Don't give in to the pleas to surrender.We are dealing with the Abyssal Cult who might have controlled people's minds."

"They mind act to surrender and then kill us."

"So kill!"

The soldiers raised their weapons and shouted.

"KILL!"

"KILLLL

He turned slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the commanders.

"Melvin, take the eastern approach. Break their outer defenses and do not let anyone escape."

Melvin nodded firmly. "Understood."

"Sol," Duke Serpentine continued, "Iron Knights push straight through the central gate. Your job is to break their spine."

Sol clenched his fist. "We won't fail."

Duke Serpentine then looked at Kael. "Kael, will you accompany them?"

"Yes, sir," Kael nodded.

Kael turned toward Ariana, Gare, Vic, Chris, and Handle.

"You five stay mobile. Kill commanders and pread fear. Make them collapse from the inside."

They nodded without hesitation.

"Remember," Kael added coldly, "the first attack is a test. So don't rush ahead like maniacs."

Duke Serpentine gave a few more short instructions, then raised his hand.

"Good," he said. "They march."

The army began to move.

As they advanced, Kael shouted loudly, his voice carrying across the ranks.

"Everyone, make sure to protect the Saintess!"

Seraphina stepped forward and closed her eyes.

She clasped her hands together and began to pray.

Her body erupted with a bright, holy light that surged outward like a wave. The light shook away the dark mist, tearing open a clear path and allowing everyone to finally see the city gates.

However…

To their shock, no one was guarding them.

The gates stood wide open.

Kael frowned deeply. An ominous feeling crawled up his spine.

Melvin turned toward Kael. "Even if it's a trap, we need to step in. We are the ones in a hurry, not them."

Kael nodded grimly.

Kael took the first step forward and entered the city.

The moment he crossed the threshold, he felt a sharp buzz in his chest.

It was the token of the Heretic Sect.

Kael pulled it out quickly. "What happened?"

A distorted voice echoed in his mind.

[It is you all who are trespassing.]

"Yes," Kael replied inwardly. "Why?"

The answer came instantly, filled with urgency.

[Fuck! Quickly run or take cover!]

Kael's eyes widened in shock.

He did not waste time asking how or why. He did not hesitate.

He opened his mouth and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Ret—!"

BANGGG!

His voice was drowned out by a deafening sound.

In the next moment, to his horror, countless explosive bangs echoed throughout the city. The air twisted violently, pressure crashing down from all sides.

Then bodies began to fall.

One after another.

Blood splashed across the stone streets as soldiers were thrown into the air and smashed down mercilessly.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The banging sounds echoed one after another, sharp and deafening. At first, all they saw were splintered streaks tearing through the air, trailing sparks before striking flesh and stone. The sound arrived a heartbeat later.

Heads snapped back and bodies collapsed.

Blood sprayed across the ground as soldiers fell without even understanding what had hit them.

"Take cover!" Kael screamed as he rolled across the ground. "Use shields!"

A sharp realization struck him like ice.

'Guns. Damn it.'

'That fucker didn't inform me.'

Melvin's serpent reacted instantly. Its massive body shot forward and coiled around Melvin, the scales along its hide hardening as a greenish aura spread over them. The bullets struck its body and bounced away with sharp sparks.

But the others were not so lucky.

The entire formation collapsed under the sudden assault. Even before they could react, dozens were already dead. Some tried to raise their shields, but it barely helped.

The shields were not large enough.

When they covered their upper bodies, their legs and stomachs were shot through. When they crouched to protect their lower half, their heads and chests were torn apart.

There was no safe position.

Panic spread among the troops.

The soldiers broke formation and began retreating blindly, some crawling, some dragging wounded comrades, others simply running.

Kael gritted his teeth and expanded his senses.

Several hundred enemies were hiding inside buildings nearly five hundred meters away.

'What?'

'These things can shoot from that far?'

Shock flashed through him. He had underestimated it. This was the greatest flaw of relying on old knowledge. You never truly understood how terrifying the weapons of later generations could be.

'If this continues, the entire battalion will be wiped out.'

Kael grabbed his sword and sprang forward.

Charging straight in was suicide, but standing still was worse. He leaped between retreating troops, swinging his blade with precise movements. Bullets sparked as they struck the edge of his sword and were knocked aside.

For an S ranker, tracking the bullets was possible.

But deflecting hundreds of them at once was another matter entirely.

Kael spun his sword in a wide circular arc, deflecting as many shots as he could. Then he slammed the blade into the ground.

BOOOOOOM!

The earth exploded upward. Stone shattered and dirt burst into the air, forming a thick wall of dust that swallowed the battlefield.

"Fall back!" Kael shouted through the chaos. "Use the smoke!"

The dust cloud spread rapidly, obscuring vision.

Melvin's serpent roared and unleashed energy blasts one after another. Green beams streaked through the smoke and slammed into distant buildings, shattering walls and collapsing rooftops. It was blind fire, but it forced the shooters to scatter.

Gunshots continued, but without clear targets they became erratic and unfocused.

That small gap was enough.

The soldiers retreated, dragging the wounded and carrying the dead as best they could. Many stumbled. Some screamed in terror. Others cried in rage, fists clenched as they retreated from a fight they could not understand.

The battlefield fell silent only after they had withdrawn far enough.

...

Back at the camp.

Everyone froze as the blood-soaked figures returned.

Armor was shattered. Faces were pale. Many were missing.

Duke Serpentine stood still, his expression grim and heavy. His hands trembled slightly as he looked over the survivors.

Melvin walked out last, breathing heavily. The adrenaline still coursed through him, and his heart pounded like it might burst.

"What was that?" Melvin asked hoarsely.

The question made everyone flinch.

Duke Serpentine clenched his fists and shouted, "Firearms."

A low murmur spread through the camp.

"Damn it," Vic muttered. "I really want to kill the bastard who invented such nuisances."

Sol frowned deeply. "Wait. If they had firearms, why didn't they use them before?"

He looked around, confused and disturbed.

Ariana thought for a moment, then spoke quietly. "They wanted to take us out by surprise."

Her words made the silence heavier.

Kael pulled out the Heretic Sect token and roared, his voice filled with fury.

"Fuck! Are you insane or what?"

"Why didn't you inform me?"

The voice replied inside his mind.

[I didn't know about the trap either. I only got the information moments ago and was about to relay it. How could I know you would reach that place so fast?]

[I didn't expect you to come this swiftly.]

A thick vein bulged on Kael's forehead.

"Then answer me this," he growled. "Why didn't they use firearms earlier?"

[They were waiting for this moment.]

Kael fell silent.

Then it hit him.

Sacrifice.

They wanted sacrifices then, and they wanted sacrifices now. The greater the number of deaths, the more stable the portal would become.

In fact, the best move would have been not to attack at all.

But they could not retreat either.

Because who knew how many lives had already been taken?

At that moment, Kael understood another truth.

They had reached Creole so easily not because they were strong, but because they were allowed to.

Yes, everyone sensed it now. Yet they still walked into the trap, because there was no other path forward.

"Any more information?" Kael asked.

[Nothing else. They will start the ritual within an hour, so whatever you plan to do, do it quickly.]

[Also remember one thing. Only if you manage to reach the ritual site will I make a surprise move. Otherwise, I will stand still and watch.]

Kael exhaled slowly.

"Hm. That's a good decision."

He cut off the connection and leaned back slightly, rubbing his temples.

"Ah," he muttered to himself, eyes cold and sharp. "What a troublesome day."