Chapter 1232: Broken Fortress (Part 1)

The Bastions were an important part of all the buildings, but as a resident of the Citadel, Adam did not have the opportunity to fully understand their importance.

In his case, he would only fully realize the situation once he became strong enough. If he could become a Second Rank Phantom in the near future, he, like every Phantom of that rank, would be given a specific role.

Sure, it’s unlikely that the government would send him to defend a Bastion, as all the positions were already taken, and he wouldn’t be strong enough for that as a newcomer among the Second Rank Phantoms.

But the Citadel and the Bastions were points of extreme importance. Humanity couldn’t afford to lose any of them, because like the Citadel, the Bastions were necessary for a quick recovery after the World Wipe.

The faster humanity could recover, the fewer losses there would be from the monsters, which had adapted much faster due to their numbers and energy.

Adam and Fromund were heading straight for one of the Bastions right now.

After a few hours of peaceful walking, in the distance, dozens of kilometers away, the great walls appeared, almost as tall and massive as those of the Citadel.

A little more and they would reach the Bastion Opard.

It had been a long and unexpected journey, especially for Fromund. But he couldn’t hide the slight smile on his face.

“Hah, I have to admit that was a new and refreshing experience.” Fromund scratched the back of his head, not knowing how to describe the feeling. “It’s much longer, but not as dry as just flying a fighter from one point to another.”

Adam nodded slightly. “Yes. I agree. I didn’t know what to expect when I came up with this idea, but it went better than I expected. Although… If we weren’t at our current levels, I wouldn’t have risked it.”

“Pffft, we wouldn’t have lasted even a kilometer! But that’s no longer the case. We’re much stronger than we’ve ever been.”

During those few hours, Adam and Fromund had the opportunity to discuss many things. It was a much calmer and more appropriate time than at the beginning of the mission when the argument between them had occurred.

Their views on some issues differed greatly, which was normal, but overall they were convinced that they had only one chance to win—to stop the World Wipe.

Only then could they save everything: their minds, their past and future, their friends and family. Any other option would require them to sacrifice something. And the sacrifices were so great that they simply couldn’t go through with it.

Was this a manifestation of greed?

Sure, and many Phantoms fell into the same trap as Fromund and Adam. But as long as there was even the slightest chance, they were willing to try.

The monsters did not attack Adam and Fromund because, after they left the Corrupted Volcano, they found themselves in areas with much weaker monsters.

At first, these were regions where the K3 Phantoms hunted, then K2, K1, and now they had reached the safest territories.

In the distance, not far from the walls, K0 Phantoms could be seen desperately trying to become stronger and complete their missions. Perhaps for some of them, it was their first one.

Adam and Fromund had once been in their place. Each had a unique start, but some things remained the same for everyone.

Adam and Fromund were about to move on when a bright light appeared in the distance from the ruined fortress.

A red flash, ominous and frightening, broke through the cracks in the ruins.

The monsters nearby immediately scattered. Even if this was a territory for newcomers, the power emanating from the aura was far greater than it should have been.

Adam and Fromund exchanged glances. They said nothing, but the sly smiles on their faces showed that they were thinking the same thing.

Silvana and Arayna, watching them, shook their heads, but there was nothing they could do but watch.

“Agh… Those two… Arayna, with all due respect, but those two should no longer work as a team, at least not unless something important happens, otherwise, I’ll soon have gray hair.” Silvana sighed heavily.

“Sure, I was thinking the same thing. I haven’t been this nervous in a long time, especially when they were fighting Moroya and Bathild. Those two bitches almost killed them… Good thing they’re dead now.”

…

At the same time, inside the fortress, things were not going well for the Phantom squad on their latest mission. They were supposed to clear the fortress of monsters and retrieve the crystals from the lower floor, which should have grown by now.

But instead of a medium-difficulty mission, something much worse awaited them.

“Shit! There are too many of them!” The young man with the axe exclaimed, swinging it widely to fend off two approaching skeletons.

Only three remained of the five-man squad: the young man with the axe in the vanguard, a golden-haired young man who was fighting off the skeletons with his sword, and a crimson-haired girl who was trying to stop the skeletons with chains, but she didn’t have enough strength to fight them all.

The skeletons, weak White Threat Level monsters, were no problem for them. Their squad was skilled enough to deal with the armored skeletons and archers, which were Green Threat Level monsters.

But… when they were about to go down to the lower floor, a frightening red light came out of a massive stone slab.

Before they could realize what was happening, two of their allies were dead, dozens of skeletons appeared, and a special skeleton appeared, wearing a long robe and carrying a black staff with a bright red crystal.

They didn’t know what kind of skeleton it was, but they could sense from its aura that it was not their level. They were right, as it was a Blue Threat Level monster, and the K0-Phantoms didn’t stand a chance against someone like it.

“Fuck! Help won’t arrive for another ten minutes, we may not make it!” The golden-haired guy exclaimed.

The young man with the axe jumped back, standing next to his allies.

They couldn’t escape because the skeletons had already surrounded them on all sides. Their eyes darted around, trying to come up with a plan.

Suddenly, something strange happened. They and all the skeletons froze, as if the world itself had stopped.

They didn’t yet know that it was all because of the simple aura of two Phantoms just like them.