The night sky over Bo City had turned into something unrecognizable. The storm clouds churned like black oceans overhead, each lightning flash illuminating a city on the brink of collapse. Rain pounded rooftops hard enough to dislodge tiles, flooding alleys and turning every street into a river of mud. The air smelled of wet stone, burning fur, and fear.
But the roars drowned everything.
The beast tide struck the northern wall with a force that shook the entire city. Warrior-level wolves slammed into the stone like living battering rams. Smaller beasts swarmed over rubble, climbing over each other in frantic masses. Their wet fur glistened under the lightning as they clawed their way forward, driven mad by the leaking demonic energy of the Holy Spring.
Xu Mang, Lu Jun, and Mo Fan arrived at the collapsing perimeter just in time to watch a section of the wall crumble under the pressure. Stone slabs fell like broken teeth. Mud splashed outward. Dozens of hunters were forced back, some falling from the wall into the mass of writhing beasts below.
And from the breach, they came—
not dozens,
not hundreds,
but thousands.
Eyes.
Fangs.
Claws.
Dark shapes moving like a living shadow in the storm.
Mo Fan raised his hand, the red Fire stars blooming instantly in his spiritual world. His breath steamed in the cold air. Lightning crawled across his right hand.
"Let's go," he said.
They leaped into the chaos.
Mo Fan landed first, boots skidding on broken stone. A wolf charged him instantly, saliva flying from its jaws. He didn't hesitate.
"Fiery Fist!"
His punch detonated like a grenade. Fire surged around his arm as the impact sent the beast flying, its chest caved in and smoking. Another two beasts lunged at him from behind, claws extended.
Mo Fan spun, sweeping his left arm.
"Fire Burst!"
A wave of flame exploded outward, bathing the creatures in incandescent red. Their fur ignited, and they collapsed screaming into the mud.
Xu Mang dropped beside him, stars aligning in a tight violet diagram.
"Lightning Strike."
The bolt that erupted was sharper than before—cleaner, heavier. It shot straight through a Warrior-level beast's skull, leaving a smoking hole as the creature toppled like a felled tree. Another lunged from the side, teeth bared.
Xu Mang finished tracing a second set of stars.
"Lightning Strike."
Two violet lines speared the air. The beast convulsed violently, collapsing into the mud as steam rose from its flesh.
Lu Jun arrived a heartbeat later. Water swirled around him like a flowing shield.
"Water Shield!"
The translucent barrier expanded just as three beasts pounced. Their claws slammed into the watery surface, slowed instantly. Lu Jun retreated one step, raising a hand above his shoulder.
"Violent Waves!"
The shield dissolved into a crushing torrent. Water slammed downward, knocking every beast within range onto their backs before the spell dissipated into harmless spray.
The hunters who remained on the wall stared in shock.
"Those students—they're fighting like intermediate mages."
"No… they ARE intermediate."
"Where did the academy get monsters like this?!"
But no one had time to question.
Because something far worse was coming.
The ground shook as a colossal creature emerged from behind the treeline—a massive commander-level beast, its scales reflecting the stormlight like oil on water. A black ridge ran along its spine, and its claws dug deep into the mud with every step. It inhaled, steam curling from its nostrils.
Mo Fan felt a chill despite the fire burning in his palms.
"That thing…" he whispered. "It's stronger than the first commander."
Xu Mang nodded. "That one was a warning. This is the real commander assigned to lead the tide."
The beast roared, the sound slicing the storm in half.
And Zhan Kong arrived.
He landed on a broken parapet with enough force to crack the stone beneath him. His trench coat fluttered in the storm wind, and for a moment he looked like a lone pillar standing against the apocalypse.
He glanced back at the boys.
"I'll handle the commander," he said. "You three—clear the Warrior-level beasts. Every one you kill saves me energy."
He didn't wait for acknowledgment.
Zhan Kong sprinted forward.
Wind magic coiled around his arms as he drew his Intermediate star map. The sky answered his call—air pressure rising, currents circling him like invisible blades.
"Wind Disc!"
The crescent of slicing wind shot forward, tearing into the commander's hide. Blood splashed into the rain. The monster roared and lunged.
Zhan Kong met it without hesitation, leaping upward and gliding with Wind Trail as he evaded a crushing blow. He struck down with a blade of wind sharp enough to carve stone.
The impact shook the ground.
But the commander didn't die.
This was no ordinary commander-level creature. This one was infused by the Holy Spring's corrupted energy, its strength nearly touching the realm of Greater-Commander.
And Zhan Kong needed every ounce of energy to face it alone.
Xu Mang and Lu Jun nodded at each other.
Mo Fan was already moving.
Beasts swarmed the battlefield, but Mo Fan weaved between them, flames bursting around him.
A massive Warrior-level ape lunged with a sweeping arm attack, its strike heavy enough to crack the ground. Mo Fan ducked beneath it, his boots skating across the mud as he shot forward.
"Fiery Fist!"
His fist smashed upward into its jaw. Fire spiraled from the impact, snapping the beast's head back violently. The creature stumbled, dazed but not yet dead.
Mo Fan's eyes sharpened.
He wasn't a novice anymore.
He crouched low, drawing both Fire and Lightning stars simultaneously—something forbidden for most mages.
Red and violet light fused around his arm.
The beast roared and leapt at him.
He leapt first.
"Fiery Fist—Thunderous Burst!"
Lightning laced into the fire, detonating on impact. The explosion echoed through the battlefield, sending shockwaves through the mud. The Warrior-level ape collapsed instantly, its massive body twitching from residual electricity.
Xu Mang crushed another beast before it reached Zhan Kong's blind spot.
"Lightning Strike!"
Violet light cracked across the rain-soaked wall.
Lu Jun strafed the battlefield with Metal Slash after Metal Slash, each arc slicing limbs, tendons, wings—anything that threatened to overwhelm the hunters.
The commander rampaged behind them, colliding with Zhan Kong again, the shockwave sending several hunters toppling. Xu Mang and Lu Jun redirected monsters, cutting them down to ensure Zhan Kong never faced more than the commander itself.
Mo Fan tore through the battlefield like a flaming storm, every punch sending beasts crumpling into the mud. Fire reflected in his eyes, lightning trailing behind his movements.
"More coming!" someone screamed.
From the east, another tide appeared—smaller, but vicious.
Warrior-level wolves. A pack.
Xu Mang exhaled.
He traced his Intermediate diagram.
Thunderclap.
He slammed his palm against the ground.
A violent eruption of lightning spread outward, blasting the wolves backward, stunning even the larger ones. The air crackled violently.
Mo Fan took advantage, flames coating his arm as he leaped toward the nearest beast.
Lu Jun followed, sweeping water into a spiraling blade.
The wolves fell one by one.
Zhan Kong's breathing grew heavier.
The commander's blows grew fiercer.
But because the boys had neutralized every other Warrior-level beast, Zhan Kong could conserve every drop of energy for the final blow.
Xu Mang watched for an opening.
Lu Jun kept his eyes sharp on the perimeter.
Mo Fan prepared another fiery strike.
The battlefield trembled under their feet.
Bo City's defenders were not winning.
But they were no longer losing as quickly.
For the first time tonight, the beast tide wavered.
Not because they were afraid.
But because the storm had shifted—
because the boys were no longer children.
Because Zhan Kong wasn't fighting alone.
Because fire, lightning, water, and metal carved paths through the darkness.
The true calamity had begun.
And so had the resistance.
ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info. See Cookie Preferences.