Chapter 358: The Call of the Midnight War

The four of them activated the third and final mechanism of the tutorial. Luke felt the weight of that moment settle deep in his chest. There was no going back now. What they had triggered couldn’t be undone. The only path left was forward—face the final challenge, and either return to Earth or die trying.

[Final Tutorial Event “Midnight War” has been activated.]

[Good luck.]

They exchanged tense looks as another notification appeared.

[Time until Midnight War begins: 09 minutes and 59 seconds.]

The countdown started, marking the beginning of the final trial that would decide the fate of all eighteen hundred souls in that world.

“We need to move. Now,” said Allison, already sprinting down the corridors. The others followed.

The four began using stamina to run faster, their boots pounding against the stone floor. The moment they burst out of the main building, a servant began ringing a cluster of small bells, her voice rising in alarm. In every watchtower, the alarm bells followed—loud, sharp, urgent. The sound spread through the fortress and beyond, reaching the people scattered across the field.

A raven perched nearby took flight, flapping its dark wings as it vanished toward the horizon. Evangeline’s familiar, carrying her silent command, was on its way to the front.

A few of Erza’s attendants appeared beside her.

“Lady Erza, everyone’s in position,” one reported.

“Good,” she replied curtly.

Mason was already in the courtyard, shouting orders, urging people into formation. It wasn’t just civilians gathered there. To meet the system’s requirement of fifty-one percent participation, soldiers had been included too. Every life counted.

Luke and the others sprinted out of the fortress and toward the battlefield.

***

Luke stood on the farthest row of the formation, beside Erza, Allison, Evangeline, Mason, Anne, several soldiers from the Haven, and a few of Erza’s servants. The wind whipped across the field, carrying the cold scent of steel and earth.

Charlie emerged from his soul; her form solidifying beside him. He had let her rest earlier to recover the mana she had spent during training.

“It’s time, my friend,” he murmured.

She drew her sword from her inventory and took her place next to him. Through their bond, he felt her intent, steady and resolute: ‘We’ll face this together.’

All eyes turned toward the same direction: the enormous translucent barrier in the distance. Cracks spread across its surface, growing louder with each passing minute. The battlefield was silent. More than a thousand warriors stood ready, yet not a single one spoke. Only the whisper of the cold wind filled the void.

Luke’s hand went to the storage pendant around his neck. In his mind’s eye, he opened the pocket dimension and saw her body, Angélica’s.

I’ll make good on my promise. Once he escaped this world, he would bury her on real soil, so she, too, could finally leave this cursed tutorial behind.

Erza’s voice broke the quiet. “You really think that bird of yours can help us, Evangeline?”

“Jerry will try to locate the Midnight Lord,” Evangeline replied, “but don’t rely on him completely.”

Killing the Midnight Lord was the key to evacuation. They didn’t know if doing so would cripple the enemy forces like it had with the other Lords, but one thing was certain: as long as that creature lived, no one would make it out alive. They had to clear a path through the army, eighteen hundred people pushing toward the castle.

Leaving a Lord roaming free while children tried to flee? That wasn’t an option.

Allison gripped her Orc Lord katana tightly, her knuckles white around the hilt. Luke pulled Angelica’s bow from his inventory. Mason stood ready, sword drawn. Erza’s karambits gleamed in her hands, and Anne’s blade, half sword and half shears, caught the faint light of the barrier ahead.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The countdown reached its end.

[Time until Midnight War begins: 00 minutes and 00 seconds.]