A pack of colossal black wolves and frenzied grey bears ravaged a street corner, their claws and fangs stained with the gore of their victims.

In a once-bustling marketplace, countless desiccated skeletons and ethereal Wraiths materialized without warning. They launched vicious assaults upon the innocent populace

In a grand square, powerful, aggressive monstrosities held sway, six-legged tigers unnatural strength and speed; crocodiles with granite-hard hides. They burrowed deep beneath the earth, erupting to ambush their prey, and even spat sharp stones from their gaping maws.

In the skies above, gigantic bats, the size of a fifteen-year-old child, wheeled and screeched. Their ear-splitting cries were a torment. They bit and mauled citizens, snatched them into the air, and released them from great heights, creating scenes of horrifying carnage.

The military and every combat-capable individual, knights, freelance mages, and guild members, were urgently mobilized. They confronted a large-scale invasion across East Aerion.

Intelligence channels crackled with desperate pleas for aid, and requests for reinforcements from Central Aerion poured in. The city's security forces undertook the most difficult role: protecting the terrified citizens, evacuating them to makeshift safe havens.

For the ordinary civilians and low-ranking soldiers, men and women who had never faced the grim reality of true warfare within the heart of their own capital, no one could have imagined that Aerion, the heart of Zephyros, could be subjected to such a brutal assault in broad daylight. Fear, bewilderment, and a crushing despair suffocated them.

Captain Jacobs' Unit 18, currently on a routine patrol in the southern outskirts of East Aerion, swiftly received the emergency mobilization order. They were assigned to a residential area besieged by a considerable group of Undead. Given their recent, hard-won experience battling the Undead in the Bandit Graveyard, Command trusted they would handle this situation effectively.

Sophia and many other low-ranking, who were present at the Estath Convent when the attack commenced, were quickly organized by higher-ranking monks and deployed outside the cathedral to assist the populace.

That morning, just as the battle between Archbishop Ralph and the Bloodluster was about to erupt, several Rank 2 and Rank 3 monks had swiftly utilized secret passages to evacuate those with limited combat capabilities, including Sophia, from the immediate danger zone.

This was perhaps Archbishop Ralph's way of protecting them, keeping them outside, preventing them from being drawn into the vortex of the high-level conflict raging within the cathedral's sacred walls.

The entire force of the East Aerion Investigation Bureau was also deployed. They were divided into numerous small teams and moved urgently to the most chaotic locations to investigate, gather intelligence, and support the military in eliminating the enemy.

The moment Henry sensed instability spreading and Sophia's familiar aura in a dangerous area, his first action was to contact her and pinpoint her location. Learning she was safe and currently assisting civilians in a nearby neighborhood, he immediately moved with utmost speed, weaving through streets choked with smoke, fire, and screams, to reach her side.

Barely three minutes later, he spotted a familiar figure in a narrow alley littered with corpses and prowling Undead. A young woman with auburn-brown hair bravely used light magic to kill three Undead. More than ten others still circled as she desperately tried to protect two terrified children cowering behind her.

Relief washed over Henry as he recognized the familiar auburn-brown hair in the chaos. The feeling was quickly followed by a surge of protectiveness. It was Sophia.

Without a moment's hesitation, Henry launched himself forward. His sword flashed silver, two clean slashes sending two zombies back to dust. Together, they quickly killed the remaining Undead before them. "There you are! Are you alright?" Henry panted, his worried gaze sweeping over Sophia, checking her for injuries.

"I'm fine, Henry," Sophia replied, her voice trembling slightly, though her eyes remained steadfast. She turned, gently comforting the two children who were sobbing with fear. "But the situation is incredibly chaotic. What should we do next?".

"I know Captain Jacobs' and Unit 18's location. We'll go there and regroup with them. It's safer with the unit than acting alone," Henry suggested.

"But what about these two children?" Sophia asked worriedly, looking at the children clinging tightly to her legs, their eyes filled with tears. "Both the cathedral and the military barracks are in chaos. There's no truly safe place for them right now".

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"Take them to Estath Square!" Henry decided quickly. "I heard the army has deployed a fairly strong force of Rankers there to defend it, protecting the civilians seeking refuge. It's only about five hundred meters from here".

"Alright! Let's go quickly!" Sophia agreed immediately.

Henry and Sophia, each leading a child, moved swiftly towards Estath Square. Along the way, they battled unexpectedly appearing beasts and Undead. They also rescued civilians trapped in collapsing houses, escorting them to the safe haven.

Henry's Mystic Sense was extended to two hundred meters; he didn't hesitate to use a large amount of his strength in this emergency. His special sensory ability not only helped him detect danger from afar, defeating monsters effectively, but also helped him find people trapped in houses, frightened children hiding in cellars, and the elderly who couldn't move on their own.

Initially just two adults and two children, by the time they reached Estath Square, the group they protected had grown to over thirty-two people.

Less than five minutes had passed since Henry found Sophia, but constant adrenaline, the stench of blood and viscera, and the responsibility for so many lives made each second stretch into an eternity of relentless combat. Constantly fighting, constantly on guard, constantly protecting those weaker than themselves.

Finally, their efforts yielded some results. Estath Square was significantly safer. But it still wasn't enough. Both decided they would go and support Captain Jacobs' Unit 18. After all, fighting alongside familiar comrades, those who had faced life and death together, always brought a sense of reassurance and greater strength.

When Henry and Sophia arrived, Unit 18 was fighting valiantly, forming a solid defensive line to protect more than eighty civilians cowering in fear behind them.

The twelve members of the unit, under Captain Jacobs' command, fought like lions, repelling wave after wave of attacks from the Undead and ferocious beasts. Captain Jacobs was a force of destruction, having already slain more monsters than all the other unit members combined. The power of a Rank 4 in such chaotic battles was indeed vastly superior.

Henry, upon appearing, immediately plunged into the fray, his sword a streak of lightning, easily killing two Skeletons menacing Torsan. Sophia was no slower; she and Melly combined their efforts, intertwining streams of light and fire magic, quickly incinerating a Wraith attempting to breach their defensive line.

"Mind if we take shelter here for a bit, Captain!" Henry said with a teasing tone, though his forehead was beaded with sweat.

"Be my guest, Henry!" Jacobs laughed in response, his voice still booming despite continuously swinging his heavy greatsword. " But any monsters you two kill from now on, the credit is all mine!".

Henry and Jacobs exchanged a quick, military-style salute, an unspoken understanding passing between them. The other members of Unit 18 were also overjoyed at the appearance of their two former comrades. With the addition of two strong Rank 3 like Henry and Sophia, their combat pressure would undoubtedly decrease significantly.

After only a short while, with Henry and Sophia's participation, Unit 18's defensive line had expanded considerably. More and more civilians, and even some low-ranking soldiers separated from their units, sought refuge there.

The sense of safety increased immensely. Many among them, who had just experienced terrifying moments, began to hope that if they could just hold on a little longer, Zephyros's army would crush this chaos and restore peace to the city.

"Captain, would you mind leaving the formation for a moment and taking a stroll around here with me?" Henry spoke again, his voice still jesting, but his eyes held a flicker of calculation.

" If you and I holding hands for a walk can keep everyone here safe, Henry, I'll be more than willing!" Jacobs retorted in kind, understanding that Henry undoubtedly had an important reason.

From the moment he met Sophia, escorted the civilians, until regrouping with Unit 18 and joining the fight, Henry had ceaselessly used his Mystic Sense to observe and analyze the situation.

He had detected unusual energy traces, subtle remote manipulations of the beasts and Undead. He believed if they could find the summoners and controllers, the chaos would diminish and the pressure on their forces would be greatly eased.

Henry presented his speculations and plan to Captain Jacobs. Immediately, the experienced captain agreed. He understood clearly the importance of decapitating the enemy's command structure. Unit 18 would be temporarily commanded by Daniel and Sophia, continuing to protect this area, while Henry and Jacobs would split off to undertake a dangerous hunt - hunting the beast controllers.

At the same time, in other parts of East Aerion, Brena, Wrack, Quinz, and other Rank 4 members of the Investigation Bureau had also recognized the same problem. They too were moving swiftly throughout the city, on one hand coordinating lower-ranking military units to protect civilians, and on the other, using their experience and strength to track down and eliminate the Necromancer summoners or evil mages hidden in the shadows, controlling the monsters sowing terror.

Meanwhile, Chief Investigator Ragley, his face grim and his powerful Rank 5 aura palpable, was heading alone towards a location situated between Estath Cathedral and the central military barracks.

His two trusted subordinates, Dash and Cole, experienced Rank 4 investigators, had completely lost contact while on a mission at this location. A dark premonition enveloped Ragley.

The tense atmosphere of battle, the chaos and death permeating everywhere, forced everyone to focus only on the immediate, pressing issues. No one, not even Henry with his sensitive Mystic Sense, nor the Demigods elsewhere, noticed a thin, grey-black mist slowly seeping across the ground, silently rising from drains and dark corners, gradually enveloping an increasingly large area of the city.

A more terrifying threat, a darker nightmare, was silently forming.

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