Location:Verdenholt Outpost – All Teams Active
Time:11:24 AM
It started as a shiver through the ground. Subtle at first — like a heavy cart rumbling over a distant road.
Kotaka, sweeping the ruins with Kiyoshi and Rin, froze mid-step. "...Did you feel that?"
Before anyone could answer, the mana around them spiked — a sudden, violent surge, as if the land itself had been punched. A pulse of power rolled through the air, distorting it like a heat haze. Their communicators crackled once — twice — then went dead with a shriek of static.
From the north, east, south — all directions — came the sounds:
Explosions. Screams. The sky, once clear, began to darken as a low, unnatural fog spread from the village at Verdenholt's heart. Kiyoshi's head snapped up toward the sound, heart dropping. The settlement — the civilians — they were under attack.
"They're here," Rin breathed, wide-eyed.
"Move!" Kiyoshi barked, already sprinting toward the rising smoke.
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North Team.
Rajieru jerked his head up at the rumble. From the cracks in the barrier stones, wisps of black mist poured out like veins splitting open. Before his eyes, the mist twisted — coalescing into small, hunched figures.
The Shadeborn.
They darted between broken walls with impossible speed, leaving ghostly afterimages.
Flickers of movement — a glint of claws — a rush of shadow.
"Tch," Rajieru clicked his tongue, sliding into a loose, ready stance.
"Giyuu! Reuel! Keep close! Don't chase!" he snapped, even as the first Shadeborn lunged from the gloom.
Reuel, calm even in chaos, nodded once, raising a hand as a shield of mana flared to life.
Giyuu simply smiled faintly, stepping forward with a grace that didn't match his slim frame. The battle erupted — fast, brutal, confusing.
Rajieru grinned. "Alright, let's dance, you little shits."
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East Team.
On the eastern treeline, the first twisted shapes broke free from the woods — not demons at first glance, but corrupted animals. A deer's body, blackened and half-fused with jagged crystal. A wolf with three heads, snarling through splintered bone masks. Birds with wings sharpened like knives.
Celosia stiffened, feeling their tainted spirit energy before seeing them. "They're...they're corrupted!" she gasped, reaching instinctively for her spirit focus.
Haruki moved in front of her, shield ready, eyes hard. "Stay behind me, Celosia."
Manjiro cracked his knuckles lazily, but his grin was sharp. "Heh. Bring it on, Bambi from hell."
The beasts charged — and the forest exploded into chaos.
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South Team.
In the south, Sanae stumbled back as the ground shook again — heavy thuds, one after another, like giants waking. From behind a shattered rock formation, hulking figures emerged — three of them. Skin like stone, bodies bulging with raw muscle, blood-red eyes gleaming under heavy brows.
The Brute Berserkers.
Zoltan shifted into a defensive crouch, his hands flexing, nails sharpening instinctively. "Don't let them touch you," he warned sharply. One glance told him: one swing could smash a student into paste.
Asami's eyes narrowed, calculating angles and weaknesses even as she pulled Sanae back. The lead Brute roared — and charged. Sanae tightened her grip on her staff, her magic flaring to life. The fight began in a clash of earth and flesh.
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West Team.
Kiyoshi's team skidded to a halt halfway to the village ruins. They weren't alone. The ground ahead burst apart — and from beneath the cracked stones, the Hellhounds erupted. Twisted beasts, bone protruding through charred flesh, their jaws dripping with fire.
Three — four — five of them, circling like wolves.
One locked eyes with Kiyoshi and snarled, its whole body igniting in a burst of sickly green flame.
"Form up!" Kiyoshi snapped, dragging Kotaka and Rin back into a defensive triangle.
The first Hellhound lunged — and the battle began. Their fight was harder, harsher. The Hellhounds didn't just bite — they bled fire onto the ground, forcing the trio to keep moving, dodging between crumbling pillars and shattered statues.
Kiyoshi felt it again — that tug inside him. That old, dangerous pulse. Not yet, he gritted his teeth. Not yet. He slammed a Hellhound into the ground with a surge of mana, bones crunching — but three more replaced it.
"They're endless!" Rin shouted, spinning to knock another one away with a blast of compressed air.
Kiyoshi wiped blood from his lip, eyes narrowing. "We have to hold out!"
He didn't realize, not yet — that the real enemy was already watching from the shadows beyond the ruins. A pair of slitted eyes gleamed — and Aizawa smiled. "Soon," the demon whispered, voice carrying on the poisoned wind. "Soon, Calamity."
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