Theo walked forward without hesitation as another purple flame gathered up around Joop.

Six lightning bolts formed over his head, each crackling loudly.

Joop’s flames flickered for a moment, his head already turning.

Then, each of the lightning bolts shot off.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

They collided with several creatures far in the distance, faint crackles spreading through the water.

The elderly man stared at Theo blankly, the flames completely fading away.

For a brief moment, surprise flashed through his eyes.

Then a tired smile appeared on his face.

"...Oh, how good it is to see you, boy," he muttered honestly.

Theo glanced at him briefly before looking back toward the streets.

’’You should take a break,’’ he said calmly. ’’I can take over for a while.’’

Joop chuckled weakly, even letting out some coughs.

’’How embarrassing for me to have to rely on you youngsters.’’

Theo’s gaze flickered across the hundreds of people gathered up in the mall and shook his head lightly.

’’You’ve already done more than enough.’’

Joop let out another quiet chuckle before glancing toward the flooded streets again.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

The sounds of distant battle, screaming creatures, and splashing water filled the silence between them.

Then Joop suddenly spoke again.

’’You’ve grown quickly,’’ he said softly. ’’Even faster than I’d expected.’’

His voice lowered into mumbles that only he could hear.

’’A silver core already... I wonder how strong you could get were you allowed to grow further...’’

’’Maybe, you could even save us...’’

Then, he shook his head and snapped out of his mumbles.

Theo dealt with several more creatures, using his lightning element as efficiently as possible.

Only after doing so did he glance back at Joop again.

’’What’s the plan?’’

Joop’s expression shifted slightly, doubt flashing past his eyes.

’’Are we waiting for the National Guard to save us?’’ Theo continued.

The moment those words left his mouth, Joop’s expression turned grim.

For the first time since Theo arrived, the old man completely stopped smiling. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

’’...No,’’ he said quietly.

Theo’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Joop didn’t look at him, instead staring across the flooded city.

’’They won’t be coming here.’’

A deep frown appeared on Theo’s face.

’’This wasn’t the only city hit by a beast tide... and we have by far the least population.’’

That made Theo freeze instantly.

’’...What?’’

"Seven other cities are experiencing beast tides as we speak," Joop said again. ’’And who knows how many more are to come.’’

Theo’s mouth fell open, his expression falling completely.

For a moment, his mind almost went blank.

Seven cities were experiencing this at the exact same time?

There was no way that was a coincidence.

’Did the creatures coordinate this attack?’ he thought, eyes wide. ’Or did someone else play a hand in this?’

He shook his head quickly, realizing that wasn’t important right now.

Instead, his thoughts began to calculate his own situation.

’No help is coming.’

’The water is still rising.’

’More and more creatures keep appearing...’

Then his eyes slowly shifted toward the countless civilians hiding inside the shopping mall.

’Staying here... equals death.’

Theo clenched his jaw tightly.

His gaze shifted north, falling on the tall mountains in the distance.

’’We have to go there, don’t we?"’

Joop slowly nodded.

A soft smile appeared on his face as he stared at Theo.

’’That’s what I had in mind,’’ he said, chuckling slightly.

Then he glanced down at his trembling hands.

"But this old body of mine can’t seem to keep up that well anymore."

Theo remained silent for a moment.

The old man said it jokingly.

But he could clearly see the truth behind those words.

Another loud screech echoed through the flooded streets.

Theo immediately raised a lightning bolt above him again.

BOOM!

It shot forward, instantly piercing through a D-rank Green Crab before it even got close.

"They’ve realized the civilians are gathering here," Joop said calmly. "Which means this place won’t hold for much longer."

Another loud crash echoed from deeper within the city.

The ground itself almost seemed to tremble slightly afterward.

Several nearby civilians immediately looked around nervously.

Theo’s expression darkened too.

’That didn’t sound normal,’ he thought, glancing around hurriedly. ’But as long as we start moving now, we’ll be fine.’

He clenched his jaw, a single large figure flashing through his mind.

’As long as it isn’t that beast...’

Behind him, Joop remained completely silent.

He glanced far into the distance as something flickered through his eyes.

Then, he let out a quiet breath.

’’I’ll start directing people,’’ he said firmly. ’’We need to move now.’’

He pointed up at the north mountain.

’’Our safest bet will be the military bases there.’’

Theo nodded immediately.

It was indeed the best option they had left — against both the creatures and the rising water.

Joop stepped forward again before suddenly coughing into his hand.

Theo’s eyes narrowed instantly.

A faint trace of red stained the old man’s palm.

But Joop quickly hid it away before anyone else could notice.

"Everyone!" the old man suddenly shouted loudly.

His voice instantly echoed throughout the shopping mall entrance.

Countless civilians turned toward him immediately.

Even the exhausted hunters straightened slightly.

"We’re leaving this place!" Joop continued firmly. "The floodwaters will only continue rising if we stay here."

Uneasy whispers immediately spread throughout the crowd.

"But where are we supposed to go?!" someone shouted nervously.

"Can’t we wait for the military?" another person yelled.

Joop pointed directly toward the northern mountains.

"The military established bases near the mountains," he explained loudly. "If we keep moving north, our chances of survival increase drastically."

Several people immediately looked relieved hearing the word military.

Unlike Joop and Theo, none of them knew there’d be no rescue coming for them.

After a few seconds, the first civilians began walking, dragging their legs through the flooded streets.

With that, Joop turned back to Theo with a faint smile.

He placed a hand on his shoulder, locking eyes with him.

’’I want you to remember,’’ he said slowly. ’’No matter what happens later. I’m in command and I need you to listen to me.’’

He paused for a moment.

’’Even if it’s a difficult choice, I want no reckless behaviour. Understood?’’