A week had passed.
Simon stood atop the mountain, gazing down at the vast wilderness below. The wind swept through his hair, but nothing could wipe the arrogant smile from his face—the kind born of confidence earned through blood and sweat.
Slowly but surely, the wilderness before him had begun to feel less like a battlefield…
And more like his playground.
He turned and summoned his hover bike from his space belt.
"Time to go back," Simon muttered, starting the engine with a smooth roar before launching forward.
As he neared the edge of the forest, a distant, unsettling noise cut through the wind.
ROAR! … ROAR! … SCREAM! …
He looked to the side—and his eyes widened.
Dozens of Dreadbeasts, ranging from level-1 to level-3, were stampeding toward the base city, completely ignoring him. The sight sent a chill down his spine.
"Something's not right," Simon said under his breath, a growing sense of dread crawling through him.
Without hesitation, he revved his bike harder, accelerating through the trees with blazing speed.
Then, his communicator buzzed violently.
##ALERT##
Base is under attack. All available Astral Lords are to report immediately to the defensive wall.
Base City - Riverstone
In the central command room, alarms blared and red lights bathed the tense faces of the military officers. Outside the thick defense's walls, the battlefield was in chaos. Roars of rampaging Dreadbeasts echoed through the sky as waves of monsters—ranging from level-1 to level-3—crashed against the defenses.
From the control room, Commander Kael watched grimly as the perimeter cameras displayed soldiers locked in brutal combat. Despite their valiant efforts, the tide was turning.
"Squads Bravo and Delta are down! Reinforcements can't reach in time—we're losing too many too fast!" an officer shouted.
Another soldier rushed into the command room, panting and wide-eyed. "Sir! No response from the private sector. All the Astral Lords from company factions have refused the emergency call."
A heavy silence fell across the room before it shattered with the commander's fury.
"Damn those profit-chasing cowards!" Commander Kael slammed his fist into the table, his grizzled face twisted with rage. "When its time to take the money, they're the first in line. But when it's time to bleed, they vanish like ghosts."
Before he could finish venting his frustration, another soldier monitoring the central console let out a sharp gasp.
"Commander! Look—on the northern screen!"
All eyes turned to monitor. For a moment, the entire room felt like it dropped ten floors.
On the screen soared a massive winged Dreadbeast. it was not just it size that caused every heart to freeze—it was the reading flashing beside it.
Threat Level: 5
Species: Mutated Crow
Designation: Ghostho
The room went deathly quiet.
Commander Kael's heart dropped. A level-5 beast leading a riot wasn't just rare—it was catastrophic. Riverstone's strongest Astral Lords were only 4-Star. And history had proven it—time and time again.
When a Level-5 led a riot, mid-class bases like Riverstone rarely survived. Even if they did, the destruction was so great that survivors were forced to abandon their homes and migrate elsewhere.
Abandoning their homes and lives.
The weight of that truth settles in.
Yet the soldiers did not flee. No one ran. They were defenders of the wall—and this was their duty.
Even with the crushing reality pressing down on him, Commander Kael stood tall.
"This is our city. These are our people. We don't run."
Staring at the screen with clenched jaw, he commanded.
"Get the Standoff Cannon ready."
"Sir! The electromagnetic rail cannon--? But it only has three charges and needs time to—"
"Do it," his voice commanded "Power the electromagnetic laser—charge full gamma compression." Voice firm "Three shots, let's make them count."
The team snapped into action preparing the base's most powerful weapon: an electromagnetic laser cannon capable of firing high-density gamma rays—powerful enough to vaporize any Dreadbeast below Level-6. But even it had limitations: long charge time, limited shots, and one glaring problem—accuracy. Ghostho was fast. Too fast.
"We'll need someone slow it down, even for just a second…" the commander muttered, then turned sharply. "Send one last distress call to every registered Astral Lord above 3-Star. Anyone who can hold that thing in place, even for a second—we need them!"
Signals went out across the city, to all Astral Lords above 3-Star near the area, and to every corner of private network.
But replies never came.
No company. No independent hunter. No answer.
Just silence.
The command room dimmed under the weight of that rejection.
The cannon finished charging
"Take aim," Commander Kael ordered, his voice grave. "We'll take it down, or we'll die trying."
"Target locked," the weapon officer said.
"FIRE!" Commander Kael shouted.
A weapon roared to life and shot a blinding beam toward Ghostho. But the massive creature, sensing the threat, twisted in the air and dodged with terrifying agility. The blast missed—but it did something worse.
It enraged the beast.
With a furious screech that shattered glass across the city, Ghostho swooped down. One flap of its massive wings generated a shockwave that shattered a large portion of the outer wall.
Stone and steel fell like rubble; Soldiers were sent flying.
Commander Kael's gritted his teeth.
"Second Shot---ready!" Officer shouted
"FIRE!" Commander Kael ordered; eyes fierce.
The cannon discharged again. This time, it was aimed directly at the largest part of beast's body it's torso.
Then… something strange happened.
The beam, inches from impact, twisted mid-air—drawn into Ghostho's eye like it had been absorbed. A horrifying silence followed.
"What the hell?!" Someone shouted.
And then came the counterattack.
Ghostho opened it beak, and a pulse of warped, distorted black energy blasted out, obliterating an entire section of the city in one scream.
Soldiers who stood tall moments ago now collapsed—some in fear, others in hopeless despair. The realization hit like a hammer.
This wasn't just a level-5, it was an Awakened Dreadbeast.
Even among high-level threats, awakened Dreadbeast were rare and far deadlier. Intelligent. Adaptive. Near-impossible to kill without overwhelming force.
Terror took root. Even the most battle-hardened soldiers trembled. A few dropped to their knees, unsure if they should keep fighting or run.
Commander Kael stood their frozen—
Until a small, crackling sound came from the radio beside him.
"…This is Simon Reid."
The voice was young, calm—but beneath the calmness was something else. Confidence. Power. Control.
The room snapped back to life.
Every head turned to the speaker as if it were the very lifeline they needed. Hope returned to their eyes, like fire rekindled in ashes.
"Hold the line." Simon continued over the comms. "I'll handle the big one."
The commander stepped forward, grabbing the radio.
"This is Commander Kael of Riverstone Base speaking! Are you sure, son? That thing isn't just a regular Level-5—"
"Let me worry about that," Simon cut in, his voice sharper now. "Just keep your people alive until I'm done."
"And ready your final shot, Fire at my word"
Then, silence.
"Who… was that?" Someone whispered.
The comms officer checked the ID. "Simon Reid. 3-Star Astral Lord of Beetle God company"
Commander Kael looked at the ID and when he saw Simon's face he felt guilty, sending a young man to fight their war.
But in that guilt, they felt a flicker of hope stirring.
Because that voice—it held this confidence that was not of a dying hero.
But someone who'd already decided to win.
Outside, far above the battlefield, a lone figure shot through the air in his hover bike—white-blue flames dancing behind him like falling star.
Simon had arrived.
And the battle of Riverstone was about to change.