Parallel Vol. 4 [LEGACY EDITION]

Chapter 40.1: Save Kashi!

Lymar Village.

05:45 a.m. 18th Banem 1092.

The desperation surrounding the battle for Lymar village had reached a fever pitch! The monsters in the valley had experienced a massive boost in strength every since the earlier mana explosion. Worse yet, the evil aura not only increased the monsters' strength, but also unceasingly healed their injuries, small or large.

Hundreds of centaurs had given up their lives in the process of fighting the monsters, their potential futures crushed beneath the paws of the callous monsters. However, even in death, the proud warriors held a strong, determined gaze.

They did not believe they were throwing their lives away. If their lives were the cost they had to pay to secure the wellbeing of their friends and family, then so be it! They would happily pay the price.

On the battlefield, in the face of possible extinction, race became meaningless. Be they Lymar, Dora, Tulpar, Glashtyn or Longma, each warrior fought for the sake of the other and protected their own. The Longma tribe in particular, stood out amongst the rest. The fearless warriors stood at the forefront of the army and battled against the larger threats.

Even the most cold-hearted and skeptical centaurs could not help but admire these proud warriors who were willing to freely shed their blood for the sake of the entire centaur clan. Only now did they see the truth about the Longma tribe. Though they might indeed be scary, that power had always pointed toward the centaurs' enemies. The Longma tribe had always given their lives for the tribe without care for gratitude and even sometimes incurring ridicule.

Faced with the somber reality, the centaurs from the other centaur tribes banded together and joined the Longma tribe, unwilling to let their brothers carry this burden any longer.

Unfortunately, despite the centaurs' combined efforts, the juiced-up monster army proved too powerful in the end. Warriors fell in droves as the defensive line was pushed farther back until they were only a kilometer from the peak upon which Lymar Village rested.

"Is this the end?" Balasius regretfully murmured as he watched another centaur fall prey to the enemy horde. The centaur general grimaced as he glanced over the monster army at the woman comfortably seated upon her direwolf with a smug smile on her face.

The woman's confidence did not surprise Balasius, as he was well aware that he and the rest of the army were working on borrowed time. At this rate, the centaurs would be wiped out within a few more hours as they grew wearier and succumbed to their injuries, whereas the monsters' ki, mana, and stamina endlessly generated.

However, just as the centaurs were about to abandon hope, the monsters all froze in their tracks as if held by some invisible being. A deathly silence spread over the battlefield as the centaurs gazed at the silent monsters with suspicion.

The smile disappeared from Verlito Amberheart's face. Unlike the stunned centaurs, she knew that the strange phenomenon meant that the monsters had lost connection to the dark crystal. This should have been impossible as the crystal was protected by a demi-god level demon. Sure, he had lost most of his powers, but he should never have lost to a mere mortal.

Verlito had no way of knowing that Kashi had Yggdrasil inside him, a force which was the natural antithesis to the crystal's corrupt force. Despite this, the daeben topped her list of potential culprits. The young woman took out her Rink and placed a call to her superior.

Verlito only spoke a few words, "The crystal has been taken."

"Oh?" a light male voice responded. "Any suspects?"