At the command, the entire army withdrew.

The cold wind swept through the night. After a prolonged tug-of-war, the last guard standing beside Li Yi finally fell beneath the claws of a fire-element beast. His charred body blended into the darkness. Within the ever-tightening circle of beasts, only Li Yi and Xia Kui remained.

Outside the encirclement, the main battlefield was no better. As the moon rose higher, the frenzy of the beasts intensified, their berserk rage escalating rather than fading with time. Each creature attacked with reckless abandon, targeting every visible human without regard for their own injuries. Their magical energy and stamina seemed boundless, like a black hole with no sign of exhaustion. Their strikes grew faster and more precise, their magic attacks indiscriminately unleashed like a torrent, bringing ruin to whoever was struck.

Human soldiers, however, were at their lowest ebb. Fatigue gnawed at them after endless combat. Their main forces and commanders were dead or wounded, morale plummeted. With nightfall, visibility shrank drastically. Compounded by the beasts’ supercharged fury, what once required ten men to hold a single beast now demanded the flawless coordination of twenty. The overwhelming numbers tactic no longer suited a human army ravaged by losses.

Thus, the battle between humans and beasts spiraled into an endless cycle: siege—insufficient numbers—defeat—regroup—scattered beasts drawn by conflict—defeat again—one-on-one duels—failures—siege anew. Human forces kept crumbling, while the beasts grew ever more emboldened.

Under the covert direction of the beast commander, the beasts stealthily widened the gap between the human army and Li Yi with Xia Kui. Any human attempting to approach them was silently cut down. By the time the soldiers realized their general was deep within enemy territory, it was too late. A massive mountain of beasts now separated them.

Wounded severely, Huan Luo slowly rose to her feet. Her right shoulder was paralyzed; her body numb, yet her left hand gripped her broken sword tightly as she stood at the front line. Even with her parents in enemy hands, she showed no fear or wavering. Her blood-stained hair veiled half her face, but her calm gaze remained fixed unflinchingly on the enemy. The fierce killing intent radiating from her compelled even the wavering soldiers behind her to steel themselves, re-forming ranks with renewed resolve. The despair and despondency vanished, replaced by a grim determination. Every soldier straightened their back, adopting a posture of fearless defiance, eyes burning with hatred toward their common foe.

The beast commander, seeing the human army’s collapse, finally stepped out from the throng of monsters with a triumphant gleam. Its grotesque scars twisted in a wicked smile, its bloodshot eyes surveying the scattered human remnants beneath its disdain. Still in human form, it strolled leisurely, hands clasped behind its back, as if inspecting its domain—calm yet provocatively arrogant.

The beasts surrounding Li Yi had not withdrawn. They showed no haste to kill him outright—after all, he could not escape their grasp. Toying with him held a certain amusement, especially since he was their enemy leader. A few playful swipes at him were enough to satisfy their spite, and the added effect of stoking his hatred was merely a delightful bonus.

Trapped in the center, Li Yi remained unhurried. He knew the beast commander would not kill him so easily. Relaxing his body and mind, he led Xia Kui through the circle, dodging attacks with effortless grace, treating the encirclement like an outdoor performance.

Xia Kui gradually sensed this and withdrew the two wind dragons that had been roaming nearby, channeling all her wind element into herself to keep pace with Li Yi. Her panic subsided, replaced by a foolishly enamored expression. Filled with the strength Li Yi bestowed, she surrendered herself completely to him, resting quietly in his arms, following his lead without question.

The beast commander could not let them go so easily. Rather than exhausting itself wiping out all human soldiers, it preferred to crush the enemy’s spirit by severing their core. Breaking the heart of the opposition was always the easiest path to victory. With a grand gesture, the commander signaled the beasts that had been taunting Li Yi to shed their playfulness and adopt a deadly demeanor. Dangerous magical energies gathered on their claws, and the watching beasts took battle stances. Their eyes locked onto every move of Li Yi and Xia Kui, unwilling to grant them any chance of escape.

Li Yi showed no intention of fleeing. He cast a sorrowful glance toward the distant gates of Arcadia City, as if bidding a final farewell. Then, a mocking smile curved at the corners of his lips as he surveyed the beasts surrounding him. With a powerful leap, he sprang into the air. Sensing his intent, Xia Kui poured all her control over the wind element into him and nestled wholly in his embrace, ceasing all resistance. Li Yi soared upward.

The beasts gave chase without hesitation. Several adept at wielding wind element rapidly closed the gap, but the smile on Li Yi’s face only widened.

At that moment, far from the battlefield, Arcadia’s gates slowly opened, long sealed shut. Andy, the city’s guardian, watched the ravaged field with a complex expression, eyes reddened, silent.

Huan Luo, steadfast in her resolve, cast aside her broken sword. The human soldiers, in perfect unison, turned and began a rapid retreat back to Arcadia, leaving the battlefield without hesitation.

At this crucial hour, preserving any remaining fighting strength was the only hope for future battles. Move out!

Huan Luo understood this deeply. The glance exchanged with her father conveyed the unspoken truth. Without hesitation, she discarded her weapon to signal retreat. The soldiers recognized it was no time for heroics. Defending Arcadia was their paramount duty.

At the command, the vast army withdrew.