Chapter 65: Regenerating Monsters!
"Aye, sir!"
At the command, every Sentinel immediately moved into position. Their previous formation dissolved in an instant, only to be replaced by something far more organized. Their movements were practiced and coordinated as they spread out across the battlefield and formed a wall-like formation around the monsters. One by one, they took their designated positions until the Sentinels stood shoulder to shoulder, creating a complete defensive circle that left the monsters trapped within its center.
Commander Zarek raised his weapon, his eyes fixed on the monsters struggling against the formation.
"Fire!"
The next moment, the Sentinels released their attacks simultaneously.
Countless blasts of spiritual energy erupted from their weapons at once, the attacks merging together in perfect synchronization as they formed a massive barrier around the monsters. The translucent wall of spiritual energy rose from the ground and curved over the battlefield, completely sealing the monsters inside while leaving no obvious opening for them to escape.
The Monster Barrier Locking Formation was one of the academy and Sentinel Response Unit’s more advanced formations, designed specifically to trap large groups of monsters while allowing coordinated attacks to pass through the barrier without destroying it.
And it worked.
"Fire!"
At his command, powerful blasts shot through the barrier simultaneously, tearing through the trapped monsters and exploding against their bodies. The monsters immediately slammed against it. Their claws struck the barrier with enough force to shake the entire formation, but the spiritual wall remained intact.
Ethan’s eyes widened slightly.
So this was the Monster Barrier Locking Formation. This was how it worked!
"Another Eight-shot assault!" Zarek shouted.
Immediately eight powerful blasts of condensed spiritual energy were fired into the barrier almost simultaneously.
Unlike the earlier attacks, these shots passed through the barrier without damaging it, piercing straight through the monsters trapped within.
One monster was struck directly in the chest.
Another lost its head.
Another was pierced through its abdomen.
The battlefield suddenly became filled with the deafening sounds of explosions and monstrous shrieks as the attacks tore through the creatures one after another.
For the first time since the monsters had regenerated, they began falling faster than they could attack.
One after another, their bodies collapsed against the ground.
The advanced formation was working.
It was actually working.
A wave of relief spread through the Guides watching from behind the formation, and even some of the Sentinels who had been fighting moments ago visibly relaxed as they realized they were finally gaining control over the situation.
"We’ve got them!"
"They can’t get through!"
"Keep firing!"
Another barrage of spiritual attacks tore through the barrier.
More monsters fell.
If they could maintain this formation, perhaps they could actually suppress the situation before the monsters overwhelmed them completely.
The next moment, a roar came from the Rift.
It was deeper than the previous ones. This time it was louder.
And somehow, it felt as though the entire battlefield trembled beneath it.
Ethan’s expression changed immediately.
The monsters that had been struggling moments ago suddenly stopped moving.
Then their bodies began to change.
Their muscles expanded unnaturally, their bodies swelling as their spiritual energy surged violently around them. Their claws lengthened, their movements became faster, and the pressure radiating from their bodies increased so rapidly that Ethan could practically feel it from where he stood.
"What the hell...?"
The monsters slammed against the barrier.
Once.
Twice.
Then again.
The entire formation shook.
The Sentinels holding the barrier gritted their teeth as they struggled to maintain their positions, but the monsters had become far stronger than they had been only moments ago.
And then Ethan saw something that made his eyes widen. Just like before, a monster that had already been killed was lying motionless on the ground. But suddenly its twitched and again the corpse began regenerating.
Within moments, the monsters they had already killed were returning to life one after another, their newly regenerated bodies radiating even greater spiritual energy than before.
"Impossible! It still happened again?" someone shouted.
The barrier trembled violently.
Then—
CRACK!
A fracture appeared across its surface.
Every Sentinel maintaining the formation stiffened.
"Hold the formation!" Commander Zarek roared.
But it was already too late.
Another monstrous roar erupted from the Rift, and the monsters surged forward with renewed strength, slamming into the barrier with enough force to send cracks racing across its surface.
With a BOOM!
The barrier shattered.
The explosion of spiritual energy sent several Sentinels stumbling backward as the monsters burst through the broken formation and charged directly into them.
Chaos erupted once again.
Monsters crashed into Sentinels from every direction, claws tearing through defensive armour as weapons collided with monstrous bodies. Guides desperately rushed to stabilize injured Sentinels before they could lose control, while the remaining fighters struggled to prevent the monsters from breaking completely through their lines.
And every time another growl came from the Rift, the monsters became stronger.
Ethan’s eyes kept moving between the battlefield and the enormous Rift standing behind it.
Something was wrong.
This wasn’t normal monster behavior.
The monsters weren’t simply becoming stronger on their own.
They were responding to something. Every roar from the Rift was followed by an increase in their power.
Every roar caused the dead to return and pushed them beyond the limits they had displayed before.
Ethan watched another monster tear through a Sentinel’s defence before being struck down by a concentrated blast, only for its body to begin regenerating moments later.
His eyes shifted toward the Rift again.
The dark opening remained there, unnaturally still despite the chaos surrounding it, as though whatever was inside had no intention of leaving.
It was simply watching and controlling everything from within.
Ethan’s mind suddenly connected the pieces.
Wait... I got it!
The realization hit him so suddenly that he almost forgot about the battle happening around him.
The main thing controlling these monsters and giving them power was in there... Inside the Rift.
Another roar thundered from within. The monsters screamed and surged forward again.
Ethan’s heart pounded as the answer became painfully obvious.
If they wanted to defeat these monsters... then they had to tackle the source of their power first.
Which meant there was only one possible solution.
They had to enter the Rift.