Chapter 245: The End

Winterburg.

The rain, shimmering with faint blue light, was still ceaselessly wearing away the increasingly terrifying and sinister black smoke; Allen did not know what consequences would arise in his territory once this pitch-black, horrific entity spread.

Yet his heart kept warning him that he could not let this scene come to pass, and he proceeded to exhaust every ounce of strength within his body.

In this short span of time, in order to restore the energy to sustain the heavy rain, Allen had already spent more than one night in the Simulator, suffering immense mental exhaustion.

The suddenly crashing lightning illuminated Allen's weary face while simultaneously tearing apart a corner of the thick smoke once more, revealing the many citizens trapped beneath the darkness.

This time, Allen completely ignored the voices ringing in his ears and focused his mind on observing the changes in the thick smoke, only to see a scene that made his heart jump in terror as the black mist churned.

Beneath the scattered black smoke, hundreds of residents stood motionless with their eyes closed, their faces showing expressions of either fear or ecstasy, while wisps of unrecognizable black Qi drifted above their heads, eventually converging in the air and filling the gap in an instant.

"Sound the horn!

"

Allen issued the order he least wanted to give with a solemn expression; this was something he had prepared to deal with a different situation, yet he had not expected to have to use it at this very moment.

Upon receiving the order, Asudan puffed out his cheeks and blew the silver horn in his hand; the resonant sound echoed over the castle, while the residents celebrating outside the castle were taken aback, especially the veterans who had followed Allen into battle many times.

They recognized the meaning of that horn call; it was not for celebration, but clearly a command for warriors to charge forward.

This sound of rain, this sound of thunder, and this sound of the horn left many officials and soldiers puzzled; they began to gather at the castle gate, whether to go in and see or simply to hear some news, they hoped to obtain an answer that would put their minds at ease.

However, the gate mixed with Mithril and the fully armed Imperial Guard blocked their path, and Bandak, who was responsible for guarding the gate, told everyone who came to visit.

"Without His Majesty the King's order, the castle gate will never open. You may wait at the gate or return home on your own, but regardless of the reason, the consequence of charging the Imperial Guard is treated as rebellion."

The cold, expressionless face and the reputation he had earned from years of maintaining order in the city made Bandak's voice full of authority, and the somewhat restless crowd quieted down in a short time.

Some veterans who were merely worried about the King's safety dispersed quickly after seeing Bandak, knowing that Allen should be in no danger.

Others waited anxiously on the spot because their family members were still in the castle attending the banquet, but looking at the current situation, the banquet was likely not peaceful, yet they lacked the courage to charge the Imperial Guard.

Moreover, the Cabinet's long-standing performance also gave them full confidence in the King, believing that Allen would not intentionally harm their families.

In short, more and more people gathered in the square at the castle gate, and Bandak, frowning at the scene before him, whispered a few words to his subordinates beside him; shortly after, a fast horse galloped out along the main road toward the city gate, heading straight for the military camp outside the city.

Stationed there were five hundred cavalrymen undergoing training and five hundred professional infantrymen on rotation.

Bandak, who came from the continent of Calradia, actually possessed a personality not much different from the natives of Middle-earth; beneath his cold expression was a warm heart. Although he was responsible for the city's security, he acted impartially, leaning more toward the weak commoners in the end.

But regardless, Bandak would not stand by and watch a riot occur, and the nobles who ruled Calradia had rich experience in dealing with such situations, which he, having served as a Sergeant, had been forced to participate in before.

At this moment, Allen, who had opened his eyes again, looked even paler. Every time he simulated in the Simulator, although he could restore the power within his body, his mental strength could not be recovered much.

Already beginning to feel dizzy, he knew he was on the verge of collapse. If this happened one or two more times, fainting on this balcony might be the only outcome, and without his persistence, the light rain and lightning currently fighting the black smoke would dissipate instantly once their power was exhausted.

Allen could not estimate

After the horn sounded, squads of Imperial Guards clad in silver-bright armor, led by Gale and Balun, filed out from the houses on both sides of the open space. All of them came from the Rhodok clan, ranging in age from eighteen to thirty-five; they were the two hundred men Bandak had managed to assemble with great difficulty.

They all possessed the combat skills of a Rhodok Sergeant, upgraded by Allen at the cost of a massive amount of renown. If it weren't for his status as a King in Calradia, this would have been an impossible task.

But this Imperial Guard unit's first proper battle was against their own people; however, they did not care, because obeying the King's orders was a symbol engraved in their bones.

Moreover, there were no members of their own kin in the crowd; long before the mission began, they had already restrained their family members suspected of participating in the cult and had done everything possible to destroy the Jewelry that possessed bewitching Magic, so Allen did not need to worry about such matters.

The weapons they held were naturally not the Straight-edged Military Machete with its terrifying lethality; Allen had never thought of slaughtering his own subjects, even if they had been bewitched by the enemy.

To deal with this situation, the weapon Allen prepared for the Imperial Guards was the Pointed Staff. In Calradia, this was a weapon specifically for capturing prisoners, favored by slave traders or Bounty Hunters, capable of effectively incapacitating enemies without causing life-threatening injuries.

Of course, reality is not a game; if one attacked vital points with full force, it would still take a life.

To avoid this, Allen ordered the Imperial Guards to wrap the tips of the Pointed Staffs with soft velvet, artificially imitating a weapon similar to a police baton.

Although this greatly reduced the power of the Pointed Staff, it was perfectly sufficient to deal with some unarmed residents who had come to attend the banquet, and these residents were currently motionless, immersed in the enemy's bewitchment.

As the soldiers appeared, the thick black smoke also changed amidst its churning; wisps of black Qi were stripped away, turning into several blurry, rapidly flying ghost claws that swiped at the Imperial Guards charging into the crowd.

With sounds like howling gales, the black Qi and the guards collided with a "clatter."

Wisps of smoke dissipated in the open space, and more than half of the guards were knocked to the ground by the immense impact of the ghost claws. The guards injured by the Magic gritted their teeth and endured the excruciating pain throughout their bodies, but they lost the ability to stand up in the short term.

The other half of the Imperial Guards who were not attacked swung their Pointed Staffs, knocking down and stunning many of the bewitched residents in a short time. Allen, who was struggling to hold on, noticed with a sharp eye that these fallen residents no longer produced black Qi and had completely lost their connection to the large mass of black smoke.

But the enemy's wild laughter rang out again, "Useless, useless, give up, give up your pointless struggle." With the sound, a surge of black smoke rushed toward Allen, and the soldiers fighting on the field were also entangled by the black Qi, either dragged into the air or slammed against the walls.

Allen, under attack, raised the Noldor Enchanted Shield and injected his own Qi into it. The silver light that lit up dissipated the black smoke, but Allen's face was already covered in sweat; he was struggling to hold on.

After this consumption, the mass of black smoke was no longer as thick as it was at the beginning, at least half as thin, and its recovery speed was far from what it had been at the start.

Standing on the balcony, Allen frowned and looked at the mess on the field with an extremely solemn expression. He knew that all his actions were effective, but the extent he had achieved was far from enough to defeat the enemy.

After a brief thought, Allen decided to bet his last bit of strength. He gritted his teeth and expanded the range of the dark clouds once more, allowing the rain filled with healing power to envelop the injured soldiers, while he prepared to enter the Simulator again, trading mental strength for the power to confront the enemy.

Even if he could not withstand the drain and fell into a coma immediately after the simulation, the healed soldiers would still follow his orders to stun those who were bewitched, and the dark clouds in the sky would not dissipate until the power within his body was exhausted.

In this way, there was still a chance to defeat the enemy, who was also suffering great exhaustion; it would depend on who could hold out until the end. If he did not fall into a coma, that would naturally be better, leaving him more opportunities.

"Screech~ Ah~"

Just as Allen was about to activate the Simulator, a loud eagle cry rang out in the sky. The massive figure of the Eagle King swooped down from the air, and before the Great Eagle landed, a grey-robed old man, two meters tall, leaped down from its broad back.

Afterward, a circle composed of faint morning light instantly expanded from a very smooth and bright staff, squeezing the black smoke gathered in the air to one side. The Humans enveloped by the white light also fell to the ground in an instant, sinking into a deep sleep.

Whether it was great joy or great sorrow, even if it was illusory, it was extremely draining to the spirit; these people would likely fall into a serious illness after today before they could recover.

But Allen, standing on the balcony, was filled with joy, for the person who had arrived was his good friend, nicknamed "The Berserker Who Only Uses Holy Light," the Grey Wizard Gandalf.

As Gandalf's ability unfolded, Allen felt the pressure on his heart lighten, nearly collapsing onto the floor; however, the battle with the enemy was not yet over, and it was far from the time to rest.

Allen struggled to hold onto the railing in front of him and began to mobilize the dark clouds to strike at the enemy's remaining power together with Gandalf, striving to rescue all the people trapped in the bewitchment and completely cut off the enemy's source of power.

Whether it was because Gandalf's arrival had provoked the great enemy, or because he already knew his defeat was inevitable, the pitch-black smoke suddenly lit up with blinding fire, and the controlled residents began to tremble all over, their complexions shifting from ecstasy or fear to a pale, dull state.

A terrifying figure wreathed in fire emerged from the smoke and walked toward Gandalf, and the accompanying laughter was so horrific that the Crystal Lamp on the wall trembled incessantly.

In his desperation, Allen could not care about the possibility of accidental injury; a Chain Lightning flashed from his fingertips and instantly struck the terrifying figure, but nothing happened, and the lightning simply streaked past into the sky.

This was merely an incorporeal phantom of Sauron, but the power he radiated was real, because it came from the hundreds of Humans he controlled, not appearing out of thin air.

Gandalf's expression changed drastically, and his aged, authoritative voice rang out like thunder: "Dark phantom, you have no body, nor do you have power. No one here will help you. I command you to retreat at once and crawl back to Mordor."

The circle composed of holy white light expanded directly in front of the phantom, then was held back by streaks of fire; the two reached a stalemate in an instant, forming a confrontation.

Only, the circle of light representing Gandalf did not dare to attack too fiercely, because the Grey Wizard, who had challenged the enemy, already felt that what he was actually fighting against were the lives of those hundreds of Humans, not the true dark power.

Those streaks of fire were slamming into the circle of light without restraint, without the slightest bit of hesitation, and soon, Gandalf, who had concerns in his heart, could no longer hold on, and the circle of light began to shrink its range of expansion.

Allen, of course, would not stand on the balcony watching the show; gathering his final strength, he had already jumped down from the high tower and was summoning the soldiers still able to move, knocking out one citizen after another who was still standing, "helping" them break free from the control of the Dark Lord.

It was just that the number of Imperial Guards who could stand up in a short time was still too few, their speed simply could not pick up, and I fear they would be unable to save everyone before the citizens died.

Suddenly, the terrifying figure that had been slow but constantly advancing stopped, and then, without any warning, it disintegrated, turning into powder that filled the sky, leaving behind only a horrifying cry similar to "No..."

"James, quick, it's your turn to take the stage." Allen's roar instantly woke everyone who was still in shock, and James also ran out from the room with his students.

Allen had long been prepared for people to get injured, so he had arranged for a considerable amount of medical support from the very beginning, but he had not expected that overcoming this disaster would be difficult to such a degree, and he could not even be entirely certain how the enemy had disappeared, only having a slight idea in his heart.

As the dark clouds dispersed, the sky cleared up once again, and the summer stars that blanketed the night sky radiated an extremely gentle light, converging into a brilliant and vast galaxy; looking at this incredibly beautiful scene, a look of relief finally appeared on Allen's face.