Rebirth: 100 Days Before Doomsday

Grace didn't spare them another glance.

Her gaze was now locked on the battlefield below as her Shadow Beasts ripped through the chaos like divine punishments incarnate. Screams filled the air, some were the screeches of dying infected, others were the roars from the warriors as they found newfound energy to keep fighting.

"Davian, take point with the left flank," she commanded in a steady and sharp voice.

Davian gave her a quick nod and leapt down the slope with terrifying grace, landing in the middle of the battlefield. Rune followed right after with his favorite pair of twin daggers in his hands.

Grace closed her eyes for a brief moment and let the surrounding noise fade. She inhaled deeply and steadied her breath. And when she opened her eyes again, the golden hue of her irises was glowing like two miniature suns.

And then... she jumped.

Her body plunged through the sky like a meteor, and when she landed - right in the center of the chaos - the ground cracked beneath her. The shockwave threw back dozens of infected and momentarily stunned several low-class monsters nearby.

"Form up!"

Wave Three fanned out in perfect synchronization around her. Elite warriors surged forward, blending tech-enhanced weapons with their superpower abilities.

Grace spun, launching two shurikens that were shimmering with black and gold energy. One of them carved through a Class 5 creature's skull before returning to her hand like a loyal pet, and the other took down an infected.

She ducked beneath a talon swipe, rolled forward, and buried her energy blade into another monster's chest.

Behind her, Rune was surrounded by ghostly sigils that summoned spectral wolves. These were feral constructs that mauled their targets and vanished in clouds of smoke. But he was gracefully playing along with the creatures, taking them down with his every attack.

-

From the cliffs above, a drone-eye view was being streamed back to the command center at the Great Alliance's headquarters. Every leader, advisor, and strategist who had doubted Grace's unconventional army was now sitting frozen, staring wide-eyed at the visual.

"Those… those are Shadow Beasts," one council member whispered. "Ten of them. They are... controlled. Loyal."

"She's controlling them all," said General Kane as he stared at the screen. "That's impossible. That's not supposed to be possible."

Senator Olivia released a deep sigh before speaking. "It seems Ms. Blackwood has rewritten the rules of what can or can't be possible in this new age."

-

Back on the battlefield, the tide was shifting, but the battle was far from over.

The infected were like a tide themselves, choking the battlefield, thickening with every wave. Though hundreds had fallen, thousands more still remained, and some of the infected had begun climbing over the corpses of their own kind just to reach the warriors.

And right then… the high level Monster Beasts finally decided to join the battle.

All eight of them - one Class 7, five Class 8, and two Class 9.

They were monstrous. Each was over fifteen feet tall with armor-like scales, spiked limbs, and glowing red eyes that radiated malevolence. One had a scorpion-like tail that dripped acid. Another's roar caused a dozen warriors to stumble.

The battlefield paused for a breath and the warriors froze.

Then the monsters charged.

Davian growled and rushed forward to intercept one, his blade clashing against serrated claws with a thunderous impact. Rune unleashed a spell to distract the Class 7 beast charging toward their right flank. Grace ducked under a slashing limb, stabbed upward, and then flung her dagger at the monster's eye.

But even with their skill, the Class 8s and 9s were relentless.

"Back!" Grace shouted as one of the beasts slammed its bulk down, almost crushing two warriors if not for the timely rescue by The Flying Snow Lion. "Use the terrain! Split them up!"

Her orders echoed, and the warriors adjusted accordingly. Small squads began circling the monsters, keeping them from bunching together. Arrows rained from behind the front lines, charged with superpowers and elemental energies.

But this was far from enough to take down the high class beasts.

One roared and summoned a wave of corrupted energy, throwing five warriors off their feet. Another breathed black fog, trying to disintegrate another group of warriors.

And in the shadows beyond the battlefield... something else stirred.

Grace felt it before she saw it.

Her body tensed as she felt the air around her thickening. The sky dimmed further, though there were no clouds above. She turned, knowing from 3xactky where the beast was going to emerge.

From deep within the valley's fissures, something enormous began to crawl out.

The Class 10 Shadow Beast.

It hadn't moved until now. It hadn't needed to. It was waiting. Watching. Calculating.

As its massive head surfaced from the shadows, the battlefield went quiet for just a heartbeat.

Its body was slick with dark blue scales that shimmered with a mirage-like effect, making it hard to focus on it directly. Six glowing eyes blinked in sync. It had long limbs, some clawed, others tentacled. It dragged its body out of the fissure, and a low, guttural sound emerged from it. A

"Is that-?" Captain Morguel asked, his voice barely audible as he joined her side.

"Yes," Grace replied with a grim expression. "The Class 10 Shadow Beast."

Chaos returned as the creature's first step sent shockwaves across the battlefield, throwing warriors and infected alike to the ground.

Grace's Shadow Beasts growled as they positioned themselves in a defensive circle around her.

The Vermillion Bird flew high, screeching, before hurling a rain of flame down onto the creature's back. But the monster didn't flinch. It turned its head, stared up at the majestic beast… and then shot a spear of pure shadow through the sky.

The Vermillion Bird shrieked and crashed into the side of the cliff, injured but alive.

The Five-Tailed Black Wolf howled and launched itself forward with the Shadow Frost Fox, both coordinating a flanking attack, striking at the creature's legs and joints. The Thunderclaw Leopard and Bloodshade Tiger hit the other side.

The Class 10 staggered. Just a little... enough for Grace to act.

"Rune, go left. Davian, take the right. We'll split its focus. I'll hit the head," she commanded.

"Don't die," Rune muttered with a grin, but his eyes meant the words.

"I'm not allowed to," she replied with a smirk of her own.

And then... they charged.