The tide had begun to turn.
Amidst the chaos of the battlefield, there was a shift. Not one born of morale or strategy, but of raw force. The Federation's lines, which had been staggering under the brutal might of the enemy forces, found sudden breath.
Leon Kael was at the center of it.
Five A-rank demons, each a nightmare of muscle, claw, and unnatural might, had converged on him. Their hulking frames formed a death ring, surrounding the lone combatant like wolves around a wounded deer. But Leon didn't move. Not yet. His sword rested loosely in his grip, his stance relaxed.
Up on a slope not far away, one of the Azure Colonels spotted the formation.
"Hold on, Cadet! I'm coming!" he shouted, breaking into a dash.
A few nearby soldiers turned at the call, eyes going wide. They looked at one another.
"Has the Colonel not been watching?"
"No way he saw it… if he did, he'd know to stay put."
