After walking a good distance inside the Headquarters,
I finally arrived at the dormitory complex of the 18th Battalion — and at that very moment, the entire brigade was gathered there.
At the front of the line, five figures stood out among about two hundred soldiers lined up in strict formation. I recognized only one of them: Tyler,
accompanied by the leaders of the other three battalions, as well as a company captain.
Companies are small groups composed of up to thirty soldiers, which are not directly linked to divisions, brigades, or battalions. Their role is more specialized, acting as scouts, guards, escorts, spies, among other specialized functions.
Upon noticing me, I was greeted with a respectful and reverent salute:
— COLONEL ASHEN!
In the army, brigade leaders hold the rank of colonel, and that word echoed firmly and clearly among the aligned soldiers.
Upon hearing the call, I responded with a slight nod and a firm look, accompanied by a casual wave to everyone present.
My voice then cut through the silence with unwavering authority:
— Good morning, soldiers. I am Ashen, and from today on, I will have the honor to lead this brigade.
— Today, we will face a mission of great importance. We will depart for Synali, one of the four major villages of the barony, which suffers constant harassment from flying beasts. It is up to us, the 5th Brigade of the 4th Division, to extend a hand and protect that land.
— Any questions?
The silence was broken by inquisitive voices:
— When do we leave, sir?
— How many beasts will we face?
The questions came in waves, and I answered them with calculated calm:
— We will leave at three o'clock in the afternoon. We must arrive before nightfall.
— Without a doubt, there will be many beasts.
— The main demonic race threatening the village are the fearsome cranes from the Valley of the Death Wind.
No sooner had I finished speaking than a thunderous explosion shook the air of the headquarters:
BLOOM!
The sound reverberated with such intensity that, for a moment, everyone was stunned.
I flapped my wings forcefully, taking flight toward the origin of the explosion. That energy was unmistakable — I knew it all too well.
I was not the only one to react; countless fighters flew to the location just as quickly.
Upon arrival, the sight before me was breathtaking: Sitha, Selena, and Flávia were blocking a horde of spies.
Each of them emitted an aura close to Baron level, and one of them, imposing, possessed exactly that level. Twelve spies in total.
With the soldiers' support, we formed a strict circle around the combat area, blocking any attempt to flee.
But beside me, something caught my attention: a soldier was holding something strange — a T3 bomb, a nearly level 3 self-detonating weapon, made from vitae and beast skin.
The creation of such an artifact is a rare and difficult feat; Flávia had confided to me that, in the barony, only one person held such skill.
The soldier seemed determined to detonate it right there. In a swift and lethal move, I cut his arm. Even agonizing, he advanced mercilessly toward the bomb.
His gaze was that of a madman, ready to die and take the explosion with him.
With a precise motion of my spear, I decapitated him, and I threw the bomb — still inactive — into the dimensional ring.
However, not everyone was as quick as I was.
Explosions erupted in sequence inside the circle. Under the brutal impact, several vampires fell. My ears started bleeding from the intensity of the blasts.
Chaos took over the scene.
Pointing my hand, I channeled my vitae along with the flame domain I wielded. A thin flame was born from my fingertips, mercilessly casting smoke into the sky.
It was then that a shrill laugh cut the air — the twelve remaining spies approached, their forms distorting until they assumed a bizarre and terrifying creature.
Those still breathing united to attack the aberration from a distance.
Meanwhile, Flávia, Sitha, and Selena sustained the main confrontation. Flávia, fully healed, dominated the beast, which soon fell.
But the true danger was yet to come.
A black miasma spread, and a series of explosions shook vital points of the Headquarters: the armory hall, the skills sector, the hospital, and even Sitha's office.
At the heart of the headquarters, a spiritual circle erupted, from which emerged a colossal beast — an authentic three-star level creature.
Its deep roar made everyone shudder, and the air seemed to freeze.
The beast advanced toward the city, with a clear intent to sow destruction and fear among the civilians. Relentless and swift, only Flávia, Selena, and Sitha could keep up with it.
Meanwhile, we soldiers began facing the other beasts emerging from that enormous spiritual circle.
I advanced against two approaching second-level creatures. They looked like white wind tigers, intertwining in movements of terrifying complexity.
Invoking my familiar contract, I called Ignis and Astrel, who were still resting at the castle.
While facing the beasts, I attacked with the spear, leaving no openings for either to strike me. The synchronicity between the two felines was terrifying: they spun like hurricanes, attacking from all sides — above, below, left, and right.
In all confrontations, I was at a disadvantage. More beasts emerged from the spiritual circle, including some near level 3.
Chaos reigned absolute, and it only seemed to grow.
The white tigers pressured me relentlessly.
I dealt a diagonal strike against both, but they skillfully dodged. Using my wings, I took flight, but they followed me like true hurricanes.
Pointing my hands, I launched two crossed flaming arcs at them.
However, their mastery over the wind was exceptional — the fire arrows were easily dissipated by the gusts.
They intertwined and launched a brutal attack against me. To defend myself, I spun the spear, infusing vitae and nex, and performed a thrust at the most vulnerable point of that "death spin."
But these tigers seemed to know their own weaknesses; they avoided the attack. The struck point was, in fact, the apex of energy infusion — upon collision, a colossal pressure threw me into the air.
I crashed against a barracks building with brutal force.
Damn thing... Hunter beasts like these tigers are far more powerful than the Harudraks, specialists in illusions.
And without Ignis and Astrel by my side, I found myself in an almost desperate situation.
Before I could catch my breath, a spinning hurricane advanced against my body. I spun my spear and repelled the tornado with force.
Expelling mist, I disappeared before the tigers, who tried to track me by scent. But the mist is an exclusive domain of vampires.
In a swift movement, I advanced against the left tiger and dealt a deep cut to its leg, causing blood to gush.
The other tiger attacked me fiercely, its claws nearly decapitating me. I defended with the spear's shaft.
I received a paw strike on the shoulder, and while trying to dodge the bite that aimed to tear my throat, I felt the sharp pain of the wound.
Three small hurricanes arose there, spreading mist around.
Without letting it dissipate, I flew and launched a fireball over the mist — which exploded in purple flames.
BOOM!
From the explosion emerged the two tigers, their fur scorched.
GRRRRR!
GRRRRRR!
Their roars echoed intensely, loaded with hatred.
Their eyes burned red, while their fur became covered in black circles.
Their forms grew enormously — about three meters tall by almost eight meters long.
With a single blow, I was thrown far away, my feet carving deep grooves in the ground as I slid meters behind.
The tigers intertwined again, preparing a devastating attack.
They spun a colossal hurricane, alternating black and white tones.
It came toward me with overwhelming force; even before it reached me, I felt the crushing pressure.
Holding the spear firmly, I poured vitae onto it. The weapon began to burn with intense flames — I was about to use nearly half of my vitae in that attack.
I spun the spear in my hand, and the nex fell upon the blade with supernatural sharpness.
It was an apparently simple attack — a common thrust — but I activated the spear's crystal, which demanded a huge vitae cost.
I advanced against the hurricane, and our powers collided in an explosion that devastated everything around.
The flames spun in the opposite direction of the wind, creating a complete and terrifying opposition.
We were evenly matched, but the scale of defeat began to tip against me: my vitae supply was lower, and they were still two.
The stalemate persisted, until I felt something that made a smile appear on my face.
Grrr
Hiiiiii
Two familiar sounds — the fierce roar of Ignis and the proud neigh of Astrel.
Breaking the stalemate, I retreated and jumped onto Astrel's back. Ignis unleashed an intense torrent of flames that temporarily blinded the tigers.
Astrel charged majestically against one of the felines, and hidden on its back, I prepared to attack the tiger on the right.
My goal was clear: to inflict a deep cut on its leg. I poured vitae onto the spear, tearing the air with the blade that sliced deeply into the tiger's limb.
Astrel charged with full force, throwing the tiger far away.
In an agile move, I threw the chain around the right tiger's leg, binding it, while Ignis unleashed a continuous torrent of fire upon it.
However, the pain in the cut on my shoulder intensified, threatening to make me release the tiger's leg.
It roared and retreated to the other tiger, which had already gotten back up.
Together, they took flight, and an immense wind energy began to form above us.
A gigantic spinning wind arrow circled in the sky, while a powerful roar echoed and a concentrated black energy shone at its center.
— Shit... — I thought, feeling death approaching.
Retreating, I joined Ignis and Astrel.
Flávia had taught me a rare technique, the fusion with familiars, and I had already sealed a contract with Astrel.
Our auras entered into synergy; Ignis landed on my shoulder and began fusing with my body, while I incorporated Astrel's legs into my being.
Corpus Trium Ignium.
The transformation was complete.
Unlike previous times, I would not be the first to attack — Ignis took the lead.
Vitae accumulated in Ignis, and the purple flame that enveloped him began to gain a bluish hue.
Although the purple color didn't influence combustion, the bluish glow indicated an attack of uncommon power.
Ignis, fused to me, unleashed a continuous attack of blue flames.
The flame collided with the wind arrow, and a terrifying stalemate was formed.
The flames and wind dispersed in explosions that frightened the soldiers and beasts nearby.
The collision lasted until the vitae of our transformation was exhausted, and the synergy was broken.
The wind arrow had already lost almost all its strength, and alone, I managed to completely disperse it.
Retreating, I withdrew a purified bloodskin flask from the dimensional ring.
When I received the mission bonus, I acquired some of these flasks, and with beast blood, it wasn't difficult to find alchemists willing to purify it.
Moreover, I asked Flávia for help to obtain refined beast crystals; I had four purified blood flasks, each containing about ten crystals.
That was enough to restore about twenty percent of my vitae.
Quickly, I drank the blood while releasing level 1 crystals from the spirit ring to Astrel and Ignis, who consumed them rapidly.
Before we could fuse again, the tigers advanced.
I faced one of them head-on, while Astrel and Ignis attacked the tiger carrying the cut on its paw.
Fighting a tiger alone was possible; it was stronger than the other, but limited in direct confrontation.
My spear held firm, showing no cracks even under pressure.
With a quick strike, I hit the tiger, throwing it away.
The scene around was chaotic; beasts continued to emerge, soldiers were wounded by explosions, and Selena, Flávia, and Sitha were still fighting the monstrous three-star beast.
The few near-Baron-level warriors were at a disadvantage; lower-level fighters struggled to contain the waves of enemies.
The quantity and quality of beasts grew by the minute — it was urgent to act, it was essential to eliminate those tigers.
Determined, I whistled for Ignis and Astrel. We fused again and began running, dodging the tigers' fierce attacks.
I gave all the crystals to both while drinking from the blood flasks.
Astrel galloped swiftly, and the tigers continued to chase us, launching hurricanes with their maddened predatory instincts.
— Damn, do their transformations never end? — I thought, frustrated.
The vitae reserve of these creatures was insane; even after the intense fight, they kept transforming and growing in power.
— It has to be now! — I thought.
The vitae on the spear was at maximum capacity, the crystal fully channeled, and the nex seemed to cut through the very air.
Commanding Astrel to turn, he initiated his innate ability: the flaming charge.
Their vitae united with mine; Ignis roared, and a frightening amount of blue fire enveloped the spear's tip.
The tigers perceived the threat and intertwined with hatred, forming that black and white hurricane that advanced furiously.
Launching my most powerful attack:
Incursus Dominus Ignis —
The Charge of the Lord of Fire.
The strike collided with the tigers' hurricane.
The stalemate lasted briefly; the charge crushed the tornado, and from it emerged the mutilated bodies of the two tigers.
Only half the body of each fallen beast remained.
Using telekinesis, I stored their crystals and collected the blood and bodies of the creatures.
— VICTORY! — I shouted, feeling the weight of battle dissipate.
Without rest, I already prepared to advance against a level 2 black bear, aware that the war was far from over.