"This is trouble..." Zabdel's voice whispered in a grim and trembling tone.
One would normally chastise a grown man man his age for showing such morbid fear, especially when he was the leader of Adventurers—fierce men who were said to lack the fear of death.
However, one look at the sight the Vice Guildmaster witnessed would make any sane person tremble.
An army of menacing Demons were closing in on his City... and Zabdel could do nothing about it.
"Who would have thought they would gather so soon?"
The Vice Guildmaster was standing on the sturdy wall that surrounded the Adventurers City. He could see a great deal from where he stood, and things were definitely not looking pretty.
Seemingly overnight, the Demon Army had converged, merging in four equally devastating groups.
They previously had ten camps, but the army had decided to concentrate their soldiers to deliver a more effective blow.
The North, South, East, and West, were the targets, and the Demon Army was closing in on them ever second.
"They made their move quickly. Damnit..." Zabdel gritted his teeth.
The Hero had told everyone to go home and rest for the night, plus he delivered a fierce assault on the Demon Forces just the previous day. Common sense said the Demons would take their time recuperating and strategizing before trying anything against them.
So why...? Why were they attacking so suddenly?!
As Zabdel was still having these worrisome thoughts, a female clad in a white dress. Her exquisite overall had a few black and gold embroidery, making the attire appear even more regal.
As her blond hair swayed and her concerned eyes focused on the middle-aged man, he grew more worried.
"Priestess Sarah, where is he? The Hero?" Zabdel's voice sounded very impatient—perhaps a bit impudent.
However, both he and the highly skilled Class Adventurers around him knew he had reasonable cause for his attitude.
If nothing was done, the Demon Army would advance even further... and all would be lost!
"He is in the middle of meditation. He most likely knows of our situation and is doing something about it."
"I-I see..." Zabdel nodded, feeling slightly ashamed for raising his voice at the younger person.
"How is the situation?" Sarah, who didn't seem to notice, kept up her concerned expression as she asked.
"Ah, now good. Not good at all."
There were currently one thousand and fifty combatants, in total. They would have been a bit more, but some had already died while defending the City before the Hero arrived.
Still, comparing the current number of the Adventurers and the Hero's forces with the enemies' was nothing short of a bad joke.
They were outnumbered almost ten to one.
Each Demon Company had at least two thousand five hundred soldiers. Leading the Lower Class Demons from behind were the Middle Class ones.
Zabdel could spot three Generals from where he stood. He also got accurate reports that three other Generals were situated at the South—two and two were also situated in the West and East respectively.
That made a total of ten Demon Generals—all of whose power were inconceivable to humans.
In short, the numbers were staggering!
"We also have the short end of the stick in terms of quality." Zabdel pointed out, staring at the enemies that menacingly marched forward.
Even though their special weapons had guaranteed their survival thus far, there was only so much they could have made from the Dragon Corpse.
A few hundred weapons had been successfully crafted, but most of them had almost lost their durability. The Demons were just that tough.
In a free-for-all, it was no puzzle who would go down first.
"The Hero is our only hope at securing victory." Zabdel murmured, glancing at Sarah with a look anxiety.
"I know that. He's surely working o n something! We shouldn't doubt him.
"I hope you're right. I also believe in the Hero. But, can I ask you something...?"
The middle aged man felt terrible for resorting to this, or even having such a thought, but he was a pragmatic and extremely shrewd individual.
He wholeheartedly believed in the Legendary Dragon Slayer and the Hero, but after witnessing the insurmountable number and authority of the Demons, he was losing his faith.
"Do you really believe he can defeat all of them?"
It was a difficult question to ask, the Vice Guildmaster was well aware. He was basically asking the young lady to question her faith. What kind of man was he?
"I'm sorry I asked. Forget i—"
"I believe!" Sarah's voice was loud and true.
Her brown her eyes held no form of doubt. It was the purest form of dedication, and Zabdel was completely awestruck by her confidence.
"I-I see..."
Zabdel felt embarrassed. However, this shame of his slowly transformed into faith.
"I believe too. The Hero will definitely come through for us."
Sarah Lyniette cracked a smile and nodded. Her face was filled with glimmers of hope, and her entire countenance melted into joy.
"Indeed. He's already here."
Even the Vice Guildmaster could not reason with this level of devotion.
"E-eh? Aren't you taking it too far, Sarah? Isn't he still in his—"
"No. Look. He's really here." The Priestess pointed excitedly at the sky.
'What is she pointing at? It's just the sky, and—!!!'
Zabdel's eyes widened in shock, and slowly the Adventurers around him began making murmurs of surprise and amazement.
It was because the sight they saw was mind-blowing enough to silence the fears creeping in their hearts.
"T-the Hero!"
"The Hero is here!"
"It's the Hero!!!"
Several cheers and voices all over the city gave a roaring declaration as every troubled eye transformed to that of wonder.
How could they remain depressed when their savior hovered above the city in his marvelous form?
His shiny draconic form, and the confident aura oozing from him was enough to send the denizens of Dulum into an uproar.
"He's really here! And he's flying to show himself to the enemies surrounding the City. This is... I never expected him to..." Zabdel was at a loss for words, but there was one person who seemed to be completely composed.
It was Sarah!
"He came... just as I believed." Her voice was soft, full of hope.
Everyone around her could not help but agree. Her absolute faith was legitimate, after all.
"And now... it's time for our enemies to suffer."