William acted with the speed of a predator, his eyes flashing like thunder as the very air around him seemed to crackle with power.
Lightning surged around him in a wild frenzy, crackling through the air like a living entity, drawing all attention to him.
In an instant, he closed the distance between himself and the goblin, his Beast, Thunderfury, appearing right beside him with an otherworldly growl.
The power they emitted was overwhelming, so intense it seemed to set the very air on fire.
The winds howled, spiraling wildly as though they were afraid of the force that stood before them.
With a quick motion, William extended his arm, and in response, Thunderfury mirrored him, summoning a massive bolt of lightning.
The energy surged through the air, its speed breathtaking. It was as if time slowed, the very world around them pausing to witness the destructive force they unleashed.
Both lightning bolts collided in mid-air, converging on the goblin with terrifying accuracy.
The explosion that followed was deafening. A blinding light filled the battlefield as the goblin was consumed by the surge of energy.
When the light faded and the smoke cleared, the goblin lay still on the ground, lifeless, its charred body a testament to the power that had just been unleashed.
Alan watched in stunned silence, his hair whipping around in the wind. He bit his lip, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
His chest tightened as he realized the truth.
William and his Beast had effortlessly dispatched the goblin, annihilating it in a single, unified strike. But Alan? He had struggled just to make a dent.
He hadn't truly understood the magnitude of the difference between Tamer ranks until now.
Alan had always known that the strength of a Beast Tamer was determined by their rank, that higher-ranked Tamers were exponentially more powerful. But seeing it firsthand? It was a sobering reality.
"The difference between Tamer ranks…" Alan thought, his gaze lingering on William, who was now surrounded by arcs of lightning as if the very storm had become his companion. "It's massive."
He couldn't deny it any longer. No matter how hard he tried, Alan knew he wasn't on the same level as William — and perhaps not even close.
But there was no time to dwell on that now. The battle was far from over. The goblins were still coming, their numbers growing with every passing second.
Alan steadied himself, his breath coming in measured gasps as he prepared for the next wave.
But just as he began to focus, a scream pierced the air, sharp and raw, cutting through the chaos of the battle like a knife.
Alan and William both turned toward the sound.
The sight that greeted them sent a chill down Alan's spine.
A young female Tamer — one of the people who had been part of the group, the same girl who had tried speaking with him earlier — was caught in the merciless grip of a goblin.
Her desperate cries were suddenly cut off, silenced by the cruel blow of a goblin's baton, which came crashing down onto her.
Her body went limp, and her blood stained the ground as the goblin withdrew its weapon, the baton now dark with her life's blood.
Alan's heart skipped a beat as he processed what he had just witnessed. His breath caught in his throat.
'She's… dead?' The words seemed impossible to comprehend, and yet, the sight of her lifeless body on the ground confirmed the cruel truth.
These goblins weren't just mindless creatures — they were deadly, ruthless, and they had no hesitation when it came to killing.
For all their talk of survival and strength, for all the preparation they'd done for the raid, Alan hadn't truly believed things could end so violently, so suddenly.
But now, standing in the aftermath, it was impossible to deny.
They were all in danger.
The battlefield was no longer filled with the sounds of hopeful warriors charging into battle.
Instead, it was consumed by screams of terror and the sickening thuds of weapons landing on flesh.
"Nooo!" Another scream rang out. Alan turned his head sharply toward the sound, his heart pounding.
It was a young man, his blond hair flapping wildly as he ran across the field. He was clutching the green escape crystal tightly in his hand, his knuckles white with the pressure.
Desperation radiated from his face as he tried to activate the crystal, his panic palpable.
But the crimson energy that suffused the air seemed to push back against the crystal.
The young man's efforts were in vain, his attempts at escape thwarted by some invisible force.
His eyes grew wide with horror as he realized the truth: he wasn't going anywhere.
Alan's stomach twisted as he watched the goblin closing in. The creature was methodical, its movements slow but deliberate as it advanced toward the young man.
The goblin raised its sword high, its twisted grin a promise of violence.
"No… no, please!" The young man cried out, but his voice was lost in the wind, drowned out by the chaos.
With a brutal swing, the goblin's sword came down on him, slicing through his defenses with terrifying precision.
There was no hesitation, no mercy. The young man's body collapsed to the ground, lifeless before the echo of his scream could even fade from the air.
Alan's breath hitched. The reality of the situation slammed into him like a physical blow.
They were all in danger. It wasn't just about fighting anymore; it was about surviving.
Fear had settled over the group like a heavy fog. It wasn't the fear of the unknown — they had all known the risks.
No, it was the fear that they weren't prepared for the level of brutality the goblins could unleash.
The girl was dead. The young man was dead. They were just two among many, but their deaths felt like a warning, a reminder of how fragile they truly were. How easily anyone could be taken from this world.
Alan clenched his fists again, the pain in his chest threatening to overwhelm him.
He had believed in his team, believed that their combined strength could carry them through. But now, he wasn't sure.
The only thing that mattered now was survival. Their survival.