Meanwhile, Kael had begun his trek back to Greyveil.
The silence of his earlier hunts had vanished. The air grew heavier the farther he moved. Fog churned around his legs like it was alive, and the ground trembled faintly under distant impacts.
Every few kilometers, he was forced into another skirmish.
He moved like a phantom in the mist, cutting down packs of lesser beasts that wandered too far from the horde. He was faster, sharper, his folding scythe slicing in clean, precise arcs. His steps were quiet, his breathing calm—even in the thick of combat.
But the frequency…
Two beasts at the edge of a crag—dead in a heartbeat.
Another trio that leapt from undergrowth—slain with a burst of his shadow step and a scythe sweep.
The distance between encounters was shrinking.
And then he saw it—the smoke curling upward, the faint flashes of elemental clashes illuminating the fog miles ahead.
His eyes widened. The realization struck like a punch to the chest.
The tide has already reached Greyveil.
His pulse quickened. The battle had begun
He immediately veered off the regular paths, slipping into a faster, more dangerous shortcut he recalled from his academy days. The terrain was rougher, the chances of encountering larger beasts higher—but he had no choice.
He could not waste another second.
He didn't know who was still alive, or if the town was holding out—but a grim thought weighed on his heart
And with that, he pressed forward, each step faster than the last. Even now, he avoided direct contact with large packs, using his stealth and agility to maneuver past them, conserving his energy. This was not the time for grinding—it was a time for returning home.
Soon,
Greyveil was in sight—a fortress blazing with chaos.
Kael stood at the rear edge of the monster tide, the massive, writhing horde stretching like a living sea between him and the town. Roars echoed through the mist, and flickers of elemental light flared over the skyline, illuminating the distant silhouettes of battle.
He stood still for a moment, taking long, steady breaths, his chest rising and falling in a quiet rhythm.
"You've made it this far," he whispered to himself, eyes narrowing. "Now finish what you started."
Though he was now third rank, and even stronger than most within it, he wasn't foolish. This was no simple skirmish—it was a Tide. A flood of chaos and blood that could drown even elite soul hunters if they weren't careful.
He couldn't charge blindly.
So, Kael melted into the chaos.
His movements were razor sharp—cutting through the gaps in the horde like a scalpel. Every strike was precise. Every step, calculated. His folding scythe spun with controlled fury, severing limbs and heads in fluid arcs.
A beast lunged from the left—he vanished.
[Shadow Flicker Activated]
He reappeared behind it, scythe already cutting.
Then came another from the front, and another from above. He dropped into a crouch, vanished once more—a flickering blur in the fog.
[Umbral Shroud Activated]
A dense shadow spread around his form, cloaking him like ink in water. Within the shroud, he moved unseen, unheard. A predator among prey.
Each time he emerged, a beast died.
Each step brought him closer to the warfront, but also deeper into the flood of monsters.
Slash. Vanish. Reappear. Strike. Vanish again.
Flickering through shadows. Leaving only corpses behind.
Soon, his path began to draw eyes.
From the ramparts, soul hunters turned—confused. In the blur of battle, something dark was weaving through the horde. Something fast. Something lethal.
To many, it was just a whisper of motion—a shadow passing between beasts.
But others caught glimpses. And then they saw him.
"Who… who is that?"
"Someone's cutting through the tide—alone!"
Whispers turned into shouts as he began saving hunters, intercepting soul beasts a split second before they could land killing blows. His scythe blocked fangs. His flickers pulled hunters from death.
One beast—a burrowing mauler—had lunged at a third-rank hunter from below.
"Too fast—!"
But Kael was faster.
He appeared mid-air, his shadow-flicker snapping him into perfect position. He brought his blade down, severing the creature in one stroke, then vanished again.
But even a monster like Kael had limits.
His soul energy reserves, as vast as they were, had been drained thin. His body ached from the nonstop fighting, and the constant flickering through shadows left a biting fatigue in his limbs.
He made it—finally—just meters from the frontline.
And then… he stumbled.
His vision blurred. His hands trembled. His scythe clanged to the ground beside him as his legs gave out, collapsing into the mud and blood-soaked earth.
"Tch… not now…"
A soul hunter he had saved moments ago rushed to him, catching his shoulder before his face hit the ground.
"Hey! Hold on! You saved me—don't die on me now!"
The hunter, still bleeding, carried Kael toward the rear lines, pushing through exhausted fighters, dodging stray blasts and broken beasts. He finally made it to the edge, passing Kael to one of the newly awakened runners stationed for aid delivery.
"Take him to the medical bay—fast!"
"R-Right!"
Kael was barely conscious as he was carried past makeshift barricades, across muddy paths into the crowded healer's tent, where injured soul hunters groaned in pain and healers worked in frantic rhythms.
He was laid down gently beside others, his heart still thudding in his ears.
Even as his vision faded to black, a tired smile crept onto his face.
"I made it…"
Kael's body was cold with exhaustion, sweat mixing with dirt and dried blood as the healers most with light and water affinity swiftly gathered around him.
"Third-rank soul hunter—overclocked soul burn," one of them muttered, eyes scanning his vitals.
"Stamina collapse. Soul energy nearly depleted... Bring the tonics!"
Two healers knelt beside him, while another brought out a crystal-infused soul tonic, its swirling blue liquid pulsing faintly. One tilted Kael's head gently and poured it into his mouth.
The moment the liquid touched his tongue, a soothing chill surged through his veins, like cool water to fire.
"Stamina stabilizing… now!" the lead healer called.
Another pressed a Soul Core—freshly harvested and still warm—against Kael's chest. Glimmering energy flowed from the core, feeding directly into his depleted channels, guided by the healer's affinity-enhanced hands.
Kael's body twitched slightly as warmth filled him, first in waves, then in steady pulses.
His breathing evened out.
His heartbeat slowed from frantic thudding to a steady rhythm.
His muscles, once stiff with strain, relaxed under the glow of infused healing sigils, drawn around him by another healer with a quick, practiced motion.
"He'll pull through," the head healer said at last, wiping sweat from her brow.
"That kid's soul channels are ridiculously strong for someone just reaching third rank."
Kael, now drifting on the edge of sleep, heard those words faintly.
But before unconsciousness claimed him, he felt one last thing:
'His soul energy stirring—refilling'.
But beyond the walls, the night was far from over.
Something darker stirred in the heart of the Tide.
Something stronger, smarter, and far more dangerous than mere lesser beasts.
The real battle was just beginning.