‘’I don’t require to answer any questions.’’ The man said after feeling his body regain a huge portion of the expended Qi. He clenched his hands twice to test the flexibility then turned around to look at Kowalski.

‘’Thanks-’’ He said and put one foot on the battlements. ‘’Also, you get back to your tent. There is no need for you to intervene.‘’

Ubel showed a confused gaze before pointing to their sides. The battlements‘ sides and top of the walls brimmed with lightly wounded. ‘’Don’t you see all those people? It is easier to treat them here rather than to bring them back.’’ He then added, ‘’It saves time too.’’

‘’Senior,’’ Kowalski intercepted as he saw the willingness of the man to speed towards the field again. People flew over their heads left and right, pulled by their connected comrades with the small talismans back to the walls.

‘’Yuan Shu- my name that is.‘’ He sent an annoyed glare. ‘’And no, I will go back. You don’t need to ask.’’ Yuan Shu answered without him asking. ‘’Watch out for me again.‘’ He then sprinted towards the field again. Kowalski saw him going towards another one of those golden furred goliaths. He shook his head with disappointment, then looked at Ubel.

‘’What are you waiting for? Go mend those people‘s wounds.‘’

‘’Alright...but it seems a bit strange.‘’

‘’What seems strange?‘’ Kowalski kept his eyes on Yuan Shu in case he got into another deadly situation. ‘’Monsters or the situation?‘’

‘’The people.‘’ Ubel muttered, then said aloud again. ‘’People, their skills are way much better than the sect disciples. At least the ones like me who didn’t go out.‘’

‘’Aren’t you both path finders?‘’ Kowalski asked.‘’ You should be able to...you can’t move like him. Is it because of experience?‘’

‘’Instinct too. Experience alone doesn’t explain the shabby fighting skills of senior brother and Shu’s superb reflexes. I can kill him-’’

‘’Hey, not so aggressive.’’ Kowalski felt his blood tension calm down a bit in the exchange. As such, he could somehow see the battlefield much clearer.

‘’-in a frontal battle but that is because of my reserves.‘’ Ubel continued without minding Kowalski. ‘’Tenth of my Qi proved enough to fill him up. I also doubt that outcome too, if he can evade a move or two I can do nothing to stop him.’’

‘’I can’t say I understand much.’’ Kowalski admitted. ‘’You are from Cindersnow, you guys are known as ten times better than every rogue cultivator.‘’

‘’Am I so?’’

‘’You might be an exception.‘’ He flashed a smile at the grinning Ubel. ‘’Look at that-‘’ Kowalski pointed with his head as both of them turned their attention to Yuan Shu again.

He ran on the ground with heavy steps and closed on another golden goliath. He leaped like a tiger to the creature’s chest as his sword flew out of his hand and turned into a ten meter long longsword. Goliath crushed form sides with both of its palms to stop the blade but Yuan Shu kicked like a whirlwind right before that. His feet touched the gigantic hilt and sent it drilling inside the goliath. The black metal tip pierced through the skin and muscle and poked out of the beast’s back. Goliath coughed up a mouthful(In goliath size of mouthful) of blood and Yuan Shu once more came on the monster. He stomped on the hilt of the blade and the sword rose upwards with a shrill scream from the goliath. Its organs torn apart into smaller bits and its lungs ripped from the slash, sword’s sharp edge came out of its mouth carrying its organs’ pieces. Goliath fell down with a thud while Yuan Shu reclaimed his blade then sprinted towards another monster.

‘’And half of his reserves gone just like that.‘’ Ubel commented. Kowalski sensed some aura emanating between Ubel’s eyebrows but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. It felt like some sensory organ, perhaps a divine ability as well so he ignored it. Instead, he focused on the amassing amounts of tired and wounded bodies soaring in the skies. As one came, another left towards the field. Initial rush proved the monsters to be resilient but not that much hard to deal with. Sadly, their side had no such diuturnal endurance. Corpsman could restore their wounds and replenish their Qi but the energy, or lifeforce, the body expended wouldn’t come back quick enough.

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That might be the reason that monsters pressed on further and further to corner them. The casualties dipped to the point of none as fight continued. Soldiers of the Yadratafos accustomed to the attack patterns of the monsters with each exchange and the enemy didn’t have enough intelligence to grasp the same. Their instincts helped to sense danger and assess the enemy, yet, that wasn’t enough. However, the opponent was fierce and the groups of lightning imps and the tree monsters, albeit not too hard, still proved themselves to be tricky to deal with. Former moved way too quickly to glimpse upon but in the overall scenario did not affect the battlefield. The reckless move at the start of the battle on their part boasted no effect, instead caused loss of them in thousands if not tens of thousands. Contrary to the devil’s minions, latter gained the universal acknowledgment of the soldiers. The roots that came out of the ground with no alert, grey poison mists silent enough to catch the unwary, and huge bodies shielding the covering harpies; If not for their super slow speed and unusual lack of response to the attacks, Kowalski felt they would be more than tricky.

The tempo of the battlefield kept going back and forth between the two sides in a stalemate and Yuan Shu did not seem to aim for stronger beasts no further. He accompanied inexperienced(Compared to Yuan Shu, not to the two rookies on the walls.) ones to take down small goliaths and tree monsters or groups of lightning imps. His moves didn’t seem slugged even after the first half of the hour, so Kowalski found it acceptable to move his attention to other things.

Snow started to melt. Compounding with steam and mists of the tree monsters, sucking up the blood dying both the ground and the wide scenery to red, emitting a light rivaling the sunlight. Temperature rose. Not as much as to disturb, nor deflect the cold, yet noticeable enough. Kowalski so moved a little back, two steps before the stairs leading down the tents and the gates, watched as another man mounted the cannon and swiped his own sweat. He seemed exhausted, his skin pulsed with heartbeat.

‘’By the light-’’ Kowalski exclaimed. The man almost burned! His skin and flesh caught on fire! Yet he did not react. His eyes turned dull, blank, empty of everything except humanity. Ubel flashed before his eyes and threw himself over the man. They tangled and Ubel bore the same searing wound as he continued to restrain and grip the man by hands.

‘’Kowalski!’’ He shouted. Raising one hand, he punched the man in the face. The man didn’t stop.

Kowalski joined the fray, together with two other men near them. They all tried to hold the same person, only light knew why. Then a small roar erupted from the burning man’s mouth. They shook, and walls shook, and the tents below shook. A flying burst of flame approached from afar with elegance and terror-striking energy. It landed right before the man, tearing away with its now sharp nails and hunched legs. Gaobun revealed himself, or a part of himself, as his form lacked any color or skin not made of fire. His hand raised, callous palm right in the face, he shot. A fire engulfed the man’s head, then his body. Restraining men escaped in the nick of time to avoid spraying gulf of flames. And the man disappeared together with Gaobun, former left ash, latter left seared marks.

-Damned virus...

They heard as the body of flame, avatar of Gaobun flickered into nothingness.

‘’What is that?’’ One of the man questioned, his voice rose in wrath. ‘’Why did he kill one of our brothers!?’’ His eyes turned to Ubel, bearing still the voice and donning the robe of Cindersnow. They blazed like the skin of the man, the eyes the pupils.

‘’What even happened?’’ Other man didn’t mind the anger of the other, he only wondered. ‘’How did he go berserk? And his skin, his eyes.’’

‘’He was in a state, poisoned.’’ Ubel told. ‘’They carry the poison from the Wood Spirits. The strange mist can sever the link between soul and the mind- It can’t be cured. We can only...end their lives.’’

‘’Bullshi-’’ A rumbling echoed throughout the earth and the sky, cutting off the angry man’s words before he could utter them. Pillars of fire rose around the walls next to each other, and step by step, each one so fast that no eye could grasp the real pattern, covered everything three hundred meters away from the walls. Temperature finally rose so high that even the sweat evaporated. Kowalski looked on as a huge barrier of swirling whirlwinds appeared behind the pillars, then shot them towards the front. Friend or foe it did not matter, and there were very few before the ways of the fire and storm, the columns razed the ground black and the sky red. Flesh burnt and soul vaporized, shrill screams one after another arose behind the pillars and the rising cloud of smoke.

Then the half-chaotic steps of the beasts started to falter, to turn faint. The whole land turned silent, a gust of wind defied that moment another second after. It cleared and pursued the backs of the monsters, darkened skies became bright again. Monsters were retreating, but not so far. They weren’t defeated. Their numbers great and gazes of fury felt kilometers away, Kowalski felt the same shudder he felt at the start of the siege. He felt a primordial fear, he felt afraid. And he knew exactly why.

Because they were trapped.

Because their numbers seemed so low and tiny in front of the flying mass of dark dots.

And because, for this point was the most important, he saw the falling down stars upon their barrier.

Upon them.