Chapter 196: Battle in Rose water--1

The clear blue sky was rapidly darkening above the village. Dozens of transport birds were blotting out the sun, their eyes staring down viciously. Riding on their backs were men wielding heavy crossbows, knives and guns.

The bandits hadn’t given up. They had brought their entire regiment.

"They are here!" Hunter barked into the band, his voice echoing across the village. "Wear your armor first if its off, grab your weapons. The villagers should do as we told them."

A deafening explosion rocked the village gates. Desperate shouts, screaming villagers, and the thunderous, violent roar of gunshots tore through the air. Hunter drew his blade and gun The calm afternoon was over. Battle had arrived. "Get inside," he shouted at the children. He could hear his link band chiming for a connection, but he ignored, firing his weapon into the air. With a single shot, he took down one transport beast.

Zyra meanwhile slapped her link band for the fifth time, but the device just gave a dull, hollow beep. No connection. A cold wave of panic rushed straight to her chest. She began pacing in frantic circles, her mind immediately jumping to the absolute worst-case scenarios.

What if he’s ambushed? What if he’s bleeding out in a ditch? What if he got eaten by some random beast?!

"Beauty, what the hell is wrong with this useless metal junk?!" Zyra yelled, thrusting her wrist toward the air.

Beauty’s calm voice echoed softly from the device. "The Link band is perfectly okay. Hunter is simply_ not picking up."

"Not picking up is not a good sign." Zyra said softly. She shook her head. Who was she kidding, it was not a good sign. Something had exploded just before Hunter ended the call. Maybe the bandits had Somnivore weapons, and they had overpowered the team.

She bolted out of the pavilion, her voice ringing across the open clearing like a war horn. "ACHILLES! BIANCA! GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!"

All residents came forth, murmuring in confusion. Within seconds, a crowd gathered.

"What’s wrong, Zyra?" Bianca rushed forward, adjusting the leather straps on her armor. Achilles was right behind her, already whistling for his beast.

"Hunter’s in trouble at Rosewater!" Zyra shouted, her eyes wild with urgency. "We’re leaving. Now!"

Big Vince and Daniel pushed through the crowd, both bandaged up like walking mummies. "Count us in," Big Vince grunted, flexing a beefy, bruised arm.

Zyra shot him a glare that could melt iron. "No. You two can barely walk without groaning. Stay here and rest."

"Zyra, come on!" Big Vince protested, looking genuinely pained. "I started this whole mess! I need to clear my conscience!" But seeing the absolute fury in her eyes, he quickly remembered the painful lesson he’d learned about disobeying her. He beat his fist against his chest and bowed his head heavy with respect. "Fine. I’ll protect the valley with my life while you’re gone. Just_ bring the boss and the others back."

"Achilles, Bianca, Tessi, Armillo_ with me!" Zyra snapped.

Meanwhile, over at Rosewater, chaos had already torn the sky apart. The bandits hadn’t just marched in through the village; they had been brutally strategic. A ground army surrounded the outer fences, while airborne raiders rained bullets down from above. The villagers had scattered into hidden cellars and underground trenches the moment the alarm sounded.

But not everyone was fast enough.

Pools of red splashed across the dirt roads as the bandits hacked down whoever they caught. Hunter and his men were fighting off the bandits and shoving terrified villagers into hiding spots at the same time.

Hunter wiped a smear of blood from his brow, his eyes narrowing as he spotted something absurd in the enemy ranks: A transport beast was carrying another injured transport beast on its back.

So that is how the beast led them here, Hunter thought bitterly.

In the center of the village compound, Duncan stood. Beside him was Krugger who was bruised and bleeding.

Duncan had his foot pressed firmly onto Krugger’s back. "Come out, you rats!" Duncan screamed into the hiding spots. "Bring me my son! If I don’t see my boy in three breath’s time, I’m chopping his head off, and then every single one of you dies!"

Hunter didn’t bother arguing. He raised his gun, took aim, and pulled the trigger. The bullet clipped Duncan’s wrist. The bandit leader howled as his sword slipped from his numb fingers and clattered onto the ground. Duncan whipped his head around, his eyes locking onto Hunter with pure rage.

"Kill them!" Duncan roared, clutching his bleeding wrist. "Kill every single person in this godforsaken dirt hole!"

"Tear them apart!" Hunter yelled back, unsheathing his twin blades that had been gifted to him by his grandfather. They were crescent shaped war scythes, shorter than traditional scythes, designed for dual wielding. Each blade curved inward like a crescent moon, but on curved left, and the other right.The blades were Somnivore products, forged from a rare metal named Eritreum ore.

When wielded together, they hummed in harmony, amplifying the wielder’s strength and speed. If both blades were crossed mid-swing, they released a shockwave of vibrating energy that could stagger enemies or shatter weaker weapons.

What followed after Hunter unleashed them was complete, unadulterated meat-grinder carnage. He moved like a hurricane, his blades shearing off arms and slicing heads off as if he did this every morning before breakfast. Humans and beasts fell wherever he passed, and blood soaked the ground like a river.

Behind him, a deafening roar shook the dust off the burning houses. Tyrant spun through a cluster of bandits, his iron wings slicing through armor and flesh like meat cleavers, leaving a trail of screaming men in its wake.

Despite their fighting skill, Hunter’s group was getting swamped. For every ten bandits they put down, twenty more surged forward.

Duncan picked up his sword with his left hand, his yellowed teeth bared in a snarl. His eyes tracked Hunter through the blood-mist. "You’re the big fish here, aren’t you?"

Duncan summoned his own beast a towering, raging Fire Bull. The beast snorted, streams of molten fire spraying from its nostrils. The bull charged blindly into the wooden pavilions, setting the dry grass roofs blazingly ablaze.

Duncan charged right behind his bull, sneaking through the smoke while Hunter was busy parrying three spears at once.

"HUNTER!" A sharp, terrified voice shattered the noise of battle. Zyra had just burst into the village square with her strike team! They had teleported to the village with Beauty’s help.

Hunter’s heart leaped. He reflexively glanced toward the sound of her voice_

That split-second distraction was all Duncan needed. Duncan lunged forward and slammed a long dagger straight into Hunter’s side.