’Is it an unstoppable Demon attack?’

Roland frowned, quickly exchanged a wary glance with his companions, then grabbed the Secret Silver Longsword at his side, gripped the hilt tightly, and strode out of the tent.

It wasn’t an overreaction.

During his time in the camp, they had encountered Demon attacks before, but the well-established defenses always resolved the crisis quickly, rarely causing much of a commotion.

Often, by the time Roland noticed something was wrong, the Demons had already been wiped out.

But a commotion this loud, punctuated by panicked cries, was a first since his arrival at the camp.

His guard instantly on high alert, Roland deftly lifted the tent flap, his sharp gaze locking onto the source of the noise.

What met his eyes wasn’t the horde of snarling Demons he expected, but a routed flood of people.

Hundreds of soldiers poured through the camp gates, supporting one another as they staggered forward. Their armor was shattered, weapons broken or lost, their faces a mixture of blood and unconcealable terror.

They were caked in mud and dark red bloodstains, having clearly suffered a brutal defeat and fled back to this temporary fortress in a wretched state.

Roland’s gaze swept over the routed soldiers, finally settling on the figure at the very front of the line.

A figure was trying to maintain order.

His movements possessed an almost silent precision and efficiency. Even exhaustion couldn’t completely conceal the swiftness ingrained in his very being.

His dark, form-fitting armor was riddled with tears, but those physical wounds weren’t the most shocking part.

Around the edges of several wounds deep enough to reveal bone, the skin had turned an unnatural, deathly gray and deep purple, as if it had been flash-frozen by extreme cold and was now slowly rotting. A faint, black, chilling aura clung to them.

There was no cloak, only tattered cloth clinging to the withered and shriveled muscles of his shoulders and back.

’That’s... Negative Energy!’

Recognizing the familiar aura, Roland’s eyes widened slightly.

At that moment, the man snapped his head up, his gaze sweeping across the chaotic camp like a poisoned dagger.

The movement also let Roland get a clear look at his face.

It was a face of cold, hard lines, one that looked as if it could melt into the shadows.

But now, that rugged face betrayed an exhaustion and a soul-deep agony that made his tightly pressed lips tremble slightly.

Even so, his eyes remained exceptionally bright, their sharpness piercing.

A cold killing intent and an almost feral wariness churned in their depths, like an apex predator forced into the sunlight.

’That’s...’

Seeing the vaguely familiar face, Roland frowned even more deeply.

He wracked his memory for a moment before finally placing him.

It was the same man from their voyage to the River Domain—the one who had single-handedly annihilated a massive Demon threat in the distant waters.

’If I remember correctly...’

Roland retracted his searching gaze.

’His name is Jia Xiu... Galvis mentioned he’s also a member of Shadow Veil.’

Recognizing the man’s identity, Roland’s heart sank.

He clearly remembered Graham mentioning that Jia Xiu was one of the commanders of the other two forces sent deep into the Land of Mist.

More importantly...

This was an Extraordinary Professional!

’To injure an Extraordinary Professional this badly... and with Negative Energy...’

Roland’s eyes glanced at the wound on Jia Xiu’s back, wreathed in that ominous, chilling vapor. A sense of foreboding stabbed him like an icicle.

’This means the opponent is at least on the same level... a Caster!’

Passages from ancient texts about powerful Casters flooded his mind.

Compared to Knights—fellow Extraordinary Professionals who relied on physical Power and Fighting Spirit—Casters might not have a clear advantage in terms of raw strength. However, their bizarre and unpredictable magic was nearly impossible to guard against.

If fighting a Knight meant you’d at least know how you died, then against a Caster, a moment of carelessness could mean you wouldn’t even know what killed you.

This was precisely why Roland, ever since arriving in this world and learning its ways, had done his utmost to avoid fighting any Demon with casting abilities.

Just a single Heartstealer, casually slain by Graham, had almost sent him to a watery grave in the deep sea, so what about a Caster on par with Graham, who wielded Extraordinary Power?

At this thought, Roland let out a slow breath, suppressed his inner turmoil, and quickly scanned the surrounding chaos.

When he saw no sign of the other commander, Fisher, his heart, which had already sunk, plummeted. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

’What about the other Transcendent, Fisher? Is he still on the way... or...’

Roland forced himself to remain calm, but the worst-case scenario had already formed in his mind.

Taking a deep breath, he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

The appearance of a Caster skilled in using Negative Energy...

...meant that even staying by Graham’s side was no longer absolutely safe.

Of course, this didn’t mean he wanted to leave Graham’s unit and act alone.

That was something only a fool would do.

It’s just...

He had to tell his companions, and...

...prepare as thoroughly as possible.

As Roland was turning things over in his mind, Jia Xiu finished settling the soldiers and stepped into the Central Army Camp tent.

After the renowned Assassin from the Shadow Veil Organization finished his report, a brief silence fell within the tent.

"I intend to..."

The sharp pain in his right shoulder and the wretched state of Jia Xiu before him made Graham’s voice hoarse.

"...evacuate this area as soon as possible. I will take full responsibility for the consequences."

Jia Xiu shook his head.

"We can’t retreat."

The Assassin’s coarse, hoarse voice sounded out, his cold eyes staring intently at the map on the table.

"Dean Graham, you must have also noticed the anomaly in the surrounding terrain..."

He extended that arm, which was severely eroded by Negative Energy and nearly withered, and tapped lightly on the map.

"According to my reconnaissance, this Land of Mist is now completely encircled by towering mountain ranges. We are..."

Despite the extreme urgency of the situation he described, Jia Xiu’s tone remained flat.

"...now caged beasts. As for the sturdiness of that mountain range... forgive my bluntness, Dean Graham..."

"Unless we could bring the King of the Golden Valley Kingdom here, your Power alone would be nowhere near enough to carve a path through them for an army."

"Tch..."

Graham did not question Jia Xiu’s words.

He knew this Assassin’s temperament well; he never exaggerated.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke.

"Then what you’re saying is..."

"Two choices..."

The Assassin, wrapped in his tattered black robes, extended two fingers with some difficulty.

"Before we set out, I obtained official permission from Lord Derek to prepare for the worst-case scenario. If the campaign in the Land of Mist lasts longer than three months, it proves the situation here is beyond what you, I, and Fisher..."

At the mention of their tragically fallen comrade, a flicker of pain crossed Jia Xiu’s cold eyes.

Graham also let out a heavy sigh, his face clouded with grief.

But Jia Xiu remained unshaken and continued.

"...can handle."

"Therefore, Lord Derek was to dispatch a large army for relief and reinforcements. Going by the timeline, that army should be approaching this location now, barring any unforeseen circumstances. However, I believe..."

His voice grew weaker and weaker, and finally, unable to support himself, he collapsed into a chair.

"Although our enemy’s objective is unclear, they will never give us the chance to simply wait for rescue."

"Then what you’re saying is..."

"Counterattack."