“The ultimate defense of the free nations against the forces of darkness! The last resistance of the free people! The final battle that will decide the fate of the world is upon us!”

“Shut the fuck up, Lynch!” shouted Albert, apparently irritated by my exquisite entrance.

Albert, that hot-blooded warrior, wielded his greatsword just like his words. With no elegance whatsoever.

“The bards will soon write sagas on this epic battle; it is my duty to give these artists something to feed my legend!”

“Stop quarreling, you two!” interceded Lilliana. “Don’t you understand our current situation?”

Lilliana was a competent enchantress, most likely more competent than this entire group of idiots. She employed healing and support spells to keep us alive while using her interpersonal skills to ensure the cohesion of our party.

“Bah, what’s wrong with messing around a bit to relax the atmosphere?” started Rich. “Everything is so depressing… Here! Take a good swig of my hydromel, Lilliana!”

Rich was a solid warrior of the proud dwarven race. Even with his short frame, he didn’t look less imposing. Equipped with a monumental shield covering the entirety of his height and a one-handed axe, Rich was a veritable wall capable of hindering the progression of an entire army. He constituted all the vanguard that we needed to protect the fragile members of our party.

“I’d prefer staying lucid,” resumed Lilliana. “After all, today is the day that the free nations will triumph of the calamity that befell our beloved world!”

“Not bad, Lilliana. That’s a good start, but there’s still work to do with your phrasing,” I approved with a satisfied nod. “Under my guidance, you shall learn how to accomplish venerable feats that will make your name reverberate through the royal courts for millenniums to come!”

Then, a graceful elf carrying a longbow and a quiver on her back took a step toward the dwarf. “Give it here, Rich!”

The dwarf looked at her, puzzled. Some might think that, at that moment, the dwarf was simply bewildered by her beauty. The elf was proudly displaying her cute pointy ears through her long radiant blond hair. Her face had refined features and was covered in immaculate white skin. Her outfit displayed plenty of that smooth skin, although her cleavage was not showing due to her chest being as flat as a chopping board.

But looks were deceiving.

And the dwarf, having known the elf for a long time, was not duped by her appearance. In fact, he simply lost track of the conversation and was wondering what she was talking about.

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That elf, named Élise, explained herself, “Your hydromel, give me some! And don’t be a cheapskate! I want a full jug!”

A barrel stood in the middle of our little gathering. The cover had been torn off and revealed a golden frothy liquid. It exuded a rich and sweet aroma.

Élise was drooling profusely in anticipation while Rich plunged a jug into the barrel.

Despite her refined looks and feminine charms, her demeanor was childish and immature. Still, her noisy personality was a good match with mine, and her proficiency with her bow and arrows was remarkable. She lacked the innate delicacy of the elves but was nonetheless entertaining.

Rich passed her the dripping jug, a bright smile on both of their faces. Rich loved sharing, and for that reason, he always had a bunch of jugs near-at-hand.

Élise immediately started gulping down her share while Rich filled some other cups and handed them to the rest of us. Even Lilliana gave in and grabbed a jug.

We raised our hydromel together. Élise had already finished her drink, so she hurriedly plunged her cup into the barrel again to fill it up. She then raised her jug with the rest of us.

I exclaimed, “A toast! To peace!”

The five of us constituted the Crown’s Overseers, a group whose purpose was to avoid repeating civilization’s past mistakes.

We had fought each other in the past, but now that peace was achieved, we would not let anything tear us apart. And if a third party suddenly appeared and tried to threaten that fragile peace we worked so hard to build… I’d burn them to ashes.

Every citizen had taken refuge in the castle. The royal family, Anastacia, and a few worthless bigwigs were hidden in the shelter, a deep underground room equipped with an escape route. Defensive mages were lined up on the wall, barrier spells at the ready. The king was there too, shouting last-minute orders.

The stage was set.

At nightfall, a horde of mutants would swarm the capital, trying to bring despair and destruction to my city.

Little did they know, they were about to face their worst nightmare.

With everyone safely sheltered inside the castle and the defensive mages on the wall, I wouldn’t have to worry about any kind of collateral damage.

At last, I found myself in a situation where I could unleash my overflowing mana and realize my full potential.

I sincerely hoped for a good challenge.

**Don’t disappoint me, mutants.**

We kept on drinking and enjoying ourselves for an hour or so until the sunlight dropped significantly.

“Starlight!”

The night’s veil was miraculously lifted, and light filled the fields once more.

It was the result of Lilliana’s light magic spell. To regain visibility on the upcoming battlefield, she lighted the sky a bright shade of red.

Far on the horizon, filling my entire field of view, silhouettes could be distinguished.

Rich stood up, “Dammit, it took them so long I’m drunk now! Eh, I’m getting in position now. See you guys later.”

“See you later, Rich.”

He walked down the stairs and placed himself right at the exit of the bottleneck behind the gate. Most of our infantry was behind him. The plaza at the city's entrance couldn’t fit the entirety of these 2000 troops, so they ended up filling the nearby streets and buildings as well.

As the silhouettes became larger, I numbered them. I could count a hundred battalions of around one thousand mutants each.

**Looks like the reports were accurate.**

I prepared my first spell.

“So it begins.”