Chapter 168: No Reinforcement?

Chapter 168: Chapter 168: No Reinforcement?

At the frontline, the situation was growing worse by the minute.

The human defenders had been fighting for hours, and their strength was rapidly declining. Elemental users stood in organized formations behind reinforced barriers, launching wave after wave of attacks against the incoming beasts.

Several Aether cannons had been positioned along the defensive line. Their operators loaded them with concentrated Aether crystals before firing powerful blasts into the swarm.

Each shot tore through multiple beasts, creating brief openings in the advancing tide.

However, the beasts kept coming.

The moment one group fell, another took its place. The defenders had already used a large portion of their stored resources, and the remaining supplies were being consumed at an alarming rate.

"Reinforce the eastern formation!"

A commander shouted from atop a defensive platform.

"Don’t let those Thunderhorns break through!"

Several elemental users responded immediately, gathering their Aether and releasing a combined attack.

A wall of ice rose across the battlefield, slowing the charging beasts. Lightning bolts followed, striking the creatures that had become trapped in the formation.

For a brief moment, the attack seemed effective.

Then a massive Wind Elemental beast crashed into the barrier.

The ice shattered, and the force of the impact sent several defenders flying. Before they could recover, a group of Gale Shadow Panthers rushed through the opening, tearing into the weakened formation.

"Close the gap!"

"Move! Move!"

The defenders hurried to reinforce the breach, but the beasts were already inside.

A powerful lightning strike erupted from the rear of the formation, killing several attackers. Yet the elemental user responsible for it soon collapsed, his Aether exhausted.

Two healers rushed toward him, but they were already struggling to keep up with the growing number of wounded.

The frontline was being pushed beyond its limits.

Another explosion shook the defensive position as an Aether barrier collapsed. The defenders behind it were forced to retreat, leaving the remaining forces exposed.

"Fall back to the second formation!"

The order came from one of the senior commanders.

But the second formation was already under pressure, and the defenders had little time to reorganize.

Several elders stood behind the command position, watching the battle with grim expressions.

They had sacrificed too much to reach this point.

The various families had sent their strongest available forces to Tempest Hollow, and the alliance had spent enormous resources reinforcing the defenses. Yet the mutation continued to spread, and the number of beasts showed no sign of decreasing.

Worse still, the beasts were becoming more aggressive.

Their attacks were no longer scattered or unpredictable. Large groups were pushing toward the weakest sections of the defense, while stronger beasts targeted the areas where the human forces were most concentrated.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to hold them back.

"We can’t continue like this!" one of the elders shouted. "At this rate, we’ll lose the entire frontline!"

Another elder clenched his fists.

"Then we retreat and establish a new defensive line farther away. We can regroup there and recover our strength."

"And how many more people will we lose during that retreat?" someone demanded.

The elder fell silent.

They had already lost too many people, and abandoning their current position would mean giving the beasts even more ground.

Yet staying would likely result in even greater casualties.

The decision was becoming unavoidable.

A commander hurried toward the elders.

"We’ve received another report from the northern formation. They’ve been breached, and the remaining defenders are requesting immediate reinforcement!"

One of the elders closed his eyes.

"How many are still standing?"

"Less than half."

The elder’s face tightened.

The situation was deteriorating far too quickly.

"Where are the reinforcements from Winterbourne?" another elder asked. "What did our representatives find?"

The question drew everyone’s attention.

The representatives who had travelled to Frostveil had returned, but they had yet to provide any meaningful assistance. They had spoken of a method that could stabilize the Zone Heart, but they hadn’t brought back enough information to offer a solution.

One of the representatives stepped forward, his expression stiff.

"We’re still investigating. The knowledge we obtained wasn’t sufficient, and we need more time."

"More time?"

An elder slammed his hand against the table.

"Look outside! How much more time do you think we have?"

The representative gritted his teeth.

"We understand the situation, but we cannot rush this matter."

"Then what exactly did you accomplish in Frostveil?"

Another elder’s voice rose.

"You left with the hope of finding a solution, yet you’ve returned with nothing!"

The representatives exchanged uncomfortable glances.

They couldn’t tell the truth.

They had found someone who could potentially stabilize Tempest Hollow, but that person was Damon Calloway, the very individual they had once dismissed as a failure.

Worse still, they had been forced to kneel and apologize before him.

The thought alone was enough to make their blood boil.

One representative clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned pale. The veins on his forehead bulged as he struggled to keep his anger under control.

"We are doing everything we can," he said through gritted teeth. "The situation in Frostveil was complicated, and the method we discovered requires further examination."

It was a lie, but they had little choice.

They couldn’t bring themselves to admit that they were now relying on someone they had once considered useless.

The elders weren’t convinced.

"Further examination? At this rate, there won’t be anything left to examine!"

"Where is the support from Frostveil? They have stabilized their own Zone Heart, yet they continue to leave us to deal with this disaster!"

"They should understand that if Tempest Hollow falls, the consequences will spread to every surrounding region!"

Angry voices filled the command area.

Some blamed the Winterbourne family for withholding assistance, while others questioned the representatives’ failure to secure immediate support.

But the truth was that Frostveil had its own problems to deal with, and the representatives had returned without the help they had promised.

Another elder from a family in Haven’s Edge rubbed his forehead.

"We cannot rely on the Winterbournes. We have to find another way."

"Another way?" someone scoffed. "What do you suggest? We have already exhausted most of our resources!"