Chapter 128 – Waves

The tremendous change to the Loop of Trade Winds had shaken the entire city.

And such a change might not be for the better—

The Druids quickly became anxious, while the various factions started to act quietly in the city. That night, the messengers from the Kirrlutz Empire visited the members from the Aouine Kingdom and the Holy Cathedral of Fire privately. New rumors started circulating at the same time.

The first rumor was about the awakening of a Holy Sword that existed in legends, King Erik’s Lionheart, which was also the cause of the Divine Resonance half a year ago. The Lionheart was now rumored to be in the Loop of Trade Winds, and someone from Aouine had already grasped the means to enter the place and take the sword.

The second rumor was that the powerful Kirrlutz Empire was actually forced to be at a disadvantage by the Druids over someone from Aouine. This ‘news’ alone made interested people go wild with their guesses.

The Lionmane Beastmen mercenaries from the barbaric regions also received the rumors of Halran Gaia appearing in the continent. Their ancient history included this fabled sword, which was fought over between the Lionmane Empire and the dwarves.

Witnesses’ accounts stated the sword was currently wielded by a young human male who was in the Green Tower. Some even claimed that the Kirrlutz Empire tried to take the sword by force and cause an incident.

Even more absurd rumors spread throughout the various taverns, like how the Aouine Kingdom was under the protection of the Sacred Church of Light. Various truths and lies were mixed together, making them hard to believe.

However, rumors did not require one to believe in them to propagate, because people would just volunteer to spread them freely.

Brendel did not know schemes were brewing behind his back. The first moment he saw the change in the clouds, he immediately left the market and entered Blackthorn along with two Grand Druids after a few instructions to his companions.

The Blackthorn committee received a report—

The clouds over the Loop of Trade Winds had split into half and had a clear path that lasted for ten miles. However, no one knew exactly what was happening in the area. Once the clouds cleared, the mountains became dangerous because the monsters in the foggy areas became active.

It was for this reason that the Druids lost several of their observation points. The frontline was crumbling. Things were becoming tense.

In the courtyard where the Goddess Nia was worshiped stood hundreds of Elder Druids. Even the nearby branches were filled with members of the outer circle. The place was filled with tension.

[It seems all their elites have gathered here.]

Brendel glanced at his surroundings before looking up. The evening sky was dark red in color, and countless birds were flying around the six ancient trees in great density, which nearly covered half the sky. And when he looked down—

[Wow. It looks like a green dragon is climbing up the paths. Hmm, the Druids are prepared for an all-out war.]

There were tens of thousands of druids moving out from the Dark Forest to the Green Tower. Be it victory or defeat, this would be the turning point of history. After more than a century, all the Druids in Trentheim gathered in one place once again.

“Everyone!” A Druid Elder roared, his voice which was amplified by magic, echoed through the entire courtyard, almost like the thunder in a tempest: “Our brothers and sisters are unable to stop the monsters’ attacks at the frontlines, and they are being pushed back as I speak.”

A grey raven flew in and turned into a human form, shouting:

“I have scouted from the sky, and the monsters in the Dark Forest is like an ocean of black water, pouring through the forest and drowning the Circle of Thorns, the Wall of Flowers, and the Loop of Gales, as well as many other areas.”

And the Druids in the courtyard bellowed in response:

“We need to launch a counterattack!”

“Stop these monsters right now!”

“Our work in the Dark Forest that has persisted for more than a century will be ruined if they destroy all the observation posts!”

The Great Elder smashed his staff onto the ground, and a violent rumbling spread throughout the branches, causing the slightly chaotic atmosphere to fall into silence.

“Just exactly how many monsters are we dealing with?” He asked.

“I see no end to their numbers.” Came the reply.

Brendel was standing behind a gigantic Druid, and for a while, no one noticed this outsider.

[No end to their numbers…… That’s certainly a memory that I can’t forget.]

A gust of wind caused the dead leaves from the trees to fly across his vision. He stared at them until they disappeared into the darkness. They reminded him how the players threw themselves against the unending numbers of the monsters.

“—rd Brendel, Lord Brendel!” Andellu was a little dissatisfied with Brendel’s distracted look: “What do you think of the change in the Loop of Trade Winds?”

“Am I allowed to participate?” Brendel spoke to the Great Elder.

The Great Elder thought for a moment, shook his sleeves and took a step back with his staff. He nodded slightly: “Please go ahead—”

Sudden murmurs broke the silence as the Druids finally noticed there was a human amongst them.

“Who is that youth?”

“Probably a guest of the Blackthorn Council.”

“A male human?”

“Wait, I’ve seen him going around with the Favored Sifrid. He’s probably someone close to her.”

“I see, but what is he doing here?”

Brendel did not shy away when the Great Elder gave him the entire stage. He instead took a step forward and asked the Druid who flew in as a raven: “Where are the monsters coming from?”

The Druid took a moment to think before he answered: “They appeared out of nowhere from the fogs.”

“And they poured out of the fog even though it doesn’t seem likely that the monsters were there in the first place?”

“Yes.”

“…… The Waves of Calamity has started.” Brendel answered with certainty. His memories matched the report.

“As the moon rises, the first Wave of Calamity will last for seven days. The wolves will howl and run under the moon as the plants wither. They are the civilization’s first calamity— The Calamity of Wolves. The monsters that you saw are Black Wolves.”

The Great Elder’s eyes widened in shock, and so did the other druids. The Calamity of Wolves was a prophecy that stated civilization was coming to an end. Brendel never said that the Waves of Calamity had anything to do with this prophecy at all!

The other Druids who did not participate in the meeting between the Blackthorn Council and Brendel, could not understand why the change in the Loop of trade Winds had anything to do with this prophecy.

“The change in the Loop of Trade Winds is related to the upcoming Mana Wave, and the Calamity of Wolves is only the beginning of the chain of events. And this beginning is just as fatal as the other calamities that will soon follow. The monsters are running amok in the entire Loop of Trade Winds and they will reach here very soon. These wolves will destroy the Green Tower and then hide until the final moment of the Mana Wave before appearing once again, bringing destruction to the world.”

Brendel’s thoughts wandered back to the era where the invasion of the monsters signified the start of the kingdom’s downfall. The flames of civilization were like a candle in the wind about to be extinguished.

The core of the game’s second chapter. Chaos and Wars.

Numerous heroes would start to appear like the stars in the sky, and each star would light up the continents. The Goddess of War Freya, would carry her flag and march forward in difficulty. Duke Aranjar, the Dashing Wolf Walter, and the King of Rage Conan would later bring the gamers and refugees out of the darkness after Aouine was felled.

Swords caused the ground to be stained with blood, flames burned down buildings, and hot-blooded wars were fought one after another until the passion was nearly gone. But as long as there was still hope, civilization did not crumble.

Brendel pondered on the past events for a moment. Though he did not join in on the first calamity, he had walked through the remnants of the destruction and watched the recorded videos.

“In any case, do you know where the monsters are heading to currently?” Brendel asked.

“Unfortunately, I don’t.” Came the reply.

“Does anyone?” Brendel threw the question to the other Druids.

There was a moment of silence, but a raven soon flew down onto the center of the courtyard. It turned into a young male Druid and regarded everyone with a solemn expression.

“Now that you mentioned it, after the monsters swept past the Wall of Flowers, its direction seemed to be heading straight towards the Green Tower.”

Murmurs started again as everyone realized the severity of the situation they were in.

“Do you have a solution?” The Great Elder asked.

“The Fire in the Green Tower must not be extinguished. While you defend the city, I will enter the Loop of Trade Winds.” Brendel said.

“At this moment?” Andellu stared at him.

“Seven long nights. You will face the darkest moment against the power of Chaos. The sun will not rise in this period and it is known as the Eternal Night in the prophecy. Do you think the Green Tower can stand against an endless onslaught of monsters until the seven nights are over? The only way to resolve this is to light up the Holy Fire within Valhalla.”

The murmurs faltered slightly.

“Can you do it?” The Great Elder asked.

“I need your Druids to aid me.”

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