Only a few slight tremors caused by the rushing force could be heard on the distant horizon, but they were no longer numerous. Only a handful of monsters remained, like remnants of a defeated army, who had not yet realized what had happened, or who, even if they had, could not control their bloodlust.
Everything was quiet. People looked around blankly at the faces that were also stained with blood. They gripped their weapons tightly involuntarily and even tried to control their breathing, fearing that this was just a momentary pause by the monster with little brain capacity, trying to lure them into lowering their guard.
After a brief pause, a thunderous roar, like a deafening explosion, slowly approached from afar. Immediately following was the sound of countless pieces of corpses, broken horizontally in two from the center, falling straight to the ground, falling like rain.
Only then did everyone dare to believe that the beast tide before them had indeed been cut off by the sudden black light, and that they had gained hard-won time to prepare for the next wave of attack.
There was little cheering. Sensing that the offensive had paused slightly, the rescue teams quickly darted between the city walls and streets, providing necessary treatment and bandaging to every wounded person in need. Those with minor injuries only needed to be given essential water and gauze, while the seriously injured were carried away for emergency treatment.
The cooked porridge and dry rations were handed out to each participant in the battle. Even An, who had originally intended to retreat back into the shadows to rest, was attracted and drank a bowl before sinking back into the shadow space, curling up, squinting sleepily, and slowly munching on a small piece of coarse bread in his hands.
"That's... [Darkness]?"
A few drops of blood stained the side of her trouser leg. She casually flicked the blood off the blade and approached with a curious expression. She was inhaling a packet of stamina potion, peering curiously into the shadows behind me, her face flushed with an unnatural excitement. She had clearly also seen the scene that had darkened into my shadow.
“I never imagined that the [Dawn] of all that I’ve been searching for was actually hidden in your shadow. I really misjudged you.” She looked me up and down with a newfound respect, clearly having figured something out, and clicked her tongue in admiration. “No wonder that girl kept staring at what was behind you. It turns out there was something to it.”
I... I could only manage an awkward but polite smile.
I can't exactly tell her that I only recently found out about this myself, can I? That would sound like an admission of defeat.
However, An seemed to have heard the other party talking about him, and half of his head emerged from my shadow, chewing on the coarse bread he was holding in his mouth while waving amicably to the eager [Frost Sword].
Fortunately, Shen Xue understood that the current situation was not suitable. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, which suppressed the flames of war that had already scorched through the translucent icy shell deep within her pupils.
The horde of beasts, like a black tide, continued to approach from afar, bringing with it furious roars. A few, rushing too fast and unable to stop, were unfortunately tripped by the chaotic pile of beast carcasses, becoming stepping stones for those who followed. The majority, however, continued to recklessly advance towards the blood-stained city wall, determined to tear a piece of flesh from the enemy before them, even at the cost of their lives.
Judging by the time, the sanitation team members who left the city earlier should be returning soon.
Faced with the approaching beast tide, the people who had rested briefly returned to their original positions and engaged the birds that had arrived first; a few mages whose magic power was nearing exhaustion were escorted by several skilled city guards to the nearest safe zone; on the other side, the city lord, who had just retreated from the battle, was surrounded by a group of attendants in high-grade armor as he headed towards the temporary battle analysis office not far away. His face, behind his helmet, was furrowed, as if he had encountered some troublesome matter.
I was indeed curious about what problem had arisen. After all, judging from the beast tide just now, while it had kept the city's defenders busy, it was far from a crisis capable of destroying the city. However, since the city lord, An Ran, had chosen to ring the alchemical bell to summon all his subordinates back, he must have had his reasons.
I was genuinely curious about the reason, yet a certain intuition warned me against trying to get close to or explore what lay behind that secret.
Otherwise, everything before us will perish.
However, the course of events is often beyond human control.
Just as I turned my gaze away, preparing to look at the approaching black line in the distance, An Ran, who was walking by not far away, seemed to notice my presence. Her expression paused slightly, and then a hint of cheerfulness appeared from her serious and gloomy look. Ignoring the momentary surprise on the faces of those around her, she lifted her foot and walked over to me.
"Mr. Yumi? Didn't you go out of town to participate in the cleanup? When did you come back?"
He tucked his blood-stained helmet under his left arm, raised his right hand slightly, and strode over while greeting me. Behind him, the elderly Mage Mor looked helpless and stumbled along, raising his hand as if to dissuade him.
Something just doesn't feel right.
My heart skipped a beat, and as I stared at the scene before me, my breath hitched slightly when I noticed a certain detail:
— Right behind An Ran, the crowd that had been saving him and surrounding him fell half a step or a full body length behind because of An Ran's sudden acceleration. Their expressions, which were originally full of helplessness and unspoken words, were suddenly tinged with astonishment and surprise, as if they had seen something unbelievable.
Subtle magical fluctuations emanated from nearby, followed by a massive tremor rapidly approaching from beneath one's feet.
Due to the sudden tremor, An Ran stumbled and took a few steps forward to try to steady herself, but was then pushed from behind by Mo Er, who was also stumbling and bumping into her. Her pupils contracted in astonishment.
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