Catching his breath, the old man proudly said,
"Ben is a Delta-Rank Crest Wielder.
And those two fighting out there?
They're Gamma-Rank Crest Wielders."
The old man paused, scanning the area ahead.
He quickly searched for a path through the chaos.
Once confident, he made a snap decision.
"Hurry! Let's go this way!"
But before they could even step out from behind the broken wall, a stone golem sprang from the side.
It stomped its massive foot into the ground, causing the road to tremble violently.
THUD!!!
The old man, carrying the child, and Yuno jumped in opposite directions — getting separated.
Ben, witnessing the scene, acted immediately.
Just as the golem raised its arm to strike,
"Arrrg!" Ben hurled his sledgehammer with all his might.
KRRRAACK!!!
The hammer crashed into the golem's shoulder, staggering the creature.
The old man and the child managed to escape into their intended shelter —
an underground safehouse, where many townsfolk had already gathered.
Inside, the air was thick with fear.
Some people were crying, others praying, and most sat frozen in shock.
"Grandpa, I'm scared," the child whispered, clinging to him tightly.
"Don't worry," the old man said, ruffling the child's hair.
"Your dad and his friends will beat those piles of walking rocks."
"But... where's Yuno?" the kid asked, voice trembling.
"We got separated on the way here," the old man replied, forcing a smile.
"He's probably somewhere safe, too."
Back in the ruined town, Ben's two companions were starting to wear down from the endless waves of golems.
"What's the deal with these darn golems? Where are they even coming from?!" one of them shouted, panting.
"Yeah, they're not that tough... but there's no end to them!
Come to think of it — there must be a caster controlling them!"
Ben's eyes widened in realization.
"Why didn't I think of that?!
"Hold your ground, brothers! I'm gonna look for the caster — it has to be nearby!"
But before he could move
"Ben! We got a bigger problem — look over there!"
Ben turned to see what his comrade was pointing at.
The Bouggart Lord had begun moving toward the town.
ZWOOOOOM!!!
With a casual swing of its massive arms, it flattened an entire swath of forest in a single motion.
"You've gotta be kidding me..." Ben muttered under his breath.
Then — something strange happened.
All the stone golems began to crumble... simultaneously.
Their rocky forms cracked, shattered, and turned into dust within seconds.
KRRRRKZZZ…
"What the hell?! Ben, when did you kill the caster?!" one of his companions shouted, laughing in disbelief.
"I wish I did," Ben replied, equally confused.
"I was too busy staring at that giant freak over there... same as you."
But the surprises weren't over.
A flash like an electric meteor streaked down from the sky.
SHHHRRRRRAAACK - BOOM!!!
Like a bolt of lightning, it struck the Bouggart Lord with thunderous force, sending a deafening shockwave through the air.
The monstrous beast dropped to its knees, writhing.
THUD! THUD!
Everyone who witnessed it stood frozen, stunned.
The lightning — it hadn't come from the sky.
It had come from within the town.
"Look! Over there!" a man shouted, pointing toward the church's bell tower.
Ben and his companions turned their gaze upward.
There, atop the tower, stood a lone figure —
a man clad in a glowing archer's suit, his bow crackling with electricity.
BZZZZT… BZZZT…
He looked down at Ben and the others, offering a slight, confident smile —
as if silently thanking them for protecting the townsfolk.
Then his expression hardened.
He turned his gaze back toward the forest.
The Bouggart Lord, kneeling under the storm of black lightning, gave one final groan...
...before disintegrating into particles.
The archer flicked his wrist.
His majestic bow collapsed and folded neatly into the size of a pen.
In a flash — he vanished from the bell tower.
"Who the hell was that guy?!" one of Ben's companions gasped.
Ben stared in awe.
"That's Temmis," he muttered.
"Temmis?! Are you serious? Temmis Vonhood — the Omega Ranker?!" the other said, nearly choking on his words.
"The Legendary Archer? Possessor of the fabled Thunder Bow?"
Ben simply nodded.
"And what you just witnessed..." he said quietly,
"...was only a glimpse of the power of an Omega-Rank Crest Wielder."