The Greater-Commander roared again, shaking the rooftops so violently that loose tiles crashed onto the streets below. Lightning forked overhead, illuminating the monster's towering silhouette as it lunged at Zhan Kong with a speed that defied logic for something so massive.
Zhan Kong met it head-on.
Wind surged around him, the green stars forming instantly—sharp, refined, flawless. His arm swept outward.
"Wind Disc!"
A blade of compressed air roared toward the beast, carving a deep gash along its ribcage. Blood splattered across the saturated ground, steaming where it touched patches of elemental residue.
The Greater-Commander responded with a crushing swipe.
Zhan Kong blurred.
Wind Trail flared beneath him, propelling him upward in a tight spiral. The beast's claws ripped through stone where he had been standing, sending debris flying.
The clash between them split the storm.
Each blow cracked through the city like a hammer of thunder.
The ground around them cratered under the pressure.
Hunters and stray beasts alike were thrown from the shockwaves alone.
The northern district turned into a quaking battlefield, illuminated by bursts of elemental light.
—
Not far away, the wolf pack continued to surge through the city like a torrent. Streets drowned in rainwater became hunting grounds. Doors splintered. People screamed for their families. Spells fired from windows as desperate mages tried to defend their homes.
"Fire Burst!"
"Ice Spread!"
"Wind Disc!"
"Water Shield!"
Magic flashed everywhere, but the wolves overwhelmed everything by sheer numbers.
A Fire mage tried to hold a small alley. He launched Fire Burst after Fire Burst, each explosion lighting up the night. But his flames dimmed, then sputtered—
he had drained his magic.
A wolf leaped at him.
He closed his eyes.
A metal arc sliced the wolf in two, spraying blood across the wall. Hunters dragged the mage behind them as they retreated.
A Water mage screamed as a massive Warrior-level wolf slammed her into a wall, teeth snapping inches from her neck. She formed Water Shield instinctively—it shattered immediately. Her body went limp.
A group of novice students tried to protect each other in a courtyard.
"Earth Wave!" one shouted as the ground rippled outward, knocking several small beasts back.
But a larger wolf pounced through the air—
Shadow Spike erupted from the ground—
spells clashed in the chaos—
And one student was dragged away into the dark.
—
Mo Fan fought as if the world were made of fire.
He punched a wolf so hard the flames burst across the rooftops. His Fiery Fist detonated like fireworks, the explosion sending corpses tumbling into the flooded streets. When a beast lunged from behind, he spun around, fist blazing with molten power.
"Fiery Fist—Bursting Flame!"
The wolf exploded mid-air.
Rain hissed as it hit the superheated flames. Steam clouded the battlefield, giving Mo Fan just enough cover to move again.
Another Warrior-level beast—a hulking shadow-furred wolf—charged with terrifying speed. Its paws left gouges in the brick as it bounded forward.
Mo Fan's eyes narrowed.
Lightning crawled along his arm.
"Lightning Strike!"
The bolt tore through the wolf's skull, its eyes bursting with violet sparks. Its body slid to a stop at Mo Fan's feet.
He didn't pause.
Another beast.
Another fire explosion.
Another corpse.
The battlefield was endless.
And everywhere, the wolves kept coming.
—
Not far behind, Xu Mang and Lu Jun held their line with cold precision.
Xu Mang executed Lightning Strike after Lightning Strike, each shot landing with unnatural accuracy. He hit wolves mid-leap, mid-run, mid-snarl—never missing, always calculating. The smell of ozone filled the air around him.
A larger beast approached, jaws frothing.
Xu Mang's lightning flared brighter.
"Thunderclap!"
The explosion of violet lightning blasted the creature backward, flinging lesser wolves aside like rag dolls. Cracks raced along the ground from the impact.
Lu Jun swept in from the right, water spiraling around him.
"Violent Waves!"
A wave collapsed across a swarm of wolves, knocking them over and dragging them back into the flooded streets. Before they could recover, his arm flicked out.
"Metal Slash."
A razor-thin blade of metal magic cut through the neck of a Warrior-level beast like slicing through wet paper. The severed head rolled across the mud before sinking beneath the water.
The scent of fresh blood mixed with rain.
The bodies piled higher.
The wolves came faster.
Above the district, the Greater-Commander howled again, shaking water off its back like a whip of force.
Zhan Kong reappeared behind the beast in a gust of wind, plunging a crescent Wind Disc directly into the base of its neck. The blade dug in deeply—
but not deeply enough.
The beast twisted and slammed its shoulder into him.
Zhan Kong hit the ground hard, creating a crater from impact. A wave of wolves surged toward him instinctively, sensing blood. He rose instantly, fury burning in his eyes.
Wind enveloped him.
Razor-sharp gusts lifted the wolves off their feet, slicing them apart in mid-air.
Their bodies hit the ground already dead.
But the Greater-Commander charged again, eyes burning with dark intelligence.
It was adapting.
Learning.
Recognizing Zhan Kong as the only real threat.
Beast and battlemage collided again.
The shockwave rattled every building.
Hunters screamed as the pressure wave sent them flying.
Walls cracked.
Lamp posts bent.
Windows exploded into shards of glass.
And that was when Black Vatican appeared.
They emerged from the shadows wearing water-soaked cloaks, their faces hidden behind twisted masks. Their footsteps were silent despite the rain. The air around them warped subtly—like the darkness itself curled toward them.
One of them raised a hand.
A sickly-red glow ignited between their fingers.
"Spread," the priest whispered.
A pulse of corrupt energy swept across the street. The wolves responded instantly—
their bodies convulsing,
eyes turning blood-bright,
muscles bulging grotesquely.
The already unstoppable pack grew even stronger.
A priest laughed behind his mask.
"Let the cleansing begin."
Rain hammered the rooftops.
Blood filled the gutters.
Magic crackled across the sky.
Zhan Kong fought a monster that could tear a battalion apart.
Mo Fan burned everything in his path.
Xu Mang and Lu Jun held their line against impossible odds.
The city was breaking.
Cracking.
Collapsing.
And the night had only just begun.