The Bloodied Dawn

"Quick, the faster we move, the greater our odds." Barked Reiji, as they moved towards the nearest group of defenders.

Their field of view was covered in corrupted beasts and corpse, making it impossible to tell which direction they were heading. Their only guide, the sound of fighting from the different parties of defenders resisting the black tide.

They had started 10 parties strong, each group valiantly wading into the enemy army, but with the arrival of the intellectual leader, almost half of them had fallen, reinforcing the corrupted army.

Carving a path through the black tide, the Crimson Crow party, arrive to find the first group of defenders, three knights personally trained by Lieutenant Lance.

The three knights were battered and brusied, but stood valiantly as they defended one another, refusing to yield to the enemy onslaught. One of them was a Ki user, wielding a halberd, another used mana, shrouding his greatsword in different elements as he sliced through the enemies. The last one was using a shield and a longsword, and was the main reason the three of them had manage to stay alive, he was one of the few who were able to use healing magic, throwing out healing spells in dire moments, stemming the tide from overrunning them.

"Abel, Lawson, Chris, glad to see you're still standing." Lance greeted them, as he pierced through a beast mid pounce, protecting his students.

"Lieutenant! We've managed thanks to Chris's healing." Replied Lawson, the leader of the group. "Are we to regroup at the wall?"

"Negative. We're to round up the remaining defenders outside the walls, and push towards the leader of this army." 

Without missing a beat, the other threes immediately nodded, as they fell into formation behind Lance. "Sir!"

"Looks like your students have better discipline than you Lance." Reiji teased between attacks, as he brought down two more beast with his skills.

"Hmph. These are my best students." Lance proudly announced, as he surged forward, gaining momentum and strength from his students faith.

"What about the others?"

Hearing Lance's questions, his three students shake their head sadly. "Biggs and Wedge's unit has managed to retreat to the wall. But Aston's unit was overrun... " 

"Then we move towards the other Adventurer's party. Hopefully, the gold rank parties are able to hold out." 

"We can mourn the fallen later." Nods Lance.

Lance begins moving again, followed by his students, alongside the Crimson Crow, two units moving in tandem, greatly increasing their speed. 

Their path swung in a wide arc, moving from the left side of the field to the right. The fused leader, seemed to understood that Reiji and Lance were up to something, as their paths became harder and harder.

First, the beasts pulled back, as they weren't able to use their numbers to their advantage. Replaced by waves of corrupted corpse.

The corrupted corpse charged forward, the refugees now empowered by the corruption, were able to put up a fight. Unable to ignore them, the Crimson Crows and the Knights had to destroy the corpse completely to move forward. 

With their higher levels and skills, the corpse and their tactics were easily shattered by the defenders, each strike destroying numerous corpses. Yet, the mental pain and anguish, the wounds forced on to their psyche was much more powerful than the corrupted beasts and fused monstrosities.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Reiji could only bury the anguish in his heart, holding on to the pain. Now isn't the time, not yet, he thought to himself. Only when he was infront of the fused leader, would he unleash this blazing inferno, his anger will incinerate the thing entirely.

Pushing through the pain, the group rushed forward, arriving at the next group of defenders, but they were too late. The leader had sent ahead three fused monstrosity, completely annahilating the party of silver rank adventurers that they were heading for.

Unleashing their fury, the group decimates the perverted corpse of their allies, before destorying the three fused monstrosity. Reiji, singlehandedly burning one to ashes, while Nraltia and Souma work together to take down another, and the knights taking out the last one.

"Tch. The leaders, caught on." Reiji clicked his tongue in anger, his rage ballooning at each move done by the leader.

"We should take quality over quantity." Advised Souma. "The silver rank parties aren't strong enough, we should just focus on the gold rank party only."

"But how do we find them?" Nraltia asked.

"That way and that way." Reiji says, pointing in two seperate directions, His Ki Sense pushed to it's limit. "I can sense them with my skill Ki Sense, there defending themselves well."

"Let's split up. We'll join with one party each and converge on the boss." Lance suggest.

Nodding, the two groups split up, each heading towards their respective target.

Following his sense, Reiji and the others charged forward mowing through hordes of corrupted. For every meter they took, more than ten of the corrupted stood in their way, not that it mattered. 

"Come on. Is that all you got? I'll take on the whole world if I have to!" Growled Reiji, as he bashed another beast, destroying it's core.

"Save your energy for the boss." Warned Souma, as he dashed through a beast, carving it up.

"How much further?" Nraltia asked, as she skewered a lunging corpse.

A loud explosion occurs, as waves of beast fly through the air. A gigantic explosion rocking the ground beneath their feet. Dust and shards of rock blasting in all direction.

"Still need an answer?"

Surging forward, the trio were greeted by the sight of five adventurer's valiantly holding back the tide of corruption. 

The gold rank party infront of them consisted of; Kaldin Stonebeard a male Dwarven Gunner, Vaelen Stormwing a male Dragonkin Knight, Thalion and Lyria silverleaf a pair of twin Elven Priest and Mage, and Sable Blackthorn a female Human Thief. These five formed the Gryphon Party, a renowned party of adventurers.

Seeing the trio, the leader of the party steps forward, Vaelen the white Dragonkin. "Souma! Good to see you're still alive."

Nodding, Souma quickly brings them up to speed. "Vaelen, we need your help. We plan to rush the leader and take him out. A squad of knight is linking up with the other Gold Rank party."

"Take out the head, return them to just a brainless wave of monsters, eh?" He scratches his chin, as his party members continue pushing back the enemies around them. "But will it work?"

"Ofcourse it will. This is the only plan when you are facing a number many times greater than your own. I've done it multiple times back on my world." Reiji steps in answering the Dragonkin.

"Ah Xenon's new protege." The dragonkin stares into Reiji's eyes, judging the character of the person behind them, eventually bursting into a chuckle. "Very well. The Gryphon party will assist the Crimson Crows in this plan."

"Thank you... Vaelen." Souma bows quickly.

Forming up into a group of eight, Vaelen and Reiji take the front, Souma and Sable guard the flanks with Nraltia and Kaldin at the rear, putting the twins in the center of the formation.

They once again charged forward, Valiant defenders of Tristan, determined to protect their beloved home, heading for the largest fused monstrosity.

"You know, we tried to recruit him once." Vaelan said mid swing, cleaving a bear like beast in two.

Reiji didn't reply, instead choosing to smash two beasts together flattening them entirely.

"He refused of course. But it's nice to see him willing to work with others."

"He hasn't joined up with the Crimson Crow, but I consider him a part of it." 

"Good. Look after him, for me." 

Reiji silently nods "Don't worry. He's just as much my friend as yours."

The brief conversation ends just as quickly as it started. The group silently carves their way forward, with the boss in sight. It was only a matter of time before the final showdown.

Ahead of them, the first full blaze of dawn spilled across the battlefield, its warm light caressing the pools of blood and turning them into rivers of molten gold.

The Blood Dawn had come, and with it Tristan's final struggle.