“Help! Someone help!”

Itwas Hong Wei’s voice.

‘Thank god,’ Ethan sighed in relief as he took his chance.

The monster landed another crushing blow against the door, wood splintering as the final hinge gave way.

The beast leaned forward, reaching into the newly created opening with clawed appendages.

It never touched what lay beyond.

A compressed wind blade slashed through the air between them. The attack connected with the monster’s exposed neck, meeting minimal resistance as it severed the head from the body.

The beast’s skull separated with a clean flat, toppling forward while arterial spray painted the nearby wall. Its massive body remained upright for three heartbeats, appendages still reaching blindly forward before neural signals ceased.

The headless corpse collapsed with a ground-shaking impact, blood pooling across weathered floorboards.

The severed head rolled across uneven flooring, coming to rest against the base of a broken table.

Dead eyes stared blankly at its killer.

Ethan stepped over the corpse, approaching the damaged storage room.

“Ethan?” Hong Wei’s voice trembled with disbelief. “Is that you?”

“It’s me.” Ethan carefully pushed the broken door aside. “Are you hurt? Where are the others?”

Three figures huddled in the cramped space: Hong Wei, Tiana, and Lin and her father.

Their faces registered shock, transitioning rapidly to relief. No visible injuries, though Tiana clutched her arm as if it pained her.

“You came back,” Lin whispered, disbelief colouring her tone.

“I told you I would.” Ethan surveyed them, cataloguing their condition with enhanced perception.

Minor cuts and bruises, elevated heart rates, but nothing life-threatening.

Tiana launched herself forward, her small arms wrapping around Ethan’s waist.

“I knew you’d come! I told them you would!”

He allowed the embrace briefly before gently disengaging.

“We need to move. The northern wall has fallen, and this entire district will be overrun within the hour.”

Tiana pushed herself away. “The evacuation?”

“Already underway.” Ethan helped Lin to her feet. “But they will most likely give up on We need to reach the Second District before that happens.”

“What if we can’t make it?” Lin voiced the fear evident in all their expressions.

Ethan’s smiled, calming them down. “We will.”

He led them cautiously through the devastated main room, gesturing for silence as they approached the exit. Outside, distant roars and screams painted a grim soundscape of a district under siege.

“Stay close,” he instructed, checking the street before guiding them outside. “We move quickly and quietly.”

Tiana followed right behind him, fingers curling into the fabric of his sleeve. The contact was unnecessary—Ethan wouldn’t leave them behind—but the physical connection steadied her racing heart.

Lin watched them from a step behind, her father’s hand clasped tightly in her own. Something twisted in her chest at the sight of Tiana so close to Ethan.

She swallowed the feeling, burying it beneath more pressing concerns.

Not the time. Not now.

Hong Wei moved with surprising composure, his youthful face relaxed. At sixteen, he’d already seen more horror than most adults in peaceful times. His eyes constantly scanned their surroundings, alertness born from years in the orphanage.

“How far to the second wall?” he asked, voice kept deliberately low.

“Two kilometres,” Ethan replied, enhanced senses sweeping the street ahead. “We’ll take the western route. Less exposed.”

They moved in tense silence, every shadow potentially concealing death. The once-familiar district had transformed into hostile territory, buildings watching like tombstones over abandoned lives.

The first attack came three blocks in.

A low growl from a collapsed storefront gave them half a second’s warning. A wolf-like creature launched itself from the darkness, jaws aimed at Lin’s throat.

It never reached her.

Ethan’s hand shot out, a barely visible flick of his wrist. A wind blade appeared mid-air, bisecting the monster with ease.

The creature’s momentum carried both halves past its intended target, blood painting the cobblestones in a crimson arc.

Lin froze, eyes wide with shock.

“Keep moving,” Ethan said calmly, as if he hadn’t just killed a monster with a casual gesture.

Uncle Lin stared at the cleanly-cut corpse, then at Ethan. “That was…”

“Later, uncle,” Ethan cut him off, already scanning for additional threats.

They pressed forward, each street bringing them closer to relative safety. Ethan’s perception detected multiple monsters in nearby buildings—opportunistic predators watching the small group but hesitating to attack.

They entered a small square, once a bustling marketplace. Now it stood deserted, goods abandoned as vendors fled the district. Three larger beasts prowled the open space, feeding on something Ethan deliberately kept the others from seeing.

“Back,” he whispered, guiding the group toward an alley.

Too late. One beast raised its blood-smeared muzzle, nostrils flaring as it caught their scent. It let out a piercing call that alerted its companions.

All three turned toward the humans, hunger replacing satisfied lethargy.

“Stay behind me,” Ethan ordered, stepping forward.

The beasts charged as one, coordinated in their attack.

Bronze-rank at minimum.

Tiana gasped as Ethan’s aura flared—not the subtle pulse from before, but a silver cascade that momentarily blinded them.

The first monster reached him, claws extended for a killing strike.

Ethan sidestepped with liquid grace, one hand closing around the creature’s foreleg. With a casual twist that belied tremendous strength, he snapped bone like kindling. The beast howled, momentum carrying it past the group in a tumbling heap.

The second and third attackers hesitated fractionally, instinct recognising a superior predator.

That hesitation proved fatal.

Fire erupted from Ethan’s palm, a concentrated blast that caught the closest monster square in the chest. Flesh charred instantly, the smell of burning hair filling the square as the creature collapsed mid-stride.

The third beast—smarter than its companions—attempted retreat.

A wind blade shimmered into existence, catching sunlight as it sliced through the air. It struck with unerring accuracy, severing the fleeing monster’s spine at the base of its skull. Death was instantaneous, the creature dropping as if its strings had been cut.

Silence fell across the square, broken only by the whimpering of the first beast, still alive despite its shattered limb.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep