"Helmut?"
The moment she saw the man outside the wall, Silverna muttered his name.
No matter how she looked at him, his appearance perfectly matched that of Helmut, which left Silverna bewildered. However, his appearance was unfamiliar—she had never seen anyone like him in Helmut before.
From the eldest, Lohengrin, to the youngest, Edel. Even when she thought of Alois, who had passed away, she didn't feel any resemblance.
But why?
'Something about him feels more…'
He felt real. Suddenly, that thought crossed Silverna's mind, and she quickly shook her head.
'Stop with these pointless thoughts.'
For now, protecting the wall was the priority. The Malidan Wall, as if it had been waiting, busily moved to counter the Transcendent Clan's offensive.
In fact, their steps and actions were filled with vigor. The northerners much preferred having the enemy in front of them rather than waiting aimlessly.
The only variable was the storm-like wind.
It wasn't magic, but it unleashed an immense force, swirling violently around the Malidan Wall. The gale, strong enough to swallow people whole, disrupted the prepared battle formations.
"Miss! Are you okay?"
Crouching down, Silverna nodded in response to Anna's question beside her. In the tense moment, she suddenly stood up, gripping her spear tightly in both hands.
"Miss?!"
Her slender body seemed like it might be swept away by the gale, but her legs remained firm. A white aura supported both her legs, and she boldly straightened her back and shouted.
"Do you think the northern wall would cower before the enemy?!"
At the woman's sharp cry, the other soldiers slowly rose and took their positions. Even though it was because of the gale, crouching before the enemy didn't sit well with them. These small details directly affected morale, and Silverna had responded appropriately.
"...."
The Transcendent Clan's forces, likely realizing that their attempt to suppress with the gale had failed, began to move slowly.
"Stay calm! Respond as usual, and there will be no problem!"
After all, her father, Uldren Caldias, would arrive soon. Moreover, as long as there were no internal issues, Silverna was confident that the Malidan Wall would never fall.
Because.
[Do you know why they don't choose a head-on confrontation?]
[It's because they lack the strength. In the end, if it comes to a direct clash of power, we will win.]
[So, when they come at us head-on, it means they have nothing left.]
Isaac, who could be called an authority on the Transcendent Clan, had said so.
[They will never, ever break through you.]
'Even I, who've lived in the north my whole life, couldn't say that, you fool.'
It was a statement that made her laugh when she thought about it. Silverna, who had clearly experienced the terror of the Transcendent Clan, had crossed spears with them multiple times and couldn't help but acknowledge their strength.
No matter how much pride Silverna had in the northern wall, she believed there was no such thing as "absolute" when facing beings that transcended humanity.
'Don't talk as if you've seen it yourself.'
Yet, Isaac's unwavering belief in the northern wall was the source of Silverna's confident smile now.
The Transcendent Clan charged toward the wall.
Some had beast-like forms, others had wings, and some resembled humans. Their varied appearances felt eerily similar to demonic beasts.
This wasn't a demon hunt—it was war.
Especially the sorcerers at the back, wielding staffs and firing crimson spells like paintballs, were particularly annoying.
When fighting beasts, the most they'd face were flying rocks.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The spells collided with the wall. But the Malidan Wall didn't even show a scratch or crack from these pitiful bombardments.
"At this rate, the rocks thrown by beasts are more threatening, aren't they?"
"Right."
Anna, who had taken position beside Silverna, muttered. She then raised her head.
"The ones flying in are the problem."
Thanks to their superior skin, even arrows didn't affect them. Despite the barrage of arrows, the Transcendents landed on the wall with little damage.
"Never fight them alone!"
Individually, their strength was overwhelming. While not every individual was like that, it was clear that they were superior to the average soldier.
The soldiers of Malidan, already prepared for the Transcendent Clan, began to gather in small groups to counter the enemy.
"Huup!"
Silverna's spear soared high into the sky. Her spear pierced through the chest of a Transcendent Clan member resembling a crow.
"Kkkeuuuk?!"
With a scream, the creature writhed in pain before being pulled down to the ground as if sucked in by the aura on the spear.
"Shhk!"
Retrieving her spear with the aura, Silverna swung it again, cleanly cutting down the creature.
'As expected of a genius.'
Having dedicated herself to the aura for half a year now, the woman who had been called a genius by the 'Silent Sword' several times had achieved remarkable growth.
Her spear now flew toward other Transcendent Clan members who had landed on the wall.
Anna, on the other hand, was gathering soldiers and running along the wall.
"Over here! They're climbing up from this side!"
While their attention was drawn to the sky, Anna and the soldiers threw spears or stabbed at the Transcendent Clan members scaling the wall.
The battlefield was chaotic, with action happening both above and below, but everyone was united in their response. At that moment, a single spear split the sky.
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
The spear, charged with lightning, instantly scorched the surrounding Transcendent Clan members black, causing them to plummet.
The spear, which seemed to be flying endlessly forward, soon returned along the same trajectory.
At its end.
Crash!
The man who caught the lightning spear was Uldren Caldias.
The guardian of the wall.
"Not bad."
Although Isaac had the blade of Bricalla, it was something made from byproducts given by Liana.
Of course, creating just one spear wouldn't have used up all the bones and hides.
"The Margrave has arrived!"
"Don't retreat! We are humanity's wall!"
"Protect our families! Protect our nation! Defend peace!"
Just Uldren's appearance alone drastically shifted the atmosphere. No matter how prepared they were, the Transcendent Clan's ambush was undeniably threatening.
Yet, the mere sight of him holding a spear made it seem as though everything would be resolved.
"As expected of Father."
Puffing up with pride, Silverna smiled brightly.
After Arandel Helmut's death, many had proclaimed that a new era was dawning, praising the Golden Generation as the ones who would protect the kingdom.
But here.
The last spear of the old era.
The guardian of the north stood firm, holding his ground.
Atop the highest spire of the wall, where Bricalla had once stood, Uldren now stood, looking down below.
The Transcendent's offensive wasn't as large in number as expected. Compared to the Great Colony, it was almost cute in scale, but the quality of each individual soldier was incomparable.
Yet, Uldren didn't feel any sense of impending defeat.
He was standing atop the wall.
As long as he was here, it would never fall.
"Hmm…?"
While charging Bricalla's lightning to fire another spear, Uldren's eyes caught sight of a red-haired man at the center of the enemy forces.
He couldn't help but be struck by the man's presence.
"Helmut?"
Just like Silverna, Uldren couldn't help but think of Helmut when he saw him. Even more so because the man was also staring back at Uldren, stirring a boiling desire for battle within the Margrave.
"Too bad."
This was war, and he was the commander.
Though he wanted to vent the frustration of never having surpassed Arandel Helmut, Uldren remained true to his role and hurled his spear again.
His target was the sorcerers.
The crimson, paint-like substance they continued to pour out was gradually coating the Malidan Wall. Though it wasn't causing any damage, Uldren acted even faster.
'They're not doing this for no reason.'
Sorcerers were still one of the most elusive forces to humanity. While they resembled mages, the Transcendent Clan didn't manipulate mana, and they dealt with realms that magic couldn't touch.
Things like bodily regeneration, creating thralls, or manipulating life force were absolutely impossible with magic.
Crackle, crackle!
With a thunderous roar that seemed to tear the sky apart, the spear flew toward the sorcerers.
However, the spear didn't reach them. Instead, it was deflected and embedded into the ground.
The red-haired man, his long hair flowing, had struck down Uldren's spear with his own weapon.
"Oh?"
Uldren's lips curled into a slight smile.
The man, too, was silently stepping forward, his gaze fixed on Uldren.
***
Around the time Isaac and Clarice's group returned to the capital, the first news to greet them was nothing short of shocking.
"The Malidan Wall… has disappeared."
It wasn't destroyed or collapsed.
Literally.
The wall had suddenly vanished without a trace.