NOVEL NEXT Chapter 137
137. Holy Kingdom Rudiloum
“So this is the Holy Kingdom Rudiloum—huh.”
I glanced around at the capital city I was visiting for the first time.
The streets were bustling with people, overflowing with energy.
It seemed even more prosperous than Adonis’s royal capital.
Rudiloum was a nation where worship of Gareza flourished, earning its title as the Holy Kingdom.
Among the passersby were monks and nuns, and in the distance, several temples in exotic architectural styles could be seen.
It wasn’t as glamorous as Adonis, but it exuded a solemn atmosphere.
“Where’s the Guild Headquarters again?”
“Hmm, I think it’s down this street to the left.”
Lilith said, consulting the map.
“It’s a big place, so don’t get lost, you two~.”
She sounded like a chaperoning older sister.
“Adventurers from all over are probably gathering at the Guild for the large-scale quest.”
“We better not be late. Though we still have plenty of time before the meeting, so we should be fine.”
Lilith said with a smile.
—A large-scale quest summoning S-rank and high A-rank adventurers.
We had come all the way to Rudiloum in response to the invitation.
Apparently, the Guild’s large radar had detected signs of a unique Sairega.
Not just a few demons or beasts appearing as usual, but potentially dozens or even hundreds of magical entities emerging at once.
To counter that, they were gathering highly skilled adventurers.
In the past century, there had never been a recorded instance of hundreds of magical entities appearing simultaneously.
It was an unprecedented threat, to say the least.
And then—
“—I sense something evil.”
Alice suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her usually gentle expression had turned serious.
“What?”
“There—look.”
Lilith pointed to the sky.
In the clear blue sky, a tiny black speck appeared.
It gradually expanded.
A Sairega.
A subspace passage connecting this world to the Demon Realm.
The appearance of that meant—
Lightning rained down from the black hole.
The bolts struck just outside the capital, and from the flashes emerged three massive shadows.
Each one appeared to be nearly twenty metil in length.
Their overall forms were somewhere between a lizard and a human—resembling lizardmen.
Their entire yellowish-gold bodies were covered in heavy armor, and they wielded massive axes taller than themselves.
“Rank S magical beasts, King Lizards.”
Alice said in a tense voice.
“And there are three of them at once…!”
If they were Rank S, that meant they were as strong as the dragon we had fought before.
The King Lizards began moving, their heavy steps making the ground quake with each stride.
Their direction was straight toward the capital.
“They’re heading for the capital!”
“We have to stop them!”
I took off running toward the city walls, with Lilith and Alice close behind.
—We reached the city gates.
After showing our Guild Cards, which served as passes, we exited the walls.
Around a dozen adventurers were already there.
The King Lizards were about a hundred metil ahead.
Their towering forms lumbered forward, slowly but surely.
The gathered adventurers were all likely Rank S or A.
Even against three Rank S magical beasts, they weren’t unbeatable.
But we couldn’t afford any damage to the capital.
We had to take them down before they got too close.
At that moment, a white light appeared in front of us.
“That’s—!?”
A blizzard breath.
The King Lizards’ breath was imbued with magic that froze everything it touched.
Lilith and Alice had told me about it on the way here.
“[Mana Shield]!”
Several mages quickly conjured magical barriers.
But the white breath froze and shattered them in an instant, continuing forward.
“Impossible, it can’t be stopped!?”
“These are stronger than normal King Lizards—be careful!”
The adventurers murmured in alarm.
—Block it.
The approaching white breath was scattered and dissipated by the shimmering colors of my defensive skill.
“You blocked that…?”
The adventurers murmured again.
“I’ve heard of him. That’s the rumored Haruto Riva—”
“The rookie who skyrocketed to Rank A…”
The adventurers stared at me.
“I’ll handle the defense. Alice, weaken them.”
“Understood.”
After a quick exchange, Alice began chanting.
“[Slow Down].”
A purple light enveloped the King Lizards, drastically slowing their movements.
It was a debuff spell that reduced agility.
The King Lizards sluggishly moved forward, breathing white mist.
But my shimmering defensive barriers blocked every single attack.
No matter how much they tried, it was useless.
“They’re within range—leave it to me.”
Lilith said, stepping forward.
She raised her enormous staff and declared:
“Burn it all, Flames of Massacre—[Melgius Flare]!”
A massive fire spell exploded upon the King Lizards.
It was a top-tier fire spell, capable of erasing ordinary magical beasts without a trace.
But—
Crack!
An octagonal ripple of light expanded in front of the beasts, deflecting the attack.
“It’s been repelled!?”
Lilith furrowed her brows.
“Even top-tier spells don’t work…”
“No, it’s a bit different.”
The spell wasn’t entirely ineffective.
The King Lizards’ scales were fractured and scorched in places.
But those injuries emitted white smoke and healed almost instantly.
Not only were they highly resistant to magic, but they also had extraordinary regenerative abilities.
“We can’t take them out in one blow…”
Alice murmured.
While I had skills to seal magic, the King Lizards’ natural resistance made them immune.
My skill wouldn’t work on them.
“Then—let’s finish this with a barrage!”
Lilith exclaimed, raising her staff again.
Lightning, whirlwinds, and ice blasts—all likely top-tier spells or higher—rained down repeatedly.
Explosions echoed as the octagonal ripples appeared again and again.
“Not yet!”
Lilith continued her relentless onslaught.
Over the past two months, she had honed her skills in controlling the immense magic inherited from Demon General Meriel.
Even the King Lizards couldn’t withstand the continuous high-powered spells and began retreating.
“This ends now—[Lightning Strike]!”
A brilliant lightning bolt struck all the King Lizards at once, bringing them down.
—But it wasn’t over yet.
From the flames, a massive shadow emerged.
One had survived.
“Hah… hah… hah…”
Lilith was breathing heavily, having overexerted herself with consecutive spells.
How could we stop that one?
Should I set up a defensive barrier to hold it back—?
Just then, a crimson flash severed the King Lizard’s tail midway.
“What was that—?”
“I’m here to help.”
A clear, cool voice rang out.
A girl with blue hair, clad in knight’s armor—
“Luca!”