Ryan and Hank made their way down the broad avenue leading to the city gates, the Overload Juggernaut plodding steadily beside them. The road stretched wide enough for five carriages to ride abreast, its cobbled surface gleaming in the dawn light that now bathed the fully awakened city.
Ahead of them loomed the gates' massive silhouette - towering ironbound portals whose reinforced plating caught the morning sun in dull metallic glints. Ornate steel scrollwork reinforced the barriers, lending an air of impregnable authority to the city's threshold.
Ryan and Hank made their way down the broad avenue leading to the city gates, the Overload Juggernaut plodding steadily beside them. The road stretched wide enough for five carriages to ride abreast, its cobbled surface gleaming in the dawn light that now bathed the fully awakened city.
Ahead of them loomed the gates' massive silhouette - towering ironbound portals whose reinforced plating caught the morning sun in dull metallic glints. Ornate steel scrollwork reinforced the barriers, lending an air of impregnable authority to the city's threshold.
"Wait—"Ryan suddenly frowned."You really left your sister at home by herself?"
Hank shrugged, his voice casual."Relax. Mrs. Dalloway will be around to look after her soon."
Ryan didn't press any further.
As they spoke, the city gates loomed closer.The entrance was now choked with a seething mass of people, a dark tide of bodies clogging the thoroughfare. Along the avenue's edges, merchants hawked wares from crammed stalls, the din of commerce swelling through the air.
Though the area in front of the gates was already packed with people, the flow of pedestrians continued steadily, their steps hurried. Some walked on foot, while others rode a variety of domesticated beasts. The most common sight was the same kind of beast Natasha and the Lord's elite guard had ridden—the Benthior, a name Ryan had only just learned from Hank.
Ryan's gaze shifted through the crowded mass, occasionally pausing on the figures riding the tall, sturdy beasts. Hank, walking beside him, wore a relaxed expression, as if he had long grown accustomed to the chaotic scene around them.
As the crowds thickened, their progress slowed to a crawl. Eventually, they found themselves stopped about three hundred meters from the gates, the road ahead almost entirely blocked by the press of bodies. They had no choice but to halt.
Ryan muttered under his breath, "We can't even see what's going on up ahead now."
Hank grinned, unfazed. "That's easy enough." He climbed onto the back of the Overload Juggernaut, standing on its armored plating.Ryan followed suit, using the extra height to peer over the crowd.
At the forefront, five squads were neatly lined up, each consisting of twenty knights. The riders sat tall on their Benthior, forming orderly rows that created an imposing barrier, as if a massive shield had been deployed.
At the head of the column stood six figures.
Among them, a girl held a dog on a leash—it was Natasha and Sasha. She was engaged in an intimate conversation with a tall man, their familiarity evident.
Hank, noticing Ryan's gaze, spoke with a tone of respect and admiration. "That's Lucas, the Young Master of Loneflame City. He's also the captain of the Wildhunter Corps' Blaze Squad."
Ryan wasn't sure why learning this man was Natasha's brother made his shoulders relax.
Shaking the thought away, he turned his attention to the sides of the formation, where five Overload Juggernauts were stationed on each flank.
Each Overload Juggernaut hauled a massive stake bed behind it - essentially a stake truck's cargo platform with four sturdy wheels underneath.
Ryan pointed at the transports."Why don't we get stake beds?"
Hank rolled his eyes. "Stake beds? Those are freight dray. And what the hell do we need one for? We're not hunting—we're scavenging.You think we'll just stumble upon a dray's worth of carcasses?"
"Got it." Ryan nodded and continued observing.
The Wildhunters' formation was precise and disciplined. Behind them, however, the scene became far more chaotic.Various groups had gathered, their Overload Juggernauts hauling freight drays filled with cages of various sizes, while those without drays had cages strapped haphazardly onto their bony plated backs.
Before Ryan could ask, Hank was already explaining. "Those are mercenary bands. They're not after kills—they're after live captures."
He then gestured past the mercenaries toward another cluster of people. "And those are our target."
Ryan followed his gaze. The group wasn't far now, close enough that he could make out their faces—young, barely seventeen or eighteen, both men and women. They all wore matching uniforms, each emblazoned with an insignia on the chest: two crossed longswords, bold and imposing.
"Loneflame Academy cadets?" Ryan asked.
Hank nodded. "Yep."
Ryan's gaze shifted past the cadets.
Behind the academy cadets, just ahead of Ryan's position, stretched a ragged group of people clad in threadbare garments. Their status required no explanation – the scavenger crews were evident in every frayed seam and weather-beaten face.
Just then,a deep, resonant horn blast echoed from the city walls.
"HROOOOOM—"
The call reverberated through the dawn air, sending visible ripples through the crowd. Its powerful tone carried the weight of ceremonial proclamation—Hunts Day had officially begun. Below the walls, the sea of people stirred as all movement ceased, every eye turning toward the gates.
Ryan's gaze snapped forward. Natasha and Sasha were already gone. Lucas and the four other squad captains now sat mounted on their Benthior, poised for departure. Scanning the periphery, he saw scavengers clambering onto Wildhunter Corps and mercenary band's Overload Juggernauts.
Hired help, he realized.
"HROOOOOM—"
The second call came.
Three gatekeepers stood at the watchtower, their ancient horns raised. As the sustained note hung in the air,gate guards sprang into action. Massive wooden wheels groaned under the strain of opening the iron-reinforced gates, their rhythmic creaking harmonizing with the horns in grim ceremony. The synchronized movements of the guards created a palpable tension—the entire city seemed to hold its breath for the gates' opening.
Hank slapped Ryan's back with a booming laugh. "Here we go, buddy! Gates are opening!" His voice crackled with adrenaline. "Nervous? Excited? Or just ready to piss yourself?"