The entire camp shook.
The ground was cracking and splitting open. Panicked voices of the knights were roaring outside.
Wasting no time, we all ran out of the tent to see what was going on.
"Dear goddesses…"
As if we had time-travelled to the age of apocalypse, the entire scenery had transformed.
The grounds were torn apart and forming this rocky landscape of protruding rocks and boulders.
The Danau river was completely deformed, one would not even recognize there was a stream anymore seeing how most of it was buried by giant rocky debris.
The forest scenery beyond had been ruined, all the tree canopies had been flattened by the earthquake.
The sea was roaring with giant waves due to the rumbling.
It was utter chaos.
But what was terrifying the most was the devastated state of the Zeref army camp.
How the hundreds of the Zeref knights were all scattered and injured by the earthquake's effect. How the defensive line had crumbled by the disaster.
It was then that the hellish nightmare began, or rather, resumed.
Screech!
The thousands of lizardmen at the other side of the river readied their weapons and began crossing to our side.
Though the monsters were also damaged by the earthquake, reducing their numbers by a few hundreds, they did not care and pressed on toward the Zeref camp.
"They're coming!"
My father shouted, drawing his mighty sword. He looked to my brothers.
"Leon, Aizen, rally the troops! We're rebuilding the defensive line!"
"Yes, father!"
He then looked to me.
"Fina, support us from behind!"
"Understood!"
Hearing the order, I extended my right hand. A shining blue magic seal was formed on my palm.
[Open]
A small portal manifested above my palm and from it fell down an enchantment stone.
It was one located in my suitcase. I had casted a dimensional spell to open up a small portal to summon one of the rocks inside.
The stone on my hand was white in color. As I held it up, a bright white light radiated from the object.
[Elemental Attribute, Permeate!]
Suddenly a small light enveloped my father, brothers, and the dozens of soldiers around me.
Their wounds all healed in an instant. Those who lost their strength after being wounded was quickly reenergized.
With the enchantment taking effect, the magic stone in my hand crumbled into dust.
My father and brothers immediately began making their way toward where the river's coast would be, where the monsters were approaching.
They called the scattered soldiers to join them.
Seeing they needed time to regroup and rebuild their formation, I decided to provide them just that.
I positioned myself on a clearing which faced the waves of monsters.
No one was between me and the monsters except rubbles of shattered ground and the Danau river itself.
"Third Circle should do it…"
I whispered to myself.
I raised my hand and casted a spell.
[Maha Jwala]
Crimson magic circle surrounded me and a tiny blaze formed in front of my palm.
I concentrated the mana I had to be converted into fire. As I done so, the blaze grew larger and larger.
I mentally calculated the formula required to convert my mana into the necessary amount of fire needed for the spell in the shortest amount of time as possible.
Tsss!
I sensed my surrounding being burned by the fire produced by my casting.
I focused my mind further, trying to generate the fire needed for the spell as fast as I could.
And once I sensed the blaze in front of my hands had transformed into a spinning ball of fire, I activated the spell.
[Ignite]
Fire burst forth from my palms like a trailing serpent, devouring everything in its path.
It decimated the boulder debris, cut through the Danau river, and blazed through the waves of lizardmen coming our way.
I spread my arms to activate the second stage of the spell.
[Enflare]
The blaze then exploded into a massive wave of raging fire, scorching hundreds of lizardmen at the forefront.
I lifted my hands barely past my head for the third and final stage.
[Arise]
The wave of fire circled together and rose to the sky, creating a fiery twister which turned everything around it ablaze.
A massive wall of fire was now standing between the monsters and the Zeref army. The monsters slowed their advance, providing ample time for my father and brothers to regroup with the soldiers.
I switched my focus to the ruined encampment.
Dozens and dozens of soldiers were still trapped within the pile of boulders created by the ground's shattering.
I hovered my hand over the boulders and casted another spell.
[Davah Shashanam]
Simple telekinesis.
Tens of boulders suddenly rose to the air, freeing the knights trapped underneath.
I looked back to the swarms of monsters and swiftly waved my hand at their direction.
At the same time, the levitating boulders were thrown toward the creatures, crushing a great number of them into minced meat.
My father and brothers managed to gather enough soldiers to rebuild their defensive formation along the river. They were all preparing to fight back against the monsters behind the wall of fire I created.
Seeing the huge battle was going to begin, I intended to join them.
Boom.
As I was about to rush over to the formation, a huge faraway rumble stopped me on my tracks.
I wondered what caused it.
Boom.
A second rumble happened. It made the ground trembled.
After the second one, I knew it was coming from beyond the mountains.
There was no mistake, the mysterious ruin must had something to do with this rumbling, and most likely the giant earthquake that happened before.
I quickly turned my gaze toward the mountains and that was when I discovered the cause.
"Dear goddesses…"
I could not help but whispered those words.
Walking through the valley between the mountains was a giant humanoid stone statue which tip kissed the clouds.
At first I thought it would be a monster, but the apparent hinges on the limbs made it obvious that the thing was artificial.
"(A golem? What an unbelievable size!)"
I thought to myself.
Seeing it came from beyond the mountains, the golem must had originated from the mysterious ruin. The earthquake from before happened when it was emerging.
For years we could not figure out the purpose of the ruins.
But now that monsters and titanic object were being unleashed from them, it was becoming very clear what the ruins existed for.
Annihilation.
The ruins were the harbinger of our destruction.
Their appearance signed the end of the world was near.
Such thought was definitely terrifying and hard to deny, especially while being presented with such overwhelming existence.
To think the end of the world was upon us.
However, I refused to give up.
As long as there were breaths within me, I would fight till the end for my homeland.
I clenched my fist and rushed over to my father and brothers who were already engaging the lizardmen.
The Zeref army definitely had noticed the golem, but they managed to maintain their composure and focused on the enemies that were right in front of them.
I noticed a group of lizardmen was trying to ambush my father.
I raised my hand and casted a quick spell.
[Maha Agni]
A torrent of fire burst forth from my palm and decimated the lizardmen in an instant.
"Fina!"
My father called out after noticing my spell.
"Father, we must do something about the golem! I have a plan! If we could just--"
"Forget it!"
My father cut me off as he was fighting off the monsters.
"What?"
"I said forget it! We're not fighting that giant!"
Aware how the army was relatively in disarray and there were too many unpredictable things occurring, I understood why my father did not wish to attack the golem.
It would require a more careful planning.
"Very well! Then we should make a tactical retreat and assess the sit--"
"The Zeref army will not retreat either!"
My father interrupted me once more.
"We're not?"
"We're the last line of defense. If we retreat now, the monsters will head toward our remaining towns and villages. To our people!"
I then understood what my father was trying to say.
One last stand.
We would form a defensive line here and buy as much time as possible for our people to evacuate.
My father was ready to sacrifice his life right here and then.
I was being hopeful on facing the giant. But perhaps father did not want me to stay trapped in my delusion.
Given the state of our army at the moment and what at stake, it would be impossible to stop the golem without sacrificing our land.
I made up my mind after reaching to that conclusion.
"Understood. I'll do my best to slow the enemies' advances. If you'd allow me to stray from formation for a bit, I think I could distract the golem for--"
"You aren't staying with us, Fina!"
My father cut me for the third time.
This time, I could not comprehend what he was trying to say.
"I'm not staying?"