Chapter 39: Raining Monsters
Meanwhile, far in the North, where the land stretched into cold plains and jagged ridges, a border town stood like a lone guardian against the unknown.
Its towering walls, built from thick stone reinforced with hardened mana-infused concrete, rose high above the ground, forming a barrier that had endured countless monster tides in the past.
The air was heavy.
Not with silence, but with noise.
Growls. Roars. Screeches.
The sound of monsters clashing echoed endlessly beyond the walls.
Dozens of creatures tore into each other in a chaotic frenzy, claws ripping flesh, fangs crushing bone, and bursts of mana erupting with each strike. It was a battlefield without order, without sides, where only the strongest remained standing.
On top of the walls, rows of archers in white uniforms stood ready, their bows drawn but not yet released.
They watched.
They waited.
They were trained not to act recklessly.
A man in a decorated white cloak, his voice firm and steady, stood behind them.
"Hold your positions!"
His command carried across the wall, cutting through the noise below.
"Do not waste arrows unless a monster approaches the perimeter!"
Another officer stepped forward, raising his hand.
"Archers! Maintain formation! Focus your aim! No unnecessary shots!"
The soldiers nodded, though some shifted their feet, unable to hide their impatience.
Below them, the monsters continued to slaughter each other.
A horned beast lunged at a massive wolf, only to be crushed by another creature that descended from above with terrifying force. Blood splattered across the ground. Mana particles scattered like dust in the air.
It was brutal.
Yet the soldiers did not move.
Until—
"Incoming!"
A shout rang out.
One of the monsters, its body covered in jagged scales, broke away from the chaos and charged toward the wall, its claws digging into the ground as it sprinted forward with terrifying speed.
"Archers!"
The officer’s voice roared.
"Fire!"
In an instant, dozens of bows were released.
Twang!
Twang!
Twang!
A rain of arrows shot down from above, each one glowing faintly with mana.
The creature let out a guttural roar as the arrows pierced its body, slowing it down but not stopping it.
"Second volley!"
The command came without hesitation.
Another wave of arrows followed, this time more precise, more focused.
One arrow pierced its eye.
Another struck deep into its throat.
The creature stumbled.
Then collapsed just meters away from the wall.
A heavy thud echoed as its body hit the ground.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—
"Hah!"
One of the archers laughed, lowering his bow.
"That was easy."
Another smirked.
"They’re weaker than usual."
A third chimed in, his voice filled with confidence.
"We could go down there and clean them up ourselves. Why are we even waiting?"
Several others nodded.
"Yeah, look at them. Killing each other like idiots."
"Free mana crystals just lying around."
"If we go down now, we could gather enough to last months."
Their voices grew louder, their confidence swelling.
"These things aren’t a threat."
"We’ve handled worse."
"They’re nothing."
Some even began shooting arrows casually, not out of necessity, but for amusement.
"Watch this."
One archer drew his bow and fired at a monster that wasn’t even near the wall.
The arrow struck its side.
It barely reacted.
"See? Too easy."
Laughter spread among them.
Even some of the officers frowned, though they did not immediately stop them.
But then—
Something changed.
At first, it was hard to notice.
The monsters that remained standing... were different.
Bigger.
Stronger.
The weaker ones had already been killed.
What remained were creatures with thicker hides, sharper claws, and heavier mana presence.
One of the soldiers squinted.
"Wait..."
Another frowned.
"They’re getting stronger."
The laughter slowly faded.
A massive beast, its body covered in dark fur and glowing veins of mana, roared as it tore apart another creature with a single bite.
The ground trembled beneath its weight.
And then—
A beam of light shot across the battlefield.
No one saw where it came from.
It moved too fast.
Too sudden.
BOOM!
The impact was immediate.
One of the archers on the wall screamed.
"Aaahhh!"
His helmet shattered.
His body was thrown backward, blood spraying into the air as he collapsed onto the stone floor.
Silence.
For a split second, everything stopped.
Then chaos erupted.
"Enemy attack!"
"Take cover!"
"What was that?!"
A loud bell began ringing from within the town.
Gong!
Gong!
Gong!
The deep sound echoed across the entire area, sending a wave of urgency through every soldier.
A voice, amplified by mana, resounded throughout the walls.
"Red alert! Red alert!"
"All personnel remain calm!"
"The monsters outside are evolving!"
"Maintain your positions and await further orders!"
The earlier confidence vanished completely.
The archers tightened their grips on their bows, their eyes now filled with tension.
Below, the battlefield had changed.
The creatures were no longer fighting blindly.
They moved with purpose.
With strength.
And something else... something far more dangerous.
Within the town, gates opened.
Heavy footsteps echoed as soldiers in white armor mounted their war horses, their expressions serious.
"Prepare for deployment!"
"Form defensive lines!"
"We engage only if necessary!"
The commanders moved quickly, issuing orders, organizing troops, trying to maintain control.
But even they could feel it.
This was not a normal tide.
This was something else.
Something wrong.
One soldier muttered under his breath.
"If we run... they’ll just follow."
Another nodded grimly.
"We hold the line here. No matter what."
The tension thickened.
Every man understood the weight of the situation.
And then—
A shadow passed overhead.
Someone looked up.
"What—"
BANG!
A massive creature fell from the sky.
It crashed onto the ground just outside the wall, its body limp, its eyes wide open, its mouth agape.
Dead.
The soldiers froze.
"What... is that?"
Before anyone could answer—
BANG!
Another one fell.
Then another.
And another.
Monsters began raining from the sky.
Some landed outside.
Some hit the walls.
Some even fell inside the town.
The sound of impact echoed repeatedly.
Boom!
Crash!
Thud!
Bodies splattered against stone.
Blood smeared across the walls.
The soldiers stepped back, their faces filled with shock.
"What is happening?!"
One archer stared at a creature that had landed near him.
Its body was torn.
Crushed.
As if something had punched through it.
Not clawed.
Not cut.
Not bitten.
Punched!
Hard!
His hands trembled.
"This... this isn’t normal..."
More monsters fell.
More bodies hit the ground.
It was as if something beyond the horizon was throwing them here.
Or worse.
Hunting them.
Then—
One of the archers narrowed his eyes.
"Wait..."
He leaned forward, gripping the edge of the wall as he tried to focus.
Far away.
Beyond the chaos.
Beyond the fallen bodies.
He saw it.
A figure.
Small.
Almost insignificant compared to the massive creatures around it.
"Do you see that?"
Another archer followed his gaze.
"What... is that?"
The figure stood still.
Facing a massive tiger-like beast.
The creature was enormous, its body rippling with power, its fangs gleaming, its eyes burning with feral rage.
It roared.
The ground trembled.
And then—
The figure moved.
No.
It did not even look like movement.
Just—
BOOM!
The tiger was sent flying.
Its massive body shot through the air like a broken doll.
It slammed into the wall.
CRACK!
The impact created visible fractures on the reinforced stone.
The entire wall shook.
Dust fell.
The soldiers staggered.
And the tiger—
It slid down slowly.
Dead.
Just like that.
Silence fell once more.
The archers stared, their eyes wide, their mouths slightly open.
One of them whispered, his voice barely audible.
"What... is that..."