"Argh!" Flamma grunted in pain as he was sent flying by a Dreadnaught-Ranked Abyssal Monster.
The Blackrock Clan was doing their best to defend the Southern Gate of their Fortress in order to prevent the Abyssal Creatures from reaching the heart of the Wanid Kingdom, where the majority of the non-combatants were congregated.
All the Factions gathered to form a united front, and all sides were doing their best to repel the invaders.
The only saving grace was that there weren't any Demigods who had crossed over from the Abyssal Gates.
Still, the number of Calamity-Ranked Monsters was nothing to scoff at.
They were only able to resist thanks to the Transcendent Flames empowering their bodies, raising their rank by another level.
Barca and his wife, the Orc Chieftain, Lady Avyanna, had stepped into the Calamity Rank with the help of the Transcendent Flames.
With them holding the line, they were somewhat able to fight off their enemies, at least for the time being.
The enemy they were facing against were Abyssal Trolls, who were much larger and stronger than the Orcs.
Even so, the Orcs didn't back down and engaged them in close combat.
Just as the Dreadnaught-Ranked Troll was about to smash Flamma with its wooden club, a Domain descended upon its body, forcing it to kneel.
Black Gravitational Spears stabbed its Arms and legs, increasing the gravity that it had to endure, making it unable to even stand up, or swing its weapon.
The only thing that the Abyssal Troll could do was roar in anger and frustration.
"Die!" Cethus roared as he threw another gravity spear on the Troll's head, hitting its eye.
A moment later, its entire body was mushed into meat paste, unable to handle the burden of twenty times the gravity on its body.
"All of you, fall back!" Cethus roared. "They have breached the Western Side of the Fortress. I'll hold them back here!"
Barca glanced at Cethus, who had already deployed his Domain, protecting the area around him with his Gravity Field.
"Are you sure, Cethus?!" Barca asked. "Can you hold them back?"
"I'm sure," Cethus replied as he looked at Emma, who was busy assembling a portable Teleportation Gate several meters behind him. "I'll buy enough time until the others get here. For now, go and support the West Gate!"
Barca knew that if the West Gate was to fall, holding back their enemies here would be useless.
The Dryads, the Templars, the Drows, as well as the other Factions of the Wanid Kingdom, were doing their best to defend their Kingdom, but just them wouldn't be enough.
They had asked their Guildmates to send someone to help them.
Cethus and Emma were the first ones to arrive before the Gate that connected the Blackrock Clan and the Floating Island was destroyed.
Because of this, they had to build another portal from scratch.
Fortunately, Emma was carrying several portable portals that their guild could use, but it would take time to set them up.
"I'll stay with Cethus to defend this place, Father!" Flamma shouted. "Go and support the others!"
Seeing the determination of their son, Barca and Lady Avyanna nodded their heads and sounded the horn to retreat.
"To the West Gate!" Barca shouted. "Hurry!"
The Blackrock Clan all disengaged from their enemies and ran away.
Cethus gritted his teeth and expanded his Domain, preventing the Abyssal Monsters from moving forward.
"Kill that weakling!" the Troll King pointed at Cethus, who was leaning on his spear to keep himself standing.
"Weakling?" Cethus snorted. "If you can kill me, come!"
Once again, he increased the strength of his Gravity Domain, raising it to ten times the gravity of Elysium, halting the advance of the Abyssal Creatures that were caught inside it.
Left with no other options, the Abyssal Monsters unleashed ranged attacks towards Cethus.
But due to the increased gravity, the majority of these attacks didn't reach him.
However, some had come through, making the Dragon Born grit his teeth due to pain.
Flamma was doing his best to protect Emma from getting hit by the attacks of the Abyssal Trolls as she continued to assemble the portable Teleportation Gate.
As long as she succeeded, their Guild Members would be able to arrive at the scene and reinforce their allies.
Several minutes later, Cethus' body was already beaten and battered by the attacks that managed to hit him.
If not for the fact that he was wearing defensive artifacts given to him by his two grandmothers, he might have already died from the punishment that was descending on his body.
Emma was already in tears as she hastened the building of the portal. She knew that if she were a few minutes late, Cethus would probably not be able to resist any longer.
Suddenly, the Gravity Domain shattered, and Cethus fell to his knees.
The last blow that landed on his body had completely shattered his Armor.
With blood dripping from the corner of his lips, Cethus steeled himself and used his spear to stand up.
"I am… Cethus!" Cethus shouted as he once again activated his Gravity Domain, stopping the monsters who had once again started to advance in his direction. "The… Great Dragon Born… of Heaven's Gate! Those who want to die… come!"
Spreading his bloodied wings, Cethus braced himself for one last attack.
The Gravity Domain shattered a second time as a fireball landed on his body, pushing him back.
Cethus flapped his wings as he skidded on the ground.
Flamma helped him up, and the two of them faced the Horde of Trolls that were now running in their direction.
"You… protect Emma," Cethus said as he took a few steps forward, using his staff as a walking stick. "I'll… hold them back."
His wings were already bloodied, as well as the rest of his entire body. However, Cethus' eyes remained determined and fearless.
The Dragon Born's vision was already blurring a bit because his exhaustion was already catching up to him. However, a smile appeared on his face as he took a fighting stance, with his spear pointed at his foes.
'I didn't know that playing the Hero was this painful,' Cethus thought bitterly. 'It's quite unfortunate that I won't be able to have a rematch against that hateful, green-haired Half-Elf.'
Still, he didn't regret his decision to come to the Wanid Kingdom with Emma. Everywhere in the world, people were dying and fighting against the Abyssal Monsters.
He just couldn't turn a blind eye and escape from the reality that had befallen their world.
After resolving himself for one last suicide attack, Cethus spread his wings wide. He knew that the moment he took flight, he would probably faint and lose consciousness.
However, if he were going to die, he would die fighting.
At that exact moment, a beam of light descended beside him.
"What's this? You still haven't died?" Gerhart asked in a teasing tone. "And here I was, fully prepared to give a speech at your burial."
Cethus looked at the hateful Half-Elf, whom he wanted to beat up so badly. However, he still couldn't help but smile after seeing him appear by his side.
Gerhart had treated Cethus as his enemy in the beginning, but later on, they became rivals and good friends.
The Half-Elf didn't help to support the Dragon Born's body because he knew that the annoying bastard would hate him if he did that.
Cethus didn't like being pitied by others, and he always tackled things in a straightforward manner.
The Dragon Born was someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong. however, during the battles in the early stages of the Abyssal Invasion, he was always at the front lines, fighting alongside everyone.
Soon, more beams of light descended behind Cethus, numbering in the thousands.
Garret, Cadmus, Bedivere, Zagan, ALL-MIGHT, and the rest of the members of Heaven's Gate appeared behind him.
The Trolls, who saw countless warriors suddenly appear out of nowhere, faltered a bit due to the sheer power that they were emanating.
"We… are… Heaven's Gate!" Cethus roared as he flapped his wings to fly forward, leading his Guild Members to battle.
Everyone followed behind him and charged with their eyes and weapons, hungry for the kill.
Halfway through his charge, Cethus crashed down on the ground and rolled a few times before coming to a complete stop.
He had already lost consciousness due to the severity of his injuries, as well as the exhaustion of his mind, body, and spirit.
Even so, a smile could be seen on his face as his Guildmates ran past him to engage their enemies that had come from the Abyss.
The Dragon Born knew with utmost certainty that the legacy of his Guild was finally about to begin.
