Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Everyone Retreat!!

And in a fight like this, that was enough.

One of the undead lunged.

She turned to block, but another came from her blind side.

“Lira—!” Kellan shouted.

Too late.

A blade cut across her side.

“—!”

She gasped, her body jerking as blood spilled, her footing breaking for just a second.

That second was all it took.

Another undead grabbed at her arm, pulling her off balance.

“Get off!” she snapped, trying to shake it, but it didn’t let go.

Rhett’s eyes sharpened instantly.

He moved.

Fast.

Faster than before.

In a blur, he closed the distance and slammed his weapon into the undead gripping her, crushing it aside with brute force.

“Back!” he barked.

Lira staggered, clutching her side, her breath uneven.

“…I’m fine,” she said through gritted teeth.

“You’re not,” Rhett replied sharply, positioning himself in front of her.

Another wave of undead closed in.

Rhett blocked, countered, and forced them back, but even he could feel it now.

The pressure.

The constant drain.

The fact that no matter how many times they struck, nothing stayed down.

Kellan stepped in beside him, breathing heavier than before.

“…Rhett,” he said low. “We can’t keep this up.”

Bram nodded from the other side, sweat running down his face. “We’re wasting energy.”

Doran clicked his tongue. “…At this rate, we’ll collapse before they do.”

Rhett didn’t answer immediately.

His eyes moved across the battlefield.

Everyone was holding on, but just barely.

And now Lira was injured.

That decided it.

“…We’re pulling out,” Rhett said.

Kellan blinked. “Finally.”

Rhett’s voice cut through the chaos.

“Fall back!” he ordered. “We retreat—now!”

Lira frowned slightly. “…Rhett—”

“That’s an order,” he said, not even looking back.

There was no room for argument.

Kellan immediately moved, covering their side as he pushed back the nearest undead.

“You heard him! Move!”

Bram let out a breath. “About time!”

He slammed one away and stepped back, creating space.

Doran followed, keeping his guard up. “Don’t slow down!”

Rhett stayed at the front, blocking Carrion’s next strike.

CLANG!

The force rang through his arms.

Carrion didn’t stop.

Didn’t hesitate.

Just kept attacking.

Rhett pushed him back once, just enough.

“…Next time,” Rhett said quietly.

Carrion didn’t respond.

But his hollow gaze remained locked on him.

Rhett stepped back, then turned.

“Go!”

The group moved together, retreating in formation, covering each other as they broke away from the fight.

The undead didn’t chase far.

They stopped at a certain distance.

As if they had no need to pursue.

Kellan glanced back, breathing hard.

“…They’re not following.”

“Good,” Rhett said.

But his expression didn’t ease.

Not even a little.

As they disappeared over the hill, leaving the battlefield behind, and one thing was clear. They didn’t win.

Far away, inside the quiet of his villa, Aiden’s eyes slowly opened.

He leaned forward slightly, a hand pressing against his temple as he felt the drain.

His mana was nearly empty.

Not completely, but close enough that he could feel the hollow ache spreading through his body.

“Dang…” he muttered under his breath.

His gaze sharpened, focusing on that fading link.

“Whoever they ran into… they’re not weak.”

He exhaled slowly, steadying himself.

Even with all his undead combined, his mana wouldn’t last much longer if the fight kept going.

“…Another minute,” he murmured. “At most.”

Then he leaned back again, letting the connection go.

The drain stopped.

Silence returned to the room.

Aiden closed his eyes briefly.

“…Interesting.”

—-

Back at Virel City, the gates came into view just as the sun began to dip.

Rhett’s group moved fast, but not carelessly.

Lira was supported between Kellan and Bram, her steps uneven, blood still staining her side despite the makeshift bandage.

“Almost there,” Kellan said. “Hold on.”

“I’m fine,” Lira muttered, though her voice lacked its usual strength.

“Yeah, you keep saying that,” Bram replied. “Doesn’t make it true.”

As they approached the gates, the guards immediately noticed them.

“…That’s—”

“The Wrecking Eagles!”

“And they’re injured, open the gate!”

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

The gates were pulled wider without delay.

“Move, move!” one of the guards called out, rushing forward.

Rhett didn’t slow down. “She needs a healer. Now.”

“Understood!”

Two guards stepped in, carefully taking Lira from Kellan and Bram.

“We’ll take her to the medic hall,” one said.

Lira frowned slightly. “I can walk—”

“Save it,” Kellan cut in. “Just go.”

She hesitated for a second, then nodded.

—

The Zephyr Clan estate came into view once again, just as imposing as before.

But this time, Rhett didn’t slow.

The guards at the gate recognized him instantly, and their expressions shifted when they saw his condition.

“…Sir Rhett?”

“I need to see Caelus,” he said.

Something in his tone made them stop asking questions.

“…Right. Go in.”

The gates opened immediately.

Rhett walked straight through, his steps steady despite the exhaustion settling into his body.

Inside, the usual calm of the estate felt different.

Tighter.

Like it was waiting.

By the time he reached the main hall, word had already spread.

The doors opened.

Caelus Vire stood inside, already waiting.

His eyes moved over Rhett quickly, taking in the dust, the blood, the signs of battle.

“…You’re back already,” Caelus said.

—-

After Rhett finished his report, the room fell into a heavy silence.

Caelus didn’t speak right away.

He stood there, still, his gaze lowered slightly as he processed everything, every detail, every word.

Then he took a slow, deep breath.

“…So,” he said quietly, “everything that girl said… was true.”

Rhett didn’t answer.

He didn’t need to.

Caelus let out a low sigh, rubbing his temple for a brief moment before straightening again.

“…I see.”

The weight in his voice was different now. Gone was the faint doubt from before. What replaced it was something far more serious.

Something real.

He looked back at Rhett.

“Thank you,” Caelus said. “For your work.”

His tone was sincere.

“I’ll have the remaining payment sent to your inn later.”

Rhett gave a small nod. “Alright.”

Caelus walked a few steps, his hands clasped behind his back again.

“…This changes things,” he muttered.

Then he stopped and glanced over his shoulder.

“I didn’t think I’d be saying this,” he admitted, “but we’re dealing with something… unnatural.”

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