Jason looked once at the black throat of the EXPO entrance.
"Herald Slayers only."
No one argued.
The rest of the hunters spread out across the forecourt without another word, forming a hard defensive crescent around the ruined doors. Harith's shield rose beside the others. Priya touched both hands to the cracked concrete, and stone began crawling into barricade shapes. Daniel stepped behind the line with green-gold light already gathering around his fingers. Aisyah, Ben, Kade, Mikhail, Lani, Rowan, and Serena locked the entrance down in a ring of steel, mana, and quiet violence.
Small things were already moving in the dark beyond the plaza.
Goblins. Ghouls. Crawlers.
The scraps drawn by the roar of something larger.
They would not be Jagger's problem.
Jason stepped through the broken entrance first, lightning staff humming in his right hand.
Marcus followed with his tower shield angled forward.
