Baron Rivelle shifted his sharp black eyes toward his family and the guest seated at the table. His voice was calm, yet it carried the weight of authority. "It's time. Let's move."

With those words, everyone rose. The smiles that once graced their faces vanished instantly, replaced by a quiet and focused seriousness. Without hesitation, they moved out of the manor in steady formation, their footsteps echoing faintly through the grand halls until they reached the porch. There, the Baron's butler already stood waiting with seven robust Enduron horses, their dark, sleek hair gleaming beneath the golden sunlight. The beasts snorted impatiently, stamping their hooves against the stone pavement as if eager for battle.

Without the need for spoken command, each person mounted their horse. The sound of shifting armor and tightening reins filled the air. With a soft but firm kick to their sides, the riders urged their mounts forward. The rhythmic pounding of the Enduron horses' hooves soon followed, echoing like a war drum as they galloped across the estate grounds, speeding toward the towering city walls.

The wind whipped against Asher's face, his purple hair fluttering wildly behind him. His senses expanded to their absolute limit as he entered a state of heightened concentration. His purple eyes gleamed faintly as they pierced through the rows of buildings and homes that lined the Rivelle Barony. He could see the citizens inside, hiding behind shuttered windows and sealed doors.

'Why didn't the Baron evacuate them?' Asher thought grimly as his horse thundered forward. 'No… perhaps there isn't an underground bunker or any kind of facility capable of housing the population safely during a Monster Tide.' He exhaled, his expression unreadable. 'If that's the case, then every soldier here has even more to protect.'

As they approached the outer edge of the city, Asher's sharp gaze swept across the defensive line. Massive crossbow mechanisms were anchored deep into the ground, their wooden and steel frames reinforced with Astra seals. Each one carried harpoon-sized bolts already fitted and ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.

Within minutes, their group reached the high-rising wall that separated the city from the wild expanse beyond. Without a word, Baron Rivelle's figure blurred; he kicked off from his Enduron horse with explosive speed, his motion so precise that the beast didn't even seem to notice. Using his mount as a temporary foothold, the Baron leapt high into the air and landed gracefully atop the city wall, his black cape fluttering behind him like a shadow.

Asher followed a moment later, mimicking the Baron's movement effortlessly. He landed beside him with the quiet grace of a predator. One after another, the rest of the group arrived, each of them taking their place along the fortified wall.

Asher's gaze swept over the vast structure. Stretching across the horizon, the wall was lined with thousands of people, knights, mercenaries, adventurers, and common soldiers alike. Some gripped their weapons tightly, while others stood empty-handed, their eyes locked on the wastelands beyond. The air was thick with anticipation, and though silence ruled, it was the silence that came before a storm.

Baron Rivelle, now fully assuming his role as commander, began barking orders with the commanding tone of a seasoned warrior. His Knight Commander stood beside him, an imposing man clad in thick armor, his broadsword resting against his shoulder like an extension of his will. He said nothing, merely observing, his aura calm yet sharp enough to cut through air.

Time passed slowly, each minute dragging under the weight of mounting tension. Then, after roughly forty minutes, a distant tremor disturbed the horizon. A faint cloud of dust began to rise from afar, rolling across the plains like a veil of chaos.

When the first faint tremor shook the earth, every soldier's posture tightened. Hands clenched around hilts, staves, and triggers. The cloud grew larger, darker, and heavier as it surged toward them, an endless tide of movement.

And then it came.

The ground rumbled like a living beast, a quake of such magnitude that it made the air hum. The Monster Tide had arrived.

No one screamed. No one panicked. Fear had no place here. These were men and women who had faced the brink of death numerous times before. They had survived more battles than they could count. Yet, experience didn't guarantee survival, every Monster Tide claimed its share of lives.

Baron Rivelle's voice thundered through the air, calm but commanding, resonating over the city wall.

"Earth-based ability users, step forward! Attack according to the plan!"

At once, hundreds of figures moved to the front lines, their steps steady and measured. A deep hum rippled through the air as Astra energy flared to life, pulsing from each individual like waves of living light. The ground itself responded to their will, vibrating, splitting, rising.

Without hesitation, they struck.

The earth roared as thousands of jagged spikes erupted from the ground, racing forward like a forest of death. They tore through the first ranks of the Monster Tide, piercing flesh and bone with terrifying precision. Blood spurted in crimson arcs as the monsters fell, their corpses collapsing like puppets with cut strings.

But not all were so easily slain. Against the tougher, higher-ranked beasts, the earthen spikes shattered like brittle glass, breaking apart as they struck the creatures' hardened hides.

Still, in a single unified assault, thousands of monsters were impaled, crushed, or dismembered in an instant. Blood soaked the soil until it turned to mud, and the air thickened with the metallic tang of death. Yet the tide did not falter, it only grew more frenzied. The surviving beasts trampled over their fallen kin, their roars echoing like thunder as they charged forward without hesitation.

"Archers, step forward! Light up the sky!" Baron Rivelle's voice rang out once more, steady and unshakable.

The earth users retreated in perfect synchronization as the archers stepped into position. Rows upon rows of them lined the battlements, their faces set in grim determination. Without the need for another order, they raised their bows as one, drawing the strings back until the cords groaned under tension.

Arrows shimmered into existence, Astra-forged projectiles gleaming with deadly brilliance. Some burned with fire, others crackled with lightning. Wind arrows hummed with slicing intent; earth and explosion types glowed with dangerous potential. Even the plain metallic arrows were infused with elemental energy, their surfaces pulsing with faint light.

In a single, unified motion, the archers released.

The sky transformed into a radiant storm of color and destruction. Arrows streaked upward like falling stars before reaching their apex, then plunged downward at blinding speed.

The ensuing impact was cataclysmic.

Explosions rippled across the plains, shaking the very foundations of the wall. Lightning danced through the air, setting the battlefield ablaze in white and blue. Fire erupted in pillars, consuming monsters by the dozens. Wind blades shredded through flesh, while concussive waves from explosive arrows tore through clustered groups like divine punishment.

The shrieks of dying beasts filled the air, a chorus of agony drowned beneath the thunder of battle. Smoke and dust spiraled skyward, forming vast, dark clouds that blotted out the sun. The smell of charred flesh and scorched earth choked the air. Trees toppled, soil cracked, and the horizon trembled under the sheer force of the assault.

Yet despite the devastation, the Monster Tide surged onward. Even with thousands reduced to ash, there were still countless more, pushing forward with mindless ferocity. The ground quaked under their advance, and the blood-soaked earth began to steam as the next wave approached.

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