"Gather around! Don't let the gargoyles have your back!"

A fierce brawl erupted soon after.

No, the fight had begun even before Princess Sophia could erect her barrier. It was a brutal clash between a thousand gargoyles and five thousand knights.

The knights, utilizing basic body-strengthening spells, swung their weapons and pushed the gargoyles back. As long as they moved in groups of at least four, they had no fear of being overpowered.

However, while they could push back their enemies, they couldn't truly kill them.

Gargoyles are invulnerable to physical attacks.

Even with their weapons enhanced by mana stones—giving them a sharper edge and reduced weight—they remained physical weapons. They couldn't even scratch the monsters before them.

For a moment, the battle reached a standstill.

But soon enough, the tide changed.

The Gargoyles, realizing they couldn't easily kill the knights, chose the most logical course of action. They gathered into a large, singular group and began to swarm the knights like a relentless wave.

With hundreds of monsters attacking in rapid succession, the knights' defenses soon crumbled.

One by one, they fell. As more knights succumbed, their defenses weakened further. Within three short minutes, the five thousand knights were reduced to a mere thousand.

"No way..."

Sophia watched this unfold from her carriage, her face growing paler with each passing moment.

Her Sanctuary, after all, was not an impenetrable fortress.

It drew its power from the mana collected in the necklace she wore, siphoned from her every passing second for a few years. She estimated the barrier would last at least two hours, which should provide enough time for the empire's elite to come to her aid.

However, if thousands of gargoyles struck her barrier simultaneously, it wouldn't last even a few seconds. No, it would shatter instantly!

"Your mamamajesty... Please, l-let me out of the b-barrier..."

Rico understood this as well.

Given the current situation, survival until help arrived seemed impossible. Therefore, he resolved to do everything in his power to block the enemies ahead.

"No... No way, Rico!" The princess's voice was firm, but her grip on his shoulder was cold and trembling. "I need you by my side! Don't you dare leave me alone!"

It was clear she was anxious, already feeling the weight of impending doom. Yet, she refrained from voicing her fear, as if speaking it aloud would seal her fate.

"Your majesty..." Rico frowned, torn between duty and desperation.

He understood he needed to exit the barrier to fight, to buy Sophia a few more precious seconds. However, he couldn't do that while trapped within the barrier.

In the brief moments they spent arguing, the number of knights dwindled to just a few hundred. They were like a twig clinging to a single leaf, struggling against a relentless storm. Even holding on seemed impossible.

"Princess...!" Rico shouted, his face etched with desperation. "Let me out, now!"

"NO!" She remained resolute. "How much time can you buy alone? A few seconds? I don't need a few seconds! If I survive, it must be with you, Rico! I won't accept anything less!"

He gritted his teeth, lowering his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose, struggling to suppress a smile even in this dire moment. What he heard was essentially a confession. Something he had longed for since forever... But wholly understood it'd be impossible between them.

"...Then, I'll just cast another barrier within."

Knowing that the stubborn princess wouldn't relent, he quickly devised another way to protect her. He recited a short chant and created a secondary barrier beneath the sanctuary's protective bubble.

While this new barrier was even thinner than the first, it was a small comfort to their anxious hearts.

They both understood it would shatter as soon as the main sanctuary's barrier gave way.

"Father...!"

Sophia prayed, clasping her palms together.

Rico, knowing there was nothing else he could do, pulled her into a tight hug, trying to reassure her with his presence.

"Wow, they sure got decimated... Weren't they the ones invading?"

Suddenly, a carefree voice echoed from outside.

Rico glanced up in panic at the unfamiliar voice. It was not one of the soldiers or the hired hands manning the other carriages!

A man hovered above them, defying gravity—an impossible feat.

It was an unbelievable sight, but Rico could tell he was not hallucinating from fear... at least, not yet.

"...I see. So about a hundred or so are still alive, then?" The man placed a hand on his chin, surveying the battlefield—or rather, the massacre zone. "Do I really have to...?"

Rico wasn't sure who the man was addressing, but he had a strong understanding that he was in danger. A gargoyle flew behind him, poised to pierce his black-and-white clothes with its claw... or at least it tried.

"W-Wha..."

Rico watched in disbelief.

As soon as the gargoyle's claw struck the man's clothes, they disintegrated into dust. The man seized the gargoyle's neck and tightened his grip; in the next moment, the creature's entire body fell apart, as if it had been reduced to dust and sand.

He didn't see any magic being cast, yet the gargoyle was dead!

"I guess I'll thin the crowd a bit?" the man muttered to himself.

Slowly, he raised his hand.

At the same time, spheres of mana began to form above him. Starting from one, then two, five, ten, and a hundred—until they reached a thousand. The spheres then morphed into a multitude of gigantic arrows!

"Mana Arrow."

And with a casual swing of his hand—

BOOOOM!

The rain of arrows wiped out the gargoyles mid-air.

A few survived—those too low to be within range. But their numbers had dwindled to just a few hundred, making them much more manageable than the earlier swarm.

"Huh? You know my control sucks, right? If I try to target each arrow, then those people down there would..."

He continued, as if arguing with someone invisible.

Their scuffle lasted a few moments before the man scratched his head in irritation.

"Bah! I get it, I get it."

In the next instant, he landed on the ground, out of Rico's sight, summoning another Mana Arrow. This time, he didn't launch it at the enemy; instead, he held it in his hand, resembling a sword made of light.

The remaining gargoyles, sensing the man's threat, quickly shifted their target. Ignoring the knights, they surged toward him in a massive formation.

They came from all directions, leaving no escape!

"Phew... Let's do this." The man felt no fear, however.

He gripped the Mana Arrow like a sword and stepped forward. He swung his weapon down vertically, concentrating all his senses into a single point.

"Sword Art: Waterfall."

At his command, seventy-two curved slashes erupted around him, striking in all directions.

They found their mark, not missing a single enemy.

Without fanfare, all the gargoyles hit by the attack disintegrated into sand.

"That should do." The man, Axel, sighed as he adjusted his suit. "Now, time to welcome our new prisoners."

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