[[Ice Covered Port Town]]

At the brink of twilight, wherein the light in the skies started to dim in the color of darkness and stars slowly took over the scenery above, Michael himself was currently lodging on the bartender table at the only sole active tavern in town. Despite being an active operational tavern, the tavern itself isn't that boisterous in comparison to the other kingdom's tavern they had previously visited.

If one could define the tavern, then the tavern itself had literally the same atmosphere as the whole town was currently undergoing. Sadness, fear, doubt, despair, desperation, and many more. All of such atmosphere circulating around the town stems from the root cause of monsters frequently attacking the town at night.

Even though the town's residents had survived a month from the monster waves by defending their homes, they still incurred a lot of casualties in exchange for struggling for so long. Through that  Michael then can easily conclude that  if the situation goes on, the town itself or whatever that is left of it wouldn't last for another month.

The men were tired, the children were going hungry, the women were begging other's to take care of them to survive out of desperation, and the food stock were slowly being depleted as time goes on.

As if the monster waves attacking at night wasn't enough, their only source of food in the sea are also not safe, due to monsters lurking beneath the water surface which also scares the edible fishes away, thus aiding the hunger strike of the town.

During the day after he got kicked out by the guy who was rumored to know a bit or two about the monster waves due to the tragedy he had experienced, Michael himself was often approached by some ragged looking women in the town as they begged to be his slave in exchange for them to survive for another day. Some of them were even desperate to the point that one shouted out that she will do whatever he wants, even if she will give up her chastity to him just to survive.

Such a desperation was truly hard to look at and truly hard to ignore. Thus when he left those desperate group of women aside, those women who somehow had saw the small chance to escape from this hell through him, had immediately broken down in despair when he had completely ignored them.

Letting out a huge sigh, Michael then drank the glass full of water as he asks for a refill from the tavern owner. During that time Sandalphon had then entered the tavern with her whole purple armor hidden underneath her own silk cloak, and seated beside Michael who seemed at lost on what to do.

"You look like shit!" said Sandalphon

"... Watch your language... were angels... it is taboo for us to speak those cursed words, i will ignore what you just said right now...  but the next time you utter such words, i will personally kill you" said Michael as he carrassed his temple

"First of all got that... second we're archangels... third ill keep that in mind... and forth you wont be able to kill me that easily" said Sandalphon

"I know... but that doesn't change the fact that i have the strength to kill every last archangel myself" said Michael

"Hah! who died and made you think your stronger than me?" asks Sandalphon

"Confidence and faith" answered Michael

"Ah! yes faith... no wonder" said Sandalphon as she placed her hand under her chin

After Sandalphon had gone silent, Michael then leaned back on his chair as he asked her about her findings when she roamed the town alone.

"So... what did you find?" 

"Nothing much... the only thing i found out in this place aside from the oozing atmosphere of desperation and despair, is a wide cemetery just right outside of town" said Sandalphon

"A cemetery?... I see... Figures..." commented Michael

"After finding out about those graves... i naturally tried asking the residents near the area, but all they say is the word monsters, before looking scared and running away... even the kids in the area doesn't want to talk about them as if the reason for those graves came out from a nightmare" added Sandalphon

"Being scared just by the mention of it... well such a reaction is already a given" said Michael

Hearing Michael's answer, Sandalphon couldn't help but feel like the former knew something about what's happening in the town,

"You know something don't you?"

"Aside from the cemetery outside the town's wall, pretty much yeah" answered Michael

"... Well what are you waiting for? Santa Claus? spit it out already" urged Sandalphon

"Well this town is under pressure of a monster wave attacking it every night... for a whole month they had managed to survive, but based on the current situation of the town, they wouldn't be able to last any longer than few days" said Michael

"A monster wave... I see... looks like those crazy number of graves that i saw sound plausible now... due to the monster waves, the town's citizens were reduced to mere few numbers" said Sandalphon

"How many graves did you saw?" asks Michael out of curiosity

"Numbering about 132,456 graves... but i feel like there are still more who aren't buried yet" answered Sandalphon

"I see this is the worst" muttered Michael

After summarizing up what they learned about this almost barren town, Michael couldn't help but have a headache as he realize the situation of the town as a whole. If they ever report such a thing towards her majesty, Michael was really sure that Asagi would do anything in her power to help this people.

Well giving a helping hand to those in need isn't the problem, its just that if they ever plan to do so, they would literally get sidetracked on their true goal for going into this cold northern continent. After all the issue of this town is a whole new level than just intervening into mortal problems since they would bypass the place territories.

Unlike human's monsters are unpredictable creatures. They move because of instinct and not through logic which is apparent in human capabilities. They couldn't even install fear into this monsters without shedding some blood.

As much as Michael would love to, he prefer for things to settle peacefully rather than through violence. What's more a certain former Emperor would literally like to go against this monster if he ever had a chance, which is completely opposite of what he desires. What's more that said emperor is rumored to be able to see the future according to her majesty, thus Michael is not sure on what extent does the former emperor know of his thoughts.

While Michael was worrying about such a thing, Sandalphon on the other hand was in a deep thought about the situation of the town as she carrassed the surface of the gauntlet on her left hand. After thinking a bit on her own, she then stood up from her seat as she asked Michael.

"You said monster attacks always happen in the night right? so what are you doing here just sitting around? lets go out there and see what the monster looks like for our own eyes" said Sandalphon

"Why? cant we just solve this peacefully?" asks Michael

"Do monsters think logically?" asks Sandalphon in retort to Michael's question

"... You got a point, let's go!"

With that Michael immediately stood up as he gave the tavern owner a gold coin (currency of the Azure Kingdom), which literally shock the person himself. Nevertheless Michael couldn't spend any more time dilly dallying in the tavern as he headed out following Sandalphon towards the northern wall of the town facing the snowy hills.

*********

When they arrive at the northern wall facing the snow covered hill, some of the soldier nearby naturally called out to them to warn them to hide in the town, after all night had already fallen and it wouldn't be long till a monster wave assaulted the town's remaining manpower. However Both Michael and Sandalphon simply ignored the soldier as they walked out the towns gate and towards the open area in front of the town.

The nervous soldier naturally tried to urge them back inside the wall for safety, but the only reply he got was both Michael's and Sandalphon's calm demeanor. When the soldier saw their stance to stay outside the wall, The soldier then naturally gave up out of fear from the night and ran back inside the town's wall.

Seeing the soldier ran for safety behind the wall, Michael couldn't help but give a pitiful glance as he felt that the people of the town were truly traumatized of the night's presence. Th night should have been a solemn time of the day, it also should have been where people would spend what remaining time of the day they have left towards their family. But due to the monsters attacking, the meaning of the night had then completely change for the people in the town.

From their location, Michael could see the figure of the guy he had met during the day. The rumored guy who lost his everything due to the monster attack was currently one of the people standing guard on the wall. What's more due to the lack of available adult men to defend the town, some of the soldiers on the wall are also women and children who haven't even became fully adult yet.

It must have been due to desperation that such people were joining the fight, but just from this sight alone, Michael knew just how lacking the town is.

"Did you recognize anyone on the wall?" asks Sandalphon after realizing that Michael was looking back on the human's situated on the wall

"Just one! its the guy who kicked me out of its house" answered Michael

"Wait! someone kicked you out? gahahahaha! now that's something I've gotta say to the others" laughed Sandalphon

"You can laugh all you like, just do your job properly in stopping the monster on their tracks, so that the people in this town can survive for another day" said Michael

"Ooohhh! I see... looks like you do want the people in this town to survive, so much for that upright talk in the tavern" teased Sandalphon

"Just to be clear... I'm not doing this so that they can live to see another day, I'm doing this because we still have 2 days left to investigate the town, thus we cant afford it to get destroyed" clarified Michael

"I see... Welp! whatever goes your way"

With that Sandalphon stomped her foot unto the ground as purple lightning spread around her area and gathered right before her presence in front of her. Following that as if the purple lightning is manifesting into an object itself, a huge purple great sword half the size of Sandalphon then rose from the gathered lightning and fully appeared before her.

After that when the purple lightning around Sandalphon finally subsided, the great sword itself fell unto the ground as it stab its tip unto the ground surface and stand in front of Sandalphon. Resting his hand unto the hilt, Sandalphon then let out a smug grin on her face as she knew that she had truly shocked and amazed the people on the wall by the display of manifesting her sword.

Seeing he smug look, Michael couldn't help but comment on her exaggerated performance.

"Show off"

With that said the night grew darker to the point the the snow covered hill's presence became scary, as everyone on the wall suddenly tensed up. Even both Michael and Sandalphon could feel the change on the atmosphere when darkness fully enveloped the land.

In that moment both the archangels finally felt the presence of monsters from the top of the hill as they began to take their stance in front of such wave.

Just before the monster's attack, both Michael and Sandalphon alongside everyone in the town heard one demonic roar from the darkness enveloping the snow covered hill as the monster's begun charging towards the port town

With a wave of monsters charging forth like a huge tsunami, both Sandalphon and Michael had truly underestimated its numbers as they saw the hill got completely covered up by just the sheer number of monsters. In just one glance they had immediately summed up the number of monsters attacking them

'594,875 monsters (???)'

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