The next day.

Sona City is louder than it has ever been.

Market streets buzz with chattering merchants.

Adventurers crowd outside taverns.

Even ordinary citizens gather in tight groups, whispering excitedly.

Every conversation circles back to one thing.

The mysterious powerhouse who scared off a Tier 7 Emperor Beast.

Inside the Adventurer Guild, the noise is almost overwhelming. The hall is packed, monsters of every shape, size, and species squeeze together, all talking at once.

At a round table near the center, an Oni monster slams down his mug and shakes his head in disbelief.

"I still can't believe I witnessed that yesterday," he mutters, voice still shaking. "A sword made of three elements, and the sky split open like paper."

A wolf-headed monster beside him nods vigorously.

"Right? And that Emperor Beast? Hah! It ran with its tail between its legs."

A lizardman leans closer, whispering like he's sharing forbidden knowledge.

"I didn't know City Lord Vordon had such connections. Inviting a Tier 7?"

Before he finishes, a roar erupts from the mission board.

"WOAH!!! Another mission!!"

The entire guild goes quiet for a breath.

The Oni rolls his eyes. "What's that idiot yelling about? There are new missions every day."

But as he rises and pushes through the crowd, he finally sees the mission pinned at the very center of the board.

His heart drops.

"...This… this mission is from the City Lord himself."

Everyone around him leans in.

A serpentine monster hisses sharply. "What does it say?"

The Oni reads it aloud, voice cracking.

"'Recruitment for assault on Nam City, all capable adventurers and warriors are invited to participate.'"

Everyone goes silent.

Dead silent.

Then—

"What?!"

"He wants to attack a human city?!"

"This is madness!"

"Is he trying to start a war with the entire Alnera Kingdom?!"

The wolf-headed monster holds his head in disbelief.

"Sona City is like an ant compared to the human kingdom. Does Vordon think he can challenge a nation?!"

The lizardman gulps loudly, eyes darting as he whispers:

"Unless… unless he isn't planning to fight with just us."

Another adventurer stammers out:

"Y-You don't mean… that powerhouse…"

And the realization spreads through the guild like wildfire.

The mysterious figure who terrified the Emperor Beast.

The one who created that colossal elemental sword.

The one who spoke with a godlike voice.

"That's it," a goblin murmurs, trembling. "The City Lord secured a Tier 7's help…"

"If he has a Tier 7," another says slowly, "then even the Alnera Kingdom would have to think twice."

Someone rushes in from outside, waving a parchment.

"This mission isn't only here! Every monster city that survived the beast tide, they all received the same recruitment order!"

Shock.

Confusion.

Fear.

Excitement.

All mix together.

The Oni monster exhales shakily.

"Sona City… is preparing for war."

A hush falls again.

No one knows if this is the start of glory…

…or the beginning of a catastrophe.

----

The war table dominates the room, scarred wood, maps pinned with bone markers, routes drawn in dark ink. The air is heavy with tension and purpose.

Vordon stands straight-backed at the table, hands clasped respectfully behind him. His armor is scratched and dented from yesterday's battle, but fully polished, as if he refuses to appear anything less than prepared before his king.

Alix sits casually in the main chair, one leg crossed over the other, his expression calm like he already knows the outcome of the war.

Vordon clears his throat.

"My lord… everything is ready."

Alix slowly lifts his gaze. "How many joined us?"

"Three city lords from the five cities that survived the beast tide have agreed to our alliance." Vordon bows deeply. "They pledged their soldiers and their elites."

Alix raises an eyebrow, faintly impressed. "Only three?"

"Two still repair their walls and lick their wounds," Vordon replies. "But the three who came are committed."

Alix nods once. "That's pretty good. So we can start marching tomorrow?"

"Yes, my lord. All preparations are complete."

Alix taps the table lightly with his finger, thinking. "Good. The sooner we move, the fewer surprises the humans can prepare."

Vordon hesitates for a heartbeat. "Also… the three city lords wish to meet you personally."

Alix sighs softly, though not annoyed—more like mildly inconvenienced.

"Fine," he says. "After they arrive. Let them gather first."

"Yes, my lord." Vordon bows deeper this time, relieved.

They spend several more minutes discussing troop formations, supply lines, marching order, and the fastest route through the monster territories.

Alix ends the meeting with a simple gesture.

"That's enough. You did well, Vordon."

Vordon straightens immediately, pride flickering across his face.

"It is an honor, my lord."

As Alix leaves the room, Vordon quietly exhales—relief, respect, and a hint of awe mixing together.

----

Sona City has never been this alive.

The entire settlement vibrates with anticipation, fear, and excitement. Word spreads faster than fire through dry leaves.

A war is coming.

And not a defensive one—an invasion.

Everywhere monsters move with purpose.

Even civilians help—carrying supplies, fixing barricades, reinforcing wagons. The entire city prepares for a campaign unlike any they've ever seen.

Rumors swirl in every corner.

"That Tier 7 will march with us."

"The humans are doomed."

"Nam City won't even see us coming."

"No—what if the kingdom retaliates?"

"We have a god on our side, who cares?"

And though many fear the idea of war with the humans…

that fear is overwhelmed by the memory of yesterday—the sky cracking apart from Alix's elemental sword.

Sona City believes.

The next morning.

The city walls shake from the sheer number of footsteps.

Monsters gather at the eastern gate—tens of thousands.

Armored ogres, wolverines, lizardmen, serpentine elites, winged scouts, trolls carrying giant maces, spellcasters with glowing runes—every type of monster race stands ready.

Vordon walks among them, giving orders with a booming voice.

"Form lines according to rank! Heavy units in front! Adventurers, stand behind the legion guards! Keep the wagons centered!"

And then the distant rumble echoes through the forest.

The first allied army arrives.

Fifteen thousand soldiers strong, marching in tight formation, banners of their monster city fluttering behind them. Adventurers march alongside, armored and eager.

A second army follows… another fifteen thousand.

The third army trails last, fifteen thousand more monsters, several elites radiating high-tier power.

In total, more than forty-five thousand monsters stand outside Sona City, waiting to follow one king.

The three city lords have yet to approach the mansion.

First, they let their armies breathe.

Sona City watches in awe.

This is no raid.

No defensive retreat.

This—

is a campaign.

A monster alliance moving as one.

A force marching under the shadow of a Tier 7 nightmare-slayer.

And above them all, watching calmly from the balcony of the mansion stands Alix.

The wind carries his presence like a promise of destruction.

The murmurs of tens of thousands spread like ripples across the land as all eyes focus upward.

On the highest balcony of the City Lord's Mansion stands Alix.

Or rather—his silhouette.

A strange distortion cloaks his face, swirling like mist woven from mana and shadow. No one can see his true features. Only his outline, posture, and the overwhelming aura pouring down like an unseen mountain.

The monsters fall silent one by one.

Ogres stop adjusting their armor.

Lizardmen freeze mid-step.

Even the air feels still.

The three arriving armies look up, realizing—

This is the being who made a Tier 7 Emperor Beast flee.

Alix speaks.

His voice does not roar.

It does not shout.

Yet it spreads to every corner of Sona City and across the plains beyond, resonating directly in their minds like a decree of heaven.

"Monsters of the wilderness… listen."

A hush falls so deep that even wind refuses to blow.

"For generations, we have lived in the shadow of humans."

The ground trembles lightly with each word.

"We roam the wilds, hunted in their stories, slain for their glory. To them, we are nothing more than beasts to be culled."

Many in the crowd lower their eyes.

Some grip their weapons harder.

Others quietly snarl in anger.

Alix continues, voice steady, unshaken.

"We do not have the rights they enjoy."

A ripple of tension spreads through the armies.

"We are forbidden from using their teleportation portals."

"Forbidden from entering their cities."

"Forbidden from living as equals on this continent."

A roar of bitterness echoes from somewhere in the crowd.

Another voice follows.

Then another.

Alix raises a hand, and silence drops instantly.

"This ends now."