Multiversal Ascension-Chapter 87: Willowbrook Town Defense

A comfortable silence lingered in the room until a knock at the door broke it. Lena's voice came from the other side. "I've prepared supper, if you'd like to join us."

The trio followed Lena downstairs to the dining table, where her two children, Caleb and Emma, were already seated alongside a rough-looking man with a long beard, who appeared to be in his forties or fifties. Lena introduced him as her husband, Edgar, who had just returned from his guard duties.

After they took their seats, Lena served the warm and appetizing meal to everyone. The family and the trio enjoyed the food together, but the parents remained cautious. They spoke little, their silence born out of fear of offending the Academy students, whom they assumed to be nobles tasked with ensuring their safety. They didn't want to risk saying anything inappropriate.

The children, on the other hand, were far less reserved. Despite their parents' warnings to be polite, their youthful energy led them to chat freely with everyone. Surprisingly during this meal the one who was the most talkative in the trio was Amelia.

Normally, Amelia wasn't particularly talkative or cheerful. However, in the company of Mikael, whose demeanor was cold and indifferent, and Lyra, who tended to keep to herself and had an introverted personality, the usually calm and composed Amelia suddenly seemed like the liveliest one at the table.

Once the meal concluded, the group returned to their room. Mikael resumed studying layered arrays, Amelia continued meditating, and Lyra buried herself in her book. However, this time, occasional conversations broke the silence.

As time passed, Mikael began to grasp the concepts of layered arrays and decided to put them into practice. From his storage ring, he retrieved a runic inscriber, a bottle of low-rank magical ink, and a core-shaped object to serve as the array's battery. His actions immediately caught the attention of Amelia and Lyra, who paused to observe him.

Mikael used a thin aura thread to pierce the floor and create a small hole. "Won't this damage the floor?" Amelia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll repair it with a spell afterward. This is just for practice, so I'll remove the array when I'm done," he assured her.

"Okay," she replied before falling silent, watching him work.

Mikael carefully inscribed runes onto the core with the runic inscriber and magical ink. His movements were precise and fluid, exuding the confidence of a skilled craftsman. In a little over a minute, he finished the core and placed it in the hole. Next, he began inscribing runes directly onto the floor in a complex pattern. This process was much slower, as Mikael paused frequently to calculate and adjust his work, showcasing the difficulty of creating a layered array.

Initially captivated, Amelia and Lyra eventually returned to their activities, as Mikael's meticulous work stretched on for hours. At around 10 p.m., Mikael finally murmured, "I think I got it."

His words drew the sleepy attention of the two girls. Unbothered, Mikael proceeded to activate the array. A bright light flared briefly in front of him, prompting the girls to squint at the sudden glow. Mikael, however, wore a satisfied smile.

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"This is what took you hours to create?" Amelia asked, her tone laced with surprise. She was used to Mikael performing miracles, so this seemingly underwhelming result after hours of effort caught her off guard.

"You don't understand—it's a layered array," Lyra interjected, her enthusiasm evident as she rose from her bed and approached Mikael.

Mikael chuckled softly at her excitement. "Yeah, but the results aren't quite there yet. The array is pretty much useless, but it's progress."

"Could you show me the nodes? I'd like to see how a real layered array works," Lyra asked eagerly.

"Sure," Mikael agreed, and the two began discussing the intricate details of the array. Amelia watched from the side, a small smile on her face as she witnessed Mikael once again accomplish something remarkable.

Feeling tired, Amelia considered lying down for the night. She instinctively reached to remove her uniform but hesitated, suddenly aware of Mikael's presence in the room. The thought of changing in front of him made her feel uncomfortable, a rare sensation for the composed warrior.

"Uhh... Mikael, you see, I'd like to change for the night. Could you, hmm, turn around while I change?" Amelia asked, her voice faltering near the end, her face flushed a deeper shade of red with embarrassment.

At her words, Mikael raised a surprised eyebrow but nodded in agreement. He gestured toward his bed, signaling Lyra to continue their conversation while Amelia changed.

However, Lyra hesitated and softly said in a voice barely audible, "I... I should change for the night too... It's late. But I'd like to continue our talk about arrays tomorrow, if that's okay with you." Her gaze remained fixed on the ground, her earlier enthusiasm fading into shyness at the mention of changing, her timidity taking over.

Noticing her adorable demeanor, Mikael's lips curled into a small, playful smile. His tone was warm but sincere as he replied, "It would be my pleasure to talk with you tomorrow. I always enjoy the moments we spend together."

"Me too..." she murmured, her voice so quiet that only his enhanced hearing caught it. Mikael chose not to comment, instead taking a seated position on his bed.

Soon, the soft rustling of clothes being removed reached his ears. The sound alone stirred his imagination. He pictured Amelia's calm yet alluring figure and Lyra's lithe, delicate frame. For a fleeting moment, he felt a strong urge to turn around and witness what he knew would be a captivating sight, but he resisted. He kept his gaze forward until he heard their voices indicating they were done.

When he finally turned, all he could see were their heads peeking out from under the quilt. However, what truly tested his self-control was the sight of their uniforms neatly folded on the floor, suggesting they were clad only in their undergarments beneath the covers.

He swallowed hard, forcing his imagination to quiet down before speaking. "Seems it's my turn to change, huh?"

Rising from his bed, Mikael removed his shirt, revealing his toned, muscular physique. Lyra immediately ducked under the quilt in embarrassment, while Amelia, though shy, found her gaze lingering on him. A faint glimmer of desire flickered in her eyes.

Ignoring their reactions, Mikael continued undressing until he was down to his boxers. He then slipped under his own quilt. Using an aura thread, he extinguished the lights, plunging the room into darkness.

"Good night, girls," he said, his tone calm.

"Good night," Amelia replied confidently.

"G-go-good n-night," Lyra stammered, her shyness evident.

***

The night passed uneventfully, and by morning, the trio rose early to share a quick breakfast before heading to their assigned post at the east wall for guard duty.

Upon arrival, they coordinated with other students and took their positions, preparing to patrol the wall while keeping an eye on the surrounding forest. However, instead of the expected aimless patrol that a group of students could make, Draven, their teacher, implemented a more strategic approach drawing on his experience

The students were divided into groups, each with specific roles. The first group consisted of long-range fighters like archers and mages, stationed atop the wall. Their task was twofold: remain vigilant for any signs of movement in the forest and report unusual activity, and, during the attack, maximize damage to the beast wave before it reached the wall, then continuing with long range attack.

The second group, comprising tanks and melee warriors, was tasked with containing the beast wave once it hit the wall. Tanks would receive support from shadow mages casting Projected Taunt spells, drawing the beasts' attention and minimizing damage to the wall.

Despite these preparations, it was inevitable that some beasts would manage to slip past and scale the wall. To address these breaches, a third group was designated as the final defensive line. This group consisted of weaker warriors, primarily first- and second-year students, who were stationed atop the wall to protect the long-range fighters.

While these students lacked the strength to hold their ground against a horde of E rank beasts in open combat, the height advantage provided by the wall and the smaller number of beasts they would face gave them a fighting chance.

With these tactics in place, the students should be able to efficiently use their strength to defend the Willowbrook Town!

While these tactics looked impressive, whether they would work against the beast wave remained to be seen. For now, the trio patrolled the wall as their assigned position required.

Time passed uneventfully until their shift ended. At that moment, they decided to visit the town instead of returning to the house and feeling cooped up inside it.

The "visit," if it could even be called that, was uneventful. There was nothing new to see. Just as when they arrived, all the residents remained locked inside their homes. After a brief tour, they returned to their temporary house and began training.

The next day arrived quickly, and they followed the same routine. However, this time, the students were noticeably more tense, as they expected the beasts to attack on the second or third day.

Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on whom you asked—nothing happened that day. The trio returned to the house. After another night of sleep, they rose again for what they hoped would be their last patrol.

As they patrolled the wall for a while, the inevitable finally occurred. "Beasts!" someone on the wall shouted.

The other students' gazes immediately turned toward the forest's edge, where beasts were beginning to appear.

"Fuck, they're here!" another student cursed.

"Send the signal!" warned someone else.

The students, knowing they had no time to waste, acted immediately.

Ding.

A loud bell echoed throughout the town. Shortly after, a green smoke bomb exploded above the eastern wall with a sharp sound.

The students resting in their temporary houses quickly exited when they heard the bell. Looking up and seeing the green smoke bomb, they sighed in relief. It wasn't the worst-case scenario. Without delay, all students not on duty began moving toward their designated walls.

These signals had been planned by Draven. The bell alerted resting students to prepare for the beast wave. A green smoke bomb above a wall signaled the wave's arrival, prompting students to defend their assigned positions.

A yellow smoke bomb indicated that a wall was under significant threat, though not yet critical. Some reinforcements would be sent, but not in large numbers. A red smoke bomb signaled that a wall was in a critical state, with the wave close to breaching. Urgent reinforcements would be required.

On the eastern wall, only twenty of the maximum sixty students were present, anxiously watching the forest's edge. They hoped the beasts wouldn't charge before the remaining students arrived.

Thankfully, the rest arrived promptly and took their assigned positions. Within minutes, all sixty students stationed at the east wall were prepared to defend it. Just as the tension seemed to settle, a deep rumbling sound resonated from within the forest. Strangely, it wasn't coming from the beasts lingering at the edge, as they remained still, silently watching.

Seconds passed in tense silence as the rumbling grew louder. The sound became deafening, causing many students to sweat in apprehension of the horde they were about to face.

Author Note:

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