Kaia’s voice was frantic. “We’ve got FOUR level five mutants behind us! If you don’t open the gate now, they’ll be right under walls!”

Up above, Jude heard the same distant roars—he knew the beasts were close. But instead of panicking, his heart surged with twisted satisfaction.

Perfect.

He’d been struggling to figure out how to deny them entry without seeming suspicious. But now? Now he had an excuse handed to him on a silver platter.

Jude raised his voice again, his tone cold and authoritarian. “Then it’s even more impossible to open the gate now. I suspect you lured those beasts here yourselves!”

“You want us to put the entire city at risk? If I open that gate and they get through, who do you think will take the blame?!”

“You piece of shit!” Kaia screamed, trembling with rage.

Millers was seething, spitting curses like bullets. “I swear to God—if I survive this, I’ll rip your fucking face off!"

Jude didn’t flinch. In fact, he wanted the beasts to get closer. Let them die out there—problem solved.

“Captain... it’s too late!” Kaia’s voice cracked.

Everyone turned, their blood freezing.

Five massive figures barreled through the dust and chaos. Each one easily over ten meters tall—snarling, stomping, radiating bloodlust.

Level five beasts.

Axel’s heart dropped.

Even with Vince at full strength, even with Axel’s new power, even if Phoenix weren’t badly wounded—it’d still be a long shot to survive this. In their current condition? They’d never last.

Kaia turned pale. “If that gate doesn’t open, we’re dead.”

Axel gritted his teeth. “Wesley, where the hell are you?!”

He had anticipated problems at the city wall. That’s why he’d messaged Wesley ahead of time. But this—He hadn’t planned for this.

And now, time was running out.

The ground shook.

The thunderous roar of mutant beasts echoed behind them, each step like a hammer pounding into the earth. Dust billowed up, and the wind grew thick with the scent of death.

Vince took a deep breath and turned toward the threat, the steel in his eyes hardened with resolve.

Rosaline’s gaze never left the top of the city wall. Her eyes locked onto Jude and Cody, burning with fury. “Fine. Remember this moment..”

The team turned their backs to the gate and readied themselves for the final fight.

......

“Why the hell aren’t we opening the gate?!”

Platoon Leader Troy, who had been holding back for too long, finally snapped. His voice roared across the battlements. “That’s Vince down there! That’s Captain Vince! Beast kings are the only mutants capable of taking on human form! If they were fakes, we’d already be dead!”

His eyes were bloodshot with rage.

“Shut up, Troy!” his direct superior hissed.

But it was too late. Cody and Jude had already turned, their cold glares searing into Troy’s memory.

He didn’t care. The cold in his chest only stoked the fire in his gut.

“Those people down there are heroes of Drakenfall. And you’re gonna stand here and watch them die?!”

His shout echoed into stunned silence. The guards around him lowered their heads, ashamed. No one spoke. No one moved.

......

“I guess this is how it ends,” Millers muttered, exhaling as he prepared his last spell. “Axel… if we both survive hell, I’m dragging your ass to a bar. And we’re picking up some goddamn girls.”

Axel didn’t laugh.

Vince unsheathed his sword, and Kaia's hands trembled as she summoned her last reserve of force.

“Goddammit,” Axel whispered, his eyes locked on Jude—who looked right back at him, cold and expressionless.

The mutant beasts were less than a kilometer away now.

That’s when something strange happened.

All at once, the level 5 mutant beasts slowed. Their howls quieted. Then—like a pack reacting to an unseen signal—they turned and bolted in another direction.

“What the hell...?” Vince blinked.

Axel followed their movement—and froze.

Killian.

Far ahead, the small figure of the boy stumbled through the dust and chaos, arms full of glass bottles.

Axel’s chest tightened.

Energy Fruit.

Killian was tossing bottles one by one, the sweet, potent scent flooding the air. The beasts went berserk, chasing the smell like starving addicts. The boy ran in the opposite direction of the city wall, luring them away.

A memory hit Axel like a bullet.

“No mutant beast can resist the smell of Energy Fruit... If you’re in danger, open the bottle. Throw it away. Then run.”

“Killian!!”

Axel’s scream ripped through the air, but it was already too late.

“Open the gate!”

A massive sound rang out behind them. The gate to the city was suddenly wrenched open by brute force.

“The gate! Someone opened the goddamn gate!” Millers shouted.

The defenders turned, stunned.

Cody and Jude’s faces turned from red to white in an instant.

“Who the hell told you to open it?! Shut it down! Shut it down now!” Jude roared.

But it was too late.

.......

Outside the gate, one of the beasts was already less than 500 meters from Killian. Axel didn’t think—he ran.

But a massive arm slammed into his chest, stopping him.

“GO!” a deep voice barked. Wesley.

“Wesley, let go! I have to go to him!”

“You can’t.” Wesley’s voice cracked, but his grip held.

“LET ME GO!”

“No! You go back, Axel!” Wesley dragged him toward the gate, forcing him through with one arm while signaling the rest of the team to move.

Kaia, Vince, Rosaline, and the others burst through the gate, finally back inside.

Axel turned just in time to see the gate closing—Killian still outside.

Dust exploded across the field, swallowing the boy in a storm of shadows. And then—silence.

Axel could barely breathe.

He remembered the last thing Killian said to him, voice quiet, but smiling:

“Axel… don’t forget to eat the Energy Fruit.”

The gate locked shut. The city shield activated with a deep mechanical hum.

Dozens of heavy energy cannons moved into position, targeting the beasts that had nearly reached the city.

The mutant beasts, their hunger briefly sated, sensed danger and retreated—disappearing back into the Mirabelle Mountains.

......

Wesley was just about to greet Vince and the others—dusty and exhausted—when Axel suddenly bolted.

“I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!”

Axel’s voice cracked like a whip through the air, eyes bloodshot, his rage explosive and primal. He shot up the side of the city wall like a gecko, fingers digging into the stone with terrifying speed.

“Axel—what are you doing?!” Jude’s face twisted in confusion and fear.

But Axel didn’t answer. He reached the top and slammed a fist into Jude’s bloated face.

**CRACK.**

Jude flew backward, blood and teeth spraying from his mouth as he hit the stone floor with a thud.

“You… you crazy bastard!” Jude sputtered, barely able to speak as blood poured from his mouth. “I’m the fucking mayor! You—!”

“Shut up and DIE!”

Axel descended like a storm. Another punch landed squarely on Jude’s cheekbone with a dull, wet crunch. His nose caved. His face was unrecognizable.

“Axel! Stop!” Cody shouted in panic, stepping forward, trying to regain control.

Axel turned to him, his voice a growl. “Get the fuck out of my way!”

Cody raised his arms in time before Axel’s punch collided with his hand. Bone shattered. Cody screamed and fell back, clutching his limp wrist.

“Jesus Christ—what the hell is he?!” Cody’s face turned sheet white as he watched Axel continue to pound Jude into the ground.

Guards surged forward at Cody’s command. “Protect the mayor! Take him down!”

But Axel exploded with force.

“STAY BACK!”

A wave of blazing, blue force erupted from his body—like fire made of energy—washing over the guards like a tsunami. The front row dropped to their knees instantly, howling in pain as the pressure crushed them to the ground.

Wesley pushed his way through the chaos, face grim. He reached Axel and grabbed his fist mid-swing.

“That’s enough, Axel,” he said, voice hard. “If you keep going, he’s going to die.”