You should have been evacuated safely by now!"

"A—About that... something came up. There’s someone in danger here right now, and—"

"And you decided to come here yourself without alerting the soldiers? How reckless," the man said. He did not look pleased. "Do you think that this is all a joke?"

"No, but—"

"You need to get out this instant. This is no place for someone like you." The man turned his head to see the Calamity’s roots retract from the area, returning to its owner. The demonic entity was currently attacking somewhere far away, like it was defending itself from an onslaught of attacks, giving Ardyn and the man a moment of peace.

"No. I can’t," Ardyn said, shaking his head. His tone was shaky, but he was determined. Abandoning his Summoner here felt so wrong that the thought of leaving right now at this point felt like the ultimate betrayal. "I need to go. Please don’t stop me."

"You are a stubborn one." The man frowned. "If you don’t leave, you’ll die. Besides, you haven’t activated your magic yet, have you?"

"I’m sorry, but I won’t go no matter how much you tell me to," Ardyn said. "I can’t let my Summoner die."

The man’s eyes widened. "Your... Summoner?" he repeated in disbelief. "You mean to say that your important person is here?"

"My important — you know what, forget it. Yes. My Summoner. I need to save him. I heard that he’s trapped in the Church. If I don’t get to him in time, he might die."

The man paused for a moment, then turned back to look at the Calamity once more. It seemed that his other fellow Guardians were dealing with the monster, but if he didn’t go there to help them right now, they might be in a precarious situation.

He turned back to Ardyn and nodded. "All right. I’ll help you."

Ardyn’s eyes widened. "You will?"

"If you say that you’re here for your Summoner, then I understand." The man pointed towards another bridge nearby. "Cross that one and keep running. I’ll watch your back and burn anything that lunges at you. Don’t stop."

Ardyn let out a breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. "Thank you."

The man nodded. "Go now. You don’t have much time."

Ardyn turned around and was about to leave, but he paused for a moment.

"What is it?" the man asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

"What’s your name? I’m Ardyn."

"...Blade."

"I’ll remember this. I owe you one, Blade!"

And with that, Ardyn ran without looking back. Blade stood there, feeling sweat drip down his chin.

This was going to be hard.

He followed Ardyn from behind, casting a watchful gaze at his surroundings. Angelbay City was now partly destroyed, and it made him feel sad to see the scattered tables and decorations all over. Having seen most of the celebration last night, he thought that everything looked beautiful. Everyone, including him, was happy for their Prince’s upcoming marriage.

Damn it, he cursed. They’re still fighting over there.

He had been thrown into this area thanks to one of Calamity’s root hands suddenly shooting out, causing him to jump and grab onto it from above. After burning it to ashes, he found himself in a farther part of the city near the first district.

And then he crossed paths with that Otherworlder.

So his Summoner is in the Church? he wondered. But how can that be? I thought the soldiers made sure that everyone was evacuated.

I’ve got a bad feeling about this.