I realized the rhythm had changed when we returned to the guild and no one seemed relieved to see us walk in.
Normally, after a long mission, there was always someone willing to listen, ask questions, comment. That day, there was only urgency. Messengers coming and going. Maps spread across the tables. The feeling that everything was happening too fast.
Elara walked beside me in silence, observing the hall.
Liriel went straight to the notice board. The papers were being replaced before they even had time to grow old.
"More villages asking for help," she said.
Rai'kanna rested her hand on the central table where a map of the kingdom was open. "It's not just the north anymore."
Lyannis pointed to another marking. "Here too. And that's half a day's travel from here."
Vespera took a deep breath. "They've spread the attack points."
I stepped closer to the map.
The markings formed something that didn't look random. It wasn't a circle, nor a line. It was as if someone were pressing multiple parts of the kingdom at the same time, forcing the adventurers to divide themselves.
"This isn't about quantity," I said. "It's distribution."
Elara agreed. "They want us to run."
A guild attendant hurried toward us.
"Takumi, we need you again."
I nodded. "Where?"
He pointed to the eastern part of the map. "Reports of monsters appearing near a bridge that connects two agricultural regions. If that bridge falls, half the villages lose their escape route."
Vespera understood before I spoke. "So the village isn't the target. It's the bridge."
"Exactly," the attendant replied.
We left the guild almost immediately.
The fatigue was already present in my body, but there was no room to think about it. The road to the bridge was long and open, passing through low fields where it was easy to spot any movement.
During the journey, no one spoke much.
I kept thinking about the map.
Thinking about the way the attacks were spreading.
Liriel broke the silence. "They're not trying to win by force."
"They're trying to overwhelm us," Elara said.
Rai'kanna adjusted her pace. "Force a mistake."
Lyannis added, "Force a delay."
Vespera looked ahead. "And when we arrive late, they win without fighting."
The bridge appeared on the horizon after nearly an hour of brisk walking.
And we could already see movement.
It wasn't a large horde.
But it was enough.
Monsters were spread across both ends of the bridge, striking the wooden structure with repeated blows. Others patrolled the area, preventing villagers from getting close to try to contain the damage.
"They know exactly what they're doing," I murmured.
"Takumi, front with me," Elara said.
"Liriel, light up the bridge."
"Rai'kanna and Lyannis, clear the sides."
"Vespera, make sure no one gets too close."
We ran.
The monsters at the bridge's entrance fell quickly. They weren't prepared for direct resistance, only focused on destruction.
Liriel made the entire structure glow under her light, revealing cracks that had already begun to form.
Rai'kanna and Lyannis prevented those on the banks from surrounding us.
I advanced across the bridge with Elara right behind me, cutting down those still striking the wood.
The sound of impacts ceased one by one.
When the last one fell, silence returned, broken only by the creaking of damaged wood.
Vespera was already examining the structure. "It'll hold. But barely."
Some villagers began to approach cautiously.
"We managed to arrive in time," Elara said, looking at the cracks.
"Barely," I replied.
Liriel watched the far end of the road. "They didn't want to kill anyone here."
"They wanted to isolate," Lyannis completed.
Rai'kanna crossed her arms. "And they did it at multiple points at the same time."
I looked at the empty road stretching away from there.
The feeling returned, stronger.
We weren't facing uncontrolled monsters.
We were responding to calculated moves.
We returned to the city in the late afternoon.
The guild hall was even more crowded than before.
Groups leaving, groups arriving, reports being delivered aloud.
Scarlet was mentioned more than once by adventurers coming from other regions. They said she had eliminated an absurd number of monsters alone in the south.
It didn't bring relief.
It only reinforced the scale of the problem.
Elara stopped beside me near the counter. "This is getting bigger."
"It's getting organized," I replied.
Liriel nodded. "And we're always one step behind."
Vespera looked around the busy hall. "The pressure isn't on the monsters. It's on time."
Rai'kanna took a deep breath. "If this keeps up, someone will fail."
Lyannis added, "And that's what he wants."
I remained silent for a few seconds, watching the frantic movement of the guild.
For the first time since we started this chain of missions, I felt something different.
It wasn't fear.
It was the certainty that we were being led exactly where he wanted.
And while everyone there ran from one side to the other trying to respond to the attacks, I had the clear sensation that the real move hadn't even begun yet.
The pressure wasn't on the monsters.
It was on us.