There had been several warnings before, with dozens of evil beasts attacking the border in succession. The militia had grown adept at handling such situations.
Unfazed, Roland called off the training session. He sent Wendy and Lightning back to Castle to rest, while Anna escorted Nana to the medical center to attend to the injured. Meanwhile, he and Nightingale rushed to the city walls.
To everyone's surprise, Lightning protested, "As an explorer, I've been in the western frontier for so long yet have never witnessed a large-scale evil beast attack firsthand. It would be a disgrace to my reputation to claim otherwise. I demand to join the expedition!" Without hesitation, Roland rejected the protest and ordered Wendy to keep an eye on Lightning, strictly forbidding her from wandering around during the beast's rampage.
Then he turned to the Nightingale, who nodded and stepped forward to grasp Roland's hand. They plunged into the mist and marched straight toward the city walls—ever since Roland learned the Nightingale could carry objects into the fog, he had been hooked on this way of traveling. Cutting through obstacles, ignoring the terrain, and moving several meters at a time, it gave him the thrill of being free in any space.
Roland reached the base of the city wall, found a deserted corner to break through the fog, and advanced alone toward the defensive line. The distant plains lay blanketed in snow, yet he saw no sign of the monstrous beasts' massive assault. Was this a false alarm? More than just him, murmurs of doubt began to echo among the militia as they took their positions.
Prince found the iron axe, but he was staring intently into the distance, still clutching the horn tightly in his hand.
"Was it you who sounded the alarm?" "Yes, Your Highness, look..." His voice was noticeably drier than usual. "The man is here." The man? Roland scanned the horizon, catching a faint black dot at the far end of his sight—a speck barely discernible against the pristine white backdrop. By protocol, the assembly horn was only to be sounded when the patrol team proved incapable of resolving the situation. Yet as an experienced hunter, Iron Axe must have his reasons.
"It's a hybrid," he swallowed hard, "the same one I encountered six years ago." "Really?" Roland frowned. Theoretically, the demonic beasts would perish during the assault on the Long Song Fortress—they lacked intelligence and had no concept of retreat. The fortress had never been breached, yet it hadn't died, surviving until six years later? A sinister premonition crept into his mind.
Though the distance was vast, he could only catch a faint glimpse of the black spot, while the iron axe clearly identified the type of evil beast—its vision was truly astonishing. Perhaps he was mistaken, Prince mused.
The monstrous beast didn't keep Roland waiting long. It started closing in on the city wall, and soon everyone noticed this peculiar-looking target.
Unlike its predecessor, this hybrid creature isn't massive. At first glance, it resembles an enlarged feline, but its back sports a pair of fleshy wings that hide along its sides when retracted. The head, lion-like in shape, has two pairs of eyes—enough to spot most activity behind it without turning, unless the extra pair serves as a mere ornament.
Carter and several hunters had already loaded their ammunition and stood ready.
But the lion-type hybrid did not charge straight ahead. It stopped outside the range of the crossbow and looked around.
This distance falls within the effective range of a flintlock gun, yet the probability of a first-shot hit is virtually nonexistent.
Before long, it suddenly leaped to the left, its wings spread wide, sending its massive body soaring into the air. As Iron Axe had said, it could perform short-distance flights or glides. After clearing the obstacle, the hybrid demon beast swiftly dashed toward the unguarded section of the city wall at the western end.
Roland's heart sank as an ominous premonition took hold. The ability to assess an opponent's strength through observation and strike at their vulnerabilities was proof of intelligence—a trait wild beasts lacked entirely. Though they might occasionally exploit prey's weaknesses, such instinctive attacks were millennia-old, passed down through generations. When facing unknown foes, they couldn't make judgments, let alone analyze multiple targets simultaneously.
What does it mean to possess intelligence? With their remarkable brains and extraordinary endurance, humans have evolved from the primitive grasslands to the pinnacle of the food chain. Roland stopped pondering further. He gestured for the Chief Knight to follow him, while the other hunters took up their iron axes to hunt down the monstrous beast.
After reaching the deserted stretch, it leaped straight up, effortlessly scaled the city wall, and then dashed toward the residential area, completely ignoring the Orion Guard.
"Brutes!" Roland roared, "The second wall squad of the militia, come with me! The backup will cover the front and guard the walls temporarily!" He had already disregarded the militia's training in stationary thrusts, knowing their mobility would leave them vulnerable to the beast's coordinated attacks. Carter led the Guards closely behind Prince, their individual combat strength being the strongest, ready to fill any gaps. At the rear stood the musketeers under Iron Axe.
As they entered the old district, the view was blocked by rows of bungalows. With the narrow roads blanketed in snow, movement was severely restricted. Roland dared not split the group for a search, so they had to navigate through the labyrinth of alleys, hoping to spot the evil beast's tracks.
He regretted not bringing the lightning. If a Witch had been scouting in the air, the crowd wouldn't have scurried around like headless flies.
After searching for about half an hour, a villager's scream suddenly came from the depths of the alley.
The team immediately changed course and rushed toward the sound source. Since most of the militiamen were residents of the old district, they navigated the narrow paths with ease after setting their sights on the target, even crawling through private backyards. When they reached the scene, Roland found a man torn in two, his internal organs strewn across the ground—clear evidence of death.
"Good heavens... It's Iron Fork, I know him!" "Damn, has it run away?" "Watch out! Look to the right!" Someone suddenly shouted. Before the words had fully faded, a dark shadow darted out from the wooden cabin on the right, flung with splinters of wood. It crashed through the wall, lunging into the stunned group, pinned down a militiaman with its front claws, and bared its teeth.
Iron Axe was the first to react. He tried to raise his rifle, but the scattered militia had blocked the alley, leaving him no chance to fire. He had to push through the crowd and move toward his target. The other hunters faced the same predicament. They tucked their guns under their arms, jumped up, grabbed the eaves, and climbed onto the roof in a few swift steps.
The hybrid creature paid no heed to the spear thrusting at it. With a swift flap of wings, it parried the frenzied attacks, then snatched the bloodied militiaman and was about to flee when the gunshot rang out.
Several black blood flowers suddenly appeared on the monster.
The hybrid beast, enraged by the lead pellet, roared in fury. It flung its prey from its jaws and spread its wings to pounce on the hunter atop the roof. Just then, Iron Axe emerged from the crowd, swiftly raising his gun to face the monstrous creature and pulling the trigger.
The near-face shot was virtually certain to hit, with the gunpowder's gas even spewing onto the monster's nose. The bullet exited the barrel at full speed, piercing straight through the target's eyes and penetrating the skull.
The hybrid evil beast stiffened its entire body and collapsed to the ground.