Terv.

Before it was abandoned, it was a thriving city, a bustling hub of trade, various cultures, and numerous opportunities. Its grand walls, once echoing with the laughter and chatter of the citizens they protected, now lay devastated and overgrown with vegetation.

According to Yakeru's research he'd done beforehand, the city fell victim to the first fungus blight infestation humanity had foolishly neglected. Rangers scrambled to respond to the chaos but by then, most of the city had already been ravaged by the A and S-tier monsters. The situation became so dire that it was the catalyst of one of the worst catastrophes in recorded history, The Phoenix Feather Bombing.

A sense of gloom permeated the air as they walked through the rusted gates. Large avenues were eerily silent, charred remnants of market stalls littering the ground. The skeletal remains of ornate buildings loomed over them as they wandered down the fractured road, minding the vines slithering from the cracks. They pinched their noses as the faint stench of rotten eggs in the area was a telltale sign that hydrogen sulfide was leaking through the cracks from the sewers.

Shadows of families fleeing from grotesque humanoids were imprinted on the walls, painting haunting images of those who were forsaken. Neighborhoods lay in ruin, weathered and crumbling homes exposing forgotten belongings.

Unwanted memories flashed through Fuyumi's head as she empathized, a hint of somber in her expression.

"All these people...how horrible," Aoi murmured as she clutched her wand timidly, making sure to stick close to the group.

Although wandering through an old battlefield sent shivers down their spines, it was Terv's disturbing resemblance to the Capital that chilled their bones.

"This is insane," Kazeki remarked, his anxious gaze tracing up the decimated buildings.

"Let's try to stay focused," Yakeru ordered, hoping the task at hand would distract them from the depressing atmosphere while suppressing his own anxiety.

"Right." Kenji agreed, tilting his head up to find a building that towered overhead. "That building looks tall enough. You guys better get going."

"Good luck." Yakeru wished before Itsuki and team 3 followed behind him.

Kenji, Kateshi, and Aoi took cover inside a small deteriorating one-story building.

Since the building's interior was in shambles, Yakeru and the others had to take detour after detour until they reached the roof about an hour later. Once there, they had a clear view of the devastation below. Through the skeletal remnants lay a massive crater towards the center of the city, now a lifeless lake formed from accumulated rainwater that reflected the somber clouds.

Beyond the city's walls was a glistening landscape that had also been subjected to the cluster of bombings that eradicated the infestation—the Glasslands as it was now called. The sun's rays mingled with the crystal formations producing an array of colors that touched the horizon, a complete contrast to the gloomy atmosphere of Terv.

"Aoi would've loved this view," Kazeki said to no one in particular.

"Yeah, but let's stay on task," Yakeru reminded.

Spreading out, they took different sections of the roof to search the city. It didn't take long for them to find the palace-looking building that Kane most definitely decided to claim as his own.

'How ironic.' Yakeru thought.

The weathered structure was located about half a mile right of the lake. Its once-majestic architecture hinted at the previous owner's financial and high social status.

Yakeru went to the edge of the roof and pulled out his glowing talisman, waving his hand in front of it. On the ground level, Kenji, Kateshi, and Aoi watched as the faint light flickered from the top of the building, signaling the go-ahead to go through with the plan.

"You're up," Kenji said, patting Kateshi's back to urge him on.

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Kateshi responded with his all-too-familiar grin. "You can rely on me!" He readied his battle axe, its blade humming with power.

*****

Kane, Marcus, and Maya walked into a grand room with its once-polished wooden floorboards now dusted and fragmented. The elaborate chandelier that used to illuminate the space lay shattered and half-buried in the floor. Cobwebs filled the empty space in corners and crevices formed from debris. Pillars of light struck the decorative walls, defiled by scorch marks smeared over them.

Maya, seemingly in her own little world, walked up to the decaying wall, placing a tender hand on its surface.

"It's rather interesting that such a place noted for its intricate beauty could become unrecognizable in such a short period of time." Her voice held a somber note mixed with intrigue.

Kane looked around, pleased with their find. "This will do."

"Here?" Marcus raised a brow at his leader's questionable decision.

"Why yes. It's a fitting place for a king, don't you think?" Kane smirked.

"If I can be blunt, I believe this is the most obvious place they'd come looking for you."

Kane made his way to a pile of rubble. "That's what makes it perfect."

Marcus' brow twitched from built-up frustration. He proposed they seize control of a less conspicuous location for their base of operations. This royal palace put a huge target on them, making his job of protecting Kane more difficult than it needed to be. The opposing team was most likely on their way.

He knew what Kane was capable of, and Maya was no slouch either, but he didn't want to leave any room for his enemies to work with. What made things worse was that he ordered everyone to spread out in order to encompass a larger area. Although this gave the illusion of control, it was just that, an illusion. Since the enemy team was a much smaller force, it'd be easy for them to slip through the cracks in their defenses.

Marcus let out a deep breath to release some of his pent-up frustration. At the very least, Kane wasn't foolish enough to leave himself without his lieutenants.

Kane dusted off the slab of stone resting on stacked debris and sat atop it, treating it like a throne.

"Let them come."

Although this plan, or lack of one, wasn't the best for obvious reasons, Marcus' trust in Kane's ability held firm. He gave a slight, reluctant bow.

"If you insist, Master Kane."

Just then, a distant explosion echoed through the otherwise silent city. Marcus and Maya looked at each other then at their leader who sat indifferently with his cheek resting on his fist.

"Seems like it's already begun. Lockdown the palace but make sure you let that commoner through." Kane stressed.

Marcus rested his hand on his longsword. He still didn't fully agree with Kane's thought process but he was left with no choice.

"As you wish," Marcus replied, moving into a nearby section of the palace.

Maya smiled to herself as she proceeded into another room through a hole in the wall. "This is a rather crude place for my work but I suppose I don't have the luxury to be picky."

Kane remained in the same spacious room, awaiting his opponent as more explosions resounded in the distance.

*****

["And it seems like the battle is already underway!"] The announcer exclaimed throughout the encampment of excited spectators. ["Yakeru's team has gone on the offensive. Given their numbers, is that really the wisest idea? I guess we're about to find out!"]

Akari watched the projection of the battle from the bleachers. She only recognized her brother's friend, Kenji, fighting alongside a muscular brute and what appeared to be a healer. It was clear the brute was going to be their main damage dealer just from the amount of destruction he was causing. One infused swing from his battle-axe could level a small building.

If she had to make a guess, she'd estimate his rank to be around A. It was difficult to gauge the healer's rank mainly because she hadn't done much healing—rather she didn't have to since Kateshi was bulldozing through his enemies.

She could hear murmurs around her, mostly comments on the one-man army that was their main dealer.

"He's really something." A middle-aged woman said.

"Indeed, but it doesn't seem like he puts much thought into his attacks." A well-dressed man replied.

"Yes. I suppose that's why there's a healer with them to compensate for his many mistakes."

"I didn't think the Fiends would have this much trouble."

The opposing Fiends didn't stand a chance. More of them trickled towards the chaos only to be quickly dispatched.

Fiend conjurers fired volleys of radiance as the axe wielder countered with an even stronger blast of radiance. Close-range combatants closed the gap, their quick movements and impeccable coordination demonstrating both their experience and familiarity with their fellow clan members. However, surprisingly, Kenji had little trouble foiling their synchronization. She hadn't seen his capabilities since the last time he trained with Yakeru all those months ago so it was a shock to see a low-ranking ranger make such an impactful contribution.

She smiled to herself, pleased to see that the kid had improved since then. The projection flickered, showing another live feed of the rest of the team. Yakeru and her old friend had been sneaking their way through ruined buildings while Fuyumi and another kid she was unfamiliar with traveled through another set of structures, both teams moving parallel to one another. Once in a while, they'd take cover, using the shadows as concealment to avoid detection whenever a patrol unit rushed past them to investigate the commotion.

She wasn't entirely sure what their plan was but taking an educated guess, they were using the mayhem to launch their own stealth operation. As for where they were going, she was unsure. She just hoped whatever they were planning, the brute would have enough radiance and stamina to last him the duration.