Chapter 497:Something strange.

Chapter 497: 497:Something strange.

By the time the sun disappeared completely, Hollow Creek had become a battlefield.

Fires burned along the northern perimeter. Gunfire echoed through the streets. The emergency sirens continued wailing.

Civilians crowded the southern evacuation routes while soldiers and academy students struggled to maintain order.

The air smelled of smoke, blood, and burning metal.

Silver stood near the second defensive barricade, breathing heavily. His uniform was torn and several shallow wounds covered his arms.

His spatial energy circulation remained stable, but the repeated use of Short-Step and Spatial Barriers was beginning to take its toll.

A familiar notification appeared.

[Spatial Energy Consumption Elevated.]

[Void-Tempered Pathways Maintaining Stability.]

[Spatial Synchronization Efficiency Increased Under Sustained Combat.]

He ignored it and raised his handgun as a Tier Three predator appeared.

He fired.

The creature stumbled.

He fired again and it collapsed.

Ravenna stood beside him, her sword surrounded by controlled flames, her breathing heavier than usual.

He looked toward her.

"How much energy?" He asked.

She exhaled.

"Enough."

"Ravenna."

She glanced toward him.

"Don’t start."

He smiled faintly, then nodded.

"All right."

A loud explosion suddenly echoed from the northern gate causing the ground to shake.

He turned.

A massive armored beast had crashed into the reinforced entrance and the metal doors bent inward.

Caleb shouted.

"Silver!"

He activated Spatial Sense.

The creature was enormous, at least Tier Four. Its body was covered in thick armor plates, and two massive horns protruded from its head.

It struck the gate again and the reinforced supports groaned.

Rowan stumbled backward.

"I can’t hold it!" He shouted.

Helena immediately contacted Peter.

"Sir! Northern gate is failing!"

His voice came through.

"Fall back to the secondary barricade!"

Caleb looked toward the gate.

"What about the soldiers?"

Silver’s expression hardened.

"I’ll cover them."

He stepped forward but Ravenna grabbed his arm.

"Silver!"

He looked toward her.

She stared at him, eyes filled with desperation.

"Don’t do this alone," she quietly said.

He paused, then nodded.

"Right."

He looked toward Caleb.

"Can you keep it occupied?"

Caleb grinned despite the fear in his eyes.

"That’s what I’m good at," he proudly said.

Silver turned toward Ravenna.

"Target the joints."

She nodded.

"Understood."

He looked toward Elias’s position.

"Elias, can you see the creature?"

The response came immediately.

"Clear visual."

"Eyes and exposed joints. We need to slow it down."

"Understood."

Silver raised his sword.

The beast struck the gate again and the metal doors burst inward.

Caleb fiercely charged and his hammer collided with the creature’s horn. The impact sent a shockwave through the street.

Ravenna swung her flaming sword.

Burning Arc

A narrow wave of flames struck the beast’s front leg leaving a burning wound.

It roared.

Elias fired.

An arrow struck the creature’s eye and the beast screamed.

Silver moved.

[Short-Step Lv3 Activated.]

He appeared beside its injured leg.

[Advanced Swordsmanship Lv3 Activated.]

[Primal Strength Lv3 Activated.]

He slash his sword as hard as he can and struck the exposed joint. Blood sprayed everywhere as the creature staggered.

Caleb struck again.

Ravenna’s flames wrapped around the damaged limb and Elias fired another arrow.

The beast collapsed onto one knee.

Silver extended his hand.

[Spatial Distortion Lv2 Activated.]

A spatial distortion formed around the creature’s upper body, shifting its balance just enough to prevent it from recovering.

Caleb roared as he brought his hammer down. The impact struck the beast’s skull and a sickening crack echoed.

The creature collapsed.

For a moment, nobody moved, then Caleb laughed breathlessly.

"Got it!"

Silver exhaled.

Ravenna lowered her sword.

Elias’s voice came through the communicator.

"Nice work."

Silver smiled faintly.

"Team effort."

Then Mina screamed.

"EVERYONE, MOVE!"

He turned towards her.

She was standing near the damaged gate, her hands pressed against the ground with a pale face.

"Something bigger is coming!"

The ground trembled once... twice... then continuously; it felt like a mini earthquake.

Silver activated Spatial Sense.

His perception extended toward the northern forest.

At first, he detected the familiar chaos of the beast tide; hundreds of creatures moving and thousands of overlapping disturbances.

Then... Something else.

It was a massive presence, far larger than anything they’d encountered.

His expression changed.

The pressure was different. He couldn’t identify the creature clearly from this distance, but the disturbance surrounding it was enormous.

Ravenna noticed his expression.

"Silver?"

He didn’t answer.

Beyond the shattered northern gate, the remaining beasts suddenly began moving faster.

Several predators that had previously attempted to attack the defenders abandoned their targets and fled.

A Tier Three creature crashed through a burning barricade without slowing down. Another leaped over a fallen beast and disappeared toward the eastern road.

The entire tide seemed to accelerate.

Captain Ross’s voice thundered through the communicator.

"All units! Emergency withdrawal to secondary positions! Repeat, withdraw immediately!" He shouted.

Peter appeared near the northern gate, his expression grim.

"Ruddington!"

Silver turned.

"Sir!"

"Get your group back!" He shouted.

He nodded.

"Understood!"

He turned toward the others.

"Everyone, fall back!"

Caleb lifted his hammer, Rowan stumbled toward the secondary barricade, and Mina followed.

Ravenna moved beside Silver while Elias remained on the communications tower, providing covering fire.

Then a roar echoed from the northern forest.

It was unlike anything Silver had heard before. It was deep, distorted and almost unnatural. The sound rolled across the settlement, causing several nearby windows to shatter.

Silver froze.

Ravenna’s expression changed. Caleb stopped moving, even Peter looked toward the forest.

A massive silhouette appeared beyond the dust cloud.

It moved between the trees and several enormous trunks snapped as it approached. For a brief moment, the fading light illuminated part of its body.

They could see dark armor, an unnaturally broad shoulder and something protruding from its back that didn’t resemble any ordinary beast anatomy.

Silver felt his stomach tighten.

The creature moved again, and unfortunately for them, it disappeared behind the dust.

Peter’s voice sharpened.

"Move!"

He grabbed Ravenna’s hand.

[Short-Step Lv3 Activated.]

They disappeared from the damaged gate.

A moment later, the enormous creature struck the northern wall. The impact was catastrophic; concrete shattered, metal supports twisted and the remaining gate collapsed.

A cloud of dust erupted across the defensive line, and the entire northern section of Hollow Creek’s wall began falling inward.

Silver reappeared near the secondary barricade. He turned to look at the north and his eyes widened.

The northern wall was gone.

Beyond it, the beast tide continued pouring forward, and somewhere inside the dust, something enormous was moving.

He tightened his grip on his sword.

Ravenna stood beside him, flames gathering around her blade. Caleb raised his hammer. Helena shouted orders through the communicator. Elias continued firing from the communications tower. And Peter drew his weapon.

The first defensive line had fallen.

The settlement was still full of civilians, and the night had only just begun.