Yulia seemed to sense something and turned her gaze towards the east.
She detected monsters approaching from the distance.
Her perception, amplified by the energy waves radiating from Golden City, stretched farther and grew sharper.
She checked the countdown—less than seven hours until the end of Golden City’s defensive battle.
“Three whole hours passed before monsters appeared within thirty kilometers?”
Yulia was surprised.
This outcome far exceeded her expectations.
After a moment’s thought, she decided to go out and take a look.
When she arrived nearby, she happened to see a massive group of people marching out through the city gates—roughly tens of thousands, by her estimate.
Someone spotted her and excitedly nudged the person beside them.
Yulia considered for a second, then smiled and waved.
Soon, more people turned and greeted her in return.
The previously subdued atmosphere instantly grew lively.
Everyone knew that this was just one of countless battles—utterly ordinary in the grand scheme of things.
Even if they defeated these monsters, stronger ones would keep coming from behind.
This was a great battle, one that would last ten hours.
In a conflict of this scale, any individual was but a tiny pebble, and the enemies they defeated were mere grains of sand in an endless desert.
Like mayflies within the vast universe, like a speck of dust in the ocean.
Everyone felt small, powerless, and insignificant.
But now, something seemed different.
They marched to war under the princess’s gaze, and they hoped to return victorious under her watchful eyes.
Yulia watched the massive force depart.
Suddenly, she thought that this experience wasn’t so bad.
She climbed the city tower and stepped onto the walls.
The players here had already heard through the public channel that she was coming, so they quickly made way.
At this moment, no one was truly relaxed—no one was in the mood for jokes or antics.
Yulia gave a slight nod. “You’ve worked hard. I’m just here to look around. Don’t mind me—carry on as usual.”
The others nodded in acknowledgment, but how could they not mind?
Yulia swept her gaze across the group and noticed something off about many of them.
Some were only Level 24.
That’s rough…
“Are you… alright?”
“We’re fine! We’re doing great!”
“Right now, I feel like I could take down a monster in one punch!”
“Check out my new gear—it’s way better than before!”
Yulia chuckled softly and let it go.
When this was over, she would ensure that they were all handsomely rewarded.
She turned her attention beyond Golden City.
Her vision was far sharper than most, and with her perception now expanded exponentially, she could see farther and clearer.
The battle had already begun in the distance, with skirmishes raging in many areas.
She could see flames and lightning, arrows and swirling sand—she could even hear the shouts and roars.
A thought struck her.
When gods and demons invaded the five human kingdoms all those years ago, was it also like this?
Players could revive after death, and those who died in the past might’ve entered the Heroic Spirit Towers.
The present and the past were eerily similar.
“Do your best, everyone,” she murmured softly.
Yet many had heard her.
“Yes! We’ll complete the quest without fail!”
Shouts erupted along the walls, spreading like wildfire.
Yulia smiled faintly.
She walked along the battlements, circling all four corners until she had traversed the entirety of Golden City.
With just a few simple words of encouragement, she sparked wave after wave of cheers.
Looking at these people, she suddenly felt that they truly could defend the city.
The biggest flaw of outsider ‘adventurers’ compared to native ‘regular soldiers’ was their lack of fighting spirit and low morale.
They didn’t have the same desperate motivation to fight.
But when they did find something worth fighting for, when they could throw themselves into battle without hesitation or regret, the combat power they unleashed far surpassed even that of the natives.
Because they could fight with everything they have—once, twice, thrice, or even countless times—and keep coming back.
The Command Center wasn’t on the walls, but they had heard about the princess’s inspection.
Flames of War Everywhere chuckled. “It really has to be Her Highness. Just walking around boosted morale more than all our orders combined.”
Of course, their commands were effective, but they only made people feel ‘I had to do this’, not ‘I want to do this’.
Sleepless added, “Deep down, most of us have dreamed of fighting for the princess, of protecting something beautiful. People can be surprisingly pure. Even if they still see this as a game, they can find beauty and emotion in it.”
“Maybe we should have Her Highness come cheer you guys up too,” Kelna said, giggling slightly.
Flames of War Everywhere shook his head. “No need. We’re the least pure of the bunch.”
“Wrong,” Xiaoyue interjected. “We might actually be the purest one.”
They knew more, and they bore more.
“…Alright, let’s get back to work,” Flames of War Everywhere said with a self-deprecating smile. “Can’t waste the opportunity Her Highness gave us.”
Although the surge in morale had strengthened their forces, it still couldn’t stop the monsters’ advance.
That was inevitable, unchangeable.
All they could do was buy time. The only question was how much time they could buy.
Now, with just over four hours left on the countdown, the first wave of monsters finally reached the area within ten kilometers of the Golden City.
It was an insectoid horde—enormous, mosquito-like creatures with avian wings.
Flying monsters were rare in the desert, but they existed.
Fast and airborne, they posed a unique challenge.
In the past, swarms of flying monsters had been dealt with through sheer numbers—using overwhelming firepower to wipe them out.
But now, with most forces tied up fighting ground monsters, the flying ones found an opening.
“Alert! Flying monsters approaching nine kilometers away!”
After careful consideration, the Command Center issued an order:
“Let them come closer—we’ll attack when they’re in range!”
At point-blank range, the defenders could attack from the battlements with ease.
The City Barrier had held strong so far—it was time to put it to use.
Finally, at three hundred meters away, the players on the walls unleashed their assault.
Spells blasted forth, smashing monsters out of the sky, shattering and obliterating them one by one.
But the monsters retaliated.
Some spat acid, others launched feather barrages, and a few simply accelerated and crashed straight into the defenses.
The first close-range battle had begun.