Chapter 108: Beast Horde [2]
Chapter 108: Beast Horde [2]
Thousands of eyes followed Kael’s figure as it rocketed into the sky.
He climbed higher and higher, his body becoming nothing more than a black streak cutting through the air, yet no one could bring themselves to look away.
"Who is that?"
"How did he jump that high?"
"Is he... a high-level Hunter?"
The whispers spread like wildfire through the gathering crowd.
Hope, disbelief, confusion.
Every emotion mixed together.
If a high-level Awakener had truly been inside the fortress all along...
Then perhaps...
Just perhaps...
They had a chance of surviving this disaster.
Kael’s ascent continued for several more seconds before he finally reached the height of the fortress walls. His figure soared over the battlements before descending onto the massive wall itself.
BOOM!
Stone shattered beneath his feet.
The entire wall trembled violently as the impact echoed across the battlefield, dust erupting into the air while cracks spread beneath the point of landing.
The sudden arrival immediately drew the attention of every soldier stationed atop the walls.
Dozens of armored soldiers instinctively turned toward him.
Weapons were unsheathed.
Spears lowered.
Bows drawn.
Mana surged through the air as they prepared themselves for the worst.
Nobody knew who this young man was.
Nor why he had suddenly appeared in the middle of a battlefield.
Kael paid them no attention.
His eyes swept across the place before stopping on a single individual standing not too far away.
The man possessed neatly combed blond hair and sharp features that gave him a naturally charismatic appearance. Even standing still, an unmistakable aura of authority surrounded him.
The two locked eyes.
For several seconds...
Neither of them spoke.
The atmosphere grew heavy as every soldier silently waited, uncertain whether the next moment would erupt into violence.
Kael broke the silence first.
"Are you Victor Smith? The one who made the announcement."
Victor gave a small nod.
"I am."
His gaze remained fixed on Kael.
"And who are you?"
"What exactly are you trying to accomplish by making such an entrance?"
His voice remained calm.
Measured.
Yet beneath that calmness lay unquestionable authority.
The leap Kael had just performed was enough to prove he wasn’t an ordinary Awakener.
Even so...
Victor had no intention of lowering his guard.
This fortress had already descended into crisis.
If this unknown young man intended to exploit the situation...
He would fight him without hesitation, regardless of the difference in strength.
Kael remained completely indifferent to the hostility directed at him.
His eyes shifted briefly toward the battlefield beyond the walls before returning to Victor.
"Order an immediate strategic withdrawal."
"The soldiers holding the front line are to fall back."
"I’ll handle the main beast horde."
"The rest of your forces can remain behind and reinforce me if necessary."
Silence.
Utter silence.
Every soldier standing nearby froze.
Several stared blankly at Kael as though wondering if they had misheard him.
One man...
Handle the beast horde?
Alone?
Some soldiers couldn’t even hide their expressions.
Their mouths hung slightly open while disbelief filled their eyes.
Even Victor’s composure cracked for the briefest of moments.
Shock flashed across his face before disappearing almost instantly.
"You..."
"You want to face the beast horde alone?"
His brows slowly knitted together.
"And you expect me to believe that?"
There was obvious doubt in his voice.
Yet buried beneath that doubt...
Was hope.
Victor slowly turned his eyes toward the endless sea of monsters stretching beyond the fortress walls.
The earth itself trembled beneath the advancing horde.
Wave after wave of beasts continued pouring toward the fortress, with even more gathering in the distance.
One glance was enough to understand the situation.
If the horde reached the city...
The casualties would be horrific.
Of course...
If an S-Rank Hunter were present, the situation would become far more manageable.
An S-Rank possessed overwhelming destructive power capable of carving open entire sections of a beast horde.
Even then...
They couldn’t win alone.
No matter how powerful an S-Rank was, mana and stamina were still finite. Against endless numbers, they still required support from countless lower-ranked Hunters.
Unfortunately...
That remained nothing more than wishful thinking.
Victor oversaw the entire rift.
Every Hunter who entered...
Every Hunter who left...
Passed through records under his authority.
If an S-Rank had entered this rift, he would surely know of them.
Which meant...
The young man standing before him couldn’t possibly be one.
Kael naturally understood the source of Victor’s hesitation.
He simply didn’t care.
"I don’t care whether you believe me."
His voice remained calm.
"But understand one thing."
"If you refuse to pull your men back..."
"Then any friendly casualties that occur will be your responsibility."
He didn’t wait for Victor to answer.
Nor did he intend to waste another second convincing him.
His knees bent slightly.
Then—
BOOM!
The stone beneath his feet exploded apart as Kael launched himself from the fortress wall.
His figure streaked through the sky like a falling meteor, descending directly toward the endless beast horde.
The soldiers stood rooted to the spot.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
"...He’s insane."
"Is he trying to commit suicide?"
"No..."
One soldier stared at the rapidly descending figure, his fists unconsciously tightening.
"...Maybe..."
"Maybe he really can do it."
The confidence Kael had displayed...
The certainty in his voice...
It made some people want to believe.
Even if that belief bordered on delusion.
Far below, Kael heard none of it.
Nor would he have cared if he did.
His entire focus rested upon the sea of monsters rushing toward the fortress.
Earth energy surged through ever part of his body as the Primordial Genesis Sutra circulated at full speed. Vast quantities of earthen energy gathered beneath his skin, flowing toward every muscle, every bone and finally converging beneath his feet.
The wind screamed past him as gravity dragged him downward.
The beasts finally noticed him.
Thousands of eyes simultaneously lifted toward the lone figure descending from the heavens.
Then...
He landed.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The instant his feet touched the earth, every ounce of accumulated Earth Energy erupted outward in a single, unrestrained explosion.