Adrian's blade found the throat of a Razor Wolf as electricity danced across his skin, the beast's dying snarl lost in the thunder of battle.
Around him, defenders screamed war cries and death rattled in equal measure. Steel rang against stone as Marcus drove shards into a Stonehide Behemoth's flank.
"Formation Delta!" Martinez bellowed over the chaos. "Don't let them break our line!"
The four C-Rank defenders launched themselves skyward, their forms blurring with speed and power. Adrian watched them arc over the melee, heading for the rear of the horde where the real threats waited.
Commander Martinez landed first, his earth affinity erupting in spikes that impaled three D-Rank beasts at once. The others followed, magic blazing as they carved through the enemy ranks.
But even from the front lines, Adrian could see the truth. The D-Ranks weren't scattered stragglers, they moved in coordinated packs, dozens upon dozens of them.
"Bloody hell," someone gasped nearby. "Look at them all."
The C-Ranks fought like gods among mortals. Martinez hurled boulders the size of houses while his companion wielded wind blades that bisected entire groups. But for every beast they killed, two more seemed to take its place.
A piercing howl cut through the air. Three D-Rank monsters broke free from the melee above, their forms wreathed in shadow and flame.
The D-Rank defenders stepped forward without hesitation. "Second line, engage!" one shouted, raising a barrier of crystalline light.
Adrian watched a grizzled veteran with fire affinity meet a shadow-beast head-on. Flames spiraled around his blade as he parried claws that could shred steel. The man's technique was flawless, each movement precise.
But the beast was faster, stronger. And its pack-mates circled like vultures, waiting for an opening.
"He needs help," Seraphina said, her voice tight with worry.
Before Adrian could respond, a pack of Razor Wolves flanked the veteran's position. The man spun to meet them, leaving his back exposed to the shadow-beast's claws.
The strike never landed. A wall of ice erupted between them as Elena's magic found its mark. The veteran nodded grimly and pressed his attack.
More D-Ranks broke through. Adrian counted six, then eight, then lost track as the melee intensified above.
The F and E-Rank defenders saw them coming. These were the backbone of humanity's defense, scarred veterans who'd held the line for decades. Their faces showed no fear, only grim determination.
"Squad formation!" an old sergeant barked. "Overlapping shields, coordinated strikes!"
Twenty defenders moved as one, their various affinities weaving together. Fire met ice in steam clouds that blinded their enemies. Earth spikes channeled lightning strikes. Metal shards guided by wind magic found every gap in chitinous armor.
A D-Rank beast, something between a bear and a spider, with too many legs and eyes that burned like coals, charged their formation. The defenders didn't scatter.
"Hold!" the sergeant roared.
Shields locked together, reinforced by earth magic and wrapped in barriers of light. The impact shook the ground, but the line held. Twenty blades struck as one, each finding a different vital point.
The beast fell. The defenders reformed without missing a beat, already turning to face the next threat.
Adrian felt something twist in his chest. These people were holding back annihilation through sheer force of will.
"Adrian!" Kai's shout snapped him back to his own battle.
A Stonehide Behemoth bore down on their position, its rocky hide gleaming with inner fire. Behind it, a pack of Razor Wolves spread out in a hunting formation.
Adrian's hands moved instinctively. Gravity seized the behemoth's legs while superheated fire met arctic cold across its hide. The thermal shock spider-webbed cracks through the stone.
But the wolves were already moving, lightning crackling between their fangs. One leaped at Damon, who barely got his poison barbs up in time.
"They're learning," Marcus said through gritted teeth as he launched metal shards at the pack. "They're adapting to our tactics."
He was right. The monsters weren't just charging blindly anymore. They flanked, they feinted, they used the chaos to mask their movements.
A roar from above made everyone look up. Another wave of D-Ranks had broken free, and this time, there were too many for the second line to catch them all.
"Incoming!" someone screamed.
A D-Rank beast, larger and faster than the rest, tore through the scrambling lines. Its elongated form rippling with corded muscle beneath midnight-black hide. Bone spurs jutted from its spine, each one dripping with venom that hissed where it struck.
It crashed into the defender formation. Sergeant Kane's shield shattered on impact, the old veteran's cry cut short as claws longer than sword blades punched through his chest.
Blood sprayed in arterial arcs. Kane's body crumpled, his fire dying with him.
"Sergeant!" A young defender lunged forward, desperation overriding training.
The beast's secondary limbs unfolded from its torso, razor-tipped appendages that moved independently of its main arms. One swept the boy's legs, sending him tumbling. Another pierced his shoulder, pinning him to the ground.
The defender's scream echoed across the battlefield. His partner tried to reach him, but the beast's tail, thick as a tree trunk and ending in a spiked club, caught her in the ribs.
The sickening crack of breaking bone cut through the chaos. She hit the ground hard, crimson spreading beneath her still form.
"Fall back!" Martinez's voice cracked with strain. "Regroup at secondary positions!"
But there was nowhere to go. The beast blocked their retreat, its six eyes burning as it surveyed the scattered defenders.
Adrian watched a father of three, a man who'd shown him pictures of his children just hours ago, raise his blade with shaking hands. The defender's earth magic sparked weakly around his weapon, barely more than pebbles.
The beast's head tilted, almost curious. Then it moved.
The man's scream lasted less than a second. His weapon clattered uselessly to the ground, stained red.
Adrian's jaw clenched. His hands trembled, not with fear, but with barely contained fury.
They die while I stand still.
Another defender fell, her ice magic freezing mid-cast as claws found her heart. She was barely older than Adrian, her academy pin still bright on her collar.
They bleed while I remain silent.
The beast turned toward a cluster of wounded defenders. They couldn't run, couldn't fight. They could only wait for death to claim them.
I told myself I was waiting for the right moment.
Adrian's eyes hardened to chips of winter ice. The Source responded to his call, power flowing through channels that had never known limits.
But wasn't I just running?
The air around him began to shimmer. Not with heat or cold, but with something deeper, the fundamental forces that shaped reality itself.
Running from the weight they wanted to place on me? Running from their expectations, from my parents' legacy, from what I already knew I was?
His teammates were still fighting their own battles, too distant and too occupied to notice the change. But the Source was building, responding to his will with eager hunger.
I let the lie of Echo protect me because it was easy.
The beast raised its claws for another killing strike. The wounded defenders closed their eyes, accepting their fate.
Because it gave me space. I told myself it was clever, that the world wasn't ready for the Source.
Adrian stepped forward. His voice cut through the din of battle, calm and absolute.
"Enough."
But look at them. They were ready to protect me all my life.
The beast paused, its predatory instincts recognizing a new threat. Those burning eyes fixed on Adrian with intelligence.
And now they are dying while I pretend to be less than what I am.
Power coursed through Adrian's veins. Every affinity he'd ever touched, every force he'd ever wielded, sang in perfect harmony.
If I keep hiding, I am not protecting myself. I am condemning them.
The Source whispered its secrets, offering him dominion over the very foundations of existence.
If revealing even a glimpse of this means the difference between survival and annihilation…
Adrian's eyes blazed with cold determination. The beast snarled, sensing the shift in the air, the sudden weight of impending doom.
Then let them see.