(Heartfelt thanks to 'Ling Luochuan', 'Kaede no Chōrei', and 'Heartbroken, Heartless' for their rewards!)
Ai Lu Empire, Royal City...
As the city where the Ai Lu Empire's royal family and palace were located, the Royal City's prosperity was beyond doubt.
Yet at this very moment, there was not a single ordinary civilian in this prosperous city. Buildings such as Trading Firms and Auction Houses had all shut their doors, and there were no idlers in the streets. Instead, the streets were filled with fully armed Knight Orders and soldiers, their faces tense and grave as they carried out all manner of tasks.
At this moment, a great number of warriors and mages stood atop the Royal City's walls.
All the warriors wielded bows, staring into the distance. They were long-range combatants with arrows nocked and bows drawn. The mages stood in a line behind them, staffs in hand.
Every warrior and mage had a taut expression, watching the open ground below the city walls with utmost seriousness and vigilance. The fluctuations of battle aura and magic power around them slowly intensified.
Then, just as a thunderous shout rang out, the steadily rising battle aura and magic power erupted all at once.
"The first wave of magical beasts has entered attack range!"
Following that cry, a vast army of magical beasts pounded the earth as they charged forward. Amid chaotic roars and billowing clouds of dust, they entered the attack range of the warriors and mages atop the Royal City's walls.
However, not a single warrior or mage stationed on the walls acted immediately. Other than raising their battle aura and magic power to their peaks, everyone held their breath and made no further move.
"The second wave of magical beasts has entered attack range!"
Then, less than two hundred meters