At Level Six, he could now assu the form of a higher-tier mutated beast. In theory, that ant a Level Seven mutated beast. While his actual combat power wouldn’t exceed his true self, the implications were still terrifying.
Once he finished preparing, Axel continued south.
In his mutated beast form, there was no need to restrain his speed. By noon of the third day, he had already traveled more than two hundred kiloters.
“…Abandoned?”
From the sky, South Celebration Town looked like a dead city. Wide streets, pristine buildings—everything intact, yet completely devoid of life.
After passing the city, Axel finally began encountering mutated beast hordes.
They moved toward Krythos like an army on the march.
“That’s strange…”
Axel narrowed his eyes.
Normally, mutated beasts were territorial. Each species had its own domain. In past sieges, attacks usually involved three to five species cooperating at most—each backed by a different high-level commander.
But now?
He counted more than a dozen species moving together.
Even worse, so of them were rarely seen near Krythos at all—the Centipede Giant Scorpion, the Human-Faced Fox… creatures that should’ve been hundreds or even thousands of kiloters away.
Why were they all converging here?
The deeper he went, the denser the hordes beca. Level Three and Four mutated beasts filled the ranks, while Level Five leaders drove them forward, splitting off toward different attack routes.
“This isn’t a riot,” Axel murmured. “This is a formation.”
A chill ran through him.
The previous two beast tides had felt like probes—shows of force, warnings. High-level mutated beasts tested Krythos’s elites, while the weaker ones battered the walls.
This was different.
This felt like a war of annihilation.
Axel shifted forms again, becoming a Level Six Charming Fox.
Its body stretched five or six ters long, pure white, with five flowing tails and an aura strong enough to bend the air around it.
The form was conspicuous—but effective.
Mutated beasts instinctively made way for him.
When he encountered other Level Six mutated beasts, Axel quietly activated the Charming Fox’s ntal interference ability, subtly redirecting them without raising suspicion.
“These abilities are absurdly useful,” he thought. “Too bad they’re a nightmare to use inside Krythos.”
He stopped roughly a hundred kiloters from the city.
Ahead of him stretched a sea of mutated beasts—thousands upon thousands, packed tightly together in disciplined ranks.
“…No,” Axel said quietly. “Too dense.”
Pushing forward would be suicide.
“The numbers are worse than I expected. If this stretches for thousands of kiloters outside the wall…” His heart sank.
He’d only made it this far because of his beast form and suppression techniques. Even with Group Silence, being discovered by a high-level mutated beast would an an unavoidable fight—and any prolonged battle would draw endless reinforcents.
“That depends on whether there are any Level Seven beasts out here.”
So far, he hadn’t sensed a single one.
That, in itself, was confirmation.
Krythos’s top combat forces really had gone all out, hunting down high-level mutated beasts.
“But if that’s the case,” Axel frowned, “why haven’t they co back yet?”
Questions piled up—but answers would only co once he reached the city.
“This route’s blocked,” he decided. “Ti to try another angle.”
Instead of pushing straight toward Krythos, Axel shifted laterally, moving along the periter.
If there was a weak point in the mutated beast horde—He intended to find it.
.....
Three days passed.
A Charming Fox stood atop a frozen mountain lake, its five white tails swaying lightly in the bitter wind as it gazed down at the endless ranks of mutated beasts below.
“This is bad…”
Axel had been moving southwest along the outer edge of Krythos’s border walls, but the situation hadn’t improved in the slightest. If anything, it was worse.
The number of mutated beasts hadn’t decreased—it had grown. No matter which direction he scouted, the density remained horrifyingly consistent. Worse still, along the way he’d encountered more than ten Level Six mutated beasts. Two of them had nearly broken free from his mind-control interference.
“That ans there are Level Sevens mixed in,” Axel muttered.
He had stopped at the mountaintop because going any farther was simply too dangerous.
Earlier, when he’d tried to push closer to the city walls to see whether the siege had already begun, he’d sensed sothing—an aura so subtle it almost escaped notice.
It wasn’t aggressive. It only brushed past him.
But its pressure far exceeded that of an ordinary Level Six mutated beast.
Whatever it was, it hadn’t pursued him—perhaps out of caution. No mutated beasts had actively scanned the area either.
“There are only two ways to get everyone back to Krythos.”
Axel turned and left without hesitation. Behind him, the mutated beast hordes continued their relentless march toward the city walls, like a living tide that refused to recede.
......
Following the route he’d taken before, Axel reunited with Sergio and the others two days later.
“Axel—you broke through too.”
Despite the looming crisis, the four of them were in excellent spirits. In just six months, they had all reached Level Six. If they could return safely to Krythos, their standing within their respective families would skyrocket. They’d be formally absorbed into the core power structure.
“How bad is it?” Sergio asked as he stepped closer.
Axel glanced toward the distant horizon, where the mutated beasts continued advancing, then shook his head without expression.
Sergio’s brow creased as they moved to a secluded area.
“The siege hasn’t weakened,” Axel said calmly. “And it’s worse than we thought.”
He briefly recounted everything he’d seen—mutated beast formations, species distribution, and even the fragnts of mories he’d extracted from the life crystals.
“…You can even simulate the Undead Guide’s abilities?” Nigel stared at Axel like he was looking at a monster.
“That’s not the point,” Sergio cut in sharply. “If what Axel says is true, then sneaking back to the city walls is impossible.”
Axel nodded. “Exactly.”
“Alright.” Sergio exhaled slowly. “After you left, we found another option. Kenneth has backup communication equipnt stored in his spatial device.”
“If we can get close enough to one of Krythos’s new cities to receive a signal, we can contact the authorities in advance and request the shield to open.”
“Can’t they send soone from inside to escort us?” Nigel asked.
Before he could finish, Sergio shook his head.
“You’re overestimating how important we are. Look at the situation. Even if the military wanted to help, they can’t spare manpower for sothing like that.”
“I thought of another route on the way back,” Axel said. “What about detouring through the sea?”
“The mutated beasts are concentrated around the city walls. That should leave the coastline relatively empty.”
Sergio considered it briefly, then shook his head again.
“That’s even worse.”
“The sea isn’t undefended because it’s safe. It’s undefended because no one survives crossing it. The mont an Awakened enters the ocean, they’re sward by aquatic mutated beasts.”
Silence fell.
“Right now,” Sergio continued, “we only have two real choices.”
“One: stay hidden and wait for Krythos to push back the mutated beasts, then find an opening to return.”
“Two: gather our strength, locate a weak point in the siege, tear it open, and fight our way through—coordinating with Krythos from the inside.”
Luke shook his head slowly. “If Axel’s guess is right, most of Krythos’s high-level Awakened are already gone. Level Six is considered top-tier combat power right now. How can we sit idle?”
Ferdinand nodded firmly. As mbers of the Whisper Syndicate—and soldiers—they were the ones least willing to wait.
“As for forcing a breakthrough,” Luke added grimly, “we have enough individual strength—but not enough people.”
Axel glanced at the resting group in the distance.
“…We’re still short on numbers.”
Just as they were weighing their options, a figure flew in from nearby.
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