Chapter 49: Chapter 49: The Vanguard Rally

Chapter 49: The Vanguard Rally

The commercial district of Bastion Seven was an absolute warzone.

Fire consumed the local storefronts. Desperate Cultists chased screaming citizens through the narrow alleys.

Twisted shadow beasts flipped merchant carts and shattered glass windows. The city guard was completely overwhelmed.

Aegon Logcheville charged into the burning streets. His crimson spear ignited with a roaring flame.

The Academy squad instantly fell into a flawless tactical formation. Aegon took the absolute frontline.

He became a blur of lethal heat, driving his weapon through the chests of the advancing Cultists. Reina stepped right behind him.

She guarded his blind spots with her metal gauntlets. She ruthlessly crushed the skull of any enemy who tried to flank their leader.

Estella took the center position. She raised her wooden staff and focused her mana. Brilliant blue barriers cascaded over the fleeing civilians, shielding them from stray arrows and dark magic.

Draven stayed in the back. He looked like a terrified student hiding behind his stronger classmates. He kept his hands stuffed in his pockets.

But his mind was working at the speed of a supercomputer.

Draven activated his Vector Manipulation. His pitch-black eyes scanned the chaotic battlefield.

He saw the invisible lines of force dictating every single movement. He silently reached out and grabbed the gravitational vectors anchored to Aegon.

He reduced Aegon’s overall body weight by exactly fifty percent.

Aegon lunged forward to strike a Cultist. He expected his normal speed. Instead, he shot across the pavement like a fired bullet.

He moved so fast the enemy did not even have time to blink. His flaming spear severed three Cultists in a single sweeping motion.

Aegon widened his eyes in shock. He felt incredibly light. He felt completely unstoppable. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

He assumed his Logcheville bloodline was finally awakening under the extreme pressure of real combat.

A rogue Cultist on a rooftop aimed a poisoned crossbow at Aegon’s exposed neck. Draven saw the tension in the bowstring. He silently flicked a finger inside his pocket.

He altered the kinetic trajectory of the bolt right as it fired. The arrow veered sharply to the left and harmlessly struck a brick wall.

Another Cultist jumped from an alleyway with a rusted machete. Draven locked the kinetic force in the attacker’s shoulder.

The man froze in mid-air for a fraction of a second. Aegon reacted purely on instinct and cut the man down before his boots even hit the ground.

To the terrified citizens watching from the sidelines, Aegon looked like a descended god of war. He was an untouchable savior wrapped in crimson fire.

Suddenly, the ground violently shook.

A Cultist who had consumed too much corrupted mana stepped out of a burning tavern. He had mutated into a monstrous Berserker.

His body was swollen with abnormal muscle mass. Green veins pulsed under his gray skin. He stood nine feet tall and held a shattered concrete pillar like a baseball bat.

The beast let out a deafening roar. It locked its glowing eyes on a small boy who had tripped on the cracked pavement.

The child screamed. The Berserker raised the heavy pillar.

Aegon did not hesitate. He abandoned his offensive stance and dashed directly into the path of the monster.

He placed his body completely over the crying child. He raised his spear shaft horizontally to brace for the impact.

CRASH!

The concrete pillar slammed into the steel weapon. The sheer kinetic force shattered the pavement beneath Aegon’s boots.

Aegon coughed a mouthful of blood. His knees buckled under the immense weight.

He was trapped. He was much faster than the beast, but he absolutely could not dodge.

If he moved a single inch, the child beneath him would be crushed into paste.

The Berserker grinned a sickening grin. It raised the massive pillar high into the air for a final, lethal strike.

Aegon gritted his teeth and pushed his remaining mana into his arms. He prepared to take the fatal blow.

A massive fireball suddenly exploded against the side of the monster’s face.

The beast stumbled backward. Before it could recover, a sharp lance of ice pierced its thick shoulder.

A crackling bolt of lightning struck its chest. A barrage of wind blades slashed across its knees.

Aegon gasped for air. He looked over his shoulder.

The shattered gates of the Academy were swarming with people.

Hundreds of students poured into the burning streets. They did not run away. They did not hide.

Kael stood at the very front of the massive crowd. The defensive prodigy held a glowing wand with a fiercely determined grip.

"Form the ranks!" Kael shouted at the top of his lungs.

The students moved with military precision. They formed organized firing lines across the main street.

They raised their weapons and unleashed a coordinated volley of magic. It was a beautiful display of Academy discipline.

The spells accurately targeted the Cultists and the shadow beasts, completely avoiding the civilian shelters.

The Berserker roared in agony as a dozen spells burned its mutated flesh. It dropped the concrete pillar and looked away from Aegon to face the new army.

It was a fatal mistake.

Draven instantly locked onto Aegon. He applied a massive acceleration vector directly to the tip of the crimson spear.

"Now!" Draven yelled.

Aegon exploded upward from his defensive crouch. He thrust his weapon forward with the combined power of his aura and Draven’s hidden momentum.

The blazing spear pierced directly through the thick chest of the monster. The flames incinerated the corrupted heart in a single second.

The massive beast collapsed dead onto the street.

Aegon pulled his spear free. He stood tall, panting heavily, with the rescued child safe behind his legs.

The entire student body erupted into deafening cheers. The citizens hiding in the alleyways began to chant his name.

The cowardice of the Academy had been completely broken. The Vanguard rally was a total success.

Draven watched the students swarm around their new leader. He smiled a quiet and victorious smile in the shadows.

Bastion Seven had just crowned its new Hero.