Jin ran constantly to find Amelia and fought relentlessly throughout this time. He couldn't remember how many people he had killed, and his mana and stamina were steadily decreasing.
Jin kept running at a fast pace, looking around him. He saw many destroyed buildings. Monsters were emerging from the destroyed buildings and attacking people. He saw a monster as tall as the walls in the distance. It had three rubies on its forehead and was silver in color. It was fighting an object flying in the air.
Jin continued to run through the streets without paying much attention.
"BOOM!"
Jin stopped and looked at the collapsed building in front of him.
"GUM"
"GUM"
The ground shook. Stones flew out of their places and jumped into the air, then hit the ground hard. A sharp dust cloud rose among the crumbling debris. A massive silhouette emerged from the collapsed building with heavy steps. With each step, the ground cracked.
It had green skin; its flesh was cracked and covered in old scars. Its long, blood-stained fangs hung out. Its eyes were dark red, and its breath was hot and angry. It was over five meters tall. In its left hand, it held a crushed body, still dripping with blood. The sound of crushed bones still echoed.
Jin looked at the creature before him. It was an orc.
Each one had a large and powerful body. Their muscles were as hard as stone, and their reflexes were unexpectedly fast. They were difficult to defeat. They had few flaws. But everyone has a flaw. Even the gods.
[TRAITOROUS SNIPER USED]
Jin suddenly appeared behind the orc. He materialized like mist floating in the air. There was not a moment of hesitation on his face.
[CASTANA 1ST MOVEMENT: Death Strike]
He swung his sword repeatedly. Each strike was calculated; deep, sharp, not deadly but certain. The sounds that echoed when metal met flesh were high-pitched and ominous. The orc's thick hide absorbed most of the attacks, but a few blows reached the muscles. Dark green blood spurted out, spreading a warm, heavy scent.
The orc roared angrily and swung its massive arm back swiftly. Its fist came like a gust of wind. Jin tried to jump back, but a few seconds' delay proved fatal.
The blow struck him squarely in the back. His bones cracked, and his breath was trapped in his chest. Jin's body flew into the air, landing several meters away and sliding to a stop. Stones had embedded themselves in his back, and his lungs were burning.
But he was still alive. His mind was clear. And he hadn't taken his eyes off that Orc.
His body trembled in pain, but he had no choice but to fight. On the orc's forehead, there was a single ruby glowing with a dark green light. This was a corrupted creature, a second-tier monster.
It was one tier higher than Jin. The wound he had received was already deep, and a single blow could mean death for him.
He slowly raised his cracked, old sword. The trembling he felt in his hands was a painful sign of his lack of skill. This was his greatest disadvantage.
"THUD..."
"THUD..."
The Orc began to run toward Jin with massive steps coming from deep within the ground. With each step, the ground cracked, and the ruins of the crumbling building shook even more.
[Mana amount: 400]
[Traitorous Ambush Being Used]
Jin reappeared in the air and channeled all the mana accumulated within him into his sword. The energy spread across the metal like a blue glow.
[SWORD MASTERY UPGRADED TO LVL 2]
Ignoring the glowing text that appeared before him, Jin swung his sword with a swift and precise sideways cut.
The sword began to pierce the orc's thick skull, and at that very moment—
"TINNNK–CRAACK!"
The metal cracked with a terrifying sound, and the sword shattered into pieces before it could pierce the orc's head.
[INSUFFICIENT MANAPOWER. ENTERING SLEEP MODE]
Jin's vision began to darken. He turned to look one last time at the massive silhouette of the ork behind him. His body slowly collapsed to the ground, and darkness enveloped him.
****
As he looked at his brother's lifeless body, his face was expressionless. A small tear silently rolled down his cheek, but he quickly wiped it away with the back of his hand. His eyes were cold, his heart frozen. He slowly bent down and touched his brother's cold skin; the weight of that moment enveloped his entire body.
"I'm sorry for being such a useless older brother…" he whispered, his voice harsh yet fragile. "But I promise you, I'll send every monster after you. Just wait… Once everything is over, your older brother will come to see you."
As these words fell, the aura around Den rose with a red rage, as if it were burning with fire. The air itself seemed to tremble. Not a single monster dared to approach him. Den embraced his brother's body, vanished from the cold stones, and suddenly appeared in the academy building.
Everyone in the academy looked at his sudden appearance with hope; however, when they saw the lifeless body in Den's hands, their hopes faded instantly, and a heavy silence fell.
Den looked around with empty, emotionless eyes; then he turned his attention to a man.
"Marco," he said in a cold voice, "Take his body to the other side through the portal."
Marco nodded without hesitation. He took his brother's cold body from Den's hands and stepped into the portal. He disappeared into the light.
Den's harsh, decisive, and hopeless words echoed across the square:
"All of you leave. I will bring back everyone I can save. You are only a hindrance."
No one dared to speak. One by one, they entered the portals to obey his order, disappearing into the darkness.
Den remained alone in the center of the square. His red aura still shone, and an unyielding warlike fire burned in his eyes. Finally, he vanished silently from there.
****
Emily was running away from the monsters despite her injured leg. Her bleeding leg hurt more with every step, and her muscles were gradually numbing. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore; she lost her balance and fell hard to the ground.
She just stared at the monster approaching her. There was no fear or helplessness in her expression, only acceptance.
At that moment, someone appeared in the air with a sudden flash of light. She could only see his back. His short black hair reached his ears. He wore a long black tunic, and the aura emanating from him was so oppressive that even the person standing next to him seemed to struggle to breathe. He couldn't hide his anger.
The man with black hair simply raised his hand toward the sky. Small, flaming fireballs shot out from his palms. In an instant, dozens of monsters were consumed by flames, vanishing with a single gesture.
He turned around and walked toward Emily with heavy steps. He bent down and gently picked her up. Emily's cheeks flushed, and she could only watch helplessly.
Her eyes suddenly went dark, and she found herself in a place filled with large blue portals. The air was trembling. Then she heard a emotionless yet calm voice:
"Enter the portal and go. They are waiting for you on the other side."
Emily nodded slightly and stepped down from the black-haired man's lap. She turned to thank him, but the black-haired man had already vanished.
"Thank you," she whispered.
She turned one last time to look at the portal, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.
****
Max and Caster were fighting a monster two levels higher than them, the size of a human. Despite its small appearance, the monster was powerful; both of them were fighting with all their strength, but the monster had not suffered any serious damage.
Max decided to use his most powerful ability. A blue aura rose from his sword; the glowing energy enveloped it. When he swung his sword at the monster, the blue aura from the sword swiftly headed toward the monster and grew larger and larger.
"Boom!"
With a loud, explosive sound, the aura struck the monster. Caster seized the opportunity; he quickly emerged from the monster's shadow and attacked with his dagger.
Caster expected to feel the dagger sink into flesh, but instead, the sharp metal collided with another metal. Without understanding, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
He jumped backward but lost control and fell hard to the ground. There was a deep wound on his chest. He raised his head and looked at the humanoid monster standing before him.
Max saw this from a distance and began running toward him quickly. The monster raised its hand and began thrusting toward Caster.
"NO!"
Max's helpless scream echoed.
"BOOM!"
The monster began to burn in flames without lowering its hand. It let out silent screams, writhed, and fell to the ground. Within a few seconds, it lay motionless.
Caster had fainted and couldn't even see what was happening.
Max immediately ran to Caster's side and looked at his wound. As he tried to figure out what was happening, he looked around and noticed a man with black hair. This familiar person was approaching them.
The man's hands were glowing slightly. Max's vision darkened, and suddenly he found himself inside the portal.
A strong, authoritative voice echoed:
"Take him with you and go."
He nodded, picked up Caster, and entered the portal.
****
He continued to save people without rest or pause. His body was sagging with exhaustion, his strength nearly depleted; but he had no intention of stopping. There were still many people he needed to save, and he couldn't leave them behind.
For a full hour, he used teleportation nonstop. With each teleportation, a heavy burden fell on his body; his muscles burned, his mind was clouded. But he didn't care; he focused only on his mission and continued.
Since he couldn't sense any other living people in the city, he teleported to a few walls as his last resort. From there, he looked at the city one last time; his eyes were fixed on the dark battlefield. He quickly sent a message to the director fighting the giant monster.
After that, his presence slowly faded away, disappearing entirely.
The 8th Fortress of Humanity…
Within an hour, in the blink of an eye, it was completely destroyed.
The walls collapsed, the guardians fell, and hopes were shattered.
The once-secure fortress now lay in ruins, silently decaying amidst the rubble and ashes.
The dreams of those who lived there, the screams of their loved ones—all were silenced forever in those dark hours.
HUMANITY'S 8TH FORTRESS WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED WITHIN AN HOUR...