The wooden wall trembled under the weight of the beasts as they began to climb. Benedict aimed carefully at the creatures scaling the wall, fire blazing in his palms. He quickly chugged another mana elixir—his fourth bottle that night. He knew he had to be mindful of how many he consumed. After the eighth bottle, severe side effects would kick in. They ranged from debilitating intoxication to, in the worst case, death.
Beside him, Kole also downed an elixir. It was his fifth bottle, and the strain on his body was evident, but he pressed on. With a wave of his hand, he summoned another massive boulder and hurled it into the swarm of beasts below. The boulder struck with devastating force, crushing dozens.
Fred followed their lead, drinking his own fifth bottle of mana elixir. His movements were growing sluggish. But, he focused on creating thick, twisting vines. They snaked up the walls and into the battlefield. He focused on fortifying the walls with layers of ensnaring vines. He also planted others to hinder the beasts' advance on the ground.
Manman stood atop the wall, observing the battlefield. It was now shrouded in a suffocating haze. It was a chaotic mix of smoke from burning corpses, dust from the boulders, and an icy mist from the beasts. Visibility was almost zero. But Manman stayed vigilant. He gripped his spear and scanned the shadows for any creature trying to scale the walls.
Beside him, Diego waited, his massive hammer resting on his shoulder, ready to strike. Tension hung in the air. Yet, everyone resolved to stop any beast from breaching the wall. Flames roared, vines lashed out, and boulders continued to crash into the enemy ranks.
An icy fireball erupted from the haze. It arced through the battlefield and smashed into the far wall. Manman tracked its trajectory and saw it collide against a shimmering protective shield. On that side of the wall, he saw their squad leader, Elys, standing alongside Vanis, both bracing for impact.
Before anyone could react, another icy fireball was launched. Then, three more followed in quick succession. One of the fireballs hurtled toward Manman and his group. He instinctively ducked, but the explosion's force was overwhelming. The wall shuddered with great force, and they were all thrown off its platform.
The other fireballs tore massive holes in the wooden wall. The beasts swarmed into the farmland again through the breaches. Their shrill howls filled the night air.
Manman groaned as he pushed himself off the ground, his muscles sore and his body bruised from the impact. He surveyed his surroundings. He spotted Benedict a few meters behind him. Benedict groaned and struggled to rise. Diego, Kole, and Fred were nearby, clambering to their feet with evident difficulty. Each of them bore varying degrees of injury, but they were alive.
Before Manman could call out to his comrades, a beast burst through the haze, charging at him with its maw wide open. Its gleaming fangs dripped with luminescent saliva. Its eyes burned with ferocity. Manman raised his spear. With desperate precision, he drove it into the creature's throat. The beast let out a screech before collapsing, lifeless, at his feet.
Another beast lunged at him from the side, catching him off guard. Its jaws snapped inches from his head, but a fireball from Benedict blasted the creature mid-air, sending it tumbling to the ground. As it staggered back to its feet, Diego charged forward, swinging his massive hammer. It connected with the beast's skull, the impact crushing it instantly.
Manman spun around in time to see another beast lunging at him. He swung his spear with force, tearing through its jaws in one fluid motion. But before he could strike again, the creature's tail lashed out, aiming for his torso. The blow never landed, as Benedict unleashed another fireball, forcing the creature back in flames.
On the other side, three more beasts charged at them, snarling with bloodlust. Thick vines erupted from the ground. They ensnared the creatures' limbs and slowed their advance. Fred seized the chance. He conjured a huge boulder and hurled it at the trapped beasts.
The impact crushed them.
Suddenly, a bone-chilling howl echoed across the battlefield. The remaining beasts seemed to respond, their movements growing erratic and frenzied. It was as if the sound empowered them, driving them into a drug-like rage.
Within moments, ten beasts swarmed Manman's group, their attacks relentless.
Diego charged first, his muscles bulging to twice their normal size. His entire frame seemed to grow bigger and bulkier, an effect of his skill. He faced two beasts at once, swinging his massive hammer with devastating force. The first beast crumpled under the blow, shattering its skull, while the second recoiled only to receive another crushing strike.
Manman followed Diego, his spear emitting a faint glow from the fire. He moved with precision, targeting the creatures' throats and hearts with calculated thrusts. The beasts, though frenzied, could not outmatch his growing expertise.
Above them, a fireball shimmered as Benedict hurled it toward the advancing beasts. The explosion lit up the chaotic battlefield. It showed, for a moment, the carnage around them. Fred conjured a massive boulder and launched it into the fray. It crushed beasts at the rear and halted reinforcements. Kole's vines erupted from the ground. They wrapped around the legs and tails of nearby creatures. This slowed their advance and gave Diego and Manman room to strike.
A bright blue fireball streaked across the sky, illuminating the battlefield. Amidst smoke, flames, and blood, the team's teamwork was flawless. They moved as one. They adapted to each other's strengths and covered their weaknesses. They dispatched the swarming beasts with great speed.
After clearing the latest wave, Benedict, Kole, and Fred quickly chugged a mana elixir. The toll of their repeated abilities was evident, but they couldn't afford to slow down.
It was then that the battlefield shifted. From the other side, a massive, icy beast emerged. Its towering form smashed through the wooden walls. Splinters flew in all directions. The opening it created was vast, and through it poured a flood of shadowy beasts.
Manman's group had only a short amount of time to register the new threat. The icy beast's presence chilled the air, frosting the broken wood. Amid the chaos, five more beasts charged at the group. They had to fight again.
Manman's team was closest to the massive icy beast. He could see the intricate, frost-encrusted antlers emitting a faint glow. The glow grew stronger with each passing second. It burned with an otherworldly brilliance. Manman locked eyes with the creature, its deep blue gaze piercing through him.
Before he could react, a fireball of icy-blue energy formed between the antlers. It then surged forward like a comet. The fireball streaked toward them, lighting up the night with a cold, menacing glow. Time seemed to freeze for Manman. He watched the fireball hurtling toward him. Its glow reflected in his wide eyes. It grew larger until it consumed his vision.
His mind screamed at him to move, but his body betrayed him.
'Even if I dodge, it won't matter,' Manman thought with a grim expression. He closed his eyes, bracing for impact, welcoming what he believed was the inevitable end.
The explosion came with a deafening roar, shaking the earth beneath him. A powerful force slammed into him, hurling his body backward through the air. He hit the ground hard, tumbling over five times before coming to a painful stop.
His vision blurred and his ears rang. Every inch of his body ached from the impact. Dizzy and disoriented, Manman groaned as he tried to lift himself up. When his sight began to clear, he turned to look at the spot where he had been standing just moments ago.
A thick vine, stacked like the massive trunk of a tree and nearly two meters in diameter, now lay there—charred black. Its surface scorched and smoking. Smoke rose and small tongues of flame still danced along its edges, crackling softly. The acrid scent of burnt wood and earth lingered in the air, mixing with the fading echoes of the explosion.
Manman exhaled deeply, his brows furrowing as he took in the chaotic scene around him. Just a few meters away, he spotted Vanis—his body streaked with blood, his expression unwavering. The Yellow Grade Fay met Manman's gaze for a brief moment and gave a nod before turning to face the rampaging monsters, dual swords flashing in his hands.
In the blink of an eye, ten beasts lunged in his direction.
Manman instinctively tried to move toward him, determined to help. The moment he shifted his weight, a sharp pain shot through his legs. It was unbearable, anchoring him to the ground. No matter how hard he tried to lift his legs, they refused to obey, nailed down by the searing pain pulsing through them.
He was desperate to help the Fay who saved his life, but frustration gnawed at his sanity. There was nothing he could do—his body refused to move, and he was forced to watch, helpless and rooted to the spot.
As the battle raged on, Manman finally began to understand the true difference between a Green Grade Fay and a Yellow Grade Fay.
Vanis fought with lethal precision, his dual swords carving through the beasts with ease. Yet it wasn't just his swordsmanship that awed Manman—it was the seamless way he conjured vines even as he fought, each one striking with purpose, wrapping around enemies, impaling them, or shielding him from attacks.
The sheer amount of mana Vanis wielded was staggering—at least ten times more than any Green Grade Fay could muster. More than that, it was the control he had over his abilities that set him apart.Fred, despite being skilled, could never maintain such consistent and fluid use of his powers due to being limited in Mana and abilities.
Manman could also discern that the swords Vanis wielded were enchanted. Their blades gleamed with a faint, ethereal glow, and the gemstones embedded in their hilts shimmered under the moonlight—each pulse of light resonating with the magic stored within. Even from a distance, Manman could feel the presence of powerful enchantments woven into the weapons, enhancing every strike Vanis delivered.
After disposing the last of the beats, Vanis stared at the massive icy beast conjuring a new icy fireball. This time it was staring face to face with Vanis. In an instant, the earth rumbled and a massive vine, as thick as a tree trunk, erupted from the ground. It pierced the beast's stomach and burst out of its back.
The beast let out a guttural wail, its head thrashing as if in a frenzy in the air. Its antlers began to glimmer again. But, another vine shot up. It wrapped around its head with a firm grip and dragged it into the earth. The beast collapsed under the weight and pull of the vines, but it still tried to get up.
Though, its efforts were in vain. The vine that had pierced its back coiled again. It drove itself through the beast's neck and into its skull. The beast's movements stilled, its life snuffed out.
Manman gazed at Vanis and saw him coughing up blood, his once-pristine armor now soaked and stained a deep crimson. The Yellow Grade Fay dropped to his knees, his body held upright only by the support of his twin swords, which trembled under his weight.
Desperation surged in Manman's chest as he tried once more to stand, but pain exploded through his legs, yanking him back to the ground. The effort left him reeling—his head spun, and his vision blurred around the edges. Each breath grew heavier, as though the air itself was being squeezed from his lungs.
He clenched his fists, forcing himself to remain conscious. Gritting his teeth, Manman fought to steady his breathing, inhaling slowly and deeply in a desperate attempt to wrest back control of his failing body.