Chapter 321: Climate Catastrophe
Aliard and those with him wanted to charge toward Leonel, but they were hesitant to do so. Though they had previously looked down on Leonel, this didn't mean that they thought they could defeat Leonel in a few exchanges. They knew that they would have to at least put forward a small effort.
The root cause of their confidence was their larger number of quality experts. Whether it was Peirce, Margrave or Aliard, they could all battle King Arthur and had better than 50% odds in defeating him. This was without even counting any other trump cards they may or may not have.
However, if they charged for Leonel now, they would become embroiled in battle. By then, the beast tide would definitely be upon them. They weren't naïve enough to believe that Leonel would summon these beasts without the ability to control them and they could see that it was most likely related to the golden rod in his hands.
At that point, they would have to battle not only Leonel, but an endless swarm of beasts.
Could it be that they would really fall just like this?
Aliard stood opposing the growing group by Leonel's side. Just moments ago, one could have never expected to see such a sight. Not only were there humans by Leonel's side, but even the #1 Demon Lord, Crakos and a few others of his side had converged.
These demons had fully expected Leonel to reject them, yet he said nothing.
When the beast tide reached them, the immediate area around Leonel became a safe haven. As though the land around them was sacred to the point even mindless beasts didn't dare to step on it, the swarm took a curved path around them charging toward the group of three men.
Pope Margrave, Peirce and Aliard stood in an inverted triangle position, protecting Aliard to their backs. Solemn expressions coated each one of their faces.
Individually, these beasts were nothing to them. But when they came in swarms like this, just how long would they be able to last?
But they had to. Their goal had been planned out for too long. If they failed here, the consequences would be unimaginable. They couldn't afford to bear them.
Peirce twin blades were like twin scythes, leaving blurred images beneath the rain as trails of crimson blood followed their every movement.
Pope Margrave held his cross to his chest, chanting solemnly with his eyes fluttering close. A barrier of light enveloped Peirce and Aliard, replenishing their stamina with each passing moment.
Aliard himself had several veins popping across his forehead. Every time a surge of Spirit Pressure came from him, another beast seemed to be ripped from Leonel's control, crashing into the others and starting a battle to the death.
Leonel watched all of this with a pair of cold eyes. He didn't care about Aliard wresting control from him. In fact, Leonel hardly resisted against it. Without a medium like the golden staff, it took Aliard far more effort and stamina to succeed. Leonel was happy to let him do it, it only meant that this battle would end all the more quickly.
He knew well that the three were holding on hoping that his stamina would run out first. But... was there such a good thing in the world? Unless he was pushed to dire straits, Leonel would never make the mistake of running out of stamina again.
...
As the battle of Camelot was raging, Leonel didn't have the mind to care for two things.
First, he had yet to figure out just why it was the dictionary hadn't answered his question and secondly... the Integration was still ongoing.
At this time, Earth was undergoing drastic changes.
The Moon was easily taken for granted. However, the truth was that it was responsible for some of the most important constants of Earth. It could influence the atmosphere, the tides and even Earth's tilt and rotation. A slight change to any of these things could throw Earth into a heat wave or another ice age.
If this was true... what would happen if a second moon suddenly began to form? What would happen to Earth's rotation? Its atmosphere? Its tilt? Its climate?
This was exactly what was happening now. Camelot hadn't even fully formed yet, but the chaos had already begun to shift.
The first and most obvious change were the tides. On some coasts, it completely receded. On others, it surged, and began to roll over, forming massive tsunamis that reached into the skies.
The climate began to flip and wildly fluctuate causing massive currents of hot and cold winds to form through the atmosphere. The clashing of these changes soon formed major sights of tornados and hurricanes.
If one looked toward Earth from space, one would usually find a beautiful blue and green planet that looked somewhat like a polished marble. However, if one looked now, it was almost impossible to see any land at all. Massive white clouds formed large swirling patterns across the skies, masking the disasters they were causing below them.
Such massive changes to climate should have occurred over centuries, millennia, even. Yet, in this new world order, it all seemed to be happening simultaneously.
At this point, everyone had been focused on clearing out as many Invalids and Zones as possible, all so that a normal society could be rebuilt. But, this sudden change caught everyone off guard.
At that moment, Emperor Fawkes stood within Earth's central palace. His hands were clasped behind his back, his flowing white hair whipping about in the surging winds as the sky darkened.
His eyes narrowed. He seemed to realize that a massive change was coming even sooner than he anticipated. But, he wasn't sure of what this could mean for the future of Earth. They weren't ready for such a change just yet...
...
Within Camelot's world, Leonel had no idea what was happening to Earth at this moment. However, even if he did, there was nothing he could do about it. He had to stay focused on the task at hand.
Though he had forced his enemies into a corner and seemingly so easily, at that, he still couldn't feel at ease.
He seemed to have earned this victory. He knew that there was a limit to how powerful those of higher Dimensions could send here. With them being restricted in strength, it shouldn't be shocking that they'd lose to a prepared Leonel.
But still, Leonel couldn't shake off the feeling no matter how hard he tried. A Unique Zone... shouldn't be this easily resolved.
As Leonel was lost in thought, a figure had begun to stealthily move within the group of individuals he was protecting. Leonel didn't seem to react to this change. In fact, even Arthur and Mordred who were both elites among elites didn't sense this change.
After a moment, it became obvious why. Not only was this person exceptionally good at hiding their intentions, but they had been standing near Leonel from start to finish. Yet, even after several moments of this endless attack of beasts, this person had still not made their move.
At that instant, Pope Margrave coughed up a mouthful of blood. He had reached his limit. Sustaining the stamina of two elites was too much even for him despite the support of his treasure.
Seeing this, Leonel slightly relaxed. Maybe he was too anxious. There was no way they could have contingency plans for such an event, right? How many could casually control a tide of hundreds of beasts like this?
It was exactly then that the shadow within the group acted. Their actions were so swift that even in the instant they were acting, no one reacted to what was happening.
The blade was quick, lethal and merciless. It prayed on the moment Leonel let his guard down like an elite assassin in the night.
It charged through the heavy rain, cut through the sharp winds, and aimed for Leonel's back, ready to pierce through his heart. Leonel was finished.
Still, even then, the shadow didn't relax. As a professional, until Leonel had breathed his last, celebration would never be on their mind.
PCHU!
The blade reached Leonel's back and the shaft of the weapon followed through.
The shadow smiled. It was done.
"A shame..."
The shadow froze.
"... Had you wielded anything but a spear, you might have had a chance..."
The indifferent voice continued to drift into the shadows ears.
"... Isn't that right, Coyote?"