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nSomething was amiss!

nWatching the unrest among the crowd, a sense of unease began to form in Howard’s heart.

nThis monster tide was not as straightforward as it seemed.

nThe commotion, though swiftly suppressed by the vastly superior numbers of the city guard, had already had its ripple effects.

nUnity was not a trait shared by those atop the city walls.

nA mix of thoughts spread like wild weeds in everyone’s hearts.

nHoward collected his thoughts and glanced at the other four adventurers at the checkpoint.

nThey had not participated in the unrest, but Howard could clearly see hesitation in their eyes.

nInitially, it might have been simple fear, but now, they were contemplating a real way out.

nThey had seen the fate of those who retreated rashly—death was the only road left.

nHere in Rodel, with the war bells ringing, standing on the battlefield meant your identity was that of a pure soldier.

nHoward and Thor exchanged glances, each seeing the caution in the other’s eyes.

n…

n“The beasts are coming up!”

nThe shout came from somewhere, and Howard, unable to pinpoint the direction, immediately refocused his attention to the front line of the battlefield.

nRealizing that the city walls could not be easily breached by mere battering, the horde swiftly changed its tactic from simple ramming to attempting to scale the walls for close combat.

nThe physically robust ones laid at the bottom, while those with agile movements tried to climb directly to the top.

nDespite the walls standing seven to eight meters tall, such a height was hardly a hindrance in the face of the generally strong physical abilities of wild beasts, further enhanced by spellbeasts.

nThough this place was considered a military city, it was more of a checkpoint and had not experienced war in a very long time.

nThe Silverwind Kingdom had long passed the era of merely relying on border defenses to establish its national boundaries.

nAs the dominant power in the southeastern region of the Avala Continent, the word of Silverwind Kingdom within Reagan was absolute.

nThe moment the shout was heard, Howard felt a gust of foul air hit his face as a giant spellbeast, over two meters in length, surged up from beneath the city walls.

nThis was a spellbeast Howard was intimately familiar with.

nSilver-gray fur, crimson eyes, and sharp claws and teeth.

nCoincidentally, it was the same kind of wolfrat Howard had slain in numbers just yesterday.

nHowever, this wolfrat was clearly different from those of the previous day. 𝘪𝑎.𝘤𝑜𝘮

nIts body length had more than doubled, signifying not just a change in physical capabilities but also suggesting that the species might have undergone a transformation.

nIf a regular wolfrat was merely a subspecies of spellbeast, then this particular one before him could very well have reached the level of a low-tier spellbeast.

nWith its exceptional speed and aggressiveness, it was a formidable opponent even among low-tier spellbeasts.

nThe moment it ascended the city wall, the wolfrat launched its attack!

nIts chosen target was the youngest woman among the four adventurers, excluding Thor and Howard.

nThe woman, who appeared to be a warrior with a curved blade in her hand, moved with a certain grace, not seeming like a mere novice.

nWhen the wolfrat suddenly attacked, she was caught off guard but managed to react in time.

nHer curved blade swiftly swung out, and with a nimble leap, she rolled away to safety.

nThough frightened, the skills she possessed were not for show; it was merely the overwhelming mix of emotions in the environment that she was unaccustomed to.

nAs the woman dodged, leaving the wolfrat’s attack to miss its mark, Howard had already closed in for the follow-up.

n“This is a spellbeast! I’ve got this!”

nThere was no time to warn Thor.

nWith a loud shout, Howard surged forward, his form blurring into a shadow, the straight blade in his hand reduced to a mere streak of light.

nPierce!

nEvolving from the most basic thrust, this move was not a foundational technique for the straight blade.

nYet, Howard employed it in this moment for sheer speed, with no time to consider subsequent variations.

nIf the wolfrat’s movements weren’t constrained, allowing a low-tier spellbeast to wreak havoc on the city walls, the defense battle would truly become untenable.

nUnder the astonished gazes of everyone at the checkpoint, Howard’s figure daringly swept under the wolfrat, his straight blade slicing a foot-long gash across the beast, successfully drawing all its attention towards him.

nDespite the intelligence spellbeasts are known for, their nature still fundamentally leans towards their animalistic instincts.

nWith just one move, Howard had firmly captured the wolfrat’s focus on himself.

nThis aggressively offensive spellbeast would not overlook any creature daring to attack it.

nOnly by tearing them all to shreds would it cease its onslaught.

nFrom the moment the wolfrat scaled the walls, the situation started to spiral unpredictably.

nTo preserve the current defensive line, Howard could no longer afford to conceal his strength and had to engage the wolfrat’s attention.

nAs Howard stepped forward, the others at the checkpoint began to move towards the edges.

nTheir basic judgement was sound; the wolfrat, being a subspecies of spellbeast, had obviously undergone a transformation to become a full spellbeast given its size.

nOriginally, the wolfrat’s speed was terrifying, and even after transitioning into a low-tier spellbeast with an increased size, its speed hardly diminished.

nWithout a certain level of strength, stepping up at such a time would only hinder more than help.

nIf there was any hesitation among the few when Howard first shouted, it all vanished after his clean, piercing strike.

nEveryone realized that this young man was far from as simple as he appeared.

nA thrust might sound straightforward—a full-force forward stab—but without speed, there’s no damage.

nHow does one control their velocity? How to accurately target?

nThese were all challenges.

nSome may execute a thrust, but it forever misses its mark, rendering it useless.

nTo perfectly control a thrust, one would need the strength of a combat-focused preparatory-level magus or several years of battle training—it’s not something easily achieved.

n“Fall back! Fall back! Block the other beasts! Don’t add to Howard’s distractions!”

nIn the brief silence, Thor was the first to speak up.

nHe clearly understood the situation; someone who could, under such circumstances, land a thrust that firmly captured the wolfrat’s attention was not acting recklessly without assessing their strength.

nIf Howard hadn’t been confident, he wouldn’t have charged out so decisively, and it’s possible that even a combined effort might not have restrained the wolfrat.

nTherefore, what they needed to do wasn’t to rashly intervene but to establish a new line of defense!

nNot just the wolfrat, but other wild beasts began appearing on the city walls.

nThe checkpoint, as a prominent point on the wall, had always been the focus of attention, and it was no different in the eyes of these frenzied spellbeast creatures.

nBlocking them, preventing them from distracting Howard, and buying time for the seasoned adventurers to join the fray was of utmost importance.

nFollowing Thor’s shout, the group sprang into action, splitting up or teaming together to intercept the beasts.

nIn moments, fierce combat erupted across the entire length of the city wall.

n…

n“Now, it’s just the two of us.”

nHoward locked eyes with the wolfrat’s crimson gaze, seeing nothing but endless murderous intent and madness within.

nHe slightly bowed, switching his straight blade to his left hand, and drew another straight blade from his ring.

nThis was his first encounter with a low-tier spellbeast.

nThe difference between a spellbeast subspecies and a low-tier spellbeast might only be a matter of two words, but the gap in strength was vast.

nIf a spellbeast subspecies still falls within the category of wild beasts, then a low-tier spellbeast could be likened to a magus among humans.

nThough still human, magi are fundamentally a different classification from ordinary people. 𝑖𝘦𝑎.𝗇t

nIt was merely a slight elevation in species, but the strength of this wolfrat now far exceeded that of White, who had been the white-furred wolf king.

nHoward was certain that if White, before his transformation, faced this wolfrat—even with the help of his wolf pack—the one to perish would surely be White.

nIt was akin to a human army encountering a level 3 magus; there was simply no chance for resistance!

nTaking a deep breath, Howard circulated mana throughout his body, enhancing his physique in its entirety.

nHe didn’t plan on using Hyperawareness.

nShould the need arise, he wouldn’t hesitate.

nBut judging from the speed and reactions the wolfrat had just displayed, there seemed to be no gap between them.

nWith a sharp squeal, the wolfrat launched its attack just as Howard gripped his blade.

nIts massive body, propelled by powerful limbs, burst forward with astonishing speed, covering a dozen meters in a flash.

nHoward’s gaze tracked every move of the wolfrat, the ambush catching him off guard.

nYet, Howard reacted in time, his footsteps shifting as he angled his left-hand blade for a block, his body flipping while his right-

nhand blade slashed down at the wolfrat’s back!

nBlood splattered.

nThe sharp edge of the straight blade, bolstered by Howard’s formidable arm strength, easily tore through the wolfrat’s skin, nearly cleaving its bones.

nUnder the agony, the wolfrat shrieked, its movements abruptly quickening to dodge Howard’s subsequent pursuit.

nAfter lunging forward a couple of steps, it spun around to face Howard, who was hot on its trail.

nWith a piercing scream, the silver-gray fur on its back bristled.

nMana shimmered, and countless mana needles poured out like a torrential downpour!

nHoward’s pupils contracted as his body abruptly halted.

nWith both blades crossed in front of him, mana surged out to form a shield, enveloping him in protection.

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