Inside the old church of Eldwyn—
the song continued.
Not a single girl stopped singing, even as the ground outside kept trembling and the sounds of monsters drew closer from the forest. Dozens of beautiful voices blended into one harmony that somehow felt warm amidst the suffocating night.
"──Hikari wa... mada soko ni..."
Their melody drifted softly through the open church windows.
Spreading.
Echoing.
Across every corner of Eldwyn.
The villagers who had been trembling in fear slowly fell silent as they listened to the song. Even the crying children began clinging to their mothers, listening to those distant yet comforting voices.
The candles inside the church flickered gently.
Ancient symbols carved into the floor and walls glowed brighter and brighter.
Elder Harald stood firmly at the center of the circle of girls, his eyes closed as his old wooden staff tapped rhythmically against the floor.
Tok.
Tok.
Tok.
Like an old conductor leading an orchestra from thousands of years ago.
And with every tap of his staff—
the magical light spread stronger throughout the village.
Near one of the church windows—
Cedric stood silently for a moment.
His gaze pierced through the fogged glass toward the village gate outside.
From there—
he could see the backs of the giant bear golems lined up before the forest.
Silent.
Motionless.
Yet their mere presence alone made the ground around the village feel heavy.
The glowing magical patterns across their stone bodies pulsed slowly in sync with the song echoing from the church.
DUUM...
DUUM...
Like the heartbeat of ancient giants that had finally awakened after sleeping for thousands of years.
But that only made Cedric's chest tighten further.
Because beyond those enormous stone bodies—
something far more terrifying was approaching.
A horde of monsters.
And what frightened him most—
was that the village was not prepared.
Everyone who could truly fight—
was inside the forest.
Rhett.
Bram.
Kael.
Darian.
Even Harlan had gone with them.
Searching for Cecilia and Lilya.
Meanwhile, those left behind in the village—
were only a handful of gate guards with little real combat experience.
Ordinary men who had never faced real monsters in such numbers.
Cedric slowly clenched his fists.
Cold sweat ran down his temples.
"...damn it..."
He wanted to be afraid.
His body had been trembling this entire time.
But—
he could not show it.
Not now.
Not in front of the villagers.
Because he—
was the village chief.
If he panicked—
then all of Eldwyn would collapse tonight.
Cedric took a long, deep breath.
Then exhaled slowly.
Forcing his heartbeat to calm.
Forcing himself to stand tall.
Then he turned toward the center of the church and shouted,
"Elder Harald! I leave the girls in your care!"
The singing continued uninterrupted.
Elder Harald did not answer.
The old man remained standing at the center of the circle, eyes closed as his wooden staff continued moving slowly through the air.
Guiding.
Conducting.
Like a musical maestro from an era long swallowed by history.
Tok.
Tok.
Tok.
The rhythm of his staff blended perfectly with the ancient song echoing throughout the village.
Yet even without answering—
Harald understood everything.
Cedric's anxiety.
The villagers' fear.
And the helplessness now hanging over Eldwyn.
The old man's breathing remained soft.
Almost drowned beneath the girls' voices.
"...Rhett..."
His staff slowly moved to the right.
The girls immediately followed the change in melody perfectly.
"...I hope you find them soon..."
The ancient symbols on the church walls pulsed brightly once more.
And behind the old man's closed eyes—
lay the same deep anxiety.
"...we will fight here with everything we have..."
"...while waiting for your return, carrying even the smallest shred of hope."
Cedric quickly rushed out of the church.
His footsteps thundered down the old stone stairs while the ancient song continued following him from behind.
"──Yume wa... mada owaranai..."
The girls' voices echoed softly into the night.
Strangely—
amidst the fear suffocating the village—
that song felt like the only thing keeping everyone's hearts from breaking completely.
But Cedric did not stop.
His village chief cloak fluttered behind him as he ran through Eldwyn's main street, now filled with anxious villagers standing outside their homes. Several people turned immediately when they saw him rushing toward the village gate.
Their gazes were full of hope.
Full of fear.
And that only made Cedric's steps feel heavier.
As soon as he arrived at the main gate—
one of the guards immediately approached him.
"Village Chief!"
The young man looked pale.
Even the hands gripping his spear trembled slightly.
Cedric paused briefly to catch his breath.
"Hah... any changes in the monsters' movements?"
The young guard quickly nodded.
"Th-they're getting closer!"
His voice was tense.
"They're moving slowly, but... it won't take long before they reach the village!"
Cedric immediately turned toward the forest.
And indeed—
they were getting closer.
Slowly.
But steadily.
Dozens of red eyes could now be seen clearly in the darkness. The massive shapes of monsters emerged completely from between the trees, illuminated by torchlight and the faint glow of the village's magical symbols.
The ground continued trembling softly.
DUUM...
DUUM...
DUUM...
As though the night itself was marching toward Eldwyn.
Cedric gritted his teeth.
Without wasting another second—
he climbed the village's watchtower.
The wooden stairs creaked loudly beneath his hurried footsteps until he finally reached the top, joining the guards who had been monitoring the monsters from afar.
And then—
he saw the full horde.
"...!"
Cedric's body stiffened.
His breath caught.
The monsters—
were marching in formation.
Far too organized.
The first and second rows were filled with Hell Wolves.
Dozens of black wolf monsters moved low to the ground in synchronized steps, their red eyes glowing like living embers in the darkness.
Behind them—
the third and fourth rows were packed with goblins.
But not ordinary goblins.
Goblin Knights marched with crude armor stained black, carrying swords and massive shields.
Goblin Riders rode dark-furred wolf beasts while aiming long spears straight ahead.
Their levels—
were at least in the thirties.
Monsters that should never appear in such numbers near Eldwyn.
And all of them—
moved in formation.
Neat.
Organized.
As though following military orders.
Behind the goblin ranks—
the Hell Bears appeared.
Their enormous bodies loomed like living black hills. Their long poisonous claws gleamed faintly beneath the torchlight.
Every step they took shook the earth harder.
And at the very rear—
three Hell Kongs walked slowly.
Their gigantic bodies were covered in swollen black muscles, with glowing red eyes burning within the darkness. They moved slowly.
Yet that was exactly what made them the most terrifying.
Like living fortresses escorting the entire monster army toward Eldwyn.
Cold sweat immediately ran down Cedric's temples.
"W-what is this...?"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"I've never heard of monsters moving in formation like this..."
His hands slowly tightened around the wooden railing of the tower.
"...not even a monster stampede is this organized..."
And the longer he watched—
the stronger one terrifying feeling grew inside him.
Because the more he observed—
the clearer one truth became.
These monsters were not moving by instinct.
Rather—
something was commanding them.
Controlling them.
From somewhere deep within the darkness of that forest.
One of the guards beside Cedric swallowed nervously.
His gaze shifted repeatedly between the approaching monster horde... and the seven giant bear golems still standing silently before the village.
"...Village Chief..."
His voice wavered.
"...why aren't the golems moving at all?"
Cedric did not answer immediately.
The young guard glanced at the monsters again before speaking more anxiously,
"I mean... they're huge, but if they're just standing there... what's the point?"
Several other guards exchanged uneasy looks.
Truthfully—
they were wondering the same thing.
Ever since appearing earlier, the seven golems had simply stood facing the forest without moving at all. They hadn't attacked. They hadn't roared again. Even their stone heads barely moved.
Meanwhile—
the monster army kept approaching.
Cedric slowly clenched his fists.
Truthfully—
he was anxious too.
The legend of Eldwyn's guardian golems had been passed down for generations.
But no one in the current generation had ever truly seen them fight.
All they knew were stories.
Legends.
And tonight—
the fate of the entire village depended on those ancient tales.
Cedric forced himself to stay calm.
"...I once heard from the elders..."
His voice was quiet.
His eyes remained fixed ahead.
"...that the golems would begin moving when the ritual song reached a certain verse."
The guard beside him immediately turned.
"A certain verse?"
Cedric nodded slowly.
His brows furrowed as he tried to remember.
"They said... their first attack would—"
And at that exact moment—
the song from inside the church changed.
The girls' voices suddenly rose higher.
Stronger.
"──Hoshi no koe yo... hibike..."
DUUUMMM—
The magical symbols across the seven golems' bodies flared brightly all at once.
Every guard recoiled in shock.
Then—
the seven stone bear heads slowly lifted upward.
Their round black eyes glowed faintly.
And simultaneously—
their large stitched mouths opened.
"KUMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
The roar shook the air across the village.
The ground trembled violently.
Even the monsters in the distance stopped moving for a split second.
But what happened next—
was far more terrifying.
The seven golems inhaled.
Deeply.
Impossibly deeply.
Somehow—
their stone cheeks swelled like living creatures. White-blue light began shining brilliantly from the gaps of their partially opened mouths.
SUUUUUUMMMMM—
Energy.
Dense.
Heavy.
Gathered within the bodies of the stone giants.
The surrounding air vibrated violently.
Then—
all at once—
they fired.
[Kuma Howling]
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM—!!!
Seven colossal beams of energy erupted toward the monster horde.
Fast.
Far too fast.
The white-blue blasts tore through the night like gigantic lightning bolts, annihilating the ground in their path and leaving enormous cracks across the earth.
The front lines of Hell Wolves—
were hit directly.
Their bodies exploded upon impact.
Destroyed.
Burned away.
Erased within the light.
The attacks continued deeper—
slamming into the second line and the goblins behind them.
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
Explosion after explosion shook the forest.
Dust and shattered earth blasted high into the air.
Blue lightning remnants danced wildly within the smoke.
The guards atop the tower stared wide-eyed.
"...insane..."
One of them even staggered backward.
"That... was unbelievably powerful..."
Even Cedric could hardly believe it.
His eyes widened at the devastation before him.
For a brief moment—
hope appeared.
Maybe...
maybe they really could survive.
But then—
something moved within the dust.
Cedric froze.
"...huh...?"
The silhouettes—
were still standing.
Slowly.
One by one.
The Hell Wolves whose bodies had been destroyed began rising again. Their black flesh reformed like living sludge while broken bones reconnected through the pulsating dark aura surrounding them.
Goblin soldiers missing arms picked up their weapons again.
The burned Hell Bears slowly lifted their heads.
That black aura—
kept moving.
Kept restoring them.
As though the monsters themselves refused to die.
Their footsteps resumed.
DUUM...
DUUM...
DUUM...
Advancing.
Still marching toward Eldwyn.
Cedric's face immediately turned pale.
"...impossible..."
His breath caught.
His hands gripped the tower railing so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Below—
the villagers who had briefly cheered at the golems' attack slowly fell silent again.
The hope that had just appeared—
collapsed instantly.
"...they're getting back up..."
A woman's trembling voice could be heard.
A small child clung tightly to his mother, crying in terror as the glowing red eyes began moving again through the dust.
"Impossible..."
One of the guards staggered backward, face pale.
"After an attack that powerful..."
Yet the monster horde continued marching.
Without roaring.
Without rage.
And that was what made it truly horrifying.
Because they moved like an army that already knew—
nothing in this village could stop them.
"...how can this happen...?" Cedric's voice weakened.
His eyes trembled as he stared at the approaching monster army.
And for the first time that night—
the village chief of Eldwyn truly felt fear.