Chapter 206: First Wave.
Morning came harshly in Senkeht. The desert sun rose like a burning eye over the horizon, painting the dunes in gold and crimson. Heat returned quickly, swallowing the coolness of the night as if it had never existed. Yet despite the familiar heat, the town no longer carried the same atmosphere it had two days ago.
Fear lingered everywhere. The streets were quieter, Windows remained shut, Children no longer ran around freely, and above all, the walls were occupied. Completely.
Brown-robed warriors stood atop the sandstone fortifications with disciplined stillness, their bodies covered from head to toe in thick desert robes designed to protect against heat and sandstorms. Only their eyes remained visible beneath the wrappings.
Some carried long spears, others curved swords, and above them stood archers with bows already drawn. The tension was suffocating because everyone knew it was coming. The first roar yesterday had not been just a warning; it had been a declaration. And now the desert was responding.
Bahamut and the others stood atop a rooftop near the center of town, watching silently. None of them had been permitted to join the battle, not because they were weak, but because Forta refused.
"You are outsiders," the black-robed commander had said earlier that morning. "If things worsen, you will act. Until then... observe."
At first, Bahamut wanted to argue, but when he saw the expressions of the warriors, how they were ready to die, that alone made him stay silent.
A horn echoed across the town.
HOOOOOOOOOOONK!
Instantly, movement erupted along the walls.
"Positions!"
"Archers forward!"
"Shield line ready!"
Voices rang out sharply and precisely. They were controlled, showing no signs of panic or confusion. The warriors moved like parts of a single body. Bahamut narrowed his eyes slightly.
"They’re trained well."
Sel nodded beside him.
"This isn’t their first beast tide."
Another horn sounded. Three short blasts.
Honk! Honk! Honk!
A scout dropped down from one of the watchtowers, sand still falling from his robes.
"Northwestern dunes!"
"First wave approaching!"
"How many?" Forta asked calmly from atop the wall.
The man swallowed.
"Hundreds."
Silence fell briefly. Then Forta raised one hand.
"Open formation pattern three."
The warriors reacted instantly. The spear users moved first, forming layered ranks before the gates. Their spears angled forward uniformly, creating a forest of steel. Behind them came sword users. They were mobile and flexible, killers meant to plug gaps.
Then came the elementalists. Most stepped forward carrying stone gauntlets, bracelets, or staffs carved from desert minerals. Brown light glowed beneath their robes as earth mana flowed through the walls themselves. The sandstone trembled and shifted. Huge stone barricades rose from the ground outside the gates in calculated patterns, creating kill zones and choke points.
Bahamut’s eyes widened slightly.
"They shaped the battlefield beforehand..."
"They’ve done this many times," Gabi muttered.
Above them, the archers prepared. Unlike ordinary arrows, their arrowheads glowed faintly with wind mana and fire mana. Some even had earth mana compressed into them for penetration. The hawks would not survive ordinary arrows. Everyone here knew that.
Then the dunes exploded.
SHHHHHHHHHH!!!
Sand burst upward violently as dark shapes emerged from beneath and above the dunes. The first beasts appeared: sand wolves. Dozens of them with lean bodies covered in sandy fur that blended almost perfectly with the environment. Their eyes glowed amber with hunger, claws sharp enough to cut stone. Behind them were desert cats, larger and faster. Their bodies slinked low against the sand as they moved in silence, their tails twitching dangerously.
Then came the skies.
Hawks descended in massive spirals overhead, their wingspans stretching over two meters wide. Their screeches echoed sharply as they circled above the town.
The first wave had arrived.
"ARCHERS!"
Forta’s voice thundered across the walls.
"MARK THE SKY!"
The archers moved instantly.
"Draw!"
Hundreds of bows pulled back simultaneously.
"Release!"
FWOOOOSH!
The arrows erupted upward like a storm. Some ignited mid-air. Others accelerated violently with wind mana. The hawks screeched as explosions erupted among them. Several beasts fell immediately, crashing into rooftops or streets below. But more came. Far more.
The wolves charged next. They crossed the dunes like living shadows.
"Earth line!"
Brown light erupted beneath the feet of the earth elementalists.
BOOOOM!
Stone pillars shot upward suddenly from beneath the charging wolves, skewering several instantly while disrupting their momentum. The beasts adapted quickly. Some leapt over the pillars, others ran around them, and then slammed into the defensive line.
CLANG! CRACK!
Spears pierced flesh. Swords flashed. Sand exploded everywhere. The battle began in full. The warriors of Senkeht fought with terrifying coordination. The front spearmen never overextended. Each thrust was measured and controlled. When one retreated, another stepped forward instantly. The swordsmen moved between openings like flowing water, finishing injured beasts before retreating behind the spear wall again.
Not a single movement was wasted.
A desert cat suddenly leapt over the front line, fast enough that ordinary people wouldn’t even react, but one of the sword users twisted immediately.
SHING!
Its head flew through the air before it even landed. Another warrior slammed both hands into the ground.
"Earth Bind!"
Stone chains erupted from the sand, trapping three wolves instantly before spears impaled them from all directions.
The air burned. Wind blades sliced through beasts. Fireballs exploded across the battlefield. Earth spikes erupted unpredictably. And through it all, Forta commanded.
"Third line rotate!"
"Left flank reinforce!"
"Archers! Fifty degrees east!"
"Fire users forward!"
The battlefield responded to his voice like machinery.
A massive hawk suddenly broke through the aerial defense. It dove toward the wall with a shriek, talons glowing. Before it could hit...
FWOOOSH!
A concentrated stream of fire pierced through its chest from below. The beast exploded into burning flesh mid-air. One of the fire elementalists lowered his arm slowly.
"Target eliminated."
Bahamut watched quietly. He understood now. This town had survived not through luck, but through experience, through blood, and through discipline.
Yet despite their organization... Despite their preparation... Bahamut’s instincts remained uneasy because this was only the first wave.
