Kino turned his face towards Paladin, his expression calm yet resolute. "Very well," he said, "now, you and everyone else have but one task—survive. Endure until the very end, and I assure you, the rewards will be worthy of your efforts."
Lugo let out a long, primal battle roar, his voice filled with eager anticipation. "I can't wait any longer!"
Before Paladin could speak, a sudden realization struck him, and he gasped, "Behind—"
In a mere 0.12 seconds, Kino spun gracefully, his tungsten steel dagger slicing through the air with deadly precision.
"Thwip!" A shadowy beast that had attempted a surprise attack from the darkness found its throat severed, its massive body freezing in place.
While a normal person would succumb to a throat wound in mere seconds, the vitality of the infected beast was astounding. Its muscles swelled with blood, and in the twisted, guttural sound of torn vocal cords, it charged forward, smashing through the mercenaries' shield wall like a battering ram, heading straight for Kino.
Kino deftly avoided the beast's attack, but as he moved, his gaze suddenly hardened.
Not far off, Danu Ulle seized the opportunity, his bowstring pulled tight, aiming at Kino's retreating path. His eyes gleamed with the cold ferocity of a wolf.
Kino, now midair, had no means to alter his course. The beast's claws and Danu Ulle's arrows both posed imminent threats to his life.
Should he deflect the arrow with his dagger, the beast's claws would tear him apart; should he block the claws, the arrow would pierce him.
In that critical moment, Kino extended his dagger, its blade cutting through the air like a gale.
"Whoosh—" Danu Ulle immediately released the arrow.
"Clink!" The sound of dagger meeting claw echoed sharply, filling the air with a buzzing noise that rang in his ears.
Kino, with flawless precision, not only parried the beast's claws but also harnessed the force of the strike to twist his body in midair, evading the deadly arrow by mere inches.
Upon landing, Kino faced the beast once more, the two locked in a brutal struggle.
Were it a one-on-one battle, Kino could have slain the beast in mere moments. But with Danu Ulle's arrows threatening from the sidelines, his movements were severely constrained, each step a precarious dance upon the edge of a blade.
After several rounds of combat, Kino found himself with no room to maneuver, forced to meet the beast head-on in a clash of raw strength.
The outcome was inevitable. Despite Kino's superior physical capabilities as one of the finest processors, and his body honed to the peak of human limits, he was still just a man—a freshly minted Reject, constrained by the frailties of his mortal form. His strength could not match that of the beast.
The beast overpowered him, knocking him to the ground and snarling as it bared its fangs, preparing to strike at his exposed neck.
The others attempted to intervene, but the chaos of the battlefield and the relentless assault by marauders made it impossible for them to reach him. All they could do was watch helplessly as Kino was pinned beneath the beast.
Just as the beast's jaws closed in on Kino's throat, a sudden shift occurred.
"Thwip!" A massive claw tore through the beast's skull from the side, and with a resounding roar, the creature was sent flying through the air in a graceful arc, crashing heavily to the ground, where it lay twitching before finally falling still.
The orange glow of the fire revealed the figure that had arrived.
Ramos, cradling Luca in his arms, his right arm transformed by beastly power and dripping with the infected beast's blood, locked eyes with Kino, his voice low and steady. "I owe you nothing now, Administrator."
Lugo and the others fought their way through the chaos, using their shields to block Danu Ulle's arrows, and helped Kino to his feet, keeping a wary eye on Ramos.
Ramos said nothing, clutching his daughter tighter as he sprinted westward, intent on fleeing the ravaged town.
Luca peeked out from her father's arms, clutching the silver moon pendant hanging from her neck, and cried out in her soft voice, "Sir! Thank you for your help! You must survive!"
"Kino," Ramos said suddenly, his gaze lingering on him for a moment. "North."
Kino's voice was calm but unwavering. "Head north."
The western side of the town was a wide, straight road, heavily populated with fleeing civilians—an obvious target for the marauders. The north, however, was a desolate mountain range, where cavalry would struggle to travel.
Ramos nodded understandingly, altering his course towards the north.
The town of Shilin was in utter chaos—infected beasts slaughtered the civilians, while the marauders attacked both the beasts and the townspeople in turn. The scene was a violent and bloody spectacle, a clash of madness and survival.
The appearance of the infected beasts had shifted the balance of the battle, alleviating some of the pressure on Kino's group. Yet, the infected creatures were few, and the marauders still held the upper hand, their savage nature and unrelenting spirit ensuring they would not flee in the face of the beasts. Instead, they fought with even greater ferocity.
Soon, a new force would tip the scales once more.
"Whoosh—Ah!!!" The sound of the burning desert flames consuming the city walls was followed by the collapse of the structure. Through the billowing clouds of ash and dust, a towering, 4-meter-high creature burst through the breach, carrying a figure whose size rivaled that of the beast itself.
Paladin immediately recognized the creature, exclaiming in shock, "Earthdrake!!!"
The Earthdrake, a subspecies of dragon, lacked the mental influence of a true dragon, the molten fire breath, or the majestic wings of its kind. But it inherited the ancient dragon's immense physical strength, its tough hide impervious to weapons, its weight reaching tens of tons—a true heavy assault unit.
Such creatures were a rarity even in the armies of the Dugalands or the Eastern Empire, each one a formidable elite capable of turning the tide of battle.
To see one here, ridden by a marauder, was an unexpected twist.
The Earthdrake had avoided the fray until now, likely because it could not match the speed of the marauders' horses.
The marauder riding the beast stood over 3 meters tall, his physique unmistakably infused with giant blood. His arms were as thick as a grown man's waist, and despite his corpulent form, the muscles beneath were still visible, a testament to his terrifying battle potential.
Danu Ulle looked at him, raising his saber and shouting, "Dangu, my brother, let loose!"
Dangu stuffed a handful of salt crystals into his mouth, glaring fiercely as he urged the Earthdrake into the heart of the infected beasts' ranks. With a massive, custom-made cleaver in hand, he swung it through the air, cutting down three beasts with a single arc—not severing, but shattering them with sheer force.
The Earthdrake's strength far surpassed that of its rider, its thick hide shrugging off the beasts' claws. Its bloodline, thin though it may be, was still enough to make it immune to the infection, rendering the beasts' venom ineffective.
At first, the Earthdrake paid no attention to the beasts. But as they became increasingly bothersome, it finally snapped, its massive jaws biting down on one, crushing it in mere moments, its blood and saliva dripping from its fangs as it tore the creature apart.
Dangu, now resembling a god of war, cleaved through beasts one after another. Growing bored of his cleaver, he discarded it and began tearing the beasts apart with his bare hands, his bloodlust growing with each kill.
The bodies of the fallen beasts quickly piled around him, though their lack of fear prevented the soldiers' morale from collapsing. In a normal army, such carnage would have shattered their spirits long ago.
As Dangu continued his massacre, a crossbow bolt suddenly whizzed through the air, striking him in the heart.
He glanced at the distant figure of the mercenary, who was staring in disbelief, his hand still gripping the empty crossbow.
Dangu picked up the corpse of an infected beast and, his muscles swelling with strength, hurled it at the mercenary with terrifying force.
The impact of the flying corpse compressed the air, sending ripples through the surrounding space, and the temperature around it spiked from the friction.
"Boom—" The mercenary was struck by the massive projectile, his body crushed and twisted. His spine and organs shattered into fragments as he was sent skidding across the ground, leaving a trail of blood and gore in his wake.
Because of the sheer force of the impact, his brain had been destroyed in the moment of contact, sparing him from any pain—a small mercy in the midst of such tragedy.
Lugo looked at the grotesque scene of his fallen comrade and then turned his gaze to Dangu, who nonchalantly pulled the crossbow bolt from his chest. "Damn it," he muttered, "this guy is too thick-skinned! The crossbow didn't even pierce his fat!"
Another mercenary, trembling, whispered, "We have to retreat... fighting him is suicide!"
"Cover him with archers!" Amid the wavering resolve, Kino, holding his tungsten steel dagger, stepped forward, its blade glinting coldly in the firelight.
Seeing Kino walk toward Dangu alone, Lugo quickly tried to stop him. "Your weapon's too short! It won't reach him!"
Before Lugo could move further, he was grabbed by Paladin.
Paladin's eyes locked onto Kino's back, his gaze intense, as if flames burned within him. His voice was filled with fervor. "Watch closely. Learn well!"