The Guild Master's voice thundered across the plaza.
"E-rank adventurers! Protect the civilians!
All others—prepare for combat!"
Aelyra's heart sank.
"The A-ranks?" someone shouted.
"Absent," the Guild Master replied coldly.
No time for fear.
The gates of Venti opened.
Outside the city walls, the ground trembled as countless giant spiders surged forward, their bodies covered in black chitin, mandibles dripping with venom.
"This is a Rank C dungeon rupture," the Guild Master announced.
"Hold the line."
Mages raised their staffs.
Fireballs.
Ice spears.
Wind blades.
Magic rained down on the vanguard of monsters, explosions shaking the battlefield. Spiders fell—but more kept coming.
The Guild Master stepped forward.
Lightning crackled around his arms.
"Javelin of Thunder."
He hurled spears of pure lightning, each strike obliterating spiders on impact. The air smelled of ozone and burnt flesh.
Aelyra moved.
She didn't wait for orders.
Her saber ignited as she plunged into the swarm, flames spiraling around her blade. Every strike was faster. Stronger. More precise.
The more I fight… the stronger I get.
Her mana surged.
She burned through spider after spider, pushing beyond her limits. Adventurers around her stared in disbelief.
"She's Rank D… right?"
"How is she still standing?!"
Minutes felt like hours.
At last—
Silence.
The battlefield was covered in corpses.
But the dungeon portal pulsed violently.
"Get back!" the Guild Master shouted.
The ground split.
A colossal spider emerged—its body towering above the walls, eyes glowing with malignant intelligence.
The Boss.
It opened its maw.
A thick, black poison cloud erupted, racing toward the city.
"Priestesses!" the Guild Master roared.
White barriers flared to life, holy magic forming shields that barely held back the toxic wave.
Sweat ran down his face.
"Buy me time."
He raised both arms.
The sky darkened.
Ancient runes formed in the air as he began to chant.
Mana pressure crushed the ground.
Aelyra froze.
This power…
"Witness it," someone whispered.
"The ultimate magic of Venti's Guild Master…"
The incantation ended.
"Judgment of the Storm."
The heavens answered.
A rain of lightning descended, spears of divine thunder crashing down upon the giant spider. The monster screamed once—
Then vanished.
Ash drifted in the wind.
The poison dispersed.
Silence returned.
The Guild Master lowered his arms, breathing heavily.
"Rupture resolved."
Aelyra stared at the scorched battlefield.
So this is the power… of those at the top.
Her grip tightened around her saber.
Far away—beyond sight, beyond the city—
A presence stirred.
And somewhere, in a world of shadows—
Talis Symphorien smiled.