On the middle zone wall of Romania City, hunters and guards fought desperately against endless waves of monsters.
The midday sun blazed overhead, but the massive wall—20 meters tall and 6 meters wide—was filled with the sounds of clashing swords, screams, and monstrous roars.
Suddenly, a strange figure approached from the outer wall.
A mass of darkness, blacker than night itself, raced toward them, uncaring of the monsters in its way. Wherever it passed, monsters fell, their flesh rotting and collapsing as if devoured by invisible fangs.
The hunters, already tense, froze in shock as the figure came into view.
It was a man, wrapped in a shroud of black aura, carrying three children—one tied against his chest, two riding his shoulders, gripping his shining white hair like reins. His bloodstained clothes and the black cloth covering his face made him look like a demon straight out of nightmares.
It was Alex.
Moving like a shadow, Alex sprinted toward the wall.
He had mastered his control over the poisonous side of his dark element, using his aura to kill monsters while shielding the children.
When he reached the wall, Alex leapt.
Midair, he stepped on the shoulder of a stunned monster, using it as a springboard to propel himself higher—finally landing atop the wall.
The hunters and guards stared, stunned.
A young man... carrying children... jumping over a twenty-meter wall?
Had they gone mad?
Landing with a heavy thud, Alex pointed at a guard who was still gaping at him.
In a hoarse voice, he growled,
"Hey! You! Come here!"
The guard, half-dazed, stumbled forward.
Alex thrust the kids toward him.
"Take them to safety!"
Without thinking, the guard nodded, leading the kids away.
Alex's bamboo spear had snapped earlier, so he quickly grabbed a spear from a nearby fallen soldier.
Bowing briefly to the corpse, he whispered,
"I'll borrow this."
Then, without hesitation, Alex plunged into battle.
Spears in hand, he cleared the nearby monsters like a storm, gathering more weapons as he moved.
Before long, he had seven spears strapped across his back, and the section of wall around him was almost cleared.
Then he spotted it—the monster he had been waiting for.
A Thunder Eagle.
It hovered above the battlefield, its dark brown feathers crackling with thunder, its bloody beak dripping, its red eyes gleaming with malice.
At four meters long, it was a true beast of the sky.
Alex smiled beneath his face cover.
Let's secure the spears first,he thought, tightening the seven spears across his back.
It'll be near the wall any second now.
He dashed to the wall's edge.
As the Thunder Eagle swooped close, Alex leapt without hesitation.
In one smooth motion, he landed on the monster's back.
The Thunder Eagle shrieked in surprise, stumbling midair.
Before it could react, Alex punched its back lightly.
The startled bird flapped wildly, shooting straight up into the sky, thunder rolling from its wings.
Alex, calm as ever, gripped the eagle's white lightning feathers tightly.
The eagle cried out again—the feathers atop its head were its most sensitive part!
It twisted, turned, and tried to shake him off, but Alex only tightened his grip and plucked another feather out.
"You're not the first Thunder Eagle I've ridden, buddy!
Be obedient if you know what's good for you!"Alex roared, laughing.
The bird's blood-red eyes dimmed, fading into a calm yellow.
It finally surrendered, its spirit crushed.
With his new mount stabilized, Alex surveyed the battlefield.
Seven spears. Only seven attacks. And I doubt this beast will stay tame for long.
Near the east gate, monster hordes had gathered dangerously close.
Hunters and guards were barely holding on. If this kept up, the gate would fall.
Alex made up his mind.
He leaned forward, urging the eagle toward the enemy lines.
From the sky, spears wreathed in dark aura rained down like death itself.
Each throw shook the ground.
Each explosion turned monsters into shredded meat.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
In the blink of an eye, four sections of the battlefield were cleared.
The monsters below grew wary, starting to scatter.
Alex, sensing the change, held back his final two spears, waiting for the perfect moment.
Then—a strange squeaky sound echoed across the battlefield.
None of the hunters or guards heard it, but Alex's enhanced senses caught it instantly.
The monsters froze...
And then, like a tide, they retreated.
Alex's Thunder Eagle shuddered, then dove for the ground.
Before Alex could react, the bird shook him off, shot back into the sky at full speed, and vanished in a flash of lightning.
"Fuck this shit!" the Thunder Eagle cursed internally.
"I'm a monster... but that guy's a DEVIL!
I'm never going near a human city again!"
Meanwhile, deep in the dark forest beyond the battlefield…
Two masked figures stood on the tree branches, dressed head-to-toe in black.
"Report," one of them said coldly.
"Sir, we managed to wipe out the outer zone.
But we couldn't penetrate the middle or inner zones... A variable appeared."
"Who?"
"Unknown, sir. But... we suspect he's from the Ten Clans."
A heavy silence followed.
"Investigate properly," the leader growled.
"You know what will happen if we fail."
The subordinate shuddered under the masked man's glare.
"Yes, sir... I will do as you command."