The Black Nightmare Army sensed that something was wrong the moment the ground began to tremble.
"Attention, everyone! The enemy could launch a surprise attack at any moment!"
Benjamin shouted toward the watchtowers in every direction before flying into the air and scanning the surroundings. At first, he found nothing. But soon, when a torrent suddenly rushed down from the mountain to the north, his expression changed at once.
...A mudslide?
Something felt off to him. Although it was raining, the weather had been dry before this, completely lacking the conditions for a mudslide to form. Besides, Cru Town had stood at the foot of the mountain for so long without ever suffering any natural disasters. That alone said quite a lot.
But time was pressing, and Benjamin had no chance to dwell on it. The torrent poured down the mountainside and charged straight for Cru Town. The distance between them would take no more than a dozen seconds to cross. Cru Town was protected by a Rune Defense Array, but at a time like this, what they had to face... was probably more than just a mudslide.
Therefore, he acted without hesitation.
To the north of Cru Town, an Ice Wall rose from the ground, stretching for several kilometers and standing outside the Rune Defense Array. Several quick-reacting mages flew over as well. Earthen walls, hurricanes... everything capable of dispersing the mudslide's impact was piled around the barrier's perimeter, like a hastily constructed city wall.
—They were protecting the Rune Defense Array as best they could. That thin barrier might be able to stop the mudslide, but no one knew what else might follow.
The townspeople emerged in panic. They had thought that, at most, they would be caught between two armies at war. They had never expected to