The sun was still shining brightly. The ground trembled more and more as they drew closer.

  Four massive army ranks advanced in the distance. Three were human. One belonged to the beastmen.

  The earth trembled under the march of myriads of soldiers heading toward Wiley.

  Four kingdoms answered the call: the kingdoms of Cabibi, Linio, Idénia, and Dozzi. Alongside the regular armies, mercenaries and adventurers hired by the Hunter Guild advanced in great numbers, bringing with them the strongest members available in the region. In support, arcanists from the Ancient Art School also responded to the summons.

  The Guild managed to mobilize such a force thanks to the quick action of the receptionist. Upon noticing the presence of Silent, she rushed to the second floor and wrote the emergency message, informing that the monster was in Wiley. Those few seconds were crucial for the Hunter Guild’s headquarters to organize a containment force for its main commercial partner: the city of Wiley.

  The message was swift not only to the Hunter Guild, but also to the alliance of kingdoms and to the Ancient Art School. This was only possible thanks to the use of teleport scrolls, expensive and extremely rare items. Even so, to ensure an immediate response, they did not rely on conventional means. Everyone arrived through teleportation machines, artifacts even more exclusive and absurdly expensive.

  The army began to close in around the city, occupying previously defined strategic points, waiting only for the signal. Arcanists and archers positioned themselves on rooftops and taller buildings. Adventurers stayed in the rear, while mercenaries spread through the shadows and alleys of the city. Some of them could already hear the roar of battle and see, in the distance, the guild where Silent was located.

  Among them was an S-Rank adventurer.

  Tall, fair-skinned, with her hair tied in a ponytail and dressed in red garments, she wielded a bow wreathed in flames.

  Her name was Fiamma, known as the Leader Archer.

  She positioned herself atop the council building, keeping her eyes fixed on the guild where Silent faced the adventurers. Suddenly, an electric explosion devastated the structure and part of the commercial district. Amid flames and rubble, Fiamma spotted Silent.

  Two adventurers, one human and one beastman, rose from the debris and advanced toward him.

  It was useless.

  Not even Fiamma, with her trained eyes, could follow what happened. In the blink of an eye, both were on the ground, nearly dead, their bodies pierced through.

  Silent made a brief bow, offering condolences to the many fallen of the guild, and then calmly walked to the center of the street, as if nothing had happened.

  Fiamma’s eyes narrowed, sharp as a predator’s before its prey. She pulled the bowstring.

  "Ancient Art, Acceleration."

  "Ancient Art, Explosion."

  "Unique Ancient Art, Perfect Eye."

  "Unique Ancient Art, Perfect Hit."

  Her senses sharpened. Fiamma gained almost instantaneous reactions. The arrow crackled, violently sparking. Her body and her weapon received an extreme increase in speed.

  She released the arrow.

  Silent managed to dodge, but he was caught off guard. The arrow embedded itself in the ground, crackled, and exploded. The blast hurled him against a wall.

  That was the signal.

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  In less than half a minute, the empty streets filled with soldiers. Mercenaries emerged from the shadows, collecting the wounded and the bodies of the dead, removing them from the combat zone.

  Silent tore himself free from the wall and leapt.

  He landed in the center of the city, atop the fountain.

  The front line closed into a circle around him. Four leaders appeared, mounted on their horses.

  Two women stood side by side, both in armor one beastman, the other human.

  Not far from them, two human men also wore armor. One of them was an arcanist, marked by the dark blue mantle over his armor and the wide-brimmed pointed hat.

  When they saw Silent, they pointed their weapons at him.

  "ATTACK!"

  The army answered the command with deafening shouts.

  Everyone charged at Silent. Archers fired their arrows, while arcanists recited the Ancient Arts.

  Silent raised his face and advanced.

  ***

  Great beams of light, fireballs, arrows, swords, spears, and shields surrounded him. There were so many soldiers advancing at the same time that even we, the army leaders, could not see Silent properly.

  From atop my horse, I realized that this battle would be unlike any I had ever faced.

  I, Boris, chief of the army of the kingdom of Cabibi, kept a serious expression on my face.

  "..."

  I watched my troops and those of my partners rush toward Silent. There were no speeches or demands for surrender. The orders were clear, coming directly from the king and from our superiors. “Boris, for your deeds, you have been chosen as commander. You will march toward Wiley and return to us with Silent’s head.”

  At that moment, I knelt and accepted the assignment. I understood the importance of having been chosen for this mission. However, when my king said that our allies would come to help us, I placed no faith in that at all. The fame and power of our allies, particularly, were not good. In the end, I thought it would be only me and my army who would truly fight.

  In difficult times, our allies always begged our kingdom for troops. And, just as expected, their force arrived, weak and insignificant. Just by looking at them, anger consumed me.

  But then, in the distance, I saw something I could not hide. Clear astonishment took over my face. I even rubbed my eyes, thinking it was a mirage.

  Enormous armies, as large as our own, came in support.

  At that instant, I realized that it would not be only our allies who answered the call. How my ignorance and foolishness had blinded me… The connections of the city of Wiley were vast.

  Amid the troops, the Ancient Art School was also present, bringing its arcanists and medics. Even kingdoms that were not our direct allies came to aid in the battle, bringing even their legendary forces.

  Neani, the brutal leader of the beastmen of Dozzi.

  Morgana, the legendary warrior of Idénia.

  Reiki, the most powerful arcanist of Linio.

  The situation became even more unbelievable when I saw the Hunter Guild arrive with their best men, adventurers of Rank A and above. They also hired extremely skilled mercenaries and even called Fiamma to assist in the battle.

  When I saw them passing by, a broad smile appeared on my face. At the same time, a chill ran down my spine. I knew Silent’s fame.

  I had always believed it was exaggerated. I never thought so many soldiers would be necessary to stop him, much less to summon individuals so powerful.

  Still, I smiled, finding it all unbelievable. All of this… to kill a single individual. Yet, noticing the absolute seriousness on the faces of the other leaders, my expression changed. I became more serious, though a faint smile still lingered.

  I found some amusement in the situation.

  Silent won’t even know what hit him.

  Even if he defeats one or two, at best maybe a few thousand, there would still be myriads of soldiers to stop him.

  Not to mention we have these legends on our side.

  But soon my smile vanished, and my doubts were answered.

  With a casual wave of his arm, Silent sent entire crowds flying. Lightning erupted from his body, tearing through soldiers in every direction.

  No arrow reached him. No Ancient Art touched him.

  The front-line army advanced without fear of being struck by enemy or allied fire. Everyone was willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of peace.

  There was little discussion among us, the leaders, and no time for it anyway. Our experience in battle and vast knowledge of war tactics allowed us to quickly formulate a strategy together.

  My attention and that of the other leaders never left the battlefield. Our front-line soldiers fell like leaves before a storm.