What…?

He tried to turn, to face his attacker, but his body refused to obey. His legs buckled as strength drained from his limbs. The taste of copper filled his mouth as blood bubbled up his throat.

The dust cleared just enough for him to see Han’s face inches from his own.

No surprise marked those features.

No horror at his comrade’s injury.

Only cold eyes.

“Wrong place, wrong time, old friend.” Han twisted the sword embedded in Feng’s back, sending fresh agony coursing through him. “The political landscape is changing. The city needs new leadership.”

Understanding dawned through the haze of pain. “You’re… working with it…”

“The term is alliance, Feng.” Han extracted his weapon with brutal efficiency. “The monsters need a territory. I need the city lord’s position. Mutually beneficial arrangement.”

Feng tried to raise his blade, to strike at this betrayer, but his strength had abandoned him. Blood pooled beneath his kneeling form, life draining with each laboured heartbeat.

“The city… will resist…”

“The city will accept my heroic defence against the monster invasion.” Han’s voice remained conversational, as if discussing weather rather than treason. “Particularly after I avenge your tragic death at the hands of this silver beast.”

The wind intensified around them, the Harpy maintaining the dust storm that concealed their confrontation from watching soldiers.

Feng’s vision darkened at the edges, consciousness slipping away. His final thoughts turned not to his own fate, but to the city he’d sworn to protect.

“You’ll… fail…”

“No, old friend.” Han placed a hand almost gently on Feng’s shoulder. “I’ve already succeeded.”

With the last of his strength, Feng spat blood onto Han’s immaculate armour. A final act of defiance.

Then darkness claimed him.

The wind died within seconds, dust settling across the battlefield to reveal a grim sight.

General Feng lay motionless in a pool of blood, his silver aura extinguished. Standing over him, General Han’s face contorted in performance of grief and rage.

Nearby soldiers gasped at the sight of their fallen commander.

“The beast killed him!” A young recruit pointed shakily at the Harpy, which had repositioned itself several meters away, wings still spread for attack.

“General Feng!” another soldier cried, voice cracking with emotion.

Han raised his blood-stained sword, silver aura flaring with convincing fury. “You will pay for this, monster!”

The soldiers rallied behind him, their faces marked by shock and mounting rage. Their beloved general, hero of a hundred battles, struck down before their eyes.

“For General Feng!” The cry echoed across the battered wall, taken up by dozens, then hundreds of voices.

Han charged the Harpy, his performance flawless as he engaged in coordinated combat with his secret ally. Silver energy clashed with silver, creating spectacular displays that concealed the fake nature of their exchange.

The soldiers watched in awe as their general fought the winged beast, unaware of the carefully choreographed dance playing out before them.

For every dramatic strike Han launched, the Harpy retreated precisely the right distance—never truly threatened, never truly threatening.

Meanwhile, the rest of the monster horde tore through the human defenders. Blood soaked the battlements as Bronze-rank soldiers fell by the dozens, their screams forming a horrific backdrop to the silver-ranked “duel.”

After a flashy exchange, Han staggered backward, one hand pressed to his side where blood stained his armour.

“Where is the city lord?” he demanded, voice carrying across the battlefield. “We need reinforcements!”

The soldiers glanced at each other, uncertainty replacing their earlier confidence.

“Sir, no word from the central command,” a messenger reported, face pale with fear.

Han’s expression hardened with convincing outrage. “We’re dying here!”

‘This should plant the seed of betrayal. Sorry, guys, your friends and family died not because of me. But because of an incompetent city leader who didn’t help his army.’

“Sir, what are your orders?” A blood-spattered captain approached, the remnants of his squad huddled behind him.

Han surveyed the battlefield with grimness. The wall was lost—exactly as planned. Time for the next phase.

“We withdraw,” he announced, loud enough for all to hear. “The north wall is compromised. Fall back to the inner district!”

Relief washed over their exhausted faces as the defenders began their orderly retreat. They’d lost comrades, but at least they would live to fight another day.

Or so they thought.

The monster horde continued its advance, crashing through the defensive line with ferocity. The Harpy launched skyward, its wings generating cyclonic winds that sent soldiers tumbling from the wall.

Han’s expression registered perfect shock—a masterclass in deception. “The beasts have broken through! Escape, everyone! Get your families out of this place!”

Panic replaced discipline as the retreat dissolved into chaotic flight. Soldiers abandoned positions, racing toward the inner districts where loved ones awaited.

Han stood amidst the chaos, silver aura flaring protectively as he directed the evacuation. None noticed the subtle glance he exchanged with the Harpy circling overhead.

‘Phase two complete.’

Meanwhile…

Ethan reached the southern wall.

broken weapons, bloodstained stone, and monster corpses surrounded him.

The soldiers still kept fighting the beasts as the generals regenerated their health and mana.

The wall itself remained mostly intact, a proof of their successful defence mounted here. Whatever had happened in the north remained unknown to him, but at least this section of the city still stood.

Two familiar figures spotted his approach, abandoning their inspection of the defenses to intercept him.

The Mid-Silver and Low-Silver generals moved with wariness.

“You’re back,” the senior general observed, eyes scanning Ethan for signs of injury. “What happened to the Panther?”

Ethan kept his expression neutral, betraying none of the power now flowing through his veins after consuming the beast’s core. “Couldn’t catch it. The damn thing was too fast even with my Speed talent.”

The Low-Silver general exchanged a skeptical glance with his superior. “You expect us to believe that you followed it whilst knowing you couldn’t catch it? and it somehow didn’t attack you alone?”

“Believe what you want.” Ethan shrugged, the gesture deliberately casual. “I chased it for around two minutes before giving up. Found a place to rest afterwards.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep