Chapter 39: Ranks IV and V

The moon shone with a cold intensity in the clear, starless sky, a sky that seemed too clean for the carnage unfolding below.

The city of Arkham was in chaos.

The lightning wolves had already breached the outer walls. They were scattering through the streets, leaving behind shattered doors, broken windows, and bodies that just minutes before had been walking unsuspectingly.

Blue sparks crackled between their fangs.

The knights moved in all directions, organizing improvised lines, protecting alleys, and forming small human shields to allow civilians to evacuate. Their swords came down again and again, cutting down the beasts that, though wild by nature, now acted as if obeying a higher will.

Because they did.

In the distance, atop the roof of a partially collapsed structure, the V-ranked Great Lightning Wolf watched.

Several corpses began to stain the streets that were once red with life.

“Quick! Head south to provide support and prevent further casualties! Don’t delay, reinforcements are on their way!”

“The northern area is also under attack! A rank IV Silver Troll is leading another pack!”

“Damn it! Groups three and five, north! Try to stabilize the situation!”

The orders collided in the smoke- and dust-filled air.

Then, as if the night weren’t already bad enough, the silver trolls burst in from the north, huge silhouettes covered in metallic gray fur that reflected the moonlight. Every step they took made the cobblestones tremble.

The defensive line began to fracture.

The chaos could no longer be contained.

It became overwhelming.

The only sound that filled the air was the screams of civilians… mixed with the crunching of bones, the roar of beasts, and the desperate clash of iron against hardened flesh.

Blood ran through the streets as if the city itself were bleeding.

…

In a makeshift command center, Adam stood before the central table. He wore his silver plate armor, polished but marked by the dust of the battlefield. The light from the torches reflected off the metal, casting harsh shadows across his face.

He looked at each face present.

All were shadowed.

“What is the current situation?”

“Young master… the situation is worsening.”

The knight stepped forward and pointed to the map spread out on the table. Several red lines crisscrossed the territory like open wounds.

“A rank V monster has appeared on the southern wall. In the northern area… a rank IV.”

Ranks IV and V.

The silence grew heavy.

Adam’s expression hardened slightly, but just enough. The destruction of Arkham was closer than ever. The appearance of creatures of that level was not a mere incident: it was a death sentence.

These were not enemies that sheer numbers could defeat.

With every passing minute, the pressure increased. Any hasty decision could lead to the total collapse of the defenses.

Damn… our hands are tied.

They couldn’t mobilize all their forces. Not while there was a chance that Kamelot or Aragon would take advantage of the situation to attack and devour what remained of the territory.

Showing weakness would be tantamount to signing their own death warrant.

Arkham couldn’t hesitate.

And neither did Adam.

He began tapping his finger on the table, and the sharp, steady sound eventually filled the room’s silence.

He thought quickly, but every option that crossed his mind was dismissed almost immediately. It wasn’t enough to act; acting without calculation would only precipitate disaster.

He needed a sensible decision, one that would buy time without leaving his most vulnerable flanks unprotected.

After nearly a minute of tense internal deliberation, his finger struck the surface harder than necessary. The sound caused several of those present to look up.

Adam exhaled slowly before speaking, as if by releasing the air he was also releasing his doubt.

“We will send reinforcements to the most dangerous areas. Alaric will go to the north, and Lucas will cover the south. I will also provide support. We must hold out as long as possible; if we can get help against the rank V monster, that will be our victory.”

The silence that followed was not one of surprise, but of understanding.

Everyone understood what that meant.

…

Riding his horse at high speed, Adam watched people running through the streets like headless chickens.

He was heading south of the city to provide support, where the great V-rank lightning wolf was located.

As they advanced, the corpses of lightning wolves and people grew in number; in the air, the screams and cries of children clinging to the lifeless bodies of their parents could be heard… or what was left of some of them.

Until they finally reached the place where the knights were fighting the lightning wolves, trying to hold out as long as possible.

Adam lunged forward, enveloped in mana, and with each step, black petals began to form around him, swirling like fragments of a withered flower caught in a gale.

He moved like a whirlwind through the enemy ranks, and in a matter of seconds, five lightning wolves fell, pierced through before they even understood what had struck them.

After eliminating most of the beasts pressing on the flank, he halted his advance and addressed the leader of the soldiers. His breathing was steady.

“What’s the situation?”

Carter, captain of the group of soldiers, replied without hesitation, even though sweat was running down his temple.

“It’s very precarious. The V-rank lightning wolf hasn’t intervened directly yet. It’s just sending its pack to wear us down.”

Adam looked away toward the section of the wall that had been reduced to rubble. Beyond it, amid the chaos, he spotted Lucas fighting on the front lines, surrounded by a relentless swarm of Rank I and II monsters.

Thoughts began to form in his mind with calculated speed. If the rank V still hadn’t moved, it meant it was waiting.

Adam gave a series of brief, precise orders before withdrawing from the sector. He couldn’t afford to stay in one place for too long.

He could only hope that neither of the two monsters, ranked V and IV, would make a move.

Because that would mean the destruction of Arkham.

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