The morning began differently.
Not because of the weather, not because of the road, but because of the feeling that something had changed in the rhythm of the attacks. We walked for almost forty minutes without finding anything. No strange sounds. No recent tracks. No signs of new destruction.
That did not reassure me.
Elara noticed first. "It's too quiet."
Liriel looked at the road as if trying to see something that was not yet visible. "They haven't disappeared."
Vespera analyzed the ground as she walked. "They just changed route."
Rai'kanna adjusted the weapon on her back. "Or they're concentrated somewhere else."
Lyannis agreed. "And that means someone is getting the heavier part."
I kept walking without slowing down. The wind carried the smell of dry earth and crushed leaves. It wasn't recent, but it wasn't old either.
After a few more minutes, we found a traveler sitting by the side of the road. He was out of breath, his clothes dirty with dust and clear signs of a long run.
When he saw us, he quickly lifted his head.
"Are you adventurers?"
"We are," I replied. "What happened?"
He pointed west, still trying to catch his breath. "A village… was attacked. But…"
He swallowed hard.
"But someone was already there."
Elara stepped closer. "Who?"
"Red hair… light armor… she was alone."
Rai'kanna let out a small smile of recognition. "Scarlet."
Liriel nodded slowly. "So it's true."
Vespera crossed her arms. "She's already in the field."
The man continued. "I saw from a distance. The monsters couldn't even get close to the village. She was taking them down before they could."
Lyannis looked at me. "That explains the silence."
I took a deep breath. "She's clearing an entire region alone."
The traveler still looked impressed. "I've never seen anyone move like that. It looked like the monsters couldn't even touch her."
Elara gave a faint smile. "That sounds like her."
We thanked him for the information and headed in the indicated direction.
As we walked, the landscape began to change. The signs of destruction became more evident, but there was something different.
The monsters were already on the ground.
Many of them.
Scattered along the road, on the sides, among broken trees. There were no signs of prolonged battle. They were quick, clean takedowns.
Vespera observed one of the bodies. "Direct strikes."
Rai'kanna agreed. "No wasted movement."
Liriel analyzed the surroundings. "She passed through here not long ago."
Lyannis looked ahead. "And kept moving."
I walked in front, observing the pattern.
There were no destroyed houses. No signs of panic. Only monsters eliminated before reaching their destination.
Elara commented quietly. "She's intercepting them before they reach any village."
"That's saving a lot of people," I replied.
We walked for almost half an hour following that trail until we found the first villagers emerging from a makeshift hiding place among rocks.
They looked frightened, but unharmed.
A woman approached when she saw us. "Did you also come to help?"
"Yes," I replied. "Did the monsters pass through here?"
She nodded. "Yes, but that adventurer had already taken care of everything before they got close."
Liriel asked calmly. "Which direction did she go?"
"That trail over there. She didn't even stop to rest."
We thanked her and continued.
As we walked, I kept thinking about what that meant.
Scarlet wasn't helping by chance.
She had understood the same thing we had.
This wasn't an isolated attack.
It was something bigger.
And she was reducing the impact wherever she could.
After some time, we finally heard sounds ahead. Short metallic clashes. Roars cut off quickly. Light footsteps moving at speed.
We accelerated.
When we arrived, we saw her from a distance.
Scarlet moved between three large monsters with impressive precision. No wasted movement. No exaggerated strikes. Only efficiency.
Within seconds, all three were on the ground.
She noticed our presence even before we finished approaching.
"You took your time," she said, wiping her blade.
"You've already cleared half the region," I replied.
She gave a half smile. "Someone had to do it."
Elara crossed her arms. "The guild warned you too?"
"Yes. And I decided not to wait for anyone."
Liriel looked around. "You're preventing them from reaching the villages."
Scarlet nodded. "They're coming in smaller groups, but constantly. They don't stop."
Vespera added, "We're seeing the same pattern."
Rai'kanna took a deep breath. "This isn't decreasing."
Lyannis asked, "Did you notice where they're coming from?"
Scarlet pointed north. "Always from there. As if something is pushing them all in the same direction."
I remained silent for a moment.
"He's organizing this," I said.
Scarlet looked at me. "You think so too?"
"I'm sure."
She nodded slowly. "Then this is going to get worse."
The wind passed between the trees, lifting dry leaves.
Scarlet sheathed her sword. "I'll keep advancing on this side. You cover the east. If we keep this spread out, they won't be able to gather strength."
I agreed.
"If anything happens, we meet on the main road at dusk," I said.
She was already starting to walk when she replied, "If I'm not there, it's because there are still monsters to fall."
We watched her move quickly away along the trail.
Elara let out a soft sigh. "She never changes."
Liriel smiled faintly. "Good."
We started walking in the opposite direction.
And, as expected, it didn't take long before we encountered more monsters emerging from the forest.
But now the feeling was different.
We weren't alone holding this back.
Someone as strong as us was doing the same on another front.
The combat returned, constant as before.
But in the middle of the fight, one realization became clear in my mind.
Even with Scarlet eliminating dozens alone…
Even with our group advancing without stopping…
The monsters kept coming.
As if their source was far greater than any individual effort could contain.
When the sun began to descend on the horizon, we stopped for a few seconds to breathe.
Elara ran a hand through her sweaty hair. "This isn't ending."
Liriel looked north again. "And he still hasn't appeared."
Vespera cleaned her blade. "He's just watching."
Rai'kanna nodded. "Waiting for the right moment."
Lyannis added, "And preparing something bigger."
I looked at the road ahead.
The feeling returned stronger.
Scarlet was helping.
We were helping.
But even so…
It felt like we were only delaying something that was already in motion.