Riona Steelsworn, flanked by her Ironclad Aegis and the supporting A-rank adventurers, was locked into a brutal defensive posture against the relentless fifth wave of monsters. The ground combat was a stalemate, but the appearance of the Two-Headed Crystal Wyvern instantly tipped the scales back toward disaster.
The Two-Headed Crystal Wyvern was a majestic, horrifying sight. Its two serpentine necks were topped with heads composed entirely of dark, jagged crystal, and its red wings, spanning thirty feet, glowed with concentrated Fire mana. The creature continuously launched attacks from above; fire spells rained down, forcing the defenders to prioritize aerial defense. Archers and long-range mages were the only ones who could even attempt to strike the hovering boss, but none of their attacks seemed to inflict damage on its crystalline hide.
"Zane, I have a plan," Sylva said urgently, her eyes calculating the battlefield. "And there's a high chance that if we succeed, it may end the monster waves entirely."
"Master Aethon, we have to call Riona over here to hear this plan," Zane stated.
"Got it, I will call Riona over here," Aethon Ironheart confirmed, immediately heading toward the front line.
"Also, Kaelus, I need you on this plan," Sylva continued, focusing on the young mage. "Take some mana restoration pills. I want you to be in your best possible condition."
"Got it," Kaelus replied, already swallowing the potent 5-star mid-rank pill given by Master Aethon, forcing his energy reserves to replenish rapidly.
Aethon and Riona were quickly approaching the command tent. Riona wasted no time on pleasantries.
"Sylva, the Wyvern keeps us pinned out," Riona reported, her voice strained. "It's still hovering in the sky while bombarding us with fire spells. It's so annoying that half an hour has passed and we still can't kill it! The sixth wave will approach sooner due to their psychic link. Based on the report from your scout, the dungeon breaks will keep releasing monsters the whole week."
"I have a plan, and if this is successful, the fifth wave will be the last monster wave," Sylva stated with absolute confidence.
"Let's hear it," Riona said, folding her armored arms.
Sylva launched into her theory. "As far as we all know, the first two waves were the start of this chain reaction. Their psychic link was gone due to the death of their commanding monsters—the S+ Armored Scorpions. The other monsters with intact links are just following the initial rampaging waves. This ongoing wave is the fifth wave. The fact that the S+ rank Two-Headed Crystal Wyvern appears on this wave confirms my theory: the third and fourth waves of monsters were commanded by this S+ rank boss. Meaning, all of the monsters that are already dead and the ones present here are linked with the Crystal Wyvern. This is the new psychic link for the monster horde."
"For us to cut the monster waves—" Sylva finished, waiting for Riona to complete the thought.
"We must kill all the low-rank monsters first," Riona concluded.
"Correct," Sylva confirmed. "And not just the monsters present here; even the monsters still in the forest have high chances of being linked."
"What if we accidentally kill some monsters with a different psychic link?" Riona challenged.
"In our everyday life as an adventurer, when we kill monsters with links, did the other monsters rampage?" Sylva countered. "Monster rampage will only occur if the commanding monster suddenly dies. As long as the Wyvern is alive, the others will remain organized and linked to it."
"Okay, I get it. So what will be our plan?" Riona asked, ready for action.
"Just hold the Wyvern," Sylva instructed. "Then, let the other adventurers reduce the number of low-rank monsters outside the barricade. The Obsidian Phalanx—myself, Zane, and Kaelus, —will venture into the forest and wipe all the linked monsters to contain the fifth wave at the borderline of the Eastern Territory. Our time limit will be the start of the sixth wave—one hour."
"Got it," Riona replied, a fierce smile under her helmet. She left and immediately discussed the daring plan with the Ironclad Aegis and the other frontline adventurers.
As Riona departed, Vara Shadowstep appeared, running swiftly towards the tent.
"Vara, what is the situation?" Sylva asked.
"The Northeast Territory and the Southeast Territory are successful in containing the monster wave," Vara reported. "They just attacked them head-on to stop it. They are both done in just two waves."
"Well, as expected of this world's nobles," Sylva commented. "But they just lost something in that approach."
"S+ rank monster is rare," Vara noted, her eyes glinting. "With the two teams of S-ranks here, we secured another monster core."
"Yes," Sylva agreed, nodding at the Wyvern, which was still thrashing. "Well, now that you're here, let's go. We only have one hour to sweep the forest."
With Zane leading the way, his body recovering rapidly from Kaelus's pills, Kaelus, Sylva, and Vara ventured back into the Eastern Territory forests. They moved like a surgical strike team, killing any monster on sight. Kaelus, refreshed by the pills, used lower-level but highly effective AOE Wind attacks to clear vast sections of the forest, while Sylva and Vara ensured nothing escaped the cleansing path.
In just half an hour, they successfully cut the monster waves. The only remaining monsters were those that had already reached the barricade outside the forest, and, of course, the S+ Wyvern itself.
With the Wyvern's command structure now utterly crippled, the remaining low-level monsters were reduced to disorganized panic, trapped between two highly skilled teams.
The Obsidian Phalanx team—Zane, Sylva, Kaelus, and Vara—immediately began bombarding the remaining horde with spells, pushing them out of the forest and toward the perimeter. Simultaneously, Riona Steelsworn's Ironclad Aegis and the assembled adventurers pushed into the forest, forming a solid wall of defense.
The two forces created a deadly pincer movement, sandwiching the frantic monsters for an efficient, brutal kill. Earth walls rose and fell, gravity crushed, and plasma scorched.
After five intense minutes of coordinated effort, the air fell silent, save for the enraged roars of the lone survivor. Every low-level monster was dead. Only the S+ Two-Headed Crystal Wyvern remained, hovering high above the ravaged Eastern Entrance, its crystalline eyes locked onto the forces below. The fight for containment was over; the final, most dangerous fight was about to begin.