In a few hours, they arrived at the city aranthor outpost. The transport descended toward City Aranthor's Outpost. Adrian pressed against the reinforced window, studying the fortress below.
"Look at the size of that place," Seraphina whispered beside him.
The fortified city sprawled at the center, its layered energy shields creating rainbow distortions in the afternoon light. Beyond the urban core stretched a cleared buffer zone that extended twenty kilometers in every direction.
"That's four times larger than Viridia," Marcus observed, craning his neck for a better view.
The massive square perimeter wall rose like a mountain range around the cleared zone. Watchtowers jutted from each corner, bristling with weapons.
Adrian noted the strategic positioning immediately. "Central command tower. Northwest corner."
"B-Rank commander operates from there," Helena's voice carried from the front of the transport.
The transport touched down on a reinforced landing pad. Through the opening cargo bay, organized chaos greeted them.
Squads of defenders moved in precise formations across the staging area. Their weapons gleamed under harsh floodlights, every piece of equipment maintained to perfection.
"Move out!" Helena barked, leading the fifty academy students into the controlled mayhem.
Adrian watched veteran defenders assemble. No wasted motion, no unnecessary chatter. These weren't academy students, they were soldiers.
A towering figure approached their group. The B-Rank commander's presence, his aura radiating controlled power.
"Commander Drake." His voice carried absolute authority. "Your report."
Helena snapped to attention, presenting a data pad. "Fifty E-Rank academy reinforcements, including seven Vanguard candidates. Combat ready."
The commander's eyes swept over the students, lingering briefly on Adrian's team. "Vanguard candidates integrate with Division Three. C-Rank Officer Martinez commands that sector."
"Understood, sir."
Within minutes, the four divisions formed up across the staging area. Nearly four hundred fighters arranged themselves into columns, each one a spear aimed at the Wastelands. Most of these were E-Rank defenders with few D-Rank veterans.
Adrian found himself marching into Division Three's formation. Even Helena, who had commanded their previous mission, now stood as just another soldier in the ranks.
"Stay close, watch everything," she murmured to the Vanguard cadets. "This is real warfare."
The massive gates opened, revealing the desolate expanse beyond. Cracked earth stretched toward distant hills, the air shimmering with unnatural heat.
Division Three began its advance. Adrian counted the paces, two kilometers out from the walls, before the first contact.
"Movement ahead," called a scout from the front ranks.
The horizon rippled. Dark shapes emerged from rocky outcroppings and dried riverbeds, their numbers growing with each passing second.
"Twice our numbers," Kai breathed, his face pale.
E-Rank monsters prowled closer, their bestial forms creating a living tide of claws and fangs. Adrian estimated two hundred creatures against their column of nearly one hundred.
C-Rank Officer Martinez raised his hand. "Formation Alpha! Shield wall forward!"
The front ranks locked shields, their barriers crackling with defensive energy. Behind them, ranged fighters charged spells.
"Engage!"
The battlefield exploded into chaos. Fire and steel filled the air as formations clashed like opposing storms.
Adrian watched fire spells pierce the monster's hide while earth barriers rose to redirect charging beasts. Wind-sharpened fire spells carved through clusters of enemies.
"Synergy attacks!" Martinez commanded. "Water support, reinforce stone barriers!"
Coordinated magic lit the battlefield. Water affinity users enhanced earth walls while lightning users channeled power through metal weapons.
This wasn't hunting, this was war.
Adrian moved through the formation. His gravity snares pinned charging beasts while precise fireballs dropped stragglers that broke through the line.
The veteran defenders carved through monsters with efficiency. Earth barriers rose in perfect coordination with wind-enhanced fire spells, creating kill zones that funneled enemies into slaughter.
"Watch their positioning," Helena called over the clash of steel and magic. "See how they rotate the front line?"
Adrian absorbed every detail. The way ranged fighters staggered their volleys, how healers positioned themselves for maximum coverage, the subtle hand signals that coordinated devastating combination attacks.
"This is what real warfare looks like," Seraphina whispered, her celestial barriers flickering as she supported nearby defenders.
The Vanguard cadets found themselves relegated to cleanup duty. They finished wounded monsters, supported flanks, but the veterans handled the true carnage.
Adrian felt the restraint burning in his chest. Starbreaker pulsed in his mind, that devastating fusion spell born from desperation against the Alpha. One day, he dreamed that the spell would crack stars themselves, so he named it Starbreaker.
But not today. Not when he still didn't understand what it might do to his body.
A thunderous roar split the battlefield. The ground trembled as something massive burst from a concealed ravine fifty meters away.
"D-Rank!" someone screamed.
The hulking beast stood three meters tall, its armored hide gleaming with unnatural darkness. Razor claws extended from massive forelimbs as it charged directly toward a cluster of E-Rank defenders.
Panic rippled through the formation. The creature moved with terrifying speed, closing the distance faster than anyone anticipated.
Commander Martinez sprinted from the rear, but he couldn't reach them in time.
Adrian's mana exploded outward. His gravity snare seized the beast's limbs mid-charge, the invisible force wrenching its momentum to a halt.
Frost erupted across the ground beneath the creature. Ice locked around its legs, binding it in place as it thrashed against the gravitational restraint.
"Now!" Adrian shouted.
Martinez arrived in that precious window. His blade, wreathed in crackling energy, carved through the monster's neck in a single devastating strike.
The D-Rank beast collapsed, its massive form shaking the earth.
Silence stretched across the immediate area. The defenders who had nearly died stared at Adrian with wide eyes.
"Did that Echo brat just save our asses?" one muttered.
"Maybe he's not all talk after all," another whispered.
Earlier, when they saw Adrian and the vanguard members join their division, they at most thought of them as foot soldiers.
They have also heard about Adrian's [Echo] affinity, but they know it has severe limitations.
Martinez nodded at Adrian, respect flickering in his gaze. "Good work, cadet."
The battlefield fell quiet as the last E-Rank monsters died. Exhausted fighters leaned on their weapons, relief washing over their faces.
"Sector clear," Martinez reported into his comms. "No casualties, D-Rank eliminated."
Martinez's expression darkened as he listened to the response through his comms device. His face drained of color, jaw muscles tensing with each transmitted word.
"What is it?" Helena stepped closer, reading the alarm in his posture.
"Division Two found something." Martinez's voice carried a tremor he couldn't suppress. "A convergence point."
The comms erupted with panicked voices from across the battlefield. Reports flooded in from scattered units, each one painting a darker picture.
"Estimated numbers... ten thousand plus..."
"They're moving fast, sir. Faster than anything we've recorded..."
"Multiple D-Rank signatures detected. Possible C-Rank presence..."
Martinez's knuckles whitened around the comm device. His breathing grew shallow as the magnitude hit him.
"Ten thousand?" Seraphina whispered, her face pale. "Against five hundred of us?"
The veteran defenders around them exchanged grim looks. These were soldiers who had seen real combat, but the numbers didn't lie.
A sharp voice cut through the chaos. The B-Rank commander's authority rang clear across all frequencies.
"All units, immediate retreat. Return to the outpost. This is not a drill."
Martinez lowered his comm, his hands trembling slightly. "You heard the order. Move, Faster!"
The group moved. Exhausted fighters found new reserves of energy as urgency drove every step.
Adrian glanced back toward the wasteland horizon. Already, the distant sky seemed to shimmer with unnatural darkness.
"How long until they reach the walls?" Kai asked, his spatial awareness stretching toward the approaching threat.
"At their reported speed?" Martinez calculated grimly. "Maybe two hours. Three if we're lucky."
They picked up pace, their organized retreat becoming something closer to a controlled sprint. Behind them, the shadow of ten thousand beasts crept closer.