CHAPTER 58: WAVE OF BEASTS

The night, once filled with nocturnal silence and the smell of food from restaurants.

Now it was heavy with the smell of iron, smoke, and a palpable panic.

Kyrian and Yanyu ran through the main street, dodging those who were running in the opposite direction. Screams of despair and the sound of bestial growls echoed from outside the city, creating a symphony of chaos.

As they approached the main gate, the scale of things became clear. The stone wall, which had always seemed impenetrable, now swarmed with desperate activity.

Men and women shot arrows into the darkness. Their cries of determination turned into terrified screams as enormous shadows dove from the sky.

Ripping those on the wall away with claws as sharp as blades. The darkness of night was the greatest ally of the flying beasts, making them appear like murderous wraiths.

The reinforced wooden gate groaned and trembled under the impact of brutal charges from the outside. Cracks were already forming on its surface, and it was only a matter of time before the gate gave way.

At the foot of the wall, a group stood out by the strength it emanated. The patriarch of the Mu family, with a face shadowed by concern, was speaking with two other men of equally imposing appearances.

They were the heads of the Li and Cheng families, the other two families that ruled the city.

"Uncle!" Yanyu shouted, running toward him. Kyrian followed close behind, his eyes quickly analyzing the scene. The gate and the threat in the skies.

Patriarch Mu turned, and upon seeing the two, let out a sigh.

"Yanyu, Kyrian, you’re here."

"What’s happening? How is it this bad?" Yanyu asked, slightly breathless.

"The wave appeared out of nowhere. And not just any wave of beasts. Simply the largest in years." The patriarch answered, his deep voice laden with frustration.

"There was no warning, no sign of migration, no agitation in the nearby forests. They simply appeared all of a sudden."

"We closed the gate in time, but... we weren’t prepared. We’re gathering everyone who can fight to defend the city. With you here, all the Mu family are present."

As Patriarch Mu spoke, a man approached the group. He was short, shorter than all those present. But the pressure he emanated was a level above everyone else, including the family patriarchs.

Kyrian sensed it immediately, this man seemed to be in the realm of Qi Liberation, but most likely above the 3° stage.

Behind him, marching with loose discipline, were hundreds of mercenaries. At the front of the mercenaries, with a serious and worried expression, was the receptionist of the Mercenary Guild, the one who always attended to Kyrian.

The short man arrived with a frown and then, without ceremony, spoke.

"Patriarch Mu, Li, Chen, the situation is worse than I thought. The gate won’t last more than ten minutes."

"Master Liu," Patriarch Mu greeted with a respectful nod. "We’ll need your strength once again."

Leader Liu nodded, turned to the mass of mercenaries, and with his voice amplified by Qi, shouted, cutting through the noise of the beasts like thunder.

"Listen up, all of you! The city is under our care! Fight with everything you have, kill these filthy beasts, and the Mercenary Guild will ensure each of you receives rewards worth the blood you shed!"

"Now, defend the city!"

A collective roar arose from the mercenaries, their weapons raised in response. Morale rose momentarily.

The guild master, Liu, then turned back to the patriarchs. His voice dropped again, but it seemed urgent.

"The biggest problem isn’t the gate. It’s the damned birds. The darkness hides them. The archers are being cut down like flies."

"Without vision, we can’t hit them precisely. If this continues and we don’t deal with them, the wall will fall from above and not below."

It was at that moment Kyrian intervened. His voice was calm. A striking contrast to the surrounding tension.

"I can take care of the flying beasts."

Master Liu turned, hearing the young voice interrupting him.

"Who...?" he said, slightly irritated by the interruption.

But his words died when his eyes met Kyrian’s.

The darkness did not hide the sky-blue, and the snowflake-shaped irises, almost tangible, floated over pupils that seemed to see through the night.

Immediately he recognized him, surprised.

"You... you are that Kyrian, aren’t you?"

The mention of the name caused a sudden silence to fall over the small group of leaders. Patriarchs Li and Chen stared fixedly at Kyrian.

Then, murmurs arose.

"The rumors were really true."

"The boy with a special physique who was living in the Mu family mansion."

Kyrian ignored the stares. He was already used to it, but his mind processed quickly.

’Rumors? What rumors?’

In the end, he decided to leave it for later, he didn’t have time for this.

Master Liu studied Kyrian’s face for a second, then a fierce, humorless smile spread across his lips.

"Alright. Boy. The flying beasts are yours. The Mercenary Guild trusts you. Don’t disappoint me."

Kyrian simply nodded, immediately turning toward the nearest stairway leading up the wall.

In his mind, this was perfect, the spirit stones had run out, he was the ideal person to deal with the flying beasts, and he could earn a good reward from it.

"Kyrian! Be careful!" Yanyu suddenly called, her face slightly worried.

He stopped for a fraction of a second, looking at her over his shoulder.

"Hm, and don’t you overdo it." Kyrian’s reply was dry, yet it carried meaning.

At that exact moment, a colossal impact, far stronger than all the previous ones, struck the gate.

The sound of wood splintering and metal twisting filled the air. Followed by the even greater roars of the beasts outside.

The gate hadn’t completely broken yet, but a crack large enough for small beasts to pass through appeared at its center.

"IT’S NOW! EVERYONE PREPARE, THE GATE WILL FALL SOON!" Master Liu and the others shouted, their voices spreading through the crowd that was preparing.

The order was a spark. The mercenaries and members of the three families shouted and ran toward the gate that was giving way.

They formed a circular barrier, protecting all the sides from which the beasts could enter. The gate then completely gave way.

The sound of battle soon exploded with intensity, becoming a deafening symphony of screams, growls, blows, and bones breaking.

Kyrian, who was climbing the steps of the wall, caught a glimpse of Master Liu in action.

The short man stepped forward, his arm raising along with his sword. Suddenly, a wave of condensed Qi, visible like a compressed blade, shot out from his sword.

The wave cut through the horde of beasts, leaving mangled bodies. It was followed by three other waves of similar power.

Launched by patriarchs Mu, Li, and Chen. Their attack swept away the weaker beasts with strength in the realm of Qi Accumulation.

The display of power was good, but Kyrian knew they couldn’t maintain it forever. Their Qi might be vast, but it wasn’t infinite.

He shook his head and decided to focus on his own task.

The flying beasts were a problem. As long as they reigned in the skies, the defense of the wall would be impossible. If he eliminated them, the archers could help with the wave of beasts.

At the top of the walls, the scene was one of massacre. Bodies of archers and guards lay scattered.

In the air, the flapping of powerful wings was constant, black shadows diving repeatedly to strike down their targets.

Kyrian then did not hesitate. His sword hissed as it was unsheathed. In one motion, he cut off the head of a large vulture-like bird that was tearing apart a soldier’s body.

The beast didn’t have time to cry out before its body plummeted from the wall.

Kyrian then grabbed the heavy hunting bow and the quiver of arrows from the dead archer.

He took a deep breath and looked at the sky. His heart, his breath. Despite the chaos, they were always calm.

’Again, a city I set foot in is in trouble... am I really the unlucky one?’ Kyrian asked himself in his mind.

But he forgot about it, his eyes opened fully.

The darkness that tormented the other defenders was nonexistent to him. The night was as clear as day.

Every feather, every muscle contraction in the wings of the flying beasts. Every glowing eye with a fierce hunger. Everything was perfectly clear to him.

Down below, the land beasts looked like an endless sea. But in the sky, the flying beasts were countable.

If he had the time and enough arrows.

He would bring them down. All of them.