Almost simultaneously, a burst of frosty white light and chilling aura erupted from his side.

Glancing to the side, Shen Xue reacted swiftly, her sharp eyes drawing her sword to deflect the attacking eagle's claws. After parrying its attack, she used her strength to deflect it, and then delivered another swift strike, cleanly cleaving it in two.

"This is really a nice place."

[Frost Sword] glanced around, a bright smile blooming on her icy face. She released their clasped hands and swiftly joined the battle.

Holding the magic stone fragment under my tongue, I took a deep breath, letting the cool, moist sensation spread across my tongue, calming my slightly dizzy mind, and finally had the energy to check my surroundings.

This is the section of the city wall where I was this morning. Hundreds of city guards were fighting hand-to-hand with numerous demons that were scaling the vine wall. Brilliant magical light came from behind, supporting the fighters and weakening the demons. The thick stench of blood and filth mixed together, turning everything in sight into a scene of madness.

I couldn't find An Ran nearby, but through my senses that extended to the surrounding area, I could clearly perceive the constant pulsation of his meager magical power from the distant city wall, indicating that he was clearly engaged in a fierce battle.

He did just that, standing on the front lines when the crisis came.

The addition of [Frost Sword] effectively alleviated the pressure on this section of the city wall defense. The few slightly injured city guards around hurriedly bandaged their wounds that hadn't yet healed, and without time for sentimental thanks, they threw themselves back into the battle.

But this is just a drop in the ocean; even if I were to join in, it wouldn't amount to much.

Standing on high ground and gazing into the distance, stretching from the foot of the city wall to the horizon, the dark horde of monsters resembled a surging tide or a self-reproducing and spreading fungal carpet, invading every inch of space. A few birds even flew over the city wall and the ever-extending vines that tried to block them, attacking into the city.

It's really strange. Where did these monsters come from? Even the scavenging team that went out to scout early in the morning didn't notice them. It's as if they spontaneously avoided the scavenging team, escaping their notice. There's an eerie aura about them.

Even if dragons exist, it doesn't make sense.

Monsters don't possess much intelligence, and this becomes even more pronounced when they gather in groups.

Fortunately, I didn't see many people running around in panic within the city. Although there were many gruesome bloodstains on the ground, there weren't many corpses. The only people moving about in the streets and alleys were those wielding knives and guns, fiercely fighting against the monsters.

This is good news.

But that's not enough.

There needs to be something more decisive and authoritative.

I casually cleaved down a swarm of monsters that were trying to fly over me and around me. My gaze then shifted downwards to the shadows beneath my feet, lost in thought.

It's time to wake Sleeping Beauty up.