When the mist finally swept past, everyone was still inside the fortress. It was just that what lay beneath their feet was no longer Lal Fortress.
The walls were higher, the battlements denser, and several towering spires could be seen within the city. The flags on their peaks bore crests that had the style of human nobility, yet were ones they had never seen before.
Fortunately, no one had been separated.
The commander was just about to take a head count and arrange scouts when a neat rhythm of footsteps came from around the corner.
A squad of soldiers filed out, their armor completely different in style from theirs.
Their breastplates were heavier, their shoulder guards rose high, and dark red plumes were fixed to their helmets.
The one leading them looked like a general. An old scar slashed diagonally across the left side of his face, from the end of his brow to the corner of his mouth.
He walked straight up to the commander. Without greeting them, without introducing himself, he gave orders as a superior. "Those things have already become a real threat. This is the only place we can hold! The west and south sides are yours. If you lose them—I hope you're already dead on the wall. Otherwise, even if those bugs don't eat you, I'll throw you onto the guillotine afterward."
"What bugs—" Before the commander could finish asking, the alarm bell on the wall was struck.
At the top of a tower, a mage leaned half his body out and pointed his staff toward the east. A multicolored ball of light broke free from the tip of the staff and flew into the wilderness.
The ball of light exploded in midair. The light in the distance was disrupted and twisted, and the figures