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Athena's General - Chapter 359
🕑 Added 2025-06-17 16:56:58 +0000 UTCNathan Everhart:
I swung the Cursed Blade and hurled it like a boomerang straight into the horde of undead. It spun, crackling with thunder, detonating with each strike as it tore through them. While it sliced the crowd apart, I surged forward, channeling mana into my body, blasting through the creatures like a lightning spear. Electricity arced off me, frying everything I passed.
The ground was soaked—thanks to Chloe, who had smartly used water to enhance conductivity.
The blade snapped back into my hand. I immediately fired a bolt of lightning straight up into the lone cloud above.
The sky answered.
Dozens of bolts rained down in response, lighting up the entire street. Thunder cracked, explosions echoed, and the entire path was reduced to scorched corpses.
“All right... you’re not half bad,” Leonhard said, appearing next to me.
“How’s the air support holding?” I asked.
Leonhard was bouncing between air platforms made of wind, slashing through griffins to support the sky riders. With a single swing of his sword, he summoned a massive gust of wind, sending several griffins tumbling. But I noticed—he was holding back. Careful not to hit the allied riders.
“Not good. Those things are everywhere,” he replied, eyes sharp.
We sprinted toward the shelter. As we got closer, I spotted dozens of knights clad in blue alongside water beasts—creatures made entirely of flowing liquid. They were assaulting the undead near the shelter’s entrance, firing jets of high-pressure water. Some of the monsters were smashed against walls, others swept away by the crashing force. They were water golems.
A surge of purple fire exploded like a wave, engulfing another swarm of undead.
“Sister!” Elara shouted when she saw Princess Alice and Melina standing atop a rooftop. They were holding the perimeter, covering the evac routes so civilians could reach the entrance. In the distance, I spotted squads of soldiers rushing civilians toward safety.
“Elara!” Alice called back. She jumped from the rooftop, caught midair by a water knight that instantly dissolved into a puddle when it touched the ground.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Elara said, hugging her tightly. Princess Melina followed right after, using a blast of fire to slow her descent.
“What’s the situation? Where are the other royals?” asked Princess Rose, catching up with us.
“They’re inside the shelter. Director Victoria too,” Alice replied. “A military council’s happening down there as we speak.”
“Well… looks like we’ve got a serious problem now,” said Inquisitor Leon, his voice tight with urgency. “Air support isn’t coming.”
He glanced toward the shelter entrance. “I’m heading inside to speak with the director. Every strategy we had needs to be thrown out. We need to reassess everything.” He turned to us. “You’re coming with me. All of you are highly capable mages—and more importantly, you’re people of significant status. I’ll need your help.”
I turned back toward the street just as another group of soldiers arrived, escorting civilians.
“Out of the way!” a voice shouted.
I whipped my head around and spotted it—a carriage barreling down the street, horses galloping at full speed. It skidded wildly, crashing into walls and scattering debris as undead lunged at it from both sides.
The driver spun his hands, summoning stone spears that impaled the attackers, clearing the way. The carriage screeched to a halt, and the driver slumped over the reins, drenched in sweat.
“More survivors!” he gasped between heavy breaths.
And I recognized him immediately.
It was Frederick.
People piled out of the carriage, stumbling toward the soldiers, hands pressed together in gratitude.
“Let’s go!” a soldier yelled, waving them toward the shelter.
“Frederick?” Chloe blinked in surprise.
“Ah—Lady Chloe! Lord Nathan!” He straightened, wiping sweat from his brow. “It’s a relief to see you both safe!”
Leon called back, motioning for us to hurry.
“Guess it's a good thing these monsters don't attack horses…” Frederick muttered, hopping off the carriage. “We can leave them here.”
We followed Leon into the shelter while soldiers quickly took over, securing the area.
“WHERE IS THAT DAMN IDIOT?!” a familiar voice roared.
I immediately recognized it—Hugo.
The moment Frederick spotted him, he went pale as a ghost.
“L-Lord Hugo!” he stammered. “I—I’m proving I’m a man worthy of your daughters! I saved so many people—”
Hugo’s eyes shifted to the carriage. It was wrecked. Dented, scratched, parts completely destroyed.
“You didn’t… happen to ruin one of the duchess’s private carriages, did you?!”
“Uh… oops,” Frederick muttered.
Then Hugo spotted us. His eyes widened in disbelief.
“Young masters—what are you doing here?! You were supposed to be—wait. No. Actually… I have no idea where you’ve been all day!” he barked, glaring. My cousin’s face turned bright red.
“We came to help,” I answered quickly. “But Hugo—did you see my mother? Please, tell me you’ve seen her—and Kinue!”
“Relax. Your mother arrived here a few hours ago. I found her myself. She’s with Kinue and Adrihna. And for the record,” he added, patting his chest, “the Saint even healed me.”
We continued down the tunnels together.
“How’s your mother? And my wife?” Hugo asked, turning to Chloe.
“They’re safe,” Chloe replied. “There’s an army defending the neighborhood—and a whole squadron of sky knights.”
As we moved deeper into the tunnels, the scale of it became clear. Dozens—maybe hundreds—of civilians filled the place. Some were injured, some crying, some unconscious and sprawled out on makeshift beds. Healers raced back and forth—most of them elves—moving with purpose, guided by Queen Siofna and the Saint.
My eyes scanned the room.
There—off in the corner—I saw her.
My mother.
Sitting quietly in her wheelchair, holding a small clay pot... with a little plant growing in it.
“Mom!” The moment I saw her, I rushed in and hugged her tightly.
“Nate?” she gasped in surprise but didn’t push me away. Her arms wrapped around me almost instinctively. “What are you doing here, my son? You were supposed to be safe in the noble district.”
“I came to save you, obviously,” I said, not letting go.
“That’s... sweet, but you’ll stay here with me in the shelter, right?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly. “You’re not... going back out there, are you?”
I didn’t know how to answer.
“Lightning boy.” Inquisitor Leon’s voice came from beside me. “My gut says you’re gonna be useful in the war council. You’re coming with me.”
I glanced back at my mother. She sighed, her shoulders sinking.
“You can go, my son... but please, don’t do anything reckless. Last time... you—” her voice cracked, “you ended up in a coma for days. I was terrified... I thought I might never see you wake up again.”
“I promise,” I told her. “If things get out of hand... I’ll pull back.”
“Nate...” She pulled me close again, lowering her voice to a whisper. “I... I’m scared. Scared for both of us. I hate that I can’t help you... A mother’s duty is to protect her child.”
“Mom... you’ve been through so much these past days. All the stress... the tower... You don’t need to protect me right now. I need you to be safe. That’s what matters.”
“Maybe... Maybe you’re right. Since that incident at the tower... I haven’t slept properly,” she admitted, forcing a small smile.
I leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Hey... you’re not... seeing things, are you?” I asked, half-joking, half-remembering what Siegfried said about Loki... and about Freya—the woman my mother looked exactly like.
“What? No. I’m sick, but not that sick,” she chuckled softly.
I left her there, still clutching that little clay pot with the plant. Maybe it gave her comfort... something to hold onto.
A pair of soldiers stood guard outside a meeting room. I caught sight of Inquisitor Leon stepping through the doors. As I turned, I spotted my cousin standing nearby, deep in conversation with Kinue, who was seated on a bench.
“Nathan!” Kinue called out the moment she saw me, leaping up to pull me into a hug. She held me tight... until she suddenly froze, realizing. “S-Sorry... I forgot I... I’m not supposed to touch you like that in public...”
“It’s fine,” I assured her quietly. “I was worried about you too.”
One by one, the other nobles filtered into the room. We followed. Inside... the air shifted. Heavy. Serious.
I scanned the chamber and immediately recognized countless familiar faces. Queen Agnes. Queen Garnora. King Haiten. Director Victoria. Professor Adrihna. Inquisitor Leonhard. Princess Rose. Princess Elara. Her Highness Alice. Princess Alice. Prince Duncan. The Saint, Tiffania.
Military officers I didn’t recognize lined the walls—commanders from houses I barely knew. In the corner, I caught sight of Syvis... and Thyra.
Everyone was here. People from circles that, in any other circumstance, would never be in the same room.
“We’ll be blunt,” Queen Garnora began, her voice cutting clean through the tension. “We have only a few hours to deal with the three Black Knights... and the portal. Or Apsalon falls.”
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