The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 180: Marching toward Disasters

Chapter 180: Marching toward Disasters

"You guys are strong!"

Hex sat on the floor when one of the female Knights of the fourth unit approached him. She looked to be in her mid-twenties. She took a seat beside Hex, bending a little more than perhaps needed.

Like many, she had loosened her armor to cool off. When she lowered herself, Hex got a peak in her blouse. The fair twins put a smile on his face.

"Hmpf."

Esmeralda’s snort didn’t escape him but he ignored her. He doubted whether she knew how much mental rest a person got from seeing those things.

"My name is Paula. It took seven of us to defeat one Disaster but you guys did it with just you two. Perhaps we can group up once this mission is completed."

She spoke with a beautiful smile that gave Hex a fuzzy feeling inside. As a young man approaching his twenties, he wasn’t oblivious to the female charm. Hell, there were plenty of times he considered using the additional services Embrace offered. The only thing holding him back so far was his distrust of people.

He chatted amiably with Paula but didn’t give in to her charms. He was aware of his trust issues but he believed having these issues was better than being stabbed in the back or made use of.

Their fight with the five Disasters ended shortly after he killed the one he was up against. The fourth unit killed one and managed to contain one. Only Gronke managed to kill the three. It was hard to imagine the big-bellied and bushy-bearded guy as an unstoppable force in battle. The way he tore the Disasters from limb to limb mortified many survivors. Hex reasoned it was the main reason he received more attention than the Refined Knight.

It was a rare moment of enjoyment. It wasn’t noon yet. With their objective achieved the group decided to recover enough before continuing their path to the green flag at the center. Paula seemed worried about the number of remaining Disasters.

"The Commander spoke about a hundred Disasters. Either the other side has killed fifty or we are in for a treat."

She sounded worried and Hex knew she wasn’t alone. It was one thing to fight a small group but if the number of Disasters climbed above fifty even Hex couldn’t guarantee his survival.

"Prepare yourselves, we will leave toward the center in one hour."

Hearing Gronke announce the departure time, Hex closed his eyes and focused on circulating the natural element through his body, increasing his recovery rate. Paula left him alone, hurrying to gather with her team to discuss their strategy. Everyone knew the battle at the center would be the most brutal one.

...

Hex grimaced. The green flag they stood under was at least a couple hundred meters from the gates but the incessant screeches prickled his eardrums. His senses tingled, giving warnings of danger.

’Disasters. They are all at the Disaster stage.’

The distance didn’t hinder his senses from detecting the energy fluctuations. Although the energies overlapped and made it impossible to determine the exact number, he knew they were more than he dared to face.

The selected groups from the other units came at a slower pace. To his dismay, he counted only ten Knights who arrived so far.

"They don’t have any Refined Knights to spare?"

Esmeralda muttered in slight panic. Only Hex’s calmness helped her and maybe others from shouting out loud. Hex hid his trembling hands. Without Refined Knights as the vanguard, they would need at least ten times the number of Knights to face a horde of Disasters. And the Knights had to be above average at the bare minimum.

Suddenly, his senses picked up a huge number of strong energy fluctuations from the other side. He looked over as did Gronke. Their movement caught the eyes of the people waiting under the green flag. They too, turned their gaze.

Dust and smoke covered the entire area, limiting the visibility. At first, the others didn’t see anything aside from grey air. Gradually, the veil of smoke parted and revealed armored Knights. Each additional Knight increased the hope in everyone’s heart.

The smoke dispersed more. Around twenty Knights joined them, increasing their number to above fifty. Among these, Hex noticed Tarquin, Elsa, Gabriella, Althea, and more powerhouses on the top hundred rankings. They looked weary but Hex knew after a short rest they would be ready to fight again.

If the sudden increase in number helped the Knights relax, the arrival of another group caused them to shudder in excitement. Hex shared their excitement as the other group, although a lot fewer in number, consisted entirely of Refined Knights. Their arrival boosted morale, especially the two refined Knights at the front.

"Look, isn’t she the Star Sword?"

"She matches the description. And that big fellow beside her is probably the Stellar Shield!"

The petite girl and the bulky man were indeed the Paladin and the Templar Hex had seen during the governor’s feast. Their presence surprised Hex. Weren’t they only observers and representatives of their factions?

The majority of participants hoped to catch their eyes and gain a chance to enter the faction behind these two. He didn’t expect them to actively participate.

The group behind wasn’t entirely unfamiliar. An old man he saw often beside Tarquin also stood in the group as did the Countess, Elsa’s aunt, the man and woman he met at the entrance of the governor’s palace, and Marzo, the vice-commander of the Hawks.

Soon, the groups of Knights and Refined Knights reached the green flag. Tarquin and Gabriella noticed Hex immediately. He noticed their furious gazes and smiled sweetly at them, almost causing them to spurt blood from irritation. Elsa ignored him while Quid gave him a polite nod.

Althea and her team noticed Hex too. As an officer, she couldn’t leave her people behind but she smiled at him, causing many more haters for Hex. The envious gazes didn’t escape Hex’s senses but he didn’t mind. With potentially the entire existence as his enemy, why worry about a few more or less?

Despite the tensions between the various groups, they quickly noticed the deafening silence at the front. Hex sensed the increase in energy fluctuations at once. It was as if the air would explode.

Gronke nonchalantly munched on his snacks but his energy rose as he faced the Templar and the Paladin. Those two stared at him solemnly.

"They know each other?"

Someone whispered but everyone nodded. Even without his sharp senses, Hex would conclude that.

"Are you alone?"

It was the petite Star Sword who broke the silence between them. The incessant cries and screeches in the distance faded. It was as if the space was divided into two.

’I am always alone. Maybe if you joined me...."

"Where are your partners!"

The Star Sword interrupted Gronke with a sharp hiss, clearly irritated by the first couple of words she heard coming from his mouth.

"Who knows? They never tell me anything."

The people didn’t understand anything but no one spoke. Whoever those partners were, they seemed to make the Paladin and the Templar warry.

Gronke continued to munch. The Star Sword and the Stellar Shield continued to stare at him. The others continued to look from one side to the other.

"Ahum. What is going on and shouldn’t we join the battle at the gates?"

Marzo was the one in the end who spoke up. As a Vice Commander, he worried about his troops and the overall situation. Standing and waiting for others to resolve their issues wasn’t his style.

Right when he was done speaking, the ground trembled. The muffled sound of buildings collapsing sounded in the distance.

The Star Sword exhaled slowly, relaxing her tensed shoulders a little bit. Hex could tell that the calm Templar and the indifferent Gronke relaxed too.

"Indeed. The others need our help."

It was the Stellar Shield who spoke calmly while Gronke put his snacks away and threw the liquor bottle away. He turned toward the old man, serving the governor.

"Please notify the prince that the Warlords have arrived."

...

Old Gargoyle watched the scene before him. His face remained indifferent, watching the massacre with calm eyes. The only thing betraying his fury was his clenched fist dripping with blood.

The massive gates remained shut. No one managed to reach it so far. Corpses of Knights lay all over the place. There were many more buried under the rubble. The sound of cries, shouts, and roars filled the air.

Old Gargoyle scowled toward the sky. ’Did you send me to execute all these young men and women, bastard?’

Old Gargoyle glanced at the Duke beside him. The quick-to-anger man stood with a thunderous face, containing his rage. Old Gargoyle knew, that if he and the Duke teamed up, they could have reduced the casualty by half. But they had to let the people die for the bigger picture.

Suddenly, both men turned toward the entrance of their area. A group larger than fifty marched toward them. Despite the enormous strength they sensed from the group, both men had but one thought in their mind, is the next team to be sacrificed?

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