Chapter 161: Chaos Unleashed
The western district became a battlefield.
Steel collided with claws.
Magic exploded against flesh.
Screams echoed through the streets.
The invasion had begun.
"Hold the line!"
Taai's voice boomed across the battlefield.
A demon lunged toward him.
Taai stepped forward.
One punch.
The demon's chest caved in.
Before its body even hit the ground—
A monster charged from behind.
Taai twisted.
His elbow smashed into its skull.
CRACK.
The creature spun through the air and crashed into another monster.
"Third squad!"
"Protect the civilians!"
"Don't let them break through the intersections!"
Soldiers immediately obeyed.
"YES, SIR!"
Andrew ran.
He didn't stop.
Didn't slow down.
His scythe carved through monster after monster.
Heads flew.
Limbs scattered.
Every swing claimed another life.
A demon tried tackling him.
Andrew slammed the blunt end of his scythe into its jaw.
The creature flew into a nearby building.
He kept moving.
"...Outta my way."
Nothing survived standing in front of him.
Above—
The city walls roared.
Cannons fired.
Ballistae launched massive bolts.
Mage squads released coordinated spells.
Entire groups of monsters vanished beneath explosions.
For a moment—
It looked like Muscle City would hold.
Then—
Figures emerged from within the enemy ranks.
Humans.
Dozens of them.
Robes.
Masks.
Cultists.
They stopped just outside the range of the walls.
Magic circles bloomed beneath their feet.
One.
Five.
Ten.
Fifty.
The air trembled.
The lead cultist raised both hands.
The circles ignited.
Beams of crimson mana shot skyward.
Then curved.
Then crashed directly into the city's defensive towers.
BOOOOOOOM!!
One wall exploded.
Another collapsed.
A third lost every cannon positioned upon it.
The defenders screamed.
"They're targeting the defenses!"
Another barrage followed.
Stone rained into the streets below.
The western gate—
Already crippled—
Finally gave way.
The remaining barricades shattered.
Demons poured inside.
Monsters followed immediately after.
The city flooded with enemies.
Taai looked toward the breach.
"...Damn it."
He took one deep breath.
Then roared loudly enough for half the district to hear.
"EVERYONE WHO CAN FIGHT!"
"WITH ME!"
The response came instantly.
Blacksmiths picked up hammers.
Hunters drew bows.
Former soldiers grabbed forgotten weapons.
Even ordinary civilians stepped forward.
Not everyone ran.
Many chose to stand.
The western district became absolute chaos.
Battles erupted in every street.
Every rooftop.
Every alley.
Kai sprinted through the smoke.
Wind magic burst beneath his feet.
He drove his reinforced knuckle duster into a monster's jaw.
Another lunged.
Fire burst from his palm.
The creature staggered.
A nearby soldier finished it.
Kai kept moving.
A hybrid crashed through a nearby house.
Three guards were already struggling against it.
Kai joined them without hesitation.
The creature was stronger than ordinary monsters.
Its body...
Wrong.
Human muscle.
Monster flesh.
Magic Circuits glowing faintly beneath torn skin.
Together—
They finally brought it down.
Kai stepped closer.
Breathing heavily.
Then—
He froze.
The face.
Half of it remained human.
A little girl.
Her eyes were empty.
One side of her body had become monstrous.
The other...
Still looked human.
Recognition struck him instantly.
"..."
"...No..."
His breathing stopped.
Memories flooded back.
The Forest of Summoning.
A frightened little girl.
Holding flowers.
Smiling despite everything.
"Lily..."
Kai's voice barely escaped.
"..."
His fists trembled.
He couldn't move.
He couldn't look away.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
Slow.
Calm.
Completely out of place amidst the slaughter.
A familiar voice laughed softly.
"My..."
"What a beautiful sight."
Kai didn't turn.
He already knew.
Dr. Z walked through the battlefield as though he were taking a morning stroll.
Blood splattered across the streets.
Corpses surrounded him.
Yet his spotless white coat remained impossibly clean.
He stopped beside Kai.
Hands behind his back.
Looking proudly at the hybrid.
Then at Kai.
A wide smile spread across his face.
"Isn't it wonderful, Kai?"
"..."
"No response?"
Dr. Z chuckled.
"I suppose you're still processing it."
He gestured toward the girl's body.
"Thanks to you..."
"I achieved a massive leap in development."
His smile widened even further.
"It's all thanks to you, Kai."
Around them—
The city continued burning.
Soldiers screamed.
Demons roared.
Magic illuminated the sky.
Taai fought desperately to hold the line.
Andrew carved a path through the invading army.
The battle raged on.
Yet—
Kai heard none of it.
He stood frozen.
Silent.
Staring at the girl.
While Dr. Z smiled beside him.
As though this...
Had always been the plan.