CHAPTER 347: CHAPTER 346: TIER 7 SKILL—RADIANT CONVERGENCE (PART 2)

The clouds part.

A pillar of multicolored light bursts upward from Mero, splitting the heavens.

Then—

BOOOOM—

Light floods outward in a massive wave, sweeping across the entire monster army like a rising sunrise.

Monsters gasp as the wave washes over them.

Muscles harden.

Bones strengthen.

Wounds knit shut.

Mana channels widen.

Reflexes sharpen instantly.

A cyclops blinks as its cracked horn regrows.

An orc roars as his arms thicken with rippling force.

A wolfkin feels his senses expand until he can hear arrows mid-air.

A harpy’s wings flare with renewed power.

Even Tier 6 elites feel their auras stabilize and sharpen.

The entire monster horde shouts as one—

"UOOOOOOOHHH!!!"

On the platform, Alix’s eyes widen slightly.

"Oh... not bad."

Zevran stares. "H-Hey... that’s actually good. Too good."

Mero looking smug. "My old master said this spell temporarily boosts all physical and magical capabilities of nearby allies. Strength, defense, speed, regeneration, mana capacity... everything. For about half an hour."

Zevran grits his teeth. "Half an hour?! What kind of unreasonable duration—"

Mero shrugs. "Tier 7."

Below them...

The battlefield shifts violently.

It happens instantly.

A human soldier swings his sword at a goblin—

CLANG!

The goblin catches the blade with two fingers.

The soldier blinks. "W-What?"

The goblin crushes the sword like wet clay.

An orc charges into a formation of shieldbearers—

BOOM!

Ten men are sent flying like leaves.

A hulking lizardman leaps six meters into the air, cleaving a commander in half before his feet even touch the ground again.

Spears that once pierced monster armor... now snap.

Arrows that once sank deep into flesh... now bounce off.

The entire monster army erupts forward with newfound coordination, strength, and madness.

Human soldiers on the ground pale.

"W-What... happened to them?!"

"Did they all evolve at once?!"

"No—this is ridiculous! You’re telling me that was a buff!"

---

Jared almost drops his sword.

His heart lurches in his chest so hard he thinks it stops entirely.

For a split second he forgets the battle, forgets the monsters, forgets even Vordon in front of him. All he can feel is the fading aftershock of that impossible aura—the kind that only appears in ancient texts or the whispered stories of the wealthy northern regions.

A Tier 7.

Even for a heartbeat, that presence is unmistakable.

And it came from... that?

The three human generals abruptly pull back, get closer to Jared, eyes wide, all of them staring at Jared instead of their opponents.

"General?" the Water General asks, voice tight. "Did you feel that?"

The Wind General swallows. "That wasn’t our imagination, right? That was... that was law power."

The Fire General’s tone breaks. "General Jared—please tell me that wasn’t a real Tier 7."

But Jared isn’t listening.

His hands are shaking as he slips a small black artifact from inside his armor—a smooth stone carved with emergency runes.

A one-use Tier 6 escape talisman.

He hides it behind his gauntlet, ready to crush it instantly the moment that creature shows aggression.

Vordon, across from him, even pauses mid-stance, savouring the humans reaction that looks like he’s about to pass out.

Jared’s eyes lock onto the descending cotton-ball-like creature.

And the longer he watches...

...the harder his chest tightens.

The creature floats down gently, wobbling left and right like a balloon losing air. Its glow fades. Its arms hang limply. It looks exhausted—maybe even harmless.

But Jared’s fear only worsens.

He sucks in a long, shaky breath.

"I... almost died..." he whispers, barely audible.

The three generals stiffen.

"What?" the Fire General blurts.

Jared doesn’t answer immediately.

He’s too busy staring at Mero with a terrified, analytical focus—the kind someone uses when staring at a venomous serpent curled inches from their throat.

His mind races.

That aura... even if just for a moment, that was real. A real law power. That means—

He grits his teeth.

"There are stories..." Jared says lowly, almost to himself. "Stories from the northern states. About rare, special creatures... small ones... harmless-looking ones..."

The Water General frowns. "What are you talking about?"

"They say," Jared continues, eyes fixed on Mero, "there are special beings that can use one Tier 7 skill despite not being real Tier 7s. A single skill every few days... or every week..."

The Wind General chokes. "You mean those rumors from the rich-region? I thought those were fantasies!"

"So did I," Jared mutters.

He watches Mero finally settle on the platform beside Alix, panting lightly, looking as if the wind itself could push him over.

Jared’s skin crawls.

If that’s one of them... then the monsters have something far beyond our kingdom’s capability.

The Water General forces out, "General... what do we do? Should we fall back?"

Jared finally exhales—long, controlled, but trembling beneath the surface.

"No. Calm yourselves."

Jared steadies himself, trying to suppress the tremor in his voice. "Everyone, hold position. We will continue to defend this city."

Across them, the four Tier 6 monsters exchange looks.

Ruk snorts first, his nostrils flaring steam. "Look at ’em. Shaking like newborn calves."

Erel’na’s mandibles click in amusement. "Humans frighten so easily. One tiny Tier 7 aura, and their hearts nearly stop."

Varesh crosses his arms, sparks dancing along his fur as he watches the generals gather close to Jared. "If they knew the truth..." He smirks. "That our king is a real Tier 7... they’d probably gonna flee as fast as they can."

Vordon grunts softly, amused but composed. "And that he has another Tier 7 under him," he adds. "If we tell them that, they’ll die of shock before the battle even ends."

Vordon is the first to move.

He tilts his halberd forward, eyes narrowing, voice rumbling across the sky.

"Human," he says bluntly, "we are not done here yet. So stop shaking like a scared dog."

Jared flinches, and the three generals stiffen beside him.

But the moment Vordon surges forward again, Jared’s instincts kick back in.

They scatter just as Vordon’s halberd tears through the air like a falling mountain.

KRRRRAAASH!!!

A shockwave blasts outward, shredding clouds into ribbons.

Jared blocks with his greatsword, arms going numb.

"D-Damn it—!"

Vordon presses down, the force overwhelming.

He kicks Jared in the chest—

THUD!

Jared is launched backward, flipping in the air before stabilizing. His breath is ragged, but he tightens his grip.

"Don’t underestimate me!"

He charges again.

The sky detonates as their weapons collide once more.

----

Below, on the ground.

The buff takes full effect.

Human formations crumble like sand.

A line of spear soldiers braces for the incoming orc wave, five shields wide, twenty pikes angled forward.

"Hold! HOLD—!"

The orcs hit.

BOOOOM!!!.

The entire formation buckles. Soldiers fly backward. Shields snap. Blood mists the air.

An armored lizardman leaps over them, twisting midair—

SLASH!

His halberd cleaves through two officers before they can even scream.

A wolfkin duo darts between soldiers, moving twice as fast as before, their claws shining with lethal precision. One steps on a fallen captain’s chest and crushes his ribcage underfoot.

Harpy archers dive from above, arrows raining in high-speed bursts.

"W-What is happening?!"

"They weren’t this fast before!"

"Retreat! RETREAT—!"

On the walls, human commanders watch in horror as their lines collapse.

A captain grips the parapet so hard his knuckles turn white.

"Impossible... what kind of buff was that spell!"

Another officer stares down, face pale. "Sir... we need to fall back! They’re overwhelming the entire eastern flank!"

The highest-ranking commander on the wall slams his fist down.

"Damn it... signal the retreat! Pull everyone back into the city!"

A flare shoots into the sky—bright red.

Trumpets blare.

"ALL UNITS! FALL BACK! FALL BACK INTO THE CITY!"

Human soldiers abandon the field, sprinting toward the gates as monsters roar behind them.

An ogre smashes into a cavalry unit—

CRUNCH—

Horses and riders splatter like broken pottery.

A serpentkin whips her tail, smashing three soldiers into the wall itself.

A goblin leaps onto a fleeing soldier’s back and snaps his neck effortlessly.

Cries of fear spread like wildfire.

"Run!"

"Close the gates!"

"They’re right behind us!"

On the walls, archers fire desperately, but most arrows bounce off buffed hides or are dodged entirely.

The monsters advance like a tidal wave—faster, stronger, bloodthirsty.

One commander’s face drains of color as he watches a buffed minotaur plow through a barricade like it’s made of straw.

"Close the gates NOW!" he screams.

The massive wooden gates begin to creak shut.

--

Ruk laughs as he hurls another Tremor Pulse toward the Fire General.

"You humans retreat already? Didn’t even last a day!"

The Fire General blocks, but his arms shake violently.

"Tch—these monsters... they’re different now!"