“To all the adventurers and soldiers in Makkaren! Gather at the West Gate at once! A stampede of monsters has shown up! The danger level is Calamity Designation Town. I repeat…” 

The expression of Princess Sofia changed at that announcement. 

“Sofia, I will head to the West Gate!” (Makoto)

“I will head to the church and instruct the priests.” (Sofia)

“Can I count on you with Furiae?” (Makoto)

“Understood. Please be careful, Hero Makoto.” (Sofia)

I had a short exchange with Princess Sofia and rushed off the room.

“Princess, please act together with Princess Sofia!” (Makoto)

“…Got it.” (Furiae)

Furiae-san, who was at the corridor, had a face as if she wanted to say something for an instant, but she nodded obediently.

“Makoto, let’s go!” “We going, Takatsuki-kun!” 

Lucy and Sa-san met up and we headed to the West Gate.

The emergency announcement of the Adventurer Guild continued on the way.

Calamity Designation: Town.

If it were at the deep levels of Laberintos it would be one thing, but in Makkaren where even a Griffon is rare, this ain’t a trivial matter.

The residents of Makkaren have a different atmosphere to them, and they can’t hide their uneasiness.

People shutting in their houses, people heading to the church; there were a variety of reactions.

We run past the people and head to the West Gate.

“You’re here now, Makoto!” 

“Lucas-san!” (Makoto)

That’s a relief!

The number one adventurer veteran of Makkaren is here today.

There’s also these veteran adventurers: Ogre Slasher, Vlad; the Spear, Clark; the Giant Killer, Ian; the Heavy Drinker, Justin.

“Alright, we won.” (Makoto)

“Takatsuki-kun, that’s a flag.” (Aya)

Yeah, Sa-san. Let’s not do that.

“T-Takatsuki-sama, the monster horde this time isn’t like the one from last time!” (Nina)

Nina-san came with a distressed expression with her rabbit ears perked up.

“How many monsters are there, Nina-san?” (Makoto)

It was 500 last time.

If there’s even more than that, 1,000 or 2,000 maybe?

“T-Ten thousand monsters.” (Nina)

“…Huh?” (Makoto)

“N-No way…” (Lucy)

My dumbfounded voice and the despairing voice of Lucy resonate.

Sa-san looks grim.

The expressions of the adventurers gathered here were almost the same.

The young adventurers were pale and couldn’t maintain their calm.

10,000? There must be a mistake, right?

There’s more than even some of the towns around here!

“Well, no need to be so pessimistic, Makoto.” (Lucas)

Lucas-san ruffles my hair.

“Lucas-san! How many people do we have if we add all the adventurers and soldiers of Makkaren?” (Makoto)

“Around 300.” (Lucas)

“Eeeh…” (Makoto)

A-An impossible event! 

This is a forced loss event!

“This might be a first for the young ones. A stampede of monsters can’t be dealt with using regular means. Ooi, the ones who can use earth magic, create a wall so that the gate isn’t destroyed. But keep an opening that people can come and go in.” (Lucas)

“““Alright.”””

The veteran adventurers are giving instructions to the young ones. 

“Makoto, I am giving the orders here, but is that okay with you?” (Lucas)

“Of course. I leave it to you.” (Makoto)

The young adventurers were just staying there nervous -including me.

I have no choice but to leave it to the experienced veterans.

“Alright, the ones who are new to a stampede, listen here! This goes for everyone that’s not an adventurer, too!” (Lucas)

Lucas-san gathers the people with a loud shout.

The young adventurers and the soldiers of the city, and even the templars had gathered.

I could see Jean and Emily within that group, but this is not the time to be chatting.

We all had tense expressions.

“Perk up your ears! What’s important about fighting a mass stampede of monsters is how long we can last. Fortunately, the ramparts of Makkaren are quite sturdy. We will be reinforcing them further with earth magic. The ones who can do long distance attacks with magic or bows, stand on alert at the top of the ramparts.” (Lucas)

Lucy is going to follow that and go up the walls.

Ah, I am also a mage.

“Ooi, Makoto, can you defeat the enemies with your magic?” (Lucas)

“Lucas-san? I have obtained a long distance attack by using Spirit Magic.” (Makoto)

“Hoh, I see. Then, I am counting on you.” (Lucas)

“Hey, Takatsuki-kun, what about me?” (Aya)

Right, only Sa-san would be left behind.

That’s troubling.

“Little Aya-chan, you guard the gate. It would be best if you don’t have a turn, but if the gate is broken, we close quarter combatants will become the last line of defense.” (Lucas)

“Alright. But I am worried about Takatsuki-kun, so can I stay by his side?” (Aya)

“Hmm…it would be weird for there to be no one protecting Hero Makoto. Alright! Looks like there won’t be any problems in leaving it to you, Little Aya-chan!” (Lucas)

Lucas-san hasn’t seen Sa-san fight, and yet, it seems like he doesn’t doubt her strength.

Is this a situation where the strong know the strong?

Damn it, that’s an envying feeling.

“Makoto, Little Aya-chan, we are going up the walls. I will be giving orders as a whole.” (Lucas)

We followed Lucas-san.

The ramparts are several meters tall, and there’s paths at the top of it so that people can walk by.

The mages have already begun chanting.

Lucy’s magic takes time too, so I hope it makes it in time…

I glance at Lucas-san who is glaring at the direction outside the walls.

“It is impressive how you can stay calm, Lucas-san.” (Makoto)

“Don’t be silly. A Calamity Designation Stampede is rare. Honestly speaking, if it weren’t Makkaren, it could have brought a city down.” (Lucas)

This certainly is the first time I see him have such a serious expression.

“Lucas, monsters spotted!” 

The scout that could use floating magic returned.

Not long after, a horde of more than 10,000 monsters come into sight.

More accurately speaking, only a portion of it.

We can’t see all the monsters because they are covered by the shadows of the Great Forest. 

Goblins, Kobolds, Orcs, Ogres, Giants…are there any 1,000 year monsters? 

“Mages, are you ready?!” (Lucas)

Looks like the chants of the mages lined up on the walls are just about done.

The one who is gathering the most attention is…

“Lucy, you really can use Monarch Magic…” (Makoto)

“Wow, Lu-chan.” (Aya)

She was lifting the staff of her great grandfather, the Legendary Hero Johnny Walker.

Her hair and eyes were shining as if reacting to her mana.

The mana gathering in her staff was creating a swirl of fire like a tornado as it went up.

Fire Monarch Magic: Phoenix. 

A giant fire bird shows up from the staff of Lucy.

It is slowly increasing in size, albeit slightly unstable.

“Lucy’s Monarch Magic, huh. That’s the daughter of the Crimson Witch for ya.” (Lucas)

I heard the mutter of Lucas-san.

I should prepare myself.

“Spirit-sans, Spirit-sans.” (Makoto)

I raised the dagger of Noah-sama and called the Water Spirits.

The blade that had become one with the Spirits shone blue. 

At the same time, the compressed mana begins to pulsate as if it had a heat of its own.

I charge mana into the dagger of Noah-sama. 

According to Sakurai-kun, mana on the level of Monarch Magic.

(Does it lose to the mana of Lucy…?) (Makoto)

I glance at the Fire Phoenix that is getting endlessly bigger. 

It seriously feels like Lucy has infinite mana.

The chants of the mages ended.

The horde of monsters are now at around 50 meters of distance. 

“Shoot!” (Lucas)

At the signal of Lucas-san, the spells were shot all at once.

Sword Magic: [Water Dragon Claw]!

I release all the mana in the dagger of Noah-sama and release it into a giant blade.

It attacks the horde of monsters with the gigantic Fire Phoenix of Lucy.

*BOOM!*

My vision was blocked completely as an explosion reverberated in front of me.

A thunderous sound that makes me wonder if my eardrums are broken now.

The ground shakes greatly.

Is this war?

It is a war.

After the cloud of dust dissipated, there were several hundred corpses from monsters.

Burned, crushed, slashed; as a first attack, it isn’t bad.

But…

“We haven’t defeated them all…” (Lucas)

The tone of Lucas-san was bitter.

Monsters stomping over the corpses appeared soon after.

“Next volley! Prioritize the flying monsters!” (Lucas)

I could see wyverns and griffons here and there.

The mages are defeating those.

“[Meteor Rain]!” 

“[Firestorm]!” 

“[Thunderbolt]!” 

“[Stone Crush]!” 

“[Water Dragon Claw]!” 

The mages continue shooting out spells one after the other.

Corpse mountains of several hundred monsters were created again.

Even so, their momentum didn’t decrease.

What’s with these monsters?! 

Infinite spawning?! 

“Lucas…something is strange.” 

“Yeah, they should have lowered in speed by now…” (Lucas)

“This is bad… Mages who have run out of mana are beginning to show up.” 

“Restore your mana with mana restoration items! The Guild will reimburse you later!” 

The veterans were giving instructions to the young adventurers who were hesitating in using mana restoration items.

In my case…there’s no need for mana restoration items, but…after using Spirit Magic several times, the power decreased more and more.

(It is most likely the fault of this battlefield…) (Makoto)

Water Spirits prefer peace.

There’s no way they would like a place like this where blood and dust is rampant.

The mages that are shooting magic…only Lucy remains, huh.

All the other mages have run out of mana. 

“We managed to defeat around 2,000 with magic…” 

“Normally, it would be enough, but…” 

There’s around 8,000 remaining now.

The forest close to Makkaren has been blown up due to the first volley of spells.

The monsters are coming out from the Great Forest that we can see from far away.

The monsters were showing up from there as if they were popping out.

(Hm? This is strange.) (Makoto)

My instinct is telling me something.

“Takatsuki-kun! That wyvern just now was the one you cut its wings off!” (Aya)

Following the voice of Sa-san, someone shouts. 

“That Giant should have been defeated by my spell!” 

“That Ogre too! My spell should have hit it directly!” 

“The monsters are rising back…?” 

“No way…” 

The moment I heard people shouting that…

“GUUOOOOOOOH!!” 

A cry that shook my insides and made the air and mana tremble resonated.

Something showed up on top of the Great Forest.

It is too far from here.

I use [Farsight].

What I see is…

(A dragon with black scales…?) (Makoto)

The mana around that black dragon was shaking like a mirage due to the dense mana.

“An Ancient Dragon! That thing is healing the wounds of the monsters!” 

“Nonsense! We are in Rozes! There’s no way there would be an Ancient Dragon!” 

“Lucas! You have fought an Ancient Dragon before, right? Is that really an Ancient Dragon?” 

The veteran adventurers were raising their voices in panic.

This is the first time that I have seen them so flustered.

“I fought an Ancient Dragon when I was in the Heart of Laberintos. It was a land Ancient Dragon though… This is the first time I see a flying one.” (Lucas)

“There’s no doubt it is an Ancient Dragon then…?” 

“Most likely…” (Lucas)

“Damn it! Then, is this stampede its fault?” 

“I don’t know. But as long as we don’t defeat that thing, the fight won’t be over…” (Lucas)

“You must be kidding… An Ancient Dragon would require an Orichalcum Class Adventurer…” 

Distress spreads within the adventurers.

Most of the mages have run out of mana.

“[Meteor Shower]!” 

Who knows how many spells Lucy has shot now.

She is heaving and is showing visible exhaustion.

She is working way too hard on her own! 

“Lucy, rest for a bit! Everyone is recovering their mana with restoration items!” (Makoto)

“…Haah…haah…haah…I am okay, Makoto. I still have mana.” (Lucy)

I glanced outside the walls and the monsters were heading towards us without any signs of change.

But there’s practically no attacks from the mages now.

Lucas-san’s expression grows grimmer by the second.

It is only a matter of time before they arrive at the gate…

At that moment…one Griffon lunged towards Lucy from the sky.

Shit! 

“Sa-san!” (Makoto)

“You! What are you trying to do to Lu-chan?!” (Aya)

Sa-san sends the Griffon flying with her Hammer of the Fierce God.

It was almost at the same time as the talon of the Griffon was about to hit Lucy.

“Kya!” (Lucy)

Lucy falls down the rampart.

[Will you jump to sa—

Yes ←

“Lucy!” (Makoto)

Something popped up at the corner of my sight for a moment, but I ignored that and jumped down the rampart.

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