[BL] Guardians of Fate
Chapter 65 - 18: Curses and Sacrifices [5]

Chapter 65: Chapter 18: Curses and Sacrifices [5]

The moment Blade was thrown back by the sudden attack, everyone became tense and a little more desperate. They knew that he was still alive, especially since the root that had flung him aside was later reduced to ashes.

But it also meant one less Guardian on the battlefield, a crucial moment when they needed all the help they could get.

It’s doing a number on the city, Mathias thought as he glanced back at the capital of Angelbay. Looks like it’s determined to wreak havoc everywhere.

But why, though? We evacuated everyone. It should be focusing on us only. We’re the only souls left nearby for it to ravage.

Mathias shook his head. He was too tired to think clearly. Honestly, he had no idea how long they had been fighting. Maybe hours had passed, or maybe only a few. Maybe it hadn’t even reached sixty minutes yet.

But that didn’t matter at the moment. His magic power was low now, and he could only cast Gigantification a few times at most.

He had no doubt that it was the same for the others. After all, they weren’t used to fighting for this long, especially when the enemy was practically indestructible.

At this moment, the Calamity was much closer than before, and its steady approach nearly brought them all to their knees. The pressure in the air was incredible, and the murderous intent coming from the monster gave Mathias a sickening feeling in the stomach. He even felt like he was about to throw up.

Right now, the ones with the most energy were Voss and Clay. Voss didn’t need to use that much magic when using his weapons, while Clay just had a lot of stamina and destructive power compared to the rest of them.

Mathias glanced over at Gideon and Elyana who were by the barrier as always, both of them looking exhausted. Elyana still had her arms outstretched, summoning a multitude of crystals and sending them towards the root arms.

There was never a quiet moment. The sounds of constant battle and magical clashes kept ringing in Mathias’ ears, and the longer the battle dragged on, the more paranoid he became.

What in the world is Blade doing right now?

At that moment, a larger claw charged directly at Mathias, and he immediately countered by enlarging his fist and then slamming the appendage to the ground.

However, when he raised his head the next moment, three more flew towards him, and it was as if everything inside him froze.

But before they could pierce him, a thick crystal shield emerged instantly from the ground, protecting him from being killed. The sharp crystals sliced through the limbs cleanly, causing the roots to fall uselessly to the ground.

Mathias let out a shaky breath as he realized that a claw had come dangerously close to piercing his eye.

He turned to Elyana, his heart racing from almost staring death in the face. "Thanks."

She looked at him, panting heavily from the exertion, and it seemed as though she wanted to come over and check on him personally.

"Matty-bear, you’re bleeding!" she cried out in concern.

Mathias looked down and saw that he had a nasty cut on his right shoulder. Blood was seeping out from the wound, slowly dripping down to his elbow. He sucked in air through his teeth as he clutched his arm, wincing at the intense pain. One of the claws must’ve managed to get to him before it dropped down.

This was going to be tough.

"I’ll be okay," he told Elyana, who had no choice but to accept his answer.

At this point, Gideon’s earthen shield had suffered quite a few cracks, but he managed to rebuild the barrier over and over again. However, it also used up a lot of his magic, which meant that he couldn’t maintain the shield much longer.

"Come on, Evan," Gideon whispered, voice strained and sweat dripping down from his brow. "What’s happening in there?"

Being the caster of the shield, Gideon was the only one who could see inside. Evan continued to stand there peacefully, but the energy around him was a lot more intense than before, almost as much as the Calamity’s at the moment.

Perhaps the incantation was nearing its final stage, and the wait would finally be over. But right now, everyone was on pins and needles.

"Everyone okay?" Voss called out, gripping a sword in each of his hands. He looked exhausted, but still determined to fight.

However, Clay had returned to human form, and he looked all battered up. Bruises and cuts were all over his skin, and he seemed to be in no shape to continue fighting.

"I never should’ve slacked off last year," he muttered as he staggered over to Gideon and Elyana.

Elyana helped him sit down on the ground, clasping his shoulders reassuringly. "Just rest. We’ll take it from here," she told him.

Clay, however, looked disappointed in himself. His gaze was fixed on the Calamity, realizing that the demon was closer now than before. Alarmingly, in fact. Had it always been this near?

This was bad.

"Where’s Blade?" he asked.

Elyana shook her head. "We’re waiting for him as well. He’s still alive, but he’s probably fending off some attacks while making his way over here."

Clay’s expression turned grim. "He better come back soon. We need him."

The atmosphere immediately became thick with worry and tension. They were all on edge. They didn’t know how long they could hold out at this rate.

"Guys... I’m sorry. I can’t do it anymore."

Everyone turned in alarm as Gideon collapsed from the strain, the earthen shield protecting Evan instantly crumbling to dust.

"Gideon!" Elyana cried out, cradling the man in her arms. His skin felt cold to the touch, and he was breathing heavily.

It was just magic depletion, she knew, but it was still frightening to see him in such a state.

Clay strained to move closer. "You okay, buddy?" he asked in concern.

Gideon managed a shaky nod. "I... I’m fine. But Evan—"

"I’ll protect him."

Ansel materialized in front of them, the invisibility effect on his body slowly fading. He didn’t look much different from the others; he wasn’t battered and bruised, but he wasn’t in good shape, either.

Of course, he hadn’t stood idly by all this time. He had fought alongside them from the beginning, using his invisible throwing knives to cut off root arms whenever they came near the shield.

But now that the barrier was gone, the other Guardians could only rely on his invisibility magic to temporarily erase Evan’s presence and aura. That way, it would confuse the Calamity’s detection of the Summoner, and its attention would shift towards the Guardians instead. This was meant to be a last resort in case Gideon’s barrier broke down, because Ansel could only cast this specific ability for a limited period of time.

"Don’t worry," Mathias assured as he cast a worried glance at Evan. "He’s almost there. We can still fight. There’s not much—"

"...May the gods help us," Elyana suddenly breathed out, her eyes wide in pure terror.

Everyone followed her gaze, and their lips parted in shock.

Mathias took a few steps back, his face frozen with fear as he clutched his bleeding shoulder. Voss, gripping two swords in each hand, followed suit, his eyes never leaving the demonic creature’s colossal form.

Thunder cracked in the sky, the sound so loud and jarring that it made them all flinch. The ground shook under the weight of the Calamity as it approached. It stood at about fifty or sixty feet tall, towering over the ruined buildings on the edge of the city. It wasn’t completely out of the seas yet, as its knees were still underwater.

There was something very terrifying about being so close to an entity that was several feet taller than you. All the Guardians could do was stare at the Calamity, their heads tilted upwards and their bodies shaking subconsciously with fear.

Even though they were still determined to fight, the Calamity’s murderous aura hung thickly in the atmosphere, so much that it was almost palpable. It brought with it a sense of hopelessness and fear, a sinking feeling that everything was about to go wrong.

Everyone had regrouped and stood together, postures stiff and expressions firm. Ansel endured the intense holy energy surrounding Evan and touched his shoulder, casting invisibility magic on both of them.

Evan slowly disappeared from their sight, and so did Ansel.

"Take him further away," Clay said to Ansel, and even though he couldn’t see the boy, he knew that he understood.

Evan couldn’t move far from his original position because he needed to combine his holy energy with the Calamity’s dark energy for the sealing ritual to work. But now that the Calamity was closer, the transfer wouldn’t be a problem. Besides, despite his boyish appearance, Ansel was surprisingly strong, so he could carry Evan just fine.

"Let’s just last a little longer," Voss said quietly. "Are we all still good?"

Elyana and Gideon nodded. "We’re ready."

They watched as the Calamity flexed its massive hand, looking ominous even from a distance. Its fingers, made of branching tendrils, wriggled dangerously.

Then, without warning, the monster drew its hand back and plunged it towards the five of them. The descent was so rapid that they couldn’t escape. Instead, they braced themselves for the impact and prepared to fight back.

"Hang on...!" Elyana gasped as she created a crystal shield above them. It wasn’t as durable as Gideon’s earth barrier, but she had to do something.

The large palm descended faster now, sharp claws and tendrils aimed directly at their heads. Elyana tried to maintain the shield and almost shut her eyes afterwards, resigning to her fate.

Almost.

Until a massive pillar of flame suddenly slammed into the Calamity’s hand, striking it with an explosive force.

"Huh?!" Each of them instinctively covered their eyes with their arms to shield themselves from the brightness and impact.

When they finally lowered their arms, they watched in shock as the Calamity drew its hand back and tilted its head downwards, as if inspecting the charred texture.

And then a familiar figure leaped down, landing right beside his comrades. His fists were glowing a bright orange, and so were his eyes.

"Am I late to the party?" Blade asked.