REINCARNATION OF THE STRONGEST WAR HERO

Lilith's blade sang through the battlefield. Goblins shrieked as her lightning-infused air blades carved them apart, their bodies pinned helplessly by her gravity magic before she cut them down in showers of blood. Each slash was swift, merciless, almost beautiful in its precision.

Hunters nearby glanced in awe. She was only ranked D-class, yet her movements had the sharpness of someone far beyond. Every step, every flick of her wrist, turned another cluster of monsters into corpses.

But in her frenzy, Lilith didn't notice.

An orc had broken through the collapsing goblin ranks, its tusks dripping with saliva, its heavy club raised. Step after step, it thundered toward her. The ground shook beneath its weight.

Lilith's eyes stayed fixed on her slaughter.

The orc swung its club, and it was almost about to land on Lilith with a devastating blow, which would wound her badly if not kill her.

"Lilith!"

A fiery punch smashed into the orc's chest before it could reach her. The monster flew backward, crashing into rubble with a deafening crack. Gideon stood between her and the creature, his arm still glowing red-hot from the fire spell. His face was grim, voice sharp.

"Fight carefully, Lilith. This is no time to be reckless."

Lilith blinked and then said confidently as if nothing had happened. "Okay, okay. I got it."

And without another word, she darted forward again, her blade flashing as another group of goblins fell screaming at her feet.

The rumble of wheels echoed.

The other captains had also scattered across the battlefield with their own parties. Damian, Leonard, and the other two female captains.

Both monsters and hunters, none of them held any advantageous position. On one side, hunters kept fighting, but many were being killed or injured.

On the other side, the monsters could no longer advance.

While the battle was in a stalemate, Ali's wagon came to a halt at the edge of the battlefield. He had planned to engage the boss away from the main battlefield so it couldn't cause too much damage to the other hunters. But after searching for a long time and finding no trace of it, he was forced to come here instead.

The guildmaster stepped down first, eyes immediately scanning the chaos. His aura alone seemed to steady nearby hunters, though he hadn't lifted a finger yet. Same with Noah's aura as he stepped down after Ali.

Emily followed. Her cloak fluttered lightly in the wind as she stepped down, her gaze brushing across Noah for only a heartbeat. Their eyes met...an understanding passed in silence, then her attention shifted.

Screams rang from the eastern side. Injured hunters were being dragged across the dirt, and civilians lay bleeding, clutching their wounds, crying for help.

Emily's lips tightened. Without hesitation, she sprinted toward them, mana already gathering in her hands. A soft glow of healing light followed her steps.

Ali didn't move immediately. His sharp gaze swept the battlefield, still searching. His eyes narrowed. "Where the hell is that thing?" Tension was visible in his eyes. Noah's gaze also swept across the battlefield and sky, searching for the same thing. The wyvern.

Meanwhile, Logan's hood shifted slightly as he turned, taking in the battlefield.

Hunters clashed everywhere. Some held the line against charging orcs, clubs smashing like falling boulders. Others struggled against the towering minotaurs, their axes splitting earth with every swing. Packs of dire wolves darted through the chaos, their jaws stretched wide with guttural snarls, each sound dripping with hunger. Goblins, endless and shrieking, poured from the gate like ants from a nest.

His eyes finally found Gideon's party. Melissa's gravity pinned the small ones to the ground, and afterward, fire engulfed them. Ronald's spear blazed with lightning as he ripped through wolves. Jessi summoned torrents of water to shield their line. Luna flung shaky bolts of fire, her inexperience clear but her determination unshaken. He saw Lilith too. "She's always this brazen."

Logan's gaze softened for only a moment, watching them fight. Then his eyes sharpened again suddenly.

The battlefield shook with another sound.

KRRAAAAGGHHHH!

A monstrous cry cut through the sky, so loud it drowned even the roars of orcs and minotaurs.

A shadow above.

Noah and Ali had already noticed it before it could even roar. " It's finally showing itself," Ali whispered. "The boss."

Hunters froze mid-swing, eyes turning upward.

Wings.

Vast, leathery wings beat against the air, blotting out the sun in their shadow. The wind pressure alone sent dust spiraling across the battlefield, nearly knocking hunters from their feet.

The wyvern had arrived.

From the northern skies it descended, its silhouette massive, terrifying. Its scales glimmered black-green under the daylight, jagged like shards of stone. Its tail was long, barbed at the end, swinging with enough force to shatter walls. Its eyes—burning crimson—swept across the battlefield with hunger. A maw of jagged teeth gaped wide as it let out another thunderous roar.

KRAAAAGHHHH!

Every monster below howled in unison, as if greeting their king.

"Wyvern…" A hunter's voice trembled in horror.

The creature dove.

Its wings folded as it plummeted, faster than arrows. Hunters scattered desperately. The ground shook as it slammed into the earth, claws gouging craters, sending bodies flying.

Then fire.

Its throat glowed a molten red before a torrent of flame burst forth, sweeping across hunters like a tidal wave. Screams filled the air as shields shattered, armor melted, and bodies fell charred and broken.

"Everyone!" Ali's voice cut through the chaos. "Defend yourselves. Stand your ground, the boss is here!"

But before anyone could react, the boss screeched, its tail whipping sideways, smashing the spikes to rubble. Hunters scattered as the tail crushed another group into the dirt.

The battlefield descended into chaos once more, but this time there was something different. The wyvern wasn't just another monster—it was command, it was fear incarnate. The lesser beasts moved with renewed savagery, rallying around it, as if emboldened by its presence.

Logan's eyes narrowed, his hand tightening slightly at his side. The storm had only just begun.