Chapter 299 - The Assault

"Your confidence is well-founded; however, I don't believe you see the situation for what it truly is."

A warning, issued by the man standing beside Rynold, snickered at the sight of the Soul Dolls. He was feeling the complete opposite of whatever Rynold felt. It was as if the army was really nothing more than some cheap form of entertainment. The Soul Doll army stood there, unknowing of the man's power. And, with reason, Rynold was the same.

Out of nowhere, a wide magic array appeared. It spread throughout the courtyard, covering up most of the dry ground. Rynold had reason to believe that this was the man's doing. The smile on the guy's face was showing. One of excitement, perhaps? Rynold didn't have the time to ponder the thought as there were other things that took precedence.

"Are you sure about this?" Rynold asked in a hushed tone, "I'm sure you can sense that guy's overall power. You might even have an accurate assessment of it. But, whatever the case, are you really sure that you can take on an entire army of Soul Dolls?"

"That doesn't matter now, does it?" the man answered, no doubt in his words, "I must stand my ground. It is my duty. Therefore, I cannot falter."

'Where the hell is this confidence coming from?'

Rynold asked himself that even though he had experienced the same thing numerous times before. The man standing beside him didn't have any sense of doubt or pessimistic thoughts. There was only duty, and that alone carried him to stand proud. At that point, as Rynold took a quick look at the man, he couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie. But, not a second later, that camaraderie turned to disheartenment.

That's because, at that very moment, Rynold had a clear picture of what his future would look. It was like he was looking at a mirror. If he kept choosing his responsibilities over his own interests, Rynold would more or less end up in the same mess. He would end up dealing with something he couldn't leave behind — a responsibility that would fall on his shoulders and his alone. And, naturally, Rynold wouldn't want that.

"Is there something wrong?" the man asked, noticing the forlorn expression Rynold so obviously sported, "If you are having second thoughts about standing beside me, you are still free to leave."

"No, no, it's not that," Rynold shook his head and focused, extending his Mana Gauntlets to Strength-form, "Just something that took me a second to realize."

It really did take a second and nothing more. Rynold, with [Heightened Erudtion], didn't need too long to process information. That said, he soon turned his focus to the army in front of him. Skeem, standing proudly, ordered a small group of melee-inclined Soul Dolls to advance. To which, the magic array reacted with the appropriate hostility.

The Soul Dolls that stepped foot into the magic array suddenly started burning from a white, intense flame. Rynold watched in awe as the flames reduced the Soul Dolls to ashes. The attack burned through flesh and bone indiscriminately, leaving nothing behind.

"Cool," Rynold muttered with a smile.

Skeem scoffed at the sight, not at all impressed by what had just happened. He then clicked his tongue, disappointed at the troublesome obstacle in front of him.

"An interesting attempt," the ogre snickered, "But a magic array of this variety and configuration would drain you of your Mana. What's more, you can't really do anything to me from there, no? Clever. But, not at all thought out."

"Yeah," Rynold interrupted the self-gratifying monologue, "And that's what I'm here for."

Cracking his knuckles and forming a smile, Rynold walked away from the man and approached Skeem. He wanted to give him a good beating for all the times the ogre had gotten away from Rynold's grasp. Rynold wanted to smack the sly grin off of Skeem's face more times than he could count. However, Rynold stopped prematurely due to the man pulling him back.

"You can't step on the magic array," he warned, "There is a reason why that creature stands so confident. The magic array attacks whoever passes through it, including you. While I can move through it without problems, there is little I can do."

"Great. That's just great," Rynold nodded, unsatisfied, "So, this was your big plan?"

"I admit it is far from what is ideal. However, there is only so much I can do. At my age, proactive fighting would only end in my demise. This strategy is one of the lesser risks, albeit the payoff is far from guaranteed. However, it seems as though our opponent is struggling as well."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Rynold looked to Skeem, realizing that even the ogre didn't have an idea on how to deal with the situation, "Judging by the formula, the magic array disables a lot of things. Projectiles, long-ranged curses, even self-empowering spells. It's an all-in-one self-defense magic. Gotta say, it's perfect for this type of situation."

Rynold and the man stood near the center of the magic array. Behind them was the well holding the gates to hell. And, quite a distance away from them, all the way across the castle courtyard, was Skeem and his army of Soul Dolls. Of which, the ogre seemed to appear quite perplexed.

"Hey!" Rynold called out to Skeem, disturbing his line of thought, "You know I've been thinking how you managed to get through the forest without a scratch. I mean, sure, you've got your Soul Dolls. But, I'm more than sure you had to intervene at some point."

"Is there a point to all your babbling? Something as insignificant as you ought to know when to shut up."

"Heh. The point I'm trying to make is that you're not ready for this," Rynold exclaimed, provoking the ogre at the same time, "The deaths of your Soul Dolls. The Mana you've spent getting here. Whatever the case, your losses can't get you through the final step. I didn't expect you'd be so careless. I guess your superiors sent the wrong person for the job."

Skeem raised a brow, finally remembering who the disrespectful, insignificant human was. He was giving off a different pressure, but there was no doubt in the ogre's mind now. He smiled menacingly, thinking that Rynold was an interesting character. However, the human was an insect. Nothing more.

"Hm...," Skeem grumbled, "Okay."

The ogre then promptly pulled out an ominous-looking orb from his Inventory. To which, Rynold's eyes narrowed and then widened in surprise. A part of him didn't want to believe what he saw. From a distance, Rynold thought it was another Soul Orb. However, the reality was much worse than that. Because, as soon as Skeem activated its contents, the magic array started to erase.

"Where did you get that?!"

Rynold turned his head to the side upon the man's sudden shout. He then diverted his gaze back to the orb on Skeem's hand. His earlier assumptions of the orb were wrong, as seen by its power to erase. However, Rynold didn't have a clue about what it was.

"Oh, this?" Skeem asked casually as the erasure of a part of the magic array caused cracks throughout all of it, "I'm surprised you know what it is."

"Who wouldn't?!" the man retreated a few steps as the cracks spread, "No wonder you're confident in taking over the Nevermore."

The uneasiness the man felt became evident on the look of his face. Rynold didn't know what was going on, clueless about what they were talking about. All he knew then and there was the breaking of the magic array. Of which spelled nothing but trouble.

Shatter!

Like glass breaking, the magic array was soon no more. Rynold's worried expression turned to outright fright as he watched the Soul Dolls charge at them. His gauntlets suddenly felt heavy, pressured by the army of creatures seeking his blood. With a nervous gulp, Rynold had no choice but to stand his ground.

"You need to leave," the man warned, pushing Rynold back as he stepped forward to greet the army, "This is not your fight."

A dense surge of Mana surged from the old man as he prepared to cast a powerful spell. Rynold inched back a few steps as the pressure made it hard for him to breathe. Nonetheless, he stayed, watching the scene unfold.

Chanting at a speed indecipherable to Rynold, the man cast his spell. Behind the man was standing, a magic array appeared. It stood tall, vertically, and Rynold could feel something coming off of it. Was it Mana? No. Rynold couldn't describe the feeling, but one word was in his mind.

Absolute.

A second later, a loud cry came from the magic array as it turned into a portal. A claw, large and somewhat scaly, appeared from the portal. From there, Rynold kept retreating back as he saw the creature in all its glory. The vibe it was giving off was unmeasurable. But, one thing was for sure.

It was a dragon.