The city of Velrith never slept, and today, it quaked with rumors. A Class A dungeon had erupted beneath the East Market district — not S-rank, but dangerous enough to send lower-tier agencies scrambling.
From the broadcast towers above, the feeds lit up like a festival gone wrong: plumes of Rift energy curling between fractured buildings, small explosions ripping through the streets, and panic-stricken citizens streaming toward evacuation zones.
Vanguard Edge Moves In
Kael Ryven stayed behind at Vanguard Edge HQ today — not in the field. He was observing, strategizing, scanning the feeds, and coordinating reinforcements. His squad, however, had already been deployed:
Seren: agile wind manipulator, had been assigned the tunnels leading toward the Rift's outer edge. She leapt from fractured beams, slicing through Riftspawn with her wind blades, grinning despite the chaos. "Catch me if you can, little shadows!"
Ira: chain master, coordinated the containment perimeter, laying chains across choke points. Calm, precise, a counterpoint to Seren's flamboyance. "Stay within range. Don't get cocky."
Draven: brute force, slammed boulders and debris into Riftspawn. He loved direct confrontation, charging headfirst into danger while muttering sarcastic commentary under his breath.
Kael monitored them through augmented holo-feed, noting every movement, every strike. Even from HQ, he felt tension in his chest — that need to be there tugging him forward.
Astraeus Dominion Observes
Meanwhile, from a nearby rooftop, Lucien Rael observed the same dungeon — but did not move in. His silver eyes were focused, calculating.
His team:
Eira: controlled ice constructs to reinforce cracked buildings, preventing collapse from smaller detonations in the district. Precision-driven, she barely flinched under the stress, though her lips pressed into a thin line.
Veyra: used illusions to mask civilian escape routes, creating mirages to misdirect wandering Riftspawn. Mischievous and playful, but deadly accurate when her squad needed her.
Caspian: set runes along the rooftops, protecting evacuation corridors and creating early warning signals for the city. Methodical and watchful, rarely speaking but always acting.
Lyra: spear of light wielder, patrolling the streets, striking Riftspawn that emerged aboveground. Dramatic, confident, sometimes reckless — but effective.
Lucien's squad was not fighting the dungeon directly — their goal was protection and observation, a stark contrast to Vanguard Edge's direct engagement.
A New Perspective
A small news drone hovered above the scene, broadcasting to Velrith's citizens.
"Vanguard Edge is handling the main assault while Astraeus Dominion protects the evacuation," a commentator narrated. "Notice the split strategies: one aggressive, one defensive. The city is safe thanks to both approaches — and the contrast is fascinating."
Fans on social media erupted: "Vanguard Edge is amazing! But Astraeus is so cold and calculated, love it!""The Shadow squad is unstoppable!""Ira's chains are my aesthetic!"
The city was watching, analyzing, obsessing. The squads didn't know it — but they were already legends in real time.
Squad Spotlight in Action
Seren vaulted across a collapsing beam, spinning midair to send two Riftspawn flying into the wall. She landed gracefully, grinning. "Nice try, ugly. You're out of my league."
Ira caught her mid-spin, chain whipping another Riftspawn into a stack of debris. "Watch your wording. You're going to give me a headache." His calmness contrasted her chaos, but the synergy was seamless.
Draven yanked a fallen beam, hurling it at a Riftspawn while dodging a claw swipe. "I don't get paid for finesse!"
Overhead, Lyra struck another Riftspawn with a spear of light, casting shadows that synced with Veyra's illusions, making it appear as though more hunters were present than there actually were.
Caspian muttered quietly to himself as he finished a protective rune grid. "This section will hold… for now."
Eira's frost constructs held the walls together, giving the teams below the seconds they needed to react. Every team member was fully engaged, their powers interwoven with purpose.
A Glimpse of Leaders
Kael's eyes never left his team's feed. He clenched his jaw, noticing Draven's reckless dive into the Riftspawn horde. Don't die yet. Not today.
Lucien's silver gaze swept the streets and rooftops, noting Lyra's daring maneuvers and Eira's precise constructs. They're performing perfectly, as expected. But for the first time, he allowed a fraction of pride to creep into his expression.
Neither leader was directly fighting — yet their influence shaped every move. Their squads were extensions of their command, but also individuals with personalities, mistakes, and heroism.
Unexpected Threat
A Riftspawn, faster and more cunning than the rest, slipped past Vanguard Edge's choke points. It lunged toward a group of civilians, claws extended.
Seren reacted instantly, wind blades forming a spinning barrier. Ira chained it mid-lunge. Draven slammed the ground, creating a shockwave that sent it sprawling.
Above, Lucien's squad noticed the chaos. Veyra redirected illusions, giving civilians false cover. Lyra struck from above with pinpoint accuracy, Caspian's runes detonated with precise force to finish it, and Eira reinforced a collapsing building corner — all while the creature screamed in defeat.
The moment crystallized the individual and combined heroism of both squads.
Aftermath
The dungeon collapsed safely, the Rift stabilizing as agencies finished their mission.
Vanguard Edge returned, drenched, bruised, exhausted — but triumphant.
Astraeus Dominion regrouped, noting every mistake, every success, silently assessing their rivals.
Fans and media went wild: clips of individual hunters, their powers, and signature moves were shared, dissected, idolized.
The city had been protected, the dungeon destroyed — and yet the world continued spinning.
Kael and Lucien exchanged no words during the operation. When they finally glimpsed each other across the cityscape, a tension lingered: rivalry, curiosity, and unspoken recognition of the other's skill.
But the spotlight had shifted — this chapter belonged to the teams, and the world had seen their valor.