Something was wrong.

  Qin Ming frowned, his eyes locked onto the battlefield.

  The air was thick with the cacophony of war—roars, screams, the crackle of magic, and the scent of blood. The City Guard and the Berserk Bear Mercenary Group were high on morale, pressing the advantage and driving the routed monster horde back toward the Cloud Mist Forest.

  "No... Don't pursue!"

  A sudden realization struck Qin Ming like lightning. He shouted the order, trying to halt the advance.

  But the moment the words left his lips, a low, resonant sound rolled out from the depths of the forest.

  It wasn't a deafening roar. It was a dull, heavy thud, like a massive war drum beaten directly against everyone's chest.

  The faces of those on the wall went pale instantly.

  "What kind of monster makes a sound like that?" Blood Wolf asked, stunned.

  "Damn it! Was this a feint to draw us in? Since when do monsters use tactics?" Qin Ming’s expression shifted from suspicion to horror.

  On the front lines, the soldiers closest to the forest felt the sound physically. Their chests tightened, and the entire offensive momentum ground to a halt.

  From the shadows of the treeline, two crimson lights, the size of lanterns, ignited.

  Then, the beast emerged.

  It resembled a moving hill. With thick, stump-like limbs, a body encased in impenetrable armor plating, and a massive horn crowning its head, the creature stepped into the light.

  Boom. Boom.

  With every step, the earth trembled. A human standing before it wouldn't even reach the height of its knee.

  "Iron-Mountain Behemoth!"

  Tiger-Hunt, standing on the wall, whispered the name.

  The blood drained from everyone’s faces.

  Legend had it that the Iron-Mountain Behemoth possessed a trace of the Earth Dragon bloodline. Its strength was titanic, and its natural armor was virtually indestructible; ordinary attacks couldn't even scratch it.

  An adult Iron-Mountain Behemoth was naturally Level 60. If it passed the Grandmaster Trial, its bloodline would evolve further, turning it into an Iron-Mountain Dragon Beast.

  A monster of this caliber had no business being in the Cloud Mist Forest. If it lived here, they would have heard of it long ago.

  Even though this specific one hadn't passed the Grandmaster Trial yet, its power was undeniable. The force of a charging Level 60 Iron-Mountain Behemoth was enough to shatter the walls of Cloud Mist City like glass.

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  "Scatter! Split into two groups! Do not try to block it!" Qin Ming gritted his teeth, shouting the desperate order.

  Even if the wall fell, he couldn't let his men stand in front of that thing. It was suicide. Even a Grandmaster-rank expert would be critically injured trying to take that charge head-on.

  Berserk Bear didn't wait for the order. The moment the beast appeared, he turned and fled toward the rear, abandoning his mercenaries who were still on the front lines.

  "ROAR—!"

  The Behemoth let out a low bellow that shook the souls of everyone present.

  "Damn it all! Is Cloud Mist City destined to fall?" Qin Ming slammed his fist on the rampart, his voice trembling with rage.

  They had done everything right. They were so close to surviving the beast tide. And now, this impossible monster appeared to ruin everything. No one here could stop it.

  Rumble...

  The Behemoth began to run.

  The ground quaked violently as momentum gathered around its massive frame. This was the gift of its dragon lineage: an unstoppable charging force that compressed the air around it, creating visible sonic distortions.

  Unstoppable.

  Emboldened, the monster horde rallied behind the Behemoth, launching a renewed assault on the city. They were just waiting for the wall to collapse so they could flood in and feast.

  The City Guard, their formation broken, scrambled frantically to the sides, terrified of being trampled. The members of the Berserk Bear Group, already a mixed bag of discipline, were now fleeing in chaotic panic, crawling over each other to escape.

  "Tiger-Hunt. Can you kill that thing?"

  Blood Wolf exhaled slowly, his eyes fixed on the charging mountain. His voice was heavy.

  "If you can stop it... I might have a way to try," Tiger-Hunt replied, his hand resting on the hilt of the Furious Greatsword at his waist.

  "I hope you don't disappoint me, Berserker," Blood Wolf chuckled.

  "You too, Guardian Knight," Tiger-Hunt grinned back.

  After countless battles, Tiger-Hunt had successfully reached Level 40 and passed his Class Trial, transitioning into a Berserker—one of the classes with the highest raw destructive power.

  "City Lord Qin, prepare for the counterattack," Blood Wolf said to Qin Ming.

  Then, without waiting for a reply, he vaulted over the ramparts.

  "Wait—" Qin Ming tried to stop him, but it was too late.

  Blood Wolf landed heavily on the battlefield, standing alone between the city and the beast.

  "Brothers of the Blood Wolf Squad! It's time to show the results of your training! RAISE YOUR WEAPONS!" Blood Wolf roared, his cold gaze locked on the oncoming Behemoth.

  "KILL!"

  The members of his squad, who had held their ground below the wall, let out a unified roar in response.

  "I can't believe there are idiots actually going down there to die," Berserk Bear sneered from a safe distance, watching the scene with disdain. To a man like him, Blood Wolf was simply a moron.

  The retreating City Guards saw it too. While moved by the bravery, they felt a pang of sorrow. It was a meaningless sacrifice.

  The fleeing mercenaries glanced back, shaking their heads and mocking the fool who thought he could stop an avalanche.

  "Even if the wall falls, we can still fight in the streets! If you die now, it's over!" Qin Ming shouted, trying to climb down to pull Blood Wolf back.

  "City Lord Qin. Let him go. You just need to be ready to strike when the time comes." Tiger-Hunt blocked Qin Ming’s path.

  He unslung the Furious Greatsword and planted it beside him.

  The Iron-Mountain Behemoth was closing in. The sonic boom generated by its charge was now a high-pitched scream tearing through the air. The earth groaned under the stress.

  City Guard Mages, now safely out of the direct path, launched a barrage of spells at the beast. But the magic that had devastated the horde earlier merely splashed harmlessly against the Behemoth's armor, failing to leave even a scorch mark.

  The defense was absolute.

  "Watch closely. This... is my duty as a Guardian Knight."

  Blood Wolf stared down the beast. The wind pressure from the approaching charge whipped his hair and clothes violently, making them snap like flags in a storm.

  Behind the Behemoth, the monster horde howled in anticipation.

  Everyone watched, waiting for the inevitable moment when Blood Wolf would be crushed into paste, impaled on the massive horn, and the city walls shattered behind him.

  "SQUAD! PREPARE—!"