The great change came at an unprecedented time.

They were still inside the hotel, discussing raiding formations to effectively clear the danger zones Marlon had handed over to them, when it all happened.

Fortunately, their hotel was not targeted by any of the towering beasts that unleashed their unrestrained anger on nearby buildings. Some of those monsters even clashed with other creatures, turning entire streets into battlegrounds.

That small mercy gave them enough time to exit the hotel safely.

But outside, it was hell.

The scene that greeted them was fiercer than any danger zone they had ever experienced. Even the most horrifying movies could never capture such gore, fear, and desperation.

Those who were slow were caught and devoured without even being given the mercy to scream.

Even those who managed to run were not spared from trauma. Some froze in place after witnessing the deaths of their loved ones, their minds unable to process what they had just seen.

Those deaths crushed their will to survive.

Some sat down and waited quietly for death.

Some still fled, but when death finally reached them, their eyes were empty, as if they no longer cared.

Lyra threw up at the sight. Logan and Ashton clenched their jaws tightly, forcing themselves to keep moving.

After recovering from the initial shock, the three of them made a mental agreement that they could not deal with the monsters present.

Not only were they several times more chaotic and aggressive than monsters they had seen in danger-zones, but from the looks of it, they were of far greater rank. The weakest beast on sight was at least C-rank, even if they combine their powers and had a shit amount of lock, a C-rank beast would take them down with ease and they would become like every other bones and blood pool on the street.

So they decided to flee.

And they did..

As the three of them fled from the overwhelming gore, a group of helpless teenagers ran behind them as fast as their legs could carry them.

They avoided open streets to reduce the chance of being targeted by the terrifying beasts. Instead, they moved through corners, narrow paths, and half destroyed buildings, avoiding conflict whenever possible.

Logan's tamed beast, the horned wolf, ran ahead of the group. With its heightened danger sense, it helped them avoid paths occupied by stronger enemies. They took routes with no enemies or only weaker ones, mostly low ranked monsters like goblins, giant rats, demonized wolves, and serpents.

Ashton and Lyra became the main attack force whenever combat was unavoidable.

Lyra's stealthiness was in full effect. Her presence dulled, her steps silent, and her new dagger sliced through the air with ease, claiming the lives of low rank monsters that blocked their path.

Ashton supported her with his new sword. He had not mastered it yet. At the academy, he had only trained with a sword once, and even then, it was not serious training.

Still, with blood manipulation, he could launch long range blood magic attacks, allowing him to support himself when his swordsmanship fell short.

Combining two different attack styles was difficult, but he slowly adapted the more beasts he slew.

As they ran through a partially collapsed building and emerged from the other side, a new scene appeared before Ashton.

A goblin like monster, nearly ten feet tall, was ripping off the clothes of a young man who pleaded until his voice cracked.

One of the boys running with their group burst into tears.

"That is my brother, please help him."

The cry pierced Ashton's mind.

He did not hesitate.

As soon as he heard it, Ashton tightened his grip on his sword and charged forward. Aether surged through his body as he channeled it into the blade, plunging it into the leg of the goblin like beast before it could commit its vile act.

The monster let out a low growl, not from pain, but from annoyance.

It tossed the naked young man aside and raised its massive hands before smashing them downward.

"NOW."

Logan reacted instantly.

He sent Blitz into combat.

Blitz closed the distance in a split second and clamped its jaws onto the beast's arms before the attack could land. Its bite strength had grown significantly, and with a brutal twist, it tore the monster's hands clean off its body.

The goblin like creature thrashed wildly as blood sprayed everywhere.

Lyra moved.

Her steps were silent, her presence nearly erased. The beast failed to sense her until it was too late. She drove her dagger into the back of its neck with precision.

The monster roared in rage and pain, still refusing to fall.

Ashton seized the opening. He activated blood infusion, flooding his sword with power and reinforcing its attributes. Gritting his teeth, he swung with all the strength he could muster.

The blade sliced cleanly through the monster's muscular legs.

The massive body collapsed.

Lyra did not waste the chance. She stepped in and delivered the final strike, ending its life instantly.

The three of them received their share of experience points at once.

Ashton staggered slightly. His breathing was heavy, and his vision blurred. He had exhausted most of his aether reserves with that final attack.

"This street is less chaotic than the others," Logan observed.

Behind them, the naked young man reunited with his younger brother. The two held onto each other tightly, uncaring of their surroundings, uncaring of anything else, as long as they were still alive.

Lyra, who was harvesting the monster core from the defeated beast, nodded.

She observed the streets herself.

There were no beasts present.

But the street itself was far from safe.

Half of the buildings present had either been reduced to nothing but debris. Some were burning, while others had been halved from their previous height and left slender and unstable.

Smoke from burning houses rose into the sky, where the moon still sat and shone upon the mayhem.

The unmistakable stench of gore was also present. Mostly burnt flesh and the metallic smell of blood lingered heavily in the air.

"No matter how peaceful it seems, we need to leave. The current world does not allow us to rest, not in any form or for any duration," Ashton said firmly.

The others agreed.

The teenagers shivered at the meaning of his words, but they knew he was telling the truth.

Some shed tears silently, while others could not hold it back and cried loudly.

Unlike hunters, who had the power to change their fate, these teenagers understood something clearly.

Should Ashton and his friends decide to let go of them, they would be devoured the very next minute.

"The Hunter Association should already be dispatching hunters as we speak," Logan said. He seemed to be the most optimistic about their predicament.

Lyra, on the other hand, thought otherwise.

She felt that the chaos was worldwide and not limited to their city alone.

In her defense, there was no way a city level threat could manage to turn the entire sky red.

Ashton, unlike his two friends, remained neutral. He neither believed nor dismissed the idea that the chaos was widespread. He simply took the entire situation as a playground to grow stronger and improve himself.

It was exactly what Marlon would think and do, he thought to himself.

He wanted to be like Ashton.

Just as he was about to share his view of the situation, growls and howls of beasts suddenly thundered from different directions, frightening all of them.

Before they could even begin to imagine what was happening, hundreds of beasts of different kinds and races swarmed them from all angles.

The road to their left and right, the houses at their sides. Monsters closed the distance, howling and growling hungrily.

"What the fuck…"

The three of them cursed their bad luck involuntarily.

Why were they suddenly targeted?

This number of monsters attacking them was not ordinary at all. It felt deliberate, as though it was controlled.

But trying to understand the situation was the worst step to take in such a moment.

"Attack!"

Ashton drank the last aether potion in his inventory. Without fear, he grabbed his sword and blasted toward the monsters charging from the right side of the street.

"Ashton!"

Logan and Lyra called out his name cautiously, but he did not listen.

"Please don't leave us behind."

The group of teenagers, numbering up to a dozen, each between the ages of seven and fifteen, cried out in fear as they witnessed the situation. The naked young man in his early adulthood also cried. He was no different from the powerless teenagers.

Lyra and Logan turned toward them and exchanged a glance.

With the horde bearing down on them, would they still be able to watch over others aside from themselves?

Very unlikely.

"Blitz, attack."

Logan called Blitz into action.

He ran beside it to keep himself safe.

Lyra turned to face the monsters arriving from behind the group of teenagers.

The three friends acted as heroes.

But unknowingly to them.

Atop the only untouched building in the vicinity, an Aurax sat on the roof and watched with a grin on his face.

"Friends of the chosen one… let me see how you fare."

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