The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 228: Launching the attack (1)

Chapter 228: Launching the attack (1)

"This is your mission?"

Hex detected a mixture of disbelief and pride in Althea’s voice. A rare instance of curiosity could be seen in her eyes.

"Kind of."

He gave her a sheepish smile while scratching the back of his head. But a moment later, his smile froze.

"What?" Althea didn’t miss the change on his face.

"Heartless. Hordes of them are on their way here. And all of them are at the Disaster stage."

He sensed the creatures hurrying toward them. What shocked him was the direction they were coming from, the gates.

’The Gatekeeper is here. Did they breach the gate or is this planned?’

A sense of urgency filled his heart. He started to formulate a route through which they could escape.

Hex didn’t plan on retreating when he entered the Temple but knowing that an entire team could be at risk, he changed his plan. The other things could be postponed as long as he could help Althea and her friends out.

But Althea had other plans. Or orders. She turned to the side where her team stood and gave a signal. Hex recognized the hand movement. They were readying themselves to attack.

"Are you sure?" He asked with a frown.

Instead of Althea, someone else replied. "Sure? What does he take us for? A group of pussies? Who let this annoying kid here?"

Hex looked in the direction the voice came and saw two glistening objects directed at them. Even without them, he would recognize Old Gargoyle’s grumpy voice anywhere.

"No offense, old man. But things aren’t sunny here." He briefed the old man on the things he had seen and experienced.

He emphasized the guards, the number of powerhouses, and the presence of the Gatekeeper, the Oracles, and the King. But he skipped the part about the Queen and the giant crystal. Deep in his heart he still held hope to take the crystal. A Devil stage crystal held an allure even someone like him couldn’t resist.

Within a few minutes, he finished his summary. The horde was already close to the Temple. According to his mental map, they should have passed the prison by now.

"Oracles? Damn!" Old Gargoyle cursed out loud. "Back away!"

Hex sensed the Hawks hurry away from the wall. At the same time, he felt Althea’s hand slip into his and pull him. She didn’t explain. He didn’t ask. He only followed.

"The Heartless are here and..."

His shout drowned under the thundering blast the next instant. Hex didn’t sense the attack. It came out of nowhere. Luckily, he wasn’t the target. But still, the shockwave threw him and Althea away over tens of meters.

The blast hit him in the back. He felt it sting badly. There was no doubt his back was burnt. Without his perfect control over his body, it wouldn’t only sting. Thanks to it he managed to protect his vitals and weaker body parts.

She might not have needed it but he did it without thinking.

"What.the.hell?" The heated air burnt his throat. He could barely speak. The ringing in his ears didn’t help. His heartbeat sped up, working hard to let the elements of nature spread over the injured parts but it wasn’t instantaneous.

Althea suffered less than him. Her immense agility helped her get back on her feet before him. She mouthed something but the horrendous ringing in his ear prevented him from understanding her.

"-----."

"What?!"

"-----."

He kept moving his head and hands while following her mouth but with no luck. She stopped moving her lips and just pointed to the sky.

Hex looked up just in time to see another sphere of energy blast into the Temple. The moment the sphere left the sky, it had lit up the space above them.

The light disappeared quickly but Hex still managed to see the source of the blast. Up in the sky, a huge construct hovered. Its giant wings flapped silently. Only now did he start to feel the air move differently.

The large blue sails with silver linings were visible from the ground.

"It should be Sterling. That bastard didn’t mention the possibility of flying here when he asked for my help."

Hex grumbled but glanced at the damage it caused. The massive roof of the Temple was nowhere to be seen. The area around the Temple stood in rubble.

The mangled bodies of tens of Disasters wriggling and crawling on the ground could be seen. They were only the first wave of the incoming horde.

’Shit. Elena!’ Hex didn’t worry too much about others. Esmeralda and the other prisoners were Blessed and had chosen to explore the ruin. They accepted the dangers, no matter how unforeseen they might be.

Elena, however, was never given a choice. Her life was a string of decisions made by others.

He contemplated rushing toward the Temple to see if he could help her. But as soon as things calmed down after the second blast, a voice came from the Temple.

"What’s the meaning of this, Commander?"

Hex heard the voice for the first time tonight but recognized the King speaking.

The flames around the Temple lit a part of the sky up. Seeing Althea look up, Hex did the same.

The jetblack sky lit up with a violet light and the outline of a giant bird appeared. Hex recognized a manifestation of energy. The Commander was descending. Or was he diving head first? It was hard to tell sometimes.

A deafening screech erupted from the manifested bird, vibrating the air around the ruin. The shaky building collapsed, and the sound of shattering glass erupted all over the ruin.

The bird phantom swooped down and flapped its wings backward at the last moment before hitting the Temple. The flap blasted the air and shot debris all over the place.

Hex grabbed Althea and ducked. The rubble hit with a sting on his back. Hex grimaced at the pain. He thanked his wit for having perfected his physical strength. A bit less and he would be riddled with holes like a flute played in the summer night.

Looking through the dusty air, he saw the giant bird phantom hover a few meters above the Temple.

"I should be the one asking you, my King. What in Heaven’s name are you up to and why are citizens of our nation held as prisoners? Shouldn’t the King be protecting the nation?"

It was the Commander. Despite the evenness in his voice, Hex detected his bad mood. The Commander seemed like a volcano about to erupt.

"You have guts, questioning your master like this. You guys need to learn your place."

Hex looked behind the Temple. His senses screamed. Hordes of Disaster finally arrived.

At the same time, powerful phantoms appeared in the sky above the Temple. The powerhouses shot out, going straight at the Commander.

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