Free Web NovelChapter 138: Invasion: Aftermath
Loogam met its demise within an hour.
The nation was beyond rescue.
The western and eastern parts of Loogam were completely destroyed with no buildings left standing. The southern and northern parts could have been considered as the most intact parts of Loogam even though they suffered from major damage as well. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
But not only the city but also the academy grounds were heavily affected by the demons’ invasion.
Multiple facilities got caught up in battles including the tower in the north which broke down entirely.
However, the most shocking was that Loogam’s heart, the academy, was wiped off without leaving a trace of its former glory behind. Only a great crater was there.
And yet, Loogam suffered even more losses.
In the end, it did not matter how many buildings or structures were destroyed.
What really mattered was the people.
On the bright side, those who had come to watch the tournament and were on the academy grounds at that time were safely evacuated to the shelter, which was located at the dorms.
But aside from those people, only a small percentage of people outside the academy survived.
Loogam may have not been conquered by the demons, however, the demons surely brought the end for Loogam.
There was no problem repairing the destroyed buildings but it did not matter if more than 80 percent of the people living there lost their lives.
"..."
It was currently night when Mika sat on a bench near the shelter with a blank expression on his face.
He received first aid already as he was covered in multiple bandages, albeit those bandages were applied somewhat roughly and sloppily considering the emergency state of Loogam.
Unlike usual, the nighttime was not illuminated by the lights of nearby buildings but rather by torches held by people.
The guards and those, who were fit enough to move around, scattered and desperately searched for any survivors even though they knew that their efforts would bear no fruits.
It was nighttime and yet it was anything but calm.
Even to this hour, the screams and cries from the people, who were in immense pain or had lost their beloved ones, echoed.
At the vast spot, where the wide crater was, the corpses of the found people were stored for now. Some bodies were retrieved successfully, whereas other bodies were almost unrecognizable due to the horrific wounds they received.
"What’s going to happen from now on?" Mika muttered softly.
[This is the end for this nation. Everything was destroyed. They either have to begin from scratch as a small village or they have to move from here.]
"..."
Mika’s gaze was cast down.
"That woman... Was Deara her name? What would have happened if I had approached her from the beginning? With every demon in the arena at that time, that person could have eliminated all of them..."
[Nothing would have happened. She was a cunning person. Despite betraying Zaran with the intention of overthrowing him, she still shared the same ambition as her other fellow demons. She, too, wanted to conquer Loogam. Thus, it would have been unwise of her to get them all caught up in her plan.]
"..."
[Be that as it may, it will not do you any good to think about the past. What is done is done. You cannot change a thing.]
"I know... But still..."
Mika was pressing his fists against his thighs while clenching his teeth.
[Impossible.]
[No matter what you would have done, the result would have stayed the same. The only mistake is that you are ignorant.]
"Hm?"
He sounded vexed as he scowled.
[You fail to acknowledge yourself. You are weak and that is a fact.]
"!"
Mika suddenly jumped out of his seat. He wanted to raise his voice but he refused to do so after realizing where he was.
[The current you is still weak. It was only due to the help of other factors that we won against the demons. Remember, have you ever won against a crucial enemy in the past few months? Have you actually won against Zantar, Yater or Zaran on your own?]
"Shut up..." Mika murmured while his teeth were still clenched.
[You have always lost because you were not strong enough. It did not matter what the current circumstances were at those times. You just lacked strength.]
"I said to shut up!"
This time, Mika did not hold back and let his rage out.
Some people turned their heads to him in confusion.
"You expect way too much from me! You’re saying I was too weak?! Yes, that’s true! I am weak! But why do you expect me to win against those people on my own?! I was born as an average villager! I-"
[And that is why we are rushing the process.]
"?"
[You only have to remember that you are weak. However, with my help, I will turn you into the real deal.]
"Real deal...?"
[You have received four of six installments to this point in time. This means that you are only missing two now.]
"..."
[In the beginning, we have planned to give you all six installments during the three years you are at the academy but considering what happened so far, we decided to rush this process.]
"Who is ’we’? And what process do you mean?"
[Before the third term of your first year here begins, you will be in the possession of all six installments and my role as your nurturer will end. Everything after that will be up to you.]
"..."
He was flabbergasted.
Mika did not know what to say.
[I talked way more than I should have. For now, get some rest.]
Following those words, the system did not utter a sound anymore.
"..."
Mika sat down on the bench again.
"Too weak, huh...?"
He looked at the palm of his hand.
"Come with me."
"?"
Mika lifted his head after a person passed by him and called him out.
He could only catch a glimpse of the person’s long purple hair fluttering as the person kept on walking forward.
"Y-your Highness...?"
Mika stood up and followed Olivia with no hesitation, wondering what her intentions were.
"..."
Not once did she turn her head to Mika nor did she utter a word to him anymore.
She just kept on walking in the direction of a big white tent, which was illuminated from the inside.
Strangely, some guards were placed in front of the tent. But as soon as they noticed Olivia, the guards nervously opened the path for her.
Then, she spread the curtains open and went inside the tent.
"Get in." she said to Mika.
"..."
The moment, Mika entered the tent, his eyes widened extremely.
In the center of the tent was a big torch but aside from that torch there was nothing was there. No beds. No chairs. No benches.
Therefore, the people present stood in a circle around the torch.
However, the lineup surprised Mika.
Norman, Sylvia, Lisa, Belian, Harik, Rachel, Sara, Yarjak, Cindy, Erwin, Ralph, Ophelia, Lily, Cail, Hecto, Lereon, Elsa, Olivia and Lucio.
"Seems like everyone is here now." Lucio stated with a stern expression.
It was the first time after the invasion that Mika managed to see his friends again but given the situation, he had to hold his joy back.
The mood was tense.
Among the people there, some were lightly wounded, whereas some still suffered from fatal wounds, like Cindy.
"First of all, I want to thank you for coming despite being exhausted and injured. I, too, wanted to talk at a more appropriate time but this couldn’t wait." Lucio added.
"I called you here because you were the representatives of the forces in your area."
Cail may not have been the representative of his area nor was he the key for that battle but he was the only one they have found in the northwest part of Loogam.
"I would like to hear from everyone, whom they had fought, what kind of abilities the demons you faced had and if you managed to get some information out of them."
"And after that, I want to announce the future steps Loogam is going to take."
While the conference was about to start, two particular demons arrived at an unknown place in the nation of Malnor.
"Let’s rest here for now. I will scout our surroundings. You stay here for now, Beatra."
"Fine."
Those two demons were Martha and Beatra, the two demons who were able to escape from Loogam after Zaran fell.
They were in a small city north of Loogam.
"But what are we going to do from now on...?" Beatra wondered, sounding bored.
"..."
Martha, who was about to step out, twisted her head to Beatra.
"Isn’t it obvious? I will make sure to kill Mika Elbar the next time." she said.
Her tone and expression were stern, paired with a frown.
Not only once but twice did Mika get in the way of Martha.
"I will find someone who can communicate with the other side."
"?"
"I will ask for reinforcements."
"Reinforcements? Who are you going to ask for if not even Zaran could win?"
Martha sighed.
"Since the location of the one above Zaran is still unknown, I have no choice but to ask one of them."
A grin crept onto her face.
"An S-rank."
