"Twiggy! Stop that pile of dirt!" a woman's voice sounded.
Followed by a humanoid tree crashing down in front of Aeris as she was dragged across the dirt.
Spreading its roots and wrapping around her, it freed her from the grasp of the dirt.
For a second, relief.
Then—[BOOM]. A massive dirt spike shot up, impaling the tree's torso.
"NO!" the woman screamed.
"Forget the tree! Save your friend and retreat!" a senior soldier's voice cut in.
As a military vehicle charged in out of nowhere.
A soldiers reached out, grabbing Aeris from the collapsing tree as they sped by.
But the dirt wielder wasn't done. Spikes erupted around the fleeing vehicle, narrowly missing as it swerved through.
The attacks were relentless, though clumsy.
"What the hell is that?!" a soldier shouted inside.
"If I had to guess," the senior soldier said, eyes on the mirror, "an Elite Mountain-Eater. She must've provoked one, and now it won't stop hunting her."
"We'll drop off the injured first, then regroup to fight!"
"Yes, sir!" the soldiers chorused.
Aeris lay unconscious in a woman's lap, glowing green light washing over her armor as a healer worked.
"You know her, Lina?" the healer asked.
"Yeah. We were in the same squad for a while," Lina answered with a pained smile.
The healer placed a hand on her shoulder. "She'll be fine."
"…Yeah. Of course." Lina tried to smile back, but it came out forced. She said nothing more, focusing on healing Aeris.
The elite monsters tore through the outer row, leaving devastation behind.
Magic defenses, barriers, and cannons—nothing survived the Prince's nullification waves.
Soldiers fired from a distance with spells, bullets, and explosives. Some even tried head-on combat. All failed.
Once the elites broke through into the inner row, they spread chaos—smashing vehicles, ripping up earth, slaughtering soldiers.
Not far from the Mountain-Eaters rampage stood a massive truck, as large as a house.
On the lower floor, unconscious patients lay strapped to their beds, oblivious to the carnage outside.
Above, wounded soldiers clutched weapons, listening to the destruction in tense silence.
Finally, one spoke. "We need to move the unconscious patients before the Mountain-Eaters get here."
The others quickly agreed.
"We should drive the truck away."
"No, it's too big and conspicuous. The monsters would notice and catch us in seconds. Moving the patients out is safer."
"That's impossible! There are hundreds of them. We don't have the time!"
[BOOM]
Something slammed into the truck, toppling it onto its side. Vehicles nearby crumpled under its bulk. Soldiers and healers were thrown against the walls.
"They're here! Fighters, hold them off! Healers, evacuate the patients!"
William, part of the healer team, rushed to the lower floor. Thanks to restraints, the patients hadn't fallen from their beds despite the truck rolling over.
"We don't have much time!" a healer shouted, taking charge. "You, you, and you—start unstrapping patients! The rest secure an exit!"
Everyone obeyed without hesitation.
William scrambled to the nearest bed, undoing straps and lowering patients one by one. Explosions and gunfire shook the truck around them. Sweat poured down his face.
Suddenly—[THUNK]. A scythe-like claw pierced the truck, carving it open. With a crash, the side of the truck was ripped apart, revealing the monster beyond.
A soldier tackled its leg, screaming, "Go! Get the patients out!" before being impaled and sliced apart. Even then, his upper body clung to the beast.
A barrage of magic forced the creature back, buying more time. The healers worked faster, unstrapping patients with desperate speed.
In the next instant, stone spikes tore through the truck. One shot past William, grazing him as he barely dodged.
But the patient he was helping wasn't as lucky—impaled on the spot. William froze in horror, only snapping out of it when another violent shake rattled the truck.
The entire truck lifted into the air, its frame creaking from intense pressure before splitting apart down the middle.
A towering monster made of dirt rose beneath, its body three stories tall.
It lifted the truck like a toy, opening a massive earthen maw. Healers and patients tumbled toward it.
William's eyes glowed purple. Gravity magic surged out, catching patients midair and slowing their fall.
The other healers followed his lead, their combined spells suspending dozens of beds and bodies in midair.
For a breathless moment, everything seemed frozen—the truck hanging above, patients drifting helplessly, the monster roaring below. No one knew what to do next.
Then explosions tore into the giant's body, blasting chunks of dirt and stone apart. It bellowed in rage, loosening its grip and dropping the truck.
"We'll fall with it!" William shouted. "Use gravity at the last second!"
They obeyed. The truck plummeted, slamming into the ground wheels-first with a bone-rattling crash. Thanks to their timing, the patients were spared.
Healers scrambled quickly, unfastening straps and pulling the injured free.
William dashed to the shattered opening, scanning the battlefield. Clear—for now.
"We should move now!" he shouted, floating patients out with precise bursts of gravity magic.
Together, they sprinted through the chaos, explosions lighting the mist all around them. William's body screamed with exhaustion, but he ignored it. Survival was all that mattered.
They were soon spotted by a convoy of trucks that swerved closer. Doors flew open as soldiers leaned out, pulling patients and healers aboard one by one.
However, before they could get everyone on board the vehicle. A six-legged monster landed nearby in a cloud of dust.
"Another one?!"
Without pause, a blood-red glow cut through the dust. A moment later, a blazing beam of light shot forward, searing straight across the battlefield.
Wherever it struck, everything was burned away—reduced to ash and vapor.
The monster swept its beam in every direction, incinerating all in its path.
Then it turned, aiming straight at William's direction. Before anyone could react, it fired.
Vehicles melted in an instant, soldiers inside screaming as they were burned alive.
The beam narrowly missed William, but he didn't escape unscathed. A searing agony shot through his mind as his body collapsed to the ground.
"AAHHHHHH!" William's scream echoed as he looked down—and froze. His entire right leg was gone, leaving only a charred, cauterized stump.
"Haahh… haahh…" His breath came in rapid bursts. Staring blankly at his wound, William could only clutch what remained of his thigh, stunned into silence.
A full minute passed before his mind snapped back to the reality around him.
The battlefield. The healers. The attack.
He looked at the aftermath of the beam. It was utter devastation.
The truck had melted away. Some healers were simply gone, erased without a trace. Others were burned like him—but far worse.
Bodies lay scattered across the ground, torsos missing, their lifeless forms still smoking.
A flash in the distance pulled his gaze upward. The six-legged monster still stood there, sweeping its cannon wildly, slaughtering more soldiers.
William's chest tightened. 'I need to get out of here—now!'
Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up with his arms, trying to balance on his left leg.
But every twitch of his thigh sent unbearable pain shooting through him, and he collapsed.
"Haahh… haahh…" His breath came ragged. Face pressed into the dirt, he gave up on standing and began to crawl, dragging himself forward with his arms.
Then—movement. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw them. Three unconscious patients lay in the dirt, untouched by the beam.
He froze, staring, his thoughts swirling.
'Leave them. I can barely save myself. Dragging them along is pointless—they'll die anyway.'
'But… a healer should always prioritize the patients.'
'I'm not a healer. Just a selfish noble brat… abandoned by my family. Save yourself.'
'But…'
Conflicting voices flooded his mind, paralyzing him in place.
Then, from deep within, a memory surfaced. "Why! Why did you abandon her!!"
He saw his sister, clutching their dying dog, sobbing, eyes burning with resentment.
Her glare had made him feel as though he'd killed the poor creature himself.
The image snapped away. Back in reality, William bit down hard on his lip. His trembling hand clenched into a fist.
He slammed it into the dirt. "Whatever!!"
Forcing his battered body onward, he crawled to the patients, grabbing hold of them with his one good leg and both arms.
A purple glow enveloped their bodies as gravity bent to his will, lifting them into the air.
They floated forward—faster than crawling, though nowhere near a sprint. His control was too weak for true flight.
Explosions thundered behind him. Soldiers screamed. But William didn't look back.
He clenched his teeth, forcing focus, fighting through the splitting pain in his leg as he maintained the fragile spell.
Then, suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck rose. Something loomed above.
He looked up. A military vehicle was plummeting straight toward him.
His mind screamed at him to move, but his body was too slow. The shadow swallowed him whole, and the last thing he felt was the crushing impact before everything went dark.
. . .
When he came to, his head throbbed with a splitting headache. His vision swam, then slowly cleared.
Flames. Wreckage. Twisted metal scattered across the dirt.
But his gaze locked onto one thing—the patients.
They were pinned beneath the burning wreckage, blood pouring from their bodies.
"No…" His voice cracked as he dragged himself forward. Sitting upright, he reached out, searching desperately for even the faintest sign of life.
But hope died instantly.
A monster came landing onto the wreck, crushing the patients instantly. Their blood sprayed across William's face.
"…Haahh… haahh…" He didn't react at first. He simply sat there, staring at the spot where the patients had been, hollow and still.
Then, slowly, he lifted his gaze.
The beast loomed over him—six eyes burning with malice, though one was missing. It stared down as if mocking his helplessness.
"Fuck… you." The words croaked out of William as he raised a trembling hand.
A fireball flickered to life and shot forward—only to be swatted aside like an insect.
The monster raised its claws high.
William sat unmoving, his hollow eyes reflecting the incoming strike.
The claws descended—
—and a blur of motion knocked him out of the way.
"!!" William slammed into the ground, dazed. Blinking through the haze, realization struck.
Someone had saved him. He forced himself upright, desperate to see who.
His heart sank.
"Tonto!!"
Forgetting his pain, William stumbled to his side. Tonto lay face down, half his body gone, blood pouring like a river.
"No, no, no—" William flipped him over, hands glowing green as healing magic sparked to life. "Why did you do that!?" he roared.
Through ragged breaths, Tonto let out a broken laugh. "Ha… ha… I—I don't know… everything just… happened so fast…"
"Don't talk! Save your strength—I'll heal you!" William pressed harder, pouring mana into him.
But Tonto kept going, his voice fading with each word. "Hey… you know… I still have family at home. They'll be fine… but if you could… keep an eye on them… that'd be… great."
"Damn it, Tonto! It's not over! STAY AWAKE!" William shouted, trying to drown out reality with his voice.
But as William struggled, desperately trying to heal him, the monster nearby had already grown bored.
It dashed forward in a blur, claws raised to finish them both.
The strike fell—
—but a much smaller arm caught it mid-swing.
The monster froze.
A second later, a fist slammed into its gut with bone-shattering force, hurling it across the battlefield.
General Isaac stood before them, eyes blazing.
He glanced at William and Tonto, then at the smoldering ruin that had once been the army's inner line.
Something inside him snapped. Power erupted, flooding the air in a suffocating wave.
Murderous intent poured from him like fire.
Veins bulged on Isaac's forehead as he glared at the monsters and muttered a single promise:
"You're dead."