[BL] Guardians of Fate
Chapter 80 - 20: The Battle’s End [4]

Chapter 80: Chapter 20: The Battle’s End [4]

At that moment, Ansel’s words made Ardyn ponder.

The thought came completely out of the blue, like a random intrusion in his head, but he suddenly wondered about his Summoner.

He had come all the way here, back to this city where an intense battle was going on, just to save his Summoner who was supposedly trapped in the church.

But in the end, his Summoner wasn’t there. He probably managed to escape somehow, so Ardyn had been searching the streets ever since. It made him look back on his actions as he ran, feeling a deep sense of shame and conflict in his heart.

Was it all for nothing, then? Why did he even come here? Why did he have to follow his unusually irrational heart and go on such a wild goose chase?

What if someone died trying to save him earlier? How would Ardyn be able to bear it, knowing that he was the cause?

But still...

For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to truly regret the decision he had made. It was as if there had to be a reason why he had come all the way back here. It couldn’t have been for nothing.

Even though he wasn’t the hero type, he did such a reckless thing. So he supposed that in a way, Ansel was right.

"I guess I would..." he answered, earning him a warm smile from Ansel.

He wasn’t the self-sacrificing type, but if his family or closest friends were ever in danger, he wouldn’t hesitate to save them no matter what it took. Just the thought of them being in a situation like this made his heart ache deeply. There was nothing worse than the feeling of helplessness and despair when a loved one was in danger.

Which was why it was interesting that he felt something similar towards his Summoner. Did this mean that such a bond really existed even though they hadn’t exchanged any words yet? Even though he hardly knew anything about the man?

It made him wonder even more.

What if his Summoner turned out to be a killer or a criminal? Would the bond still hold? What if he saw his Summoner murder a person or bully someone? What would he and the other Guardians think and feel about it? Would this "bond" still force them to care for and protect their Summoner nevertheless?

He had so many questions in his head, but he knew that there was no time to dwell on such things. After all, they were still in the middle of a battle.

I just hope that he’s safe somewhere, he thought. I don’t feel anything alarming, so I’m gonna guess that he’s indeed hiding somewhere.

I wonder if he dies or gets hurt... will I feel heartache? Or something similar to that?

But if he got trapped in the church, I should’ve felt something then. Maybe it doesn’t work with Guardians?

What about him? Had he possibly felt it when I was in danger just now? Is it a one-way bond?

Ardyn didn’t know, but he still prayed that nothing bad would happen from now on. Like the other Guardians, he would have to put his trust on Evan.

At this moment, they managed to reach a stable path that led to an open space some ways away from the destruction. It was far enough to keep a reasonable distance from the flying tendrils, but also close enough to be able to rush to Evan if the situation ever got out of hand. It was all about being on the safe side.

At that moment, Voss came up beside Ardyn and tapped him on the shoulder. Ardyn turned to him in response, a confused expression settling on his features.

"You might need this, just in case," Voss said, handing him what looked like a sturdy metal shield. "If any of those tendrils come at you like they want to pierce you, use this. I considered giving you a sword instead, but I don’t think you have the strength to wield one yet."

Ardyn swallowed as he stared at the shield. It looked solid, and it seemed to glow a faint orange. Perhaps it had been imbued with magic, because a shield glowing that color was not ordinary at all.

"Can I even hold this, though?" he asked. "Isn’t it heavy?"

Voss smiled. "Nah. It’s lightweight. I made sure of that."

Ardyn was still a little skeptical, especially since the shield looked too sturdy to be so light. But when he finally took it from Voss, he almost dropped it to the ground in shock. It was light, almost like he was holding a piece of wood in his hand.

"Oh?! You’re right," Ardyn said, examining the shield in wonder.

"Told you." Voss chuckled. "Be alert from now on, all right?"

Voss then moved towards Mathias, who was still being supported by Elyana. They seemed to be discussing something in private.

Ardyn couldn’t help but glance over at the monster. It was a miracle that the demonic creature hadn’t sent pursuit attacks after them. Maybe it was because the celestial prison looked half-finished from this distance, and there seemed to be more holy chains binding the monster than he remembered.

"We called for reinforcements, didn’t we?" Gideon asked. "Are they on their way?"

"Once word of the Calamity’s appearance reaches the other three kingdoms, chaos will surely ensue," Elyana said quietly. "Our people have probably seen the monster by now and realized why we had them evacuated."

"The important thing is that they’re safe and sound," Clay said.

"By the way, what about your Summoner?" Blade asked, turning to Ardyn with a questioning look on his face. "How did the monster grab you like that earlier?"

"Well, he... wasn’t in the Church," Ardyn said, gripping the handle of the shield in his hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "It seemed that he escaped before I got there. I tried searching for him in the city, and that’s how I got grabbed."

"So you think he’s still here?" Blade asked, surveying the ruined city behind them. He could make out several houses that were still intact. However, there was a huge pile of rubble near the entrance, possibly the result of the gates and entrance walls collapsing from the tendril attacks.

There was an intact watchtower nearby, but if it was destroyed as well, it would be dangerous to cross the path there.

"He’s probably in hiding, then..." Ansel surmised.

Blade nodded. "A reasonable tactic. If he managed to find a room underground in one of the houses, that would also be convenient. Though the problem would then lie on how he could get out if ever the house gets reduced to rubble."

"But wouldn’t that be a lesser chance of happening now?" Gideon pointed out. "After all, the Calamity is being restrained, and since Ardyn is here, the monster no longer has a reason to attack the city itself."

"Maybe we should consider that it hungers for his Summoner’s soul as well," Clay said quietly. "After all, Otherworlder souls and anyone else having the same aura as them are basically the same."

"We should help Ardyn find his Summoner after all this!" Ansel proposed. "Since there are many of us compared to one, it’ll be easier."

"That’s—" Clay was about to say, but then a loud sound cut him off.

At that moment, a thunderclap was heard. Everyone stiffened and reflexively looked up at the sky. The clouds grew even darker, as if a heavy storm was brewing. Gone were the rays of light that preceded the coming of the Final Spirit, replaced by swirling clouds and an ominous change in the weather.

Before, the clouds had only obscured the blue sky and prevented sunlight from penetrating. Now, darkness enveloped the area, making it harder to see any obstacles clearly.

Ardyn stared at the white and gray particles floating in front of his eyes, so tiny yet visible in the dreary atmosphere. A thin layer of mist began to cover the air, almost resembling a fog. It sent a chill down his spine.

He looked up at the sky again, trying to ignore the chilling roar coming from the Calamity. He wasn’t too worried yet; after all, they — the Guardians — had mentioned that this was the final phase of the sealing process. All Evan had to do was finish chanting the incantation for the celestial prison, and that would be it. The monster would be sealed away with no chance of escape.

But it seemed that fate was not going to make it easy for them.

Ardyn watched in horror as the Calamity began to struggle more violently than before, spewing waves of black liquid from its mouth. Since the Final Spirit’s lance had pierced the maw, the liquid only poured out onto the ground.

However, since the monster was lying on the ground, the liquid reached the ends of the celestial prison, and black markings began to appear from the bottom, crawling up to the center.

The same happened to the lance that had been plunged into its mouth. The ends of the blade were now stained with darkness, like a growing infection.

"No! It can’t be!" Clay exclaimed, gritting his teeth. "It’s trying to break the seal!"

Then the sound of thunder intensified, and the monster let out the loudest roar they had ever heard. They instinctively covered their ears with their hands, but Voss kept one eye open to check on Evan.

"Shit!" Gideon cursed. "Don’t tell me that it’s really gonna break out of the celestial prison! We’ll be dead if it does!"

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