Translator: Dreamscribe

[3 Hours Before the Invasion]

The Magic Barrier trembled.

The once-blue Magic Barrier had now turned completely black, as though not a single speck of light could penetrate it, resembling the abyss in the depths of the ocean. From within that abyss, the figures of screaming skulls emerged and glared toward Evanth. The once-blue sky also gradually turned blood red.

The Invasion of Erosion was approaching.

The Heroes, gazing at the distant Magic Barrier, could feel that reality with their own skin.

Evanth was engulfed in the tension of impending war.

Below the Evanth fortress walls, Luceren, Garsha, and representatives of the Heroes gathered for a strategy meeting. They stood in a circle, looking at one another, exchanging ideas without any prejudice. The golden emblems engraved on them erased all barriers.

“Hm?”

The Heroes looked behind them.

Not only Heina and the guards, but also Evanth’s NPCs had armed themselves and joined the formation. Those unable to fight had all evacuated to the Church.

“Heina nim....”

“Tia nim, and even Thomson....”

The Heroes’ hearts became heavy at the sight.

The innkeeper, who always chatted cheerfully, was now holding a sword and shield. Thomson, who had alternated between joy and resentment while providing enhancements, wore armor and wielded a hammer as big as his body.

Even Tia, who seemed far removed from battle, had joined while tightly gripping her staff. The golden emblem appeared on their chests as well.

As Haebyul looked on with worry, Tia reached out and tousled her hair.

“If this place disappears..., Arsilan will fall into Erosion. As members of the Golden Alliance, we can give everything to protect our homeland.”

“But....”

“If you fear loss, you cannot stand against Erosion.”

To Haebyul’s concern, Tia smiled.

“There are things that Erosion cannot take away, right? Just remembering our hearts is enough.”

Everyone nodded at Tia’s resolve.

The Heroes vowed never to forget their hearts, no matter what happened.

[2 Hours Before the Invasion]

Heina was elected as the commander-in-chief.

By her orders, a defensive line was established within Evanth, and personnel were distributed appropriately.

“We must absolutely protect the statue of the Goddess in Evanth. If the statue disappears, we will not survive in Evanth.”

“There are only two Goddess statues in Evanth, the one in the center of Evanth and one in the Church.”

Heina nodded in response to the hero's words. If both statues were destroyed, the Heroes could never return to Evanth, and the downfall of Evanth would be inevitable.

[1 Hour Before the Invasion]

The Heroes monitored the Magic Barrier from atop the fortress walls.

Heina looked at the Hero beside her.

“Nervous?”

“Yes? A little. Haha.”

“Your helmet is crooked.”

Heina looked at him, reached out to straighten his helmet, and patted his chest twice with her fist.

Relying on each other, the NPCs- no, Arsilan's companions, watched the Magic Barrier.

At last.

[The Invasion Begins.]

Gugugugugugu!

The Magic Barrier began to shake violently. A soul-piercing scream echoed across all of Arsilan. At the moment that scream reverberated, all sound disappeared. It felt as though all of Arsilan had been seized by fear.

Through the tear in the Magic Barrier, a gigantic black hand burst forth, tearing through the barrier. It was so enormous it filled the entire front view and even obscured part of the Evanth fields.

That giant hand reached toward Arsilan, then trembled before turning its palm downward.

The black hand collapsed like a liquid, transforming into the figure of a black knight.

It was the Lord of Erosion.

[The Lord of Erosion has invaded Arsilan.]

*Damage to the Magic Barrier has begun.

The Lord of Erosion.

The Heroes swallowed hard. The Lord of Erosion radiated an overwhelming presence incomparable even to a Death Knight.

From the torn breach in the Magic Barrier, Erosion soldiers poured out endlessly. In an instant, their numbers reached tens of thousands, enough to fill the fields pitch-black.

There were also a great many Heroes gathered in Evanth. It would not be an exaggeration to say nearly every player had logged in. Yet compared to that legion, they were outnumbered.

“They must be soldiers of the kingdom.”

Luceren said this as he looked at the soldiers of Erosion.

Haebyul swallowed a groan. She knew what the ‘Kingdom’ referred to.

“Leon nim’s....”

-Too cruel.

-They were once Leon nim’s people.

-That Erosion bastard is clearly doing this on purpose.

The soldiers of Erosion formed their ranks.

The formation, which filled the field completely, was truly overwhelming. Among the soldiers of Erosion, flags rose into the air. They were old, gray flags with no emblem on them.

Dududududu!

The army of Erosion charged across the field toward Evanth. Slowly but surely, they advanced, taking control of the field. Wherever they passed, color disappeared, leaving only ashes. This scene was being broadcast live by Arsilan’s official channel.

“The atmosphere is really intense.”

“Ugh... it’s spine-chilling.”

The Heroes tried to lighten the mood with jokes, but the atmosphere only grew tenser.

Dudududududu!

The sound of the advancing army echoing through the ground made the Heroes’ hearts pound violently. The Heroes took deep breaths and gripped their weapons tightly.

As the massive army of Erosion neared Evanth, it halted.

The Lord of Erosion flicked his hand.

The ground cracked open, and black skeletons sprang out. These black skeletons disintegrated where they stood, transforming into multiple catapults.

What were they planning to fire?

Their identity was quickly revealed. The soldiers of Erosion clumped together to form black masses.

Nearby Erosion soldiers loaded those black masses onto the catapults.

Creeeak!

The catapults were pulled back, and

Boom!

The black mass was launched directly toward Evanth.

"Deploy defensive sacred techniques!"

At Heina’s shout, the clerics atop the wall cast the defensive sacred techniques, but the black mass was not targeting the wall. It flew over in a high arc and landed right in Evanth.

Crash!

The black mass destroyed a building and struck the ground. Other than the destruction of the building, there were no immediate casualties.

Sssk!

As the black masses unraveled, Erosion soldiers poured out of them.

Haebyul looked up at the sky.

“Ah....”

Fweeeee! Fweeeee!

Black masses continued to rain down on Evanth. The Erosion soldiers emerging from the black masses advanced toward the statues of the Goddess. The black projectiles flew in relentlessly, increasing their numbers.

Through the gap in the Magic Barrier, Erosion soldiers kept pouring in.

Haebyul and the Heroes were speechless before the absurd scale of this onslaught.

-How much have they consumed?

-This is really bad.

-We can’t hold the defense like this.

At this rate, Evanth would be completely filled with nothing but Erosion soldiers. That cunning Lord of Erosion was clearly aiming for this.

He wanted a full-on war.

He wanted to completely crush them.

Heina split the troops.

Following her orders, the assigned units quickly moved inside Evanth to protect the statues of the Goddess.

“Everyone, to the front!”

Heina and the guards, Luceren, the Elves, Dwarves, Beastkin, and countless Heroes moved to the front of Evanth. They faced the pitch-black legion of Erosion.

“This is actually better.”

Heina looked at the Heroes.

A refreshing smile appeared on her lips.

"Can you see it?"

Her words, carried by magic, reached everyone.

She extended her hand, pointing at the gap in the Magic Barrier.

“Beyond that, there was once an ocean. Winged whales, krakens, and mermaids lived there. Just casting a fishing rod for a moment was enough to eat well for a day. It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but there was a time when laziness was considered a virtue.”

That's how abundant it was.

Heina thrust the sword in her hand forward as if casting a fishing rod.

“The mountain peaks were so high they were covered in eternal snow, and the fertile lands stretched endlessly, overflowing with golden crops. The angels of the heavens were so jealous they played pranks on us.”

Heina paused in thought for a moment before speaking again.

“Right, there was also a city full of beauties, the kind of place you Heroes would love.... Mmm! My parents are said to be from there. So as you can see....”

I’m absolutely stunning.

Uncharacteristically for her, Heina gave an elegant bow.

“Wow, Heina nim.”

“Haha.”

“Unnie, you’re so pretty!”

The Heroes laughed.

Heina, too, laughed with the Heroes and then let out a deep breath. She turned to face the Magic Barrier.

“Do not fear loss! We've already lost far too much.”

She was tired of losing.

“We will protect Evanth, and we will protect Arsilan!”

Ssskk!

Countless flags were raised among the Heroes.

Though each flag symbolized different affiliations and meanings, they were all tinged in gold.

“And we will go beyond that Erosion legion to reclaim our land! Our hearts are already there!”

The golden flags symbolized hope, courage, and the miracle that arrives at the final hour. The golden flags fluttered fiercely as if defying the gray legion.

“Golden Alliance of Arsilan! Advance! Let us take back what we have lost!”

“For Arsilan!”

“For Arsilan!”

The Golden Alliance charged toward the Erosion.

The war had begun.

* * *