At the battlefield east of Haden and Rion.
The humanoid monsters had become much slower than before. The reason behind it was simple: the treacherous conscience that controlled all of them was being affected by Haden's attacks, and its control over the monsters had loosened.
The warriors had also regained their morale because of Haden's return.
Jura, who had let go of his bow after Haden's defeat, was the one to announce his return, and at the moment, he was helping Haria fight against the bone drake that had gone berserk.
Zoka and Drokan, Grathar and Rhaek, Naqir and Kara, Sovra and Morvak had divided into teams to clash against the hundreds of five-lined monsters whose numbers were already dwindling rapidly due to Varok.
Even though Varok was considered the second strongest, his power still did not rival Haden's. But even so, he was unimaginably dangerous.
In his werewolf form, his physical abilities —speed, strength, regeneration, and more —were doubled, and his claws and fangs were sharp enough to rend Azrath, yet it came at the cost of the uncontrollable rage of a wolf.
He shredded the sinister bodies of the five-lined into fragments, released a trembling howl, and his feral yellow eyes locked onto his next prey.
The five-lined monster sensed him rushing toward it, but before it could even turn to retaliate, both of its tentacles were torn from its body.
Its tentacles regenerated instantly and lashed toward Varok. He drove his claws into them, ripped them apart, and bit off half of its shoulder.
Its wounds began to knit themselves back together, but Varok plunged his claws into its chest and ripped it wide open, revealing the core. His jaws snapped shut, and he crushed it with his fangs.
The monster burst into dark dust, and he zipped towards its next target.
Zoka blocked the mace-like hands of a five-lined monster with the shaft of his axe, veins bulging across his arms and legs. In the next moment, Drokan drove his aura-cloaked battle axe into its back, shattering the core in a single precise strike.
Another five-lined leapt toward them, and Zoka shouted, "Die! You creepy bastard!"
Drokan ducked to evade the blade-like hand and spat, "This is getting tiring."
A few meters away from them, Grathar smashed a massive hammer into the side of a five-lined monster that had spikes jutting all across its body.
The monster staggered back a few steps, let out a shriek, and lunged forward. However, while it was mid-air, it exploded into dark dust, and Rhaek, who had concealed himself using his stealth aura technique, appeared right at the centre of the dark dust cloud.
Grathar suddenly swung his hammer and said calmly, "Duck."
Rhaek dropped instantly, and Grathar's hammer swept above him and crashed into another mace monster that was about to turn Rhaek into meat paste.
Rhaek sprang to his feet, dashed toward the monster with his dagger covered in aura, and spat, "How the fuck are you so calm?!"
A weary smile crossed Grathar's face as he replied, "You just lack the skills to stay calm."
Naqir's arrow pierced a tentacle monster, pinning it in place, and Kara's sword slashed at its body.
Strange silver markings glowed across the blade, and it cleaved through the five-lined monster as if slicing through butter.
They high-fived one another, and Naqir asked while aiming at the next five-lined monster, "Do you really not know anything about these marks?"
Kara shook his head, glanced at his sword, and said, "I do not. I don't even know who that night was... My parents only know that he had three golden stars carved in his armour."
A cruel grin spread across Morvak's face as he repeatedly swung his mace at a long-limbed monster, battering its body to such a degree that even its instantaneous regeneration could not repair it.
A few steps away from him, Sovra thrust his spear at the other five-lined monster, and just as Morvak stepped away from his victim, he drove his spear into the heart of the long-limbed monster.
At the same time, Morvak smashed his aura-cloaked mace into the chest of the other five-lined monster with all his strength.
A madman-like laugh escaped from his lips, and Sovra mumbled while shaking his head, "Where does he get the energy to do all of this?"
Far behind them, at the edge of the last few layers of one-lined monsters, the squad leaders and members had joined forces with one another, and their teams were further unified under the concise commands of the descendant of the God of Unity and Harmony, Valak, and the Vice Lord, Marin.
Nine out of ten squad leaders of Rion's former group were battling the two-lined monsters, and the last one — Dora — was supporting the squad members with her infallible arrows.
Under the effect of Heaven's Vector and Master's Call, each of her arrows was guaranteed to hit the target.
But unlike the group leaders, she was already feeling the crushing weight of war. A few hours had passed since the battle had begun, and even though she was interfering as little as possible, she was exhausted to the bone, and her eyes were barely open.
Cuts filled her lower lip as she continuously bit it to keep herself awake.
"Just a few more minutes..." she mumbled weakly and released her bowstring.
Within the layers of two-lined monsters, Yuura danced around his target like a spectre, his daggers tearing into its flesh like a serpent.
Tarun hurled his mace at the blade monster. It stopped the weapon with its limbs, and he punched it square in the chest, retrieved his mace, and slammed it into the monster's torso.
The monster burst into dark dust, and he drew a few sharp breaths before advancing toward the next one.
Kahrun stood between multiple two-lined monsters that attempted to lunge at him, but just as they closed in, he forced them away using his gravity wheel fist aura technique.
As they lost their balance, he twisted his fist, pulled them back toward himself and ravaged their bodies with a barrage of punches from his aura-clad gauntlets until they shattered into dark dust.
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