Chapter 77: Disaster in the City!

Walls of flame and rubble surround Saiba as he stands still. Clueless, he frantically looks around for any information.

From behind, he hears Lily shout,

"Watch out!"

At the same time, he gets pulled back as a piece of flaming ceiling falls where he was previously standing. Lily shouts,

"Come on! We have to get out before the exit gets blocked!"

Lily leads the way as Saiba and Lazaro follow closely. They barely escape as a pile of rubble comes crashing down behind the wooden doors. Saiba takes a good look at the outdoor scenery as he is left speechless.

The sky is dyed a bright orange with a thick layer of gray looming over it. Buildings all around him have been destroyed and set on fire. Crowds of panicked people fill the streets, running towards safety. Screams, explosion, terror. Those sounds fill the air, echoing throughout.

Lily suggests,

"Let's follow the crowd and get somewhere safe!"

Saiba refuses,

"No! We're saving these people! I may not know what's happening, but I'm the legendary hero and it's my duty to help!"

Lazaro agrees,

"Yeah! Yeah!"

Lily replies,

"I knew you would say that. Alright then, let's try to find out what caused this!"

Before they make a move, a person descends upon them on a stark, white horse. It's a woman with glimmering, white armor. She takes her helmet off as her long, silver hair flows out. Saiba calls out,

"Ms. Alizandria!"

She replies,

"Orders from the Great King! You are to come with me to the Castle!"

Lily mumbles,

"It's started, hasn't it?.."

Alizandria hesitantly nods her head, yes. Alizandria chants,

"Condensing Transportation."

Below Saiba, Lily, and Lazaro, a cloud appears that lifts them in the air.

Flying through the sky, Saiba gets a better look at the city's status. It looks even worse than from below. The crowds of citizens are muddied as they wander around, looking for safety. Saiba realizes while shouting,

"Wait! what about the people!? We need to help them!"

Alizandria answers,

"The Great King has already sent reinforcements to provide assistance. Plus, Samuel is there, correct? He should be of some use as well, even with his low intelligence."

Saiba takes a closer look as he notices a group nearing the blazing city. They are quite far, but they are steadily approaching. He thinks,

"What's that?"

They get farther from the city and closer to the Castle.

They burst through the front gates. The same gates Saiba exited from when his journey began.

Inside, the King stands with five others standing there. The others vary in appearance. Gladius calls,

"Oh, Hero! And his companions! You've finally arrived! Good work, Liz!"

Alizandria bows and replies,

"It was my pleasure, Great King."

She also blushes a little. The King instructs,

"Now that everyone is here, let the strategy meeting begin!"

The King snaps twice as a large table appears in the middle of the group along with chairs for each of the members. Saiba takes a seat while thinking,

"A snap? I feel like I've seen that somewhere, but I can't remember..."

Gladius continues,

"We'll start with introductions! I'll start! I'm King Gladius IV, King of Estrelia!"

The person to the King's left mumbles,

"Are you sure, my King? Do we really have time for this?"

With a smile, Gladius nods at the man. Hesitantly, the very large man introduces himself,

"I am Rigurd Sterner, Commander of the 2nd Division of the Royal Army."

Rigurd is a man with short, brown hair and a thick mustache. He wears a decorated, maroon shirt along with a navy blue mantle, a similar color to Alizandria's get-up.

Next, a small woman stands up and introduces herself saying,

"Yo! I'm Gremly, the 3rd Division's Commander! Nice to meet you!" S

he wears a wide smile with her short, green-colored hair, bright, green eyes, and pair of animal ears. Her clothing is scarce, revealing her tanned skin and she has a ribbon tied around her neck, colored a familiar navy blue.

Next, a tall, skinny, and glasses-wearing man says,

"Freidrich Durnam, Commander of the 6th Division. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

He has medium-length, dark blue hair and eyes of a similar color. He wears a navy blue suit with a long, white coat over it. With a soft smile, a medium-sized woman mutters,

"I'm Sylvie Dystrophe of the 5th Division. It's nice to meet you all."

She has long, pink hair that's tied in a braid and emerald green eyes. Additionally, she's wearing a fluffy white sweater and a navy blue ribbon keeps her hair in place.

Alizandria goes next by standing up, saluting, and announcing,

"Alizandria Valsieg, Commander of the Royal Army's 4th Division!"

Now, a very athletic-looking man gets up and puts his leg up on the table. Staring straight at Saiba, he shouts,

"The name's Alvard Orion, Commander of the 1st Division! I'm the strongest Commander here, so you better respect me!"

Alvard has bright, crimson hair that's tied up and fierce, amber eyes that pierce Saiba. He wears leather armor, like an ancient hunter and a navy blue cape around his left shoulder.

Saiba feels a chill run up his spine as he thinks,

"That guy's scary..!"

Hesitantly, Lily mutters,

"My name is Lily, an Adventurer."

Lazaro follows, stuttering,

"I-I'm Lazaro Alberoth..! It's a pleasure to be in your p-presence!"

Realizing it's his turn, Saiba frantically stands up. Beads of sweat dripping off of him, he thinks,

"What do I say!? I want to make a good impression... I am the hero, after all... Just. Act. Normal."

Acting as normal as possible, Saiba quickly puts his hands on both hips, puffs his chest out and announces,

"I'm Saiba Okumura! The 10th Adventurer AND the one and only legendary hero of Estrelia!"

He says this with a wide grin. Quickly, his face turns red as he gets embarrassed and sits back down. He freaks out, thinking,

"What was that!? They probably think I'm weird now! What am I going to do!?"

His thinking gets interrupted by Gladius instructing,

"With that out of the way, let the strategy meeting begin!"