Chapter 393: Familiar Heights

The moment Ruvian crashed into the horde, a Gravecrawler lunged for his throat with its maw stretched wide.

Twisting his body, he slipped past its raking claws and drove [The Endseeker] straight through the side of its skull. Black blood erupted across the dirt as the creature collapsed without even finishing its shriek.

[You have slain a Lesser-Rank Voidspawn, Gravecrawler.]

[The Endseeker has devoured its soul.]

Ruvian ripped the blade free and immediately moved again, leaving the corpse behind before another Voidspawn could reach him.

With [Body Enhancement] surging through every part of his body, his movements felt far sharper and more lethal than they had during the academy examination.

‘Damn, upgrading everything to B- really made a difference.’

Slipping between two charging creatures, Ruvian dipped his shoulder as a vicious claw tore through the air above his head.

He had no interest in standing his ground and trading brutal blows when easier prey was scattered all around him.

‘Forget the tough bastards for now, I need quantity.’

That was the fastest way to strengthen [The Endseeker], and right now, the battlefield was basically serving him hundreds of targets on a silver platter.

A Spine Hound rushed in from his left, moving on six thin legs while sharp bones stuck out from its back.

Ruvian stepped inside its leap and swung once, cutting through both front legs before turning his wrist and driving the tip of his blade under its jaw.

The creature fell beside him with a wet crash.

[You have slain a Lesser-Rank Voidspawn, Spine Hound.]

[You have slain a Lesser-Rank Voidspawn….]

[You have slain a Lesser-Rank Voidspawn….]

[You have slain a Lesser-Rank Voidspawn….]

Even as the minutes dragged on, Ruvian could barely keep track of how many he had killed. Perhaps more than a dozen already within only a few minutes.

All around him, Frostgrave’s soldiers finally slammed into the horde. Steel clashed against claws as hundreds of men surged forward, while shouted orders tangled with screams, cannon fire, and the shrieks of dying Voidspawns.

The disciplined formation from only moments earlier had already collapsed into a massive, shifting wall of blood and steel.

“Hold the line, do not let them tear us apart!”

Commander Fajarn shouted from somewhere ahead.

His sword flashed through the darkness before carving deep into a Wretched-Rank Voidspawn, then several soldiers rushed in behind him and finished off the wounded creature. Even while surrounded from three sides, the commander continued forcing his way forward.

Suddenly, a scream erupted from his right.

“Help!”

Ruvian’s eyes snapped toward the sound.

A Frostgrave soldier had been knocked onto his back while a hulking Wretched-Rank Voidspawn raised one massive arm above him.

The soldier threw up his shield, but the creature’s claw was already crashing down.

‘Tch.’

Without wasting a second, Ruvian kicked off the ground with his wind magic.

Reaching the monster from the side, he drove his shoulder into the Voidspawn’s body and sent it stumbling away just before its claw could tear into the soldier.

“Get back to your unit.”

The soldier stared at him for half a second before quickly pushing himself up.

“R-Right, thank you!”

He grabbed his shield and hurried toward the nearest formation.

Meanwhile, the Wretched-Rank Voidspawn slowly turned toward Ruvian. Its body looked almost like a twisted ape covered in thick black plates, with one arm far larger than the other.

Fresh blood dripped from its teeth.

‘Now, come at me, big boy.’

The creature roared and charged.

Ruvian moved sideways just before its fist crashed into the ground. Rather than attacking its armored chest, he circled behind it and swung toward the back of its knee.

[The Endseeker] cut deep, but not nearly deep enough.

The Voidspawn spun around wildly. Its huge arm tore through the air with enough force to make Ruvian’s hair whip across his forehead.

He leaned back and watched the claws pass inches from his face.

Gathering wind around himself, Ruvian rushed forward again. He stepped onto the creature’s lowered arm, ran two quick steps along it, then pushed himself into the air.

[The Endseeker] rose above his shoulder.

Pure mana flooded into the blade.

Ruvian brought it down.

SHLICK!

The sword entered through the creature’s eye and drove deep into its head.

[You have slain a Wretched-Rank Voidspawn, Blackplate Mauler.]

[The Endseeker has devoured its soul.]

‘Right… onto the next one.’

*****

[Evrard’s POV]

On top of the Northern Fortress, Lord Evrard stood at the edge of Frostgrave’s wall with one hand resting against the cold stone.

From this height, the battle below looked almost like a living war map, with lines of soldiers grinding against a black tide of Voidspawns.

His eyes moved from one unit to another, watching every opening and every place where the formation threatened to buckle.

So far, there was little to criticize.

Commander Fajarn had kept the center advancing while the squads on both flanks sealed any gaps before the Voidspawns could force their way through.

Quietly, Evrard gave a small nod. “Shift the third cannon team slightly east, then have the rear spear unit move closer to the center.”

The officer beside him quickly relayed the order, and signal flags rose along the wall moments later.

Below, another cannon fired.

BOOM!!!

The shell landed behind the front line of Voidspawns and ripped several creatures apart before they could reach the soldiers.

So far, for the first clash, they were performing remarkably well.

The commanders below had not allowed their men to pursue fleeing creatures, and the younger officers were keeping their squads tight instead of breaking formation to chase glory alone.

Still, Evrard did not relax.

Only a few minutes had passed since the horde reached them, and this was nothing more than the opening wave.

The real pressure had not even begun.

Lifting his gaze, Evrard looked beyond the fighting soldiers and toward the bleak land outside Frostgrave.

Far in the distance, the Nightbloom Spawner towered above the ground. A faint violet glow was slowly gathering between its folded sections.

Evrard’s eyes narrowed.

“It is preparing again.”

Turning slightly, Evrard noticed his daughter standing several steps away. Calyra had barely moved since the fighting began, her blue eyes fixed somewhere deep within the mass of abominations.

Curious, Evrard followed her gaze. His eyes passed over several squads before settling on a single figure moving through the mass of soldiers and Voidspawns.

The corner of his mouth slowly fell.

It was the scholar, Ruvian Castelor.

For a long moment, Evrard simply watched him move.

Ruvian slipped between two Voidspawns, killed the smaller one with a clean strike, then ignored the larger creature and rushed toward another section of the line where three soldiers were being driven back.

He did not linger after helping them, already moving again before the dead creature even struck the ground.

Evrard’s brow slowly furrowed.

That was not how a first-year scholar moved, and it certainly was not how someone his age behaved during their first true battle.

The best way Evrard could describe it was that Ruvian moved through the field like a seasoned wolf hunting easy prey, while never losing track of the pack around him.

“Interesting,” he quietly muttered.

Beside him, Calyra’s eyes remained fixed on Ruvian.

Was she worried about him?

No, it seemed to be something else entirely…

Evrard kept his eyes below for another moment, watching the soldiers below struggle against the remaining Voidspawns.

“You are still upset that I did not allow you to join them, aren’t you?”

Calyra didn’t even avert her gaze from the battlefield, yet she did not deny it.

“I know you have your reasons, Father, but I believe that I am capable enough to fight down there.”

Hearing that, Evrard finally looked at her.

“I know exactly how strong you are, Calyra, and I understand what you are capable of better than most people here.”

His gaze softened for a moment before becoming firm again.

As her father, of course he wanted to keep her away from unnecessary danger. No matter how capable she became, that instinct within him would never completely disappear. But that was not the true reason he had brought her here instead of allowing her to enter the battle.

“Look carefully at what lies before you, Calyra.”

Calyra remained silent, but her eyes followed his gaze.

“This is the view held by the ruler of Arcanis. Your great ancestor, Marchioness Alizee, once stood here and looked upon this very same land before giving her commands.”

The frustration in her expression slowly faded, replaced by something quieter and more contemplative.

“This is your first time standing atop this wall during a true battle, isn’t it?” he asked.

Calyra gave a small nod.

“Then watch carefully. One day, it will be you standing here in my stead, Calyra.”

Calyra slowly lowered her eyes toward the stone beneath her hands.

Something about his words had stirred an unfamiliar feeling inside her, one she could not easily explain.

“Is it strange for me to say that I feel as though I have stood here before, Father?” she asked.

Evrard turned toward her again.

“I cannot remember it clearly, but somehow, I feel certain that I have,” she paused, her fingers tightening slightly against the cold stone.

“I don’t know why, but most of the time… I always feel like I’m forgetting something that I should never have forgotten.

“I never really paid much attention to it before, but now, I feel like it’s becoming more, and more apparent….”

Calyra turned towards him.

“Father, don’t you feel the same?”

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[Chapter 393: Familiar Heights]

Plot Points = 233,200

Sorry, guys. I think it’s fair to say that I’m having writer’s block :’) *sighed*