Rescue Mission

Sera City. Somewhere in the lower part of the eastern district.

Aeon took the lizard head costume off in an alley one block away from the Arvent residence. He was covered in blood and sweat all over and he was panting heavily due to the pressure he had been experiencing for the past 15 minutes.

His stupid idea actually worked!

However, it was accompanied by anxiety all the way. Every time he encountered a group of magical beasts, he would stop and pretend like the stuck magical beast that he looked like. Sometimes the beasts didn't even mind him at all and he just walked forward silently. Though his sweat poured out in buckets every single time.

His plan helped him avoid taking a roundabout path and cut his anxiety-filled trip extremely short. He took the shortest way towards his destination and arrived after 15 minutes.

In the next block, Aeon could see that the Arvent residence was already destroyed. Only a few walls from their enormous house remained intact. Clearly, the magical beasts did not appreciate tall buildings.

On the bright side, the ground where the building previously stood appeared to be intact, albeit a little wrecked. Some beasts might've attempted destroying it but gave up midway.

However, the case was not the same for the surrounding households. Most bunkers had already been devastated. Aeon could even see a few fingers and human flesh scattered all over the place. He felt bile rise up his throat, but he forcefully swallowed it back.

At that moment, Aeon realized that his hands were actually trembling, making him smile helplessly. This whole time, ever since he entered the city, he was actually extremely afraid.

….

Earlier, when he was still traveling with Dan and Merell, they had caught up with Klaus and the other students.

Except for the Supervisor, everyone else had dark circles around their eyes. They haven't slept since they left Grey Forest. The students were feeling weak and exhausted because they had been rushing nonstop for the past two days.

Despite this, they still pressed forward.

When they were only a few kilometers away from the city, the students rejoiced.

However, Klaus suddenly halted their advance.

They all knew that there was an ongoing outside the city. They even got to see Brigadier Klein Arvent's famous spell, White Turtle. But, just behind that, inside the city walls, there were also sparks of magic flying all over the place. Klaus realized that something was wrong.

The students, being to tired, failed to see this small detail.

After Klaus made sure that they were in an open and elevated area, the students set up camp. Klaus and Dan assigned Mark's group to take care of the exhausted Merell while the two set out to assist in the ongoing battle.

Just when the two were about to leave, Aeon immediately stepped in and asked for them to bring him along. He promised that he would try his best not to get involved although he said it halfheartedly.

Losing time as they spoke, Klaus could only agree. They couldn't stop Aeon if he followed them anyway.

Aeon moved forward while carrying the burden of protecting two families.

….

Aeon laughed mockingly at himself.

He fought and slew several large beasts in Grey Forest, yes.

But could he achieve such a feat, alone, in the middle of a magical beast infested city?

He could only even fight six large beasts by himself before his body would start aching from the exertion.

He had committed to protecting two families when he was so weak. Heck, he couldn't even stop his body from shaking in fear. Was he really afraid of being away from his friends? Aeon balled his trembling hands into fists and steadied his resolve.

He couldn't back out now.

Aeon looked around and after seeing that no beast was around yet, he decided to move forward.

However, the moment Aeon took his first step, a shrill cry entered his ears. As if he was driven by instincts, his eyes focused and his body swerved left, towards the direction of the scream. He ran at high speed and immediately arrived on site.

Beside the street, a bunker was lying down. Its door was wide open, and a corner of it had a massive hole.

A father was running, trying to lure two magical beasts while his wife ran away carrying their daughter. The wife was trying her best to cover her little girl's eyes, but the latter kept struggling.

The father who had been running frantically was very agile. He had been avoiding the two beasts by courageously running between their legs forcing them to bump into each other. Unfortunately, it appeared that he had almost reached his limit.

The wife saw Aeon and her eyes opened wide. She started sobbing and was trying to say something, but her muffled words came out as inaudible.

Despite this, Aeon knew what she wanted him to do.

No other beasts were around the area. Only those two.

Aeon nodded. His eyes sharpened as he activated his Tenro.

He rushed past the mother and child, only leaving a gust of wind in his wake. Like a phantom, he moved silently towards the beasts. He realized that he was now trying to play the hero again. He was even forced to use his Tenro just to save one person.

When he was only about 10 meters away from the beast, he slashed both his swords at the same time. Two sword lights flashed from each sword. Almost at the same time, two gigantic heads also fell to the ground.

The headless bodies of the two beasts went limp and also fell.

The father who had already resigned himself to fate froze. He stared stupidly at the gigantic severed heads that rolled on the ground. He didn't even notice that he was about to get squashed by two massive bodies.

A shadow suddenly swept him away and the father found himself being carried by the shoulders by another person.

"T-Thank you…" the father uttered, partly confused.

"I just happened to pass by," Aeon replied.

Aeon stopped in front of the woman who was carrying her daughter and dropped her husband on his feet.

After that, he turned around and began to leave. He was just about to disappear by the corner when a voice suddenly called out to him.

"Big brother!"

Aeon stopped and reluctantly turned around. He avoided communicating with them as much as he could so he wouldn't get attached to them. Aeon stared at them with a forced smile.

The little girl saw his expression and sobbed. She repeatedly sniffled until she calmed down. "Can you take us with you? Or at least take my mommy and daddy. I...I can manage alone."

Hearing this, the parents frantically covered their daughter's mouth and smiled apologetically at Aeon with tears in their eyes.

Aeon fell into a daze.

The last sentence from the little girl didn't even sound like it came from someone about nine years old. It completely broke Aeon's heart. He sighed emotionally as he turned around.

"Okay. But you better stay close behind."

Before Aeon realized what he was saying, the words were already said.

Unknown to him, there were actually other people peeking from their bunkers and staring at Aeon. They overheard their conversation, and one by one, they emerged from hiding. Their fate inside their own bunkers remained unknown and as time went by, more beasts were starting to discover their area.

They all decided to gamble on the powerful mage they saw.

Aeon was startled when he heard dozens of footsteps instead of three. He hurriedly turned around to see about six families standing alongside the one he just saved.

Aeon gave a stifled laugh and felt his heart pounding inside his chest. Now he was in for a greater responsibility.

But at that moment, Aeon suddenly thought about something.

He was just like a real superhero. A person his father didn't want him to become.

What a twist of fate.

Aeon habitually flicked his weapon ridding it of imaginary blood. "Let's go. I'll take you somewhere safe."

Hearing this, the people rejoiced but they did not dare make a sound. The followed closely behind the young man.

….

Once again, Aeon headed towards the street where the Arvent residence was. Fortunately, the did not encounter a single one along the way. When they reached their destination, however, Aeon started hearing multiple banging sounds.

There were definitely several beasts around the area.

The seven families hid amongst the rubble of a rundown house. Its bunker also had a huge hole indicating that it had already been raided. The people were tense but they ultimately kept silent.

Aeon silently moved forward towards the closest banging noise he could hear.

Then, like a ghost, he appeared next to the raging beast and ended its life.

He knocked gently on the bunker's door and, after a second, a couple came out. After seeing Aeon, the two burst out in tears.

Aeon responded with a reassuring smile. He nodded at them and went towards the second closes magical beast that was also banging on a bunker.

He had a bunch of families to rescue.

….

Brigadier Klein Arvent struggled to move forward.

After he finished casting his sealing spell earlier and was greatly weakened, he was sent back to the city walls to recuperate. Although it was already devastated by the rock-throwing gorilla, there were still medics there that took care of him. He immediately got treatment and was left alone to recuperate.

However, when the men in the city walls started regrouping, he realized that there was another immediate danger. He climbed to the top of the wall and saw that the city was under siege by magical beasts.

He had no idea how, but it was happening right in front of his eyes.

Then, he immediately thought about his family.

Now, he was propping himself up against a wall to assist him in moving forward. He was trying to get home as soon as possible despite his condition.

He was panting heavily, but he showed no signs of stopping.

….