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The defenders stood tense, their eyes fixed on the horizon. Horns rang out from on top of the wall, their low, resonant blasts cutting through the tension. The warning spread through the city like wildfire.

Every inhabitant knew what it meant: the beasts had arrived, including Kai, who stood at the forefront, eyes scanning the waves of creatures that started to spill from the hills. The men behind him whispered in hushed, anxious voices.

"There’s… so many," Talon, one of the new enforcers Kai had found, murmured, disbelief colouring his tone.

"Some of these... never seen anything like ’em," Lyra added, her face pale.

Even Killian, ever calm in the face of danger, looked uneasy. He squinted at the approaching horde before turning to Kai. "There’s more than we expected," he muttered, his voice low but tense.

Kai didn’t blink. "It’s no big deal. Our defences will be more than enough to handle most of them... except the brood mother." His words carried an air of certainty, though a subtle edge of caution lingered beneath.

Killian gave a short nod, but his eyes appeared heavy with concern. "You alright? I can feel the mana rolling off you," he asked.

Obviously, anyone who walked by Kai could notice the extreme mana that emanated from his body. Even if they couldn’t sense mana, they would feel a distinct pressure coming from him.

"I’m fine," Kai replied firmly. "Let’s focus on the beasts for now."

Kai’s gaze shifted over the guards manning the walls, their faces drawn with tension. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and raised his voice, loud enough to carry across the line.

"Everyone," he shouted, his voice carrying over the roar of the crowd, "the beasts are finally here. But fear not. We have prepared for this moment. We are not mere men, but warriors. Trust in Veralt, and we shall not fall today!"

A cheer erupted from the defenders, a defiant cry that echoed through the city. They all looked at him with fear in their eyes— but it all turned to confidence as Kai met their gaze with a firm determination. He pursed his lips and raised his spear— soon, the crowd imitated, lifting their own weapons and cheering themselves but it died as the snarling of the beasts grew louder.

Kai’s eyes focused back towards the arriving beast wave, he couldn’t help but notice the changing environment.

He noticed how the wind howled across the city, carrying with it the scent of rain that hadn’t yet arrived, how dark clouds regardless of the season weighed upon them, and how even the very air they inhaled crackled with anticipation— the calm before the storm, but the storm was arriving in the distant, ceasing calmness out of existence. This calmness made the skin prickle and breath catch in the throat.

He looked up once more, even the birds had long since fled, leaving only the distant rumble of the earth due to the sheer power of the beasts.

He pulled himself out of the eerie surroundings and scanned the horizon with much more sanity.

They’re here.

The first wave of beasts rushed from the tree line— massive, tusked creatures with thick, bristled hides. Their black, beady eyes reflected hunger. "Boar titans," someone muttered.

Each one was as large as a wheel of a cart, their muscles rippling beneath their hide, and their tusks gleamed like cruel ivory weapons ready to impale anything in their path.

The boars charged. Their hooves thundered across the dirt, sending up clouds of dust. But before they could even close the distance to the walls, something unexpected happened. One of the lead boars suddenly stumbled, its footing lost, and then— boom.

An explosion rocked the field, sending chunks of earth and flesh flying in all directions. The next boar in line suffered the same fate, the ground beneath it erupting into a deadly storm of shrapnel and gore. Their thick hides, which seemed so impenetrable, were torn apart as if made of paper.

Kai smirked as the people on the walls cheered.

"Syphon stones are working well," Killian remarked, his eyes gleaming as he watched another explosion rip through a pack of the beasts, turning them into nothing more than a mist of blood and meat.

Kai nodded. "Yeah, not their true purpose, but they make for good mine bombs." He had come up with the idea after staring at the stock of syphon stones they had stored for the upcoming winter. These stones, normally used to channel and store mana, had a hidden quirk: when they reached a critical weight overload, they exploded violently. It didn’t take much imagination for Kai to realise they could plant them just beneath the surface of the battlefield, turning the land itself into a trap.

More explosions erupted across the field, the ground itself betraying the beasts. The boars that weren’t vaporised outright lost their footing, stumbling, only to be torn apart by another blast a moment later. Each explosion rang out with a thunderous roar, making some people jump back at the sheer force it happened. The cheers on the walls grew louder as the boars fell one by one, their massive bodies shredded before they could even get close.

But not all the beasts were deterred. As their comrades were turned into bloody smears on the battlefield, the rest of the horde let out guttural, ear-piercing cries. They charged forward, undeterred by the carnage.

Kai squinted his eyes as he saw it wasn’t just boars. At least fifty devious trolls were moving along with the boar titans.

And the mines? They continued to go off in a chain of destruction. Flesh and bone flew through the air with each deafening blast, but some of the beasts made it through. The remaining boars roared, their hooves tearing up the blood-soaked earth as they closed the distance.

Archers, stationed on the wall, let loose volley after volley. The arrows weren’t just any ordinary projectiles— each tip was dipped in a sickly green poison, made by the Alchemist’s team. The arrows struck true, embedding deep into the flesh of the surviving boars. The creatures roared in agony, their movements becoming sluggish as the poison coursed through their veins.

Kai nodded at the elven archer, Raven who was at the front of the line and looked back at the sight in front of him when she returned the nod.

But as the defenders celebrated the success of their trap, Kai’s sharp eyes noticed something else. Movement above, swift and deadly.

"Stalker hawks," he muttered under his breath, pointing toward the sky. Sure enough, the slender forms of the aerial beasts appeared, gliding through the air with a terrifying grace. Their wings barely made a sound as they cut through the sky, and behind them were "Ebonfangs", equally lethal, their bird forms contrasted by the predatory elegance of the stalkers.

Ebonfangs looked questionably similar to ravens, the only difference was that they were big, had glowing red eyes, and their movements were similar to an eagle— the precise agility and all that. They could easily mould into the night and kill any prey in a blink.

The archers reacted swiftly, adjusting their aim upward. Arrows filled the sky, streaking toward the incoming beasts. A few Mages from the tower joined the assault, sending firebolts and mana-infused projectiles into the air. One by one, the stalkers and ebonfangs fell, their bodies spiralling to the ground, riddled with arrows or seared by fire.

One of the ebonfangs, however, broke through the storm of arrows, its leathery wings straight to its side as it dove toward the wall. Its red eyes gleamed with malice as it opened its maw, showing its lined-up sharp, serrated teeth, and with a loud screech, it hurled a spiked stone from its talons. The projectile whistled through the air, aimed directly at the heart of where they all stood.

Kai barely flinched. His gaze followed the stone as it slammed into the wall with a forceful thud, sending dust and debris cascading down. For a moment, silence hung in the air, and then the warded wall shimmered. Seals etched into the stone flickered, glowing with a blue light as the wards absorbed the impact. The stone crumbled harmlessly to the ground, leaving the wall unscathed.

"Wards are holding."

"Good," Kai said to Killian.

He glanced at the defenders. The archers and Mages, though shaken, quickly returned to firing at the remaining flying beasts, thinning their numbers with each passing second. But the aerial assault had rattled them, and Kai could see it in their faces.

The boars may have been reduced to paste, but the real threat was still coming.

The guards and Mages cheered louder with every explosion and every arrow that sent the beasts tumbling. Their confidence grew with each boar that turned to paste and each flying beast that fell from the sky. But Kai stood still, his gaze never leaving the distant horizon. The beasts attacking the walls were small fry, Grade 1s and 2s at most. He knew better than to celebrate early. No matter how many died, the mass of creatures lingering in the distance never seemed to dwindle enough to make a real difference. The real threat hadn’t arrived yet.

His fingers tightened around the spear as the ground began to tremble once more. This time, it wasn’t the rhythmic rumbling of hooves of the boars. No, this was something much heavier, much more dangerous. His eyes narrowed, scanning the dark forms moving through the fog of attacks and mine bombs, and there they were— beasts pushing forward from the rear. The ground shook violently as they approached, their massive bodies shaking the very earth with each step.

The first was a behemoth, a massive elephant-like creature with dark, cracked skin— Shadowrend mammoths and behind them, corrupted arachne spiders followed.

The former’s flesh wasn’t corrupted by dead mana, but Kai could see patches of their skin marred with darkness.

These were Grade 3 beasts, but they were known to be at the very peak of that grade.

The shadowrend mammoth’s tusks, thick and sharp like obsidian, gleamed in the darkening light as they stomped forward, each step shaking the world around them. Beside them, arachne spiders scuttled forward, their massive legs punching into the ground with terrifying speed. Their hulking forms glistened, covered in webs and toxins that dripped from their fangs.

"Prepare for the mammoths!" Kai shouted at the top of his lungs. Hearing that, people scurried from their positions to get ready.

As if on cue, the ground shook harder, and with a violent burst, the mammoths’ backs erupted. Massive bone-like protrusions exploded outwards, hurling deadly missiles through the air. The spears of bone hurtled toward the walls, a terrifying barrage that moved too fast for any normal defence to counter. Several slammed into the stone, creating cracks and tremors. Some guards were knocked back by the impact, and the defensive wards wavered, struggling to hold.

Kai reacted in an instant, his hands moving through the air as a powerful gust of wind shot forward. His spell connected just before the next barrage of projectiles hit, redirecting their trajectory. The bone spears flew wide, missing the walls entirely and embedding themselves into the earth below. Other wind Mages quickly joined him, focusing their mana to deflect the incoming attacks.

But it wasn’t enough. The mammoths and spiders pushed forward, crushing through the minefield as if it were nothing. The mines exploded beneath them, but the sheer size and bulk of the beasts rendered the blasts almost useless. And then, just as they crossed the last line of defence, Kai smirked.

The beasts stepped directly onto hidden cans of specialised oil— oil that had been spread across the battlefield, seemingly unnoticed. The shadowrend mammoths and arachne Spiders crashed through the ground, shattering the containers and releasing the slick liquid beneath their feet. Kai could see the sheen of the oil spreading, catching on their legs as they stampeded forward.

"Fire Mages! Now!" Kai roared.

Flames erupted from the wall as the fire Mages, Kai included, unleashed a barrage of blazing bolts and fireballs. The moment the fire touched the oil, it ignited, a wave of flames racing across the battlefield. The roar of the fire drowned out the cries of the beasts as the flames surged over the mammoths and spiders, setting their corrupted flesh ablaze. The inferno swallowed them, and the air was filled with the sound of their agonised screeches as they thrashed in vain to escape the flames.

But not all of them burned.

From the chaos emerged a new threat— Bladeclaw monkeys, a different breed of the spiked monkeys Kai fought before— agile beasts with slick, armour-like fur that made them immune to the fire.

They leapt through the flames with ease, their sharp claws tearing into the ground as they closed the distance to the walls. Behind them came others, creatures like salamanders, fire giants and inferno titans with thick armour plates or natural resistances to fire, pushing through the blaze unharmed. The strength of this wave wasn’t in brute force alone; it was in their numbers and diversity. Each type of beast brought something different, a counter to the defenders’ efforts.

"Damn it," Kai muttered under his breath. He could already see the defences starting to crumble under the pressure. If they didn’t act quickly, the beasts would break through.

"All units! Full assault!" Kai ordered, his voice carrying across the wall. He glanced at the soldiers manning the mana cannons stationed at the top of the battlements. "Activate the mana cannon!"

With a loud thrum of power, the mana cannons, the result of weeks of effort and collaboration, roared to life. Blue arcs of mana surged through the air, glowing with raw destructive energy. The first cannon fired, its beam slicing through the battlefield like a blade of pure light. It struck a pack of charging bladeclaw monkeys, vaporising them instantly. The other cannons followed suit, launching bolts of mana that tore through the advancing beasts.

The entire battlefield was full of chaos now.

The bladeclaw monkeys that leapt at the walls were met with a slick defence of oil, splattered over the stone by the guards. They screeched in frustration, claws scrabbling futilely as they slipped and fell back, only to be shot down by arrows or blasted by fireballs.

Specific units took on their own targets, with the archers and Mages focusing on the airborne beasts. Enforcers like Killian who had mastered elemental attacks rained down lightning, obliterating groups of creatures in devastating arcs.

Kai focused on Sentinel, the golem that stood on the walls and gave it a silent command. It turned towards the chaos and added to it by jumping down, holding an axe specifically made for it and cleaving through the beasts.

The mana cannons boomed intermittently, and the alchemists’ poison-tipped arrows and explosive potions found their mark in groups of tightly packed beasts.

Despite their efforts, the sheer number of enemies pressing against the defences was overwhelming.

A massive troll lumbered toward the walls, its annoying figure stained with patches of blackened, corrupted flesh. It carried two enormous clubs, and with each swing, the ground seemed to quake. The wall trembled under its repeated blows, cracks forming in the stone, the protective wards crippling under the strain.

Kai glanced toward Killian, who was already looking back at him, his brow furrowed.

"I got this," Killian said with a grim nod before leaping from the wall, lightning sparking at his fingertips and around his feet.

He landed with a thud, sending out a pulse of lightning that crackled through the dirt, stunning nearby beasts. Without missing a beat, Killian charged toward the troll, his body a blur of movement. Lightning moved along his arms, and with a loud grunt, he slammed a bolt into the troll’s chest, sending it staggering backwards. He finished it with his sword in a single second before leaping onto another troll.

But for every beast that fell, three more took its place. The ground was a mass of fur, scales, and claws, surging toward the wall with unrelenting force. Bran, Bord and Nelson joined the fight below, taking on the larger creatures that threatened to tear through their defences.

He caught sight of Bran in the thick of it. A ring of jagged rocks clung to his back, forming an improvised shield that shifted and grew with every motion— proof of how quickly he had mastered his affinity with the earth.

Kai had gotten summaries from Killian on the Enforcer’s training and how they were learning to connect with their affinities, but this was beyond what he had expected. It seemed like the threat of a beast wave had pushed them harder than anything else in the world.

Bran stood his ground as a mammoth barreled toward him, its tusks lowered like a battering ram. Kai felt a momentary flash of concern, but it quickly vanished as Bran made his move. The earth beneath him pulsed in response to his will, and in an instant, the rocks on his back surged outward into deadly spikes. The beast’s momentum was its undoing, impaling itself with a sickening crunch as the jagged stone pierced flesh.

Kai’s lips curled into a faint smile. "Not bad."

Bran didn’t stop there. The armour on its back protected him and he launched forward like a missile, charging like a beast himself and impaling several enemies with his spiked armour.

Behind Bran, Kai saw Feroy joining their fight, simultaneously helping Nelson and Bord to take on massive monkeys, twice their size with flames covering his arms. He didn’t waste his mana on helping the Enforcers as he knew this was something they could handle easily.

Yet, even as they battled valiantly, the cracks in the walls grew deeper.

He stood at the top, his eyes darting across the battlefield.

He had been conserving his energy, saving his most potent spells for the brood mother, the true menace that still hadn’t shown itself.

His hands, though poised with readiness, remained still— his strongest spell reserved. But as the waves of beasts pressed harder, he could not stand idle.

Here and there, he flicked his wrist, sending precise bolts of mana toward weakened spots in the enemy lines. Each cast was quick, almost effortless— a lance of wind to knock a charging beast off balance, a flicker of flame to ignite a patch of tar-soaked ground. The others held the line well, but with each passing moment, the mines buried in the field detonated less frequently, and the pungent oil reserves that had once been their lifeline now smouldered low.

Above, the skies churned with the flurry of flying beasts, but one caught his eye— Stalker leader.

It darted through the sky with an eerie grace, its leathery wings nearly silent as they cut through the air. The creature’s sleek, dark form moved with precision, eyes gleaming with predatory intent. It hovered briefly, then folded its wings, diving toward him like a living spear.

Kai’s muscles tensed as he tracked its descent, the wind whistling in the stalker’s wake. In a flash, he extended his hand, mana surging through his veins. A sharp gust of wind coalesced around his fingers, and with a flick, he sent a cutting arc of air toward the creature.

The stalker banked hard, twisting its body mid-dive, narrowly avoiding the strike. But it was too late. Kai followed up with a swift, deliberate motion, and a second blade of air sliced cleanly through one of the creature’s wings.

The stalker leader screeched, its momentum faltering as it spiralled out of control, crashing into the ground with a bone-jarring thud. Dark blood splattered across the stone, its twisted form lying still at the base of the wall.

Kai exhaled slowly, his eyes scanning the sky for more. He knew better than to relax— but his breath hitched when his attention was diverted— he noticed a guard fall from the walls, a projectile from a flying beast embedded in his chest. The man hit the ground with a sickening thud, and Kai’s stomach churned.

Lena, one of the hunters who volunteered for the battle, her face twisted in fear, screamed as an arachne spider impaled her with one of its legs. The screams of the dying began to blend into the surroundings. Kai visibly flinched as that happened.

But—

A deep crack ran down the wall near him, the stone splintering under the force of yet another heavy blow. The protective wards flickered again, struggling to hold as more trolls and monkeys slammed against the barrier.

"We can’t hold like this," he muttered to himself, heart pounding.

The defensive line was buckling under the weight of the assault, and no amount of spells or mana cannon could hold back the endless wave. His mana surged, hoping to do something when he could, but just then, a wave of rotten mana touched him.

Suddenly, a piercing screech cut through the air, louder and more terrifying than anything that had come before. The sound reverberated across the battlefield, sending a shiver down Kai’s spine.

His eyes widened as waves of mana reverberated through the battlefield, signalling the arrival of the beasts that had started it all.

The brood mother is here!