Not long after Kairo's command had been heard, the giant axe of the ork rose high into the air.
Garth moved.
The tantrum was gone—burned away, replaced by something far more dangerous.
Purpose.
With a roar, he brought the axe crashing down toward the Alpha he had ignored moments ago.
The beast shifted.
Fast.
Too fast.
The blade slammed into stone, shattering it on impact. Dust erupted—but Garth was already moving again.
No pause.
No hesitation.
He dragged the axe upward in a brutal arc aimed at the Alpha's jaw. It twisted, claws snapping forward—but Garth leaned in instead of retreating.
"Come on!"
The Alpha lunged.
Garth met it head-on.
The collision detonated through the ruins.
He adjusted instantly—shortening his grip, tightening his stance.
Another swing.
Controlled.
The edge bit into the Alpha's shoulder, carving deeper this time.
Not shallow.
Not a test.
A statement.
The Alpha retaliated with a sweeping claw.
Garth ducked under it and stepped in close—too close for comfort, too close for the beast to use its full strength.
"Let's see how you handle this!"
His free hand shot forward.
Bone Grapple.
Fragments of hardened bone burst outward, latching onto the Alpha's forelimb. He yanked hard.
The massive creature staggered.
For the first time—
It lost balance.
Garth grinned.
"Yeah… that's right."
He surged forward.
Savage Charge.
His shoulder slammed into the Alpha's chest like a siege ram. The impact forced the beast backward, claws tearing trenches into the ground as it resisted.
But Garth didn't let go.
He twisted with the momentum, dragging the creature further off center—
Then brought his axe around.
Axe Mastery.
This time—
It landed clean.
A full-bodied strike that cracked against the Alpha's side with enough force to force a snarl from its throat.
Not endurance.
Pain.
Real pain.
The Alpha adapted.
Its head snapped forward, jaws closing toward Garth's neck.
Garth didn't retreat.
He shifted.
Just enough.
The teeth grazed past him as he drove his elbow down against the beast's skull, forcing its head lower—
Then stepped back.
Reset.
Circling.
Watching.
"Good," he muttered. "You're not just another mutt."
He stepped in again.
Faster.
Sharper.
Iron Lunge.
A direct, explosive thrust—his entire weight driving the axe forward like a spear.
The Alpha twisted.
But not enough.
The blade punched deep into its side this time.
Blood spilled.
A real hit.
Garth ripped the weapon free and kicked off, creating distance as the beast retaliated with a violent body slam that cracked the ground where he had stood.
They circled again.
Closer now.
Tighter.
No wasted space.
Warrior.
Beast.
Neither yielding.
Behind them, the battlefield burned.
Onyx moved through the tide of Shackled Hounds like a blade given life.
Clean.
Efficient.
Absolute.
A hound lunged—
His lance pierced through its skull before it could land.
Another came from behind—
He stepped aside at the last instant, letting it pass before driving the weapon straight through its spine.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
Just execution.
Nearby, Theo fought harder.
Messier.
"Damn it—!"
He ducked under snapping jaws, barely avoiding a bite as his katana flashed upward. A second hound slammed into him, forcing him back.
He staggered—
Recovered—
Swung again.
This wasn't control.
This was survival.
The line was holding.
Barely.
Further back, Renn lowered his violin slightly, breathing uneven.
"…I apologize," he said. "On Garth's behalf."
Kairo didn't look at him.
Renn continued anyway.
"Without Lord Varen here… he's acted rudely. Toward you."
Shiri let out a low chuckle.
"Don't mind it, lad," he said. "Our Kairo here isn't exactly known for his charm either."
Kairo remained silent.
His eyes stayed on the battlefield.
Ahead—
Garth was holding.
Alone.
(The Alpha is adapting.)
Each exchange was sharper now. Garth's blows were landing—but the beast was learning, adjusting its responses with every clash.
(A prolonged fight favors it.)
Kairo's fingers brushed lightly against his chin.
(Lyra is unassigned. Deployment increases kill probability.)
His gaze shifted slightly.
(No interference from Onyx. Garth retains initiative.)
A pause.
(Risk remains. If he falls—we lose a frontline asset.)
His thoughts aligned with precision.
Then—
A second layer formed.
(Lyra… unknown tier. Possibly Tier 5. Possibly not.)
Sending her would tilt the fight.
But—
(The line weakens if she leaves.)
His eyes flicked toward the formation.
(Can they hold?)
Another pause.
(Garth is enduring. If he sustains pressure… intervention may be unnecessary.)
Risk versus efficiency.
The decision was forming—
Movement.
Sharp.
Sudden.
From above.
Two Shackled Hounds dropped from the ruined rooftops.
They hit the ground hard—
Behind the formation.
Behind the command.
These beasts had scaled the crumbling ruins, claws digging into fractured stone. From above, they had moved unseen—using chaos and elevation to bypass the front entirely.
Now—
They were close.
Too close.
Their eyes locked onto Kairo.
Targets identified.
They lunged.
Shiri reacted instantly.
His body shifted, placing himself between Kairo and the incoming beasts.
"Stay back—!"
Renn stepped forward at the same time, raising his violin.
A sharp note rang out—
Then another—
Then a rapid sequence.
The air vibrated.
Skill activated.
Shimmering projectiles shaped like musical notes burst forward, slicing toward the charging hounds.
One struck clean.
The beast staggered mid-lunge.
The second didn't.
It pushed through.
Fast.
Too fast.
From the sides, rabbitmen turned—firing in support. Bolts cut through the air, striking the creatures, slowing them—
But not stopping them.
They were already too close.
The first hound crashed into Shiri.
The impact forced him back, scales grinding against claws as he held the line with sheer strength.
The second broke past.
Straight toward Kairo.
Distance collapsed.
Five steps.
Four.
Three—
A note slammed into its side, throwing off its path just enough.
Kairo didn't move.
But his eyes sharpened.
(A gap…)
The realization was immediate.
(A failure in rear coverage.)
The battlefield wasn't just ahead.
It was everywhere.
Ahead—
Garth roared.
He stepped in again—faster now, more aggressive.
The Alpha met him.
Claw against axe.
Impact against impact.
This time—
Garth didn't give ground.
He forced it back.
One step.
Then another.
The beast resisted—but for the first time, it wasn't just enduring.
It was being pushed.
Garth grinned, blood streaking across his face.
"Now you're mine!"
He raised his axe again—
The Alpha stopped.
Completely.
Its body went still.
Its breathing slowed.
Its gaze changed.
Something deeper.
Something older.
And for the first time—
The Alpha stopped holding back.