Pulling out his spear from the dead corpse of what appeared to be a spider-like creature, Edgar wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Isn't this a little too much?" he asked.

Unlike what they expected, the number of abominations in the ruined city far exceeded their guesses. This was currently the seventh battle they had had within the last four hours of their venture, and they had barely covered any ground due to it.

They had fought all kinds of beasts, ranging from skin clawers to cave dwellers, and it seems there is no end to them.

"I don't know. But we do what we've been trained to do," Lilith said.

Samael still refrained from entering the battle. He's carefully watching the crew work it out by themselves so that they may grow stronger.

However, he must agree that there are indeed quite a few creatures in the place. With the help of their reconnaissance team, they've been able to actively avoid areas infested with these bats. However, even the paths they are left with no choice but to pick are still crawling with abominations.

Samael can slowly see the fatigue stacking one after the other as the battles raged on. Eventually, they would grow too tired, and the possibility of slipping up would increase.

As Michael and the group caught up, Lilith and the rest were given some time to rest and rejuvenate before their next battle. However, judging by the distance of the critters, it won't be long before they enter combat again.

Slowly, the group pushed through the ruins, revealing the hidden beauty of the streets lit up by the gemstones in the sky.

Inch by inch, they crossed the deserted city as they fought all forms of evil waiting in the shadows. However, Michael raised his hand, prompting everyone to halt their movements.

"What's wrong, sir?" Sabbath asked.

"We'll rest here for today," Michael said as he pointed towards an abandoned house.

The house's walls were cracked, and most of its roof had gone down. It's floor shattered, gathering dust till the end of time. But it would suffice.

Sitting down, the group swiftly huddled closer, knowing they could not ignite any form of fire or light to combat the sheer cold seeping in their bones. It seemed like it would be another sleepless night today.

After some rest, the group was woken up by Rhian, who was in charge of the third watch.

After some equipment maintenance, the squad was off again as they travelled deeper into the city.

Unfortunately, bad things were bound to follow; it was only a matter of when.

Venturing deeper into the city, Michael released a faint sigh. Like thunder, a dozen abominations called Ikula lunged from the shadows, their claws aimed at the throats of every person there.

Loud roars and screams erupted as everyone fended for themselves. Watching the chaos ensue, Lilith signalled for the quick reaction force team to try and take control.

They swiftly went ahead, drawing their weapons as they slashed, pierced, and cast spells, destroying everything in their path.

The putrid stench of blood permeated the air as the paved ground was stained crimson. Grunts and screeches of pain echoed in the streets of Enklar as both sides collided.

Lilith took charge, along with Raegan, as they swept in. Meanwhile, Edgar made sure not a single beast would pass him, while Claire consistently cast spells.

Lilith swung her scythe multiple times, tearing one of the abominations in pieces. Raegan, on the other hand, coated his fists in steel as he tore holes through the flesh of the monsters.

However, the mindless beasts did not even bat an eye at their fallen kin as they clawed and bit, wounding Lilith and the rest.

"Hold!" Lilith roared as she slammed her hands down, followed by a burst of chaos, knocking back the beasts.

Taking advantage of Lilith's attack, Raegan dashed forward as he slammed against one, shattering its ribs and sending it barreling back. Claire, on the other hand, raised her hands high in the air, where a dozen wind lances formed. As she put her hand down, so did the lances, impaling the bastards into the ground.

The last remaining abominations screeched as they hurriedly scurried off, but Samael did not give them a chance as he delved into the shadows, eliminating them in the darkness.

Seeing that it's finally safe, everyone sighed as they slumped down. The emergency response team went ahead and treated the injured ones, applying ointment and bandaging their wounds to prevent infections.

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The reconnaissance team simply remained silent by the side, their faces grim. This incident would have been prevented if they had been more vigilant about their surroundings. This was their fault.

Noticing their dismay, Michael sighed. "What happened today will keep happening. I know it is scary and it will always be; there is no other way around it. What we can do is improve. Learn from this encounter and use what you learned so that this never happens again."

The Nightwalkers nodded in unison. What Michael said was true. Like Samael said, anything can happen out in the wild. Expectations kill.

Steeling their resolve, they rose up and continued their journey deeper. Today was day two, and they had already faced a dangerous situation. They can only brace for what will come ahead.

This time, the reconnaissance team was twice as careful. They had engraved this event in their memories and vowed to never make such mistakes again. Although Samael and Michael would have surely done something to prevent casualties, what if they weren't there?

Hastening his pace, Samael walked beside Lilith as he inspected her injuries. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Lilith forced out a small smile. "I'm okay. Just a little shaken."

Samael held the girl's hand, squeezing it twice. "I wish I could say everything will be okay, but I'm afraid this is only the beginning. You will face more of them, some far more foul than you can imagine."

Lilith steadied her shaking hands as she looked at Samael. "I know."

***

The second day in the ruined city of Enklar ended with the group resting under a collapsed bridge. As usual, they could not find sleep, even if they tried.

Some decided to sharpen their blades, while others simply watched the gems in the ceiling glitter. Although it may appear boring to some, for them, it was heaven. A small sanctuary away from fighting abominations.

"Alright, everyone, gather around," Michael said.

Forming a small circle, Michael laid forth a large map of the ruined city as he pointed at a certain position.

"This is our location," he said as he dragged his finger across the room. "This is our objective."

"But we already know that, sir?" Alex asked as he scratched his head.

"You know where we are going, but not why," Michael said.

"What do you mean?" Samael asked, his brows furrowed.

"This entire voyage isn't just travelling and monster killing. The reason I got permission to enter this place is because we were tasked with the mission of bringing back lost blueprints of the Mellaguns," Michael replied.

"Blueprints? What are they? Weapons?" Lilith asked.

"I am not sure. All I know is that it is crucial in determining the path of this war," Michael said.

"If it's so important, why entrust this to a bunch of fresh students?" Rhian asked.

"It is because it's so important that the mission is disguised as a training venture. No one knows of our objectives except the school and us," Michael said. "Any other questions?"

The students remained silent.

"If there is none left, sleep. Regain your strength; I know this day has been a lot," Michael said as he folded the map.

After his announcement, everyone found it even harder to sleep. Yet another sleepless night.

When morning came, or at least as they believe, the squad went back to their march.

Their prime destination was a bunker hidden deep within the centre of the city. According to their intelligence, the place was locked down when the abominations overwhelmed the defences.

Scouting ahead, Desmond couldn't help but frown. Up ahead was what appeared to be a plethora of ruined machines, guarding a withered bridge.

Without another thought, Desmond went back.

"What's wrong?" Michael asked.

"I found something interesting ahead. A dozen or so ruined metal golems lying beside a bridge," Desmond replied. "Not only that, but there is this off aura around them. Some type of odd energy."

"Then it seems we have reached our first checkpoint. That bridge you saw is called the path. It is one of the many bridges connecting to the centre of the city. According to the school, it is surrounded by machines called steel sentinels, whose sole purpose is to protect the bridge," Michael said.

"Well, it seems they did quite a shit job at it," Elise said.

"That they did," Michael chimed in. "Still, the quick reaction team will go ahead to make sure it's safe."

Lilith and the rest nodded as they advanced forward. As they neared their destination, they finally saw the steel Sentinels.

Much to their surprise, the machines seemed almost unharmed. They were simply idle, frozen in time.

As they inched closer, Samael's eyes widened, his instincts roaring at him. Without batting an eye, he exploded forward, startling Lilith.

Opening her eyes, Lilith felt her heart drop. Samael stood in between her and the claw of a steel sentinel. It's eyes were glowing red and billowing steam.

"Shit, they're alive!" Raegan roared as he swiftly blocked the swing of the machine. But to his surprise, the attack had far more weight behind it as he was thrown away.

"Raegan!" Edgar shouted as he ignited his spear and threw it at the sentinel approaching Raegan.

The spear penetrated deep into its armour, melting its interior and shutting down the machine.

Edgar swiftly went forward, picking up his spear and taking a defensive position. "You good?" he asked.

"Never better," Raegan said as he rose up and wiped the blood trickling at the side of his lips.

One by one, the machines started to reignite as their eyes glew crimson along with the sound of steam filling the area.

Not wasting any more time, Samael tightened his grip, shattering the arm of the sentinel as a Void spike burst from the ground, impaling the machine. He didn't expect he would use Elemental Invocation in such a way, but it seems he can't be picky.

"Are you okay?" Samael asked.

Lilith gritted her teeth as she nodded. "I'm okay."

"Good. Because there's more of these things, and they're approaching fast," Samael said as he glanced at the Sentinels marching towards them.

Rising to her feet, Lilith unsheathed her scythe. "Let them come."

Without warning, the steel Sentinels sprinted towards the group as compartments in their bodies opened up, revealing all forms of foreign weaponry.

Like ballistas, the machines fired off a continuous stream of steel spikes, followed by flame throwers surging towards them.

"Wind wall!" Claire screamed as a large wall of wind formed, deflecting the flames and some of the spikes. However, some still managed to pierce through, weakening her defence.

Seeing their weapons cannot pass, the Sentinels switched to melee as another pair of arms extended from their backs, each with their own mounted blades.

The machines, with their absurd strength, easily tore through the wind barrier as they slowly closed in.

"Out manuever them!" Lilith shouted as Raegan and Edgar circled.

Meanwhile, back to the main group.

"Sir! Sir!" Desmond screamed.

"What?" Michael asked.

"The machines! They're alive!" Desmond said.

Michael's face fell grim. "You and the rest catch up. I'm going ahead."