Chapter 36: The Bridge of Hope - Part 2

Against all odds, the caravans kept moving.

Slowly.

Inch by bloody inch.

One by one.

Toward the bridge. Toward the glowing fortress. Toward absolute safety.

"Move!"

"Keep the line moving! Whip the horses!"

"Don’t stop!"

The frantic shouts echoed across the stone.

The caravan immediately ahead of them finally crossed the threshold into the fortress. Another lurched forward to take its place.

Then another.

Kōya watched the glowing golden formations rapidly assembling around the distant fortress. More and more of them had activated. The protective matrix was becoming denser, stronger, and more opaque.

His eyes narrowed. "How much longer?"

Nobody in the wagon could answer him.

Their caravan jerked, moving forward again. They were getting closer. The massive stone gates were finally visible.

Then, a thunderous, concussive explosion erupted directly beside them.

A slain winged demon crashed heavily into the stone road, mere feet from their wagon.

The draft horse pulling Kōya’s caravan panicked entirely. It screamed, its eyes rolling back in terror, and pulled violently against its heavy leather harness.

The driver scrambled on the bench, pulling the reins desperately, struggling to control the massive animal. "Easy! Easy, damn you!"The horse reared up, kicking wildly.

Another demon flew low overhead, shrieking. A blinding bolt of lightning followed it.

The professor intercepted the beast, destroying it with a compressed air blast before it could reach the caravan.

But a second, smaller demon had already descended from the opposite side, slipping through the defensive net. Its red eyes locked directly onto the panicked horse.

Kōya saw the spell forming in its claws.

"Professor!" Kōya shouted.

The professor spun around. He was half a second too late. The demon’s spell struck the heavy iron-and-wood connecting mechanism between the horse and the caravan.

*CRACK!*

The thick wooden pivot violently shattered into splinters.

The horse screamed in sudden freedom. The broken harness released its tension.

The terrified animal bolted forward instantly. It vanished into the smoke, running blindly toward the bridge, desperately trying to escape the slaughter.

The heavy caravan jolted violently forward, sliding a few feet.

Then, it completely stopped.

The driver stared down at the splintered wood in absolute horror. "The connection is gone!"

The wagon was no longer attached to anything. The horse had disappeared among the other fleeing animals and panicked refugees.

The heavy caravan remained perfectly still, dead in the water.

Kōya looked ahead. The surrounding caravans continued moving, flowing around their stalled wagon like a river around a stone.

Their own wagon did not move an inch.

The professor immediately disengaged from his fight and rushed back to the wagon.

"Everyone stay calm. Do not panic."

He climbed onto the front bench of the caravan. Complex magic gathered brilliantly around both of his hands.

The massive wooden wagon slowly became lighter. Kōya felt the shift in gravity. Then, the heavy wooden wheels lifted slightly, hovering an inch above the stone road.

"Professor?" Haru asked nervously.

"I’m going to move us," the older man grunted, sweat beading on his forehead.

The heavy wagon began drifting forward. Slowly. Agonizingly slowly.

The professor clenched his teeth, the veins in his neck bulging. He was maintaining a massive levitation spell on a fully loaded wagon while simultaneously constantly scanning the chaotic battlefield for incoming threats.

The wagon moved another few meters.

Then, it stopped again.

The professor’s breathing became a harsh, rattling wheeze. The magical strain was enormous.

Kōya looked toward the fortress. The golden magical protection had spread significantly further. Another massive section of the wall illuminated, sealing off the sky.

He looked behind them. The demons were still pouring out of the forest, an endless tide of slaughter.

Then, he looked at the distance to the bridge.

Their caravan was nowhere near the safe gate.

Kōya’s expression hardened completely.

"Professor."

The professor looked back at him over his shoulder, his face pale.

"If we continue at this speed..." Kōya looked toward the rapidly closing golden protection. "We will still be outside when it finally finishes sealing the fortress."

The professor’s eyes narrowed. "Kōya, stay inside the wagon."

"But—"

"That is a direct order. Stay inside."

Kōya looked at Aoi, who was clutching her knees, terrified. He looked at Haru, who was bleeding from his shoulder.

Haru saw the look in Kōya’s eyes. He understood before anyone else in the wagon did.

"Kōya... don’t."

Kōya clenched his fist tightly.

"I believe in you, Professor," Kōya said quietly.

The professor stared at him, suddenly realizing what the boy was about to do.

Kōya looked back at his friends. "I won’t lose another friend today."

Then, he jumped out the back of the wagon.

"KŌYA!" Haru screamed.

His boots slammed heavily against the stone bridge. He landed directly behind the stalled caravan.

The professor immediately understood the tactic. "Kōya, don’t! The strain will kill you!"

Kōya ignored him. He planted both of his boots firmly against the stone, leaned forward, and placed both hands flat against the heavy wooden rear of the wagon.

The Demon Lord woke up.

Violent, pure dark energy erupted completely around his body. Viscous black flames curled aggressively around his right arm. His terrifying demonic aura surged, vibrating the very air around him.

The massive wagon trembled violently under his hands.

"Move!" Kōya roared.

He pushed.

Nothing happened. The wagon was simply too heavy.

Kōya gritted his teeth, his muscles screaming. He pushed harder, letting the darkness flood his veins.

The heavy wooden wheels shifted an inch.

The professor’s eyes widened. He immediately dug deep into his own reserves, wildly reinforcing the levitation spell to assist. "Again!"

Kōya roared, an entirely inhuman sound.

Every muscle in his body tightened like coiled steel. The black flames burning around his legs exploded outward in a shockwave.

The wagon moved.

A few centimeters. Then a full meter.

The wheels began sliding rapidly across the stone bridge.

The professor desperately controlled the wagon’s massive weight with his magic, drastically reducing the friction and resistance against the ancient stone.

Kōya supplied the overwhelming kinetic force from behind.

"KEEP MOVING!" the professor shouted over the roar of the battle.

"I AM!" Kōya roared back, his boots finding purchase on the stone, driving them forward.

Two brave adventurers passing by leaped inside the caravan, immediately attacking a winged demon attempting to dive toward the vulnerable students.

One blocked a searing thunderbolt with his shield. The other drove a long spear directly through the demon’s leathery wing, sending it crashing to the road.

The caravan continued surging forward.

Faster.

Kōya pushed harder, entirely ignoring the agonizing tearing in his muscles. The violent black flames spread from his arm directly across the rear wheels, turning the wagon into a dark meteor.

The wagon accelerated drastically.

The massive stone bridge entrance was finally getting closer. But the golden protection sealing the fortress beyond it was almost entirely complete.

Kōya could clearly see the gates.

"Almost!"

His boots dug violently into the stone, cracking the masonry. His entire body strained beyond human limits.

The heavy wagon surged forward in one final, massive push.

Aoi reached desperately toward him from inside the open back. "Kōya!"

He looked up at her. She was crying openly.

Haru was gripping the side of the wooden wagon, his knuckles white. "Kōya, grab my hand! Get inside!"

Kōya looked at them, entirely wreathed in dark fire. And he smiled.

The wagon crossed the threshold of the gate.

The professor’s failing magic carried the momentum forward. One wheel crossed the line. Then another. Then the entire massive caravan passed cleanly through the ancient stone archway into safety.

Kōya immediately released the wood, digging his heels in to stop his own momentum.

The wagon continued rolling safely into the fortress courtyard.

The protective ancient energy finally surged to its zenith. A massive, blinding wave of golden light spread violently across the entrance, sealing the gate.

Kōya remained outside on the bridge.

Aoi pressed her hands desperately against the shimmering golden barrier from the inside. "Kōya!"

Haru looked back in sheer horror.

Kōya stood several meters away, completely alone on the battlefield side.

The golden protection physically separated them.

For a terrible, suspended moment, nobody moved. The battle seemed to fade into the background.

Kōya raised his hand, his dark aura still burning.

"Watch over me."

Aoi shook her head violently, tears running freely down her face, trapped behind the barrier.

Haru clenched his fist, stepping up beside her, his face locked in defiance. "You’d better come back!"

Kōya smiled, a genuine, fearless expression. "I will."

Haru raised his fist and pressed it against the golden barrier. "You still owe me that fist bump!"

Kōya looked at the raised fist separated by ancient magic. Then, he raised his own, mirroring the gesture. The physical distance between them was too great, and the barrier prevented contact.

But the gesture was enough. "I remember."

The professor stood silently behind the students. His exhausted expression was a complex mixture of immense pride, absolute fear, and crushing helplessness.

"Kōya..."

Kōya looked toward his mentor one last time.

"I’ll be there in no time, Professor."

The protection finally completed itself. The blinding light swept perfectly across the gate. The barrier became completely solid, an impenetrable wall of ancient magic.

Kōya turned away from the gate.

On the other side of the barrier, the professor, Haru, Aoi, and the students were absolutely safe.

Outside on the bridge...

Several battered adventurers were still desperately fighting to hold the line. They looked back toward Kōya, realizing the gate had sealed behind them. Then, they looked forward toward the endless tide of demons rapidly approaching from the burning battlefield.

One heavily armored adventurer, his shield splintered, shouted over the roar of the monsters:

"Kid! Get back! Stay behind us!"

Kōya looked at the brave man. Then, he looked at the oncoming horde of demons.

His violent dark aura burned brighter, entirely consuming his body. He tightened his grip on his sword until the leather groaned.

And he began running.

The adventurers continued fighting a desperate, losing battle ahead of him.

Kōya ran directly toward them. Toward the burning battlefield. Toward the endless tide of demons.

Behind him stood the protected fortress. Behind that impenetrable barrier stood his friends.

Ahead of him... was the dark forest.

And the monsters were waiting.