The air inside the command tent turned heavy, so thick it felt like breathing through wet cloth.

Wade stared at Captain Wells, his heart still hammering from the words 'wake the Tyrant.'

He couldn't quite believe what he'd heard. The others looked just as stunned.

One of the archers voiced what everyone was thinking.

"With all due respect sir, are you insane?" she blurted. "You want us to wake the thing controlling all this?"

"No. Not just wake it." Wells said, his tone clipped. "As things stand, we need to kill it. But before that can happen, someone needs to expose it."

He turned to the large battle map pinned to the table. It was covered in colored pins, smears of ink, and hastily written notes.

One large mark, drawn in a dark red, sat at the very center of the monster formation.

"This," he said, tapping it with his finger, "is where the Tyrant is believed to be resting. Our scouts report it hasn't moved since dawn, but the horde's coordination remains intact. That means it's still conserving energy, and directing them from there."

"This means cutting off its head makes our job easier," Wells finished.

He swept his gaze over them. "If we kill the Tyrant, the horde will collapse. A quarter of them will turn on each other, and another quarter will scatter."

"It's the only chance we have of saving the divisions still holding the ridge."

Wade rubbed the back of his neck. "And you're sending us to do that?"

"No," Wells said firmly. "You're not killing it."

He straightened. "Command's already assembled a strike force of elite adventurers for that. High-rankers from multiple guilds. Your job is simpler, but no less important."

He reached under the table and brought out an object wrapped in cloth. As he set it down, a faint metallic chime sounded through the room.

The cloth was pulled away, revealing a bell. It was small, unassuming, and made of gold.

"This is the Resonance Bell," Wells explained. "It was awarded as loot in a crown owned dungeon. The kingdom just gave it to us for this operation."

"It emits a frequency that will not only wake the Tyrant, but will also clear the surrounding monsters for a brief window, which should be long enough for the strike team to get in position."

He handed it to the archer who had spoken earlier. She took it carefully, as if afraid it might explode.

"So, what?" Wade asked. "We just run into the middle of the horde, ring that thing, and get the hell out of there before the Tyrant emerges to kill us?"

"Exactly that."

Wade blinked. "You can't be serious."

"I am," Wells said flatly. "You'll go in a team of eight. One runner will carry the bell. The rest of you will act as the shield, literally."

"You'll overlap defensive spells and force your way through the horde. Don't stop for anything. Don't try to fight unless you must. Your job is to get to the marked point, ring the bell, and get the hell out of there."

He tapped the map again, pointing to a spot deep within enemy lines. "You'll approach from the east, on this side. It's the narrowest route,. which means less exposure. Once you reach the center, ring it. The sound should reach every corner of the battlefield."

Rowan crossed his arms, grimacing. "And if it doesn't?"

"Then you die screaming, and the rest of us follow," Wells said without hesitation.

That shut everyone up.

The captain looked over them one last time, his voice lowering. "You have been given the most important role of the war, adventurers. If the Tyrant falls, Hiving stands. If it doesn't…" He trailed off, eyes distant for a heartbeat. "You know the rest."

Silence followed. Even the muffled roar of the distant battle outside seemed to fade for a moment.

Finally, Rowan nodded. "Alright," he said quietly. "Let's do it."

Wells gave a single nod. "Good. You move out in five."

[][][][][]

The world outside the tent was filled with chaos, but within their small group, there was focus and determination.

Eight adventurers, each standing shoulder to shoulder, forming a loose ring around the archer holding the bell.

Wade stood near the front with Rowan beside him, both ready

"Shields up," the archer said. "I don't intend to die with my back turned."

Wade extended his hand, magic flaring faintly along his palm. "Aegis of Reflection."

A golden translucent barrier bloomed outwards from his arm, curving into a dome.

Around him, others did the same. The shields merged together, forming a single barrier of overlapping mana that shimmered faintly.

"Ready?" Wade asked.

Rowan adjusted his grip on his staff. "Not even remotely."

"Good," Wade muttered. "Would've hated to be the only one terrified."

The archer with the bell took a breath, nodding to them all. "Move!"

They sprinted forward.

The moment they left the safety of the ridge, the world exploded into motion.

Monsters roared as they saw the light of their shield approaching, with boars, wolves, drakes, and worse, all turning their attention towards them.

"Hold formation!" Wade yelled.

The first wave slammed into them. The barrier shuddered under the impact as several iron-hide boars rammed into it headfirst.

Cracks spidered across the surface, but fresh waves of mana from them reinforced it instantly.

"Push!"

They surged ahead, driving through the horde. Each time a monster lunged, their shields bashed it aside like a battering ram.

Claws and fangs screeched against the magical barrier, sparks and blood mixing in the air.

Every few seconds, one of their shields would flicker, but another spell would replace it just as fast.

They quickly fell into a rhythm of run, reinforce, bash, and repeat.

Wade lost track of time. The noise, the motion, the stench, it all blended into a blur.

But soon, something else began gnawing at the back of his mind.

The battlefield looked wrong.

And as they pushed deeper, he realized just how empty the field was becoming.

The number of adventurers still standing had thinned to almost nothing.

Bodies littered the dirt, some burned, and others mauled. Soldiers lay crushed beside their own horses. Adventurer corpses, still clutching their weapons, were half-buried under piles of dead monsters.

And yet the horde never seemed to stop.

Every time they killed one, two more filled its place.

"Gods…" Rowan whispered beside him. "There's too many."

Wade didn't answer. He couldn't afford to. He just kept running.

A frost drake lunged from the side, its jaws clamping down on their barrier. The entire shield buckled inward, the mana groaning.

Wade poured his strength into reinforcing it, heat blazing up his arms, bouncing some of the impact back, using the Shield's ability to reflect the attack.

The drake's head snapped back, screeching in pain. The group shoved forward, trampling over its body.

"Keep going!" Wade shouted.

They ran harder, every step pounding against the earth. The monsters grew thicker the closer they came to the Tyrant's resting place.

They finally burst through a wall of snarling wolves and stumbled into a small open clearing, which stood unnaturally empty.

"This is it," the archer said, gasping. "This is the spot!"

Wade and Rowan turned, forming a defensive arc around her while the others reinforced the barrier.

The archer raised the bell high.

For a brief moment, the battlefield seemed to hold its breath.

Then...

GONG!

The sound wasn't loud so much as absolute. It rang through the air like a wave, rippling through the ground, and shaking every bone in Wade's body.

Silence filled the air. Every monster within sight froze, their eyes turning glassy and distant.

Then, all hell broke loose.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.