...

  Many try to peer into the distance with binoculars, but only a few possess truly sharp vision. And when those sharp-eyed individuals are gathered into a single team, they become the elite unit of the AHSF.

  Having read the message, Pranali finally knew that the commandos they had been desperately waiting for, the ones they truly needed, had arrived.

  In that hopeless atmosphere, what could be greater than finding the very source of hope? It was a relief for Pranali, and for everyone stationed in the defense of Kaalminar.

  Through the binoculars, Pranali's eyes were immediately able to see the flying sheet of snow that was heading towards Kaalminar. Even removing the binoculars made no difference; Pranali could clearly see the flying sheet of snow.

  "Prepare to open the gates,the Mountain Tigers have arrived."

  ?°?°?°?°?

  In the lead were the Tigers, behind them, the monsters.

  Kaalminar was now right in front of them, looming close. Even closer was the massive entrance gate, which was beginning to groan and hum, a sign it was finally being unlocked from within.

  In this bone-chilling cold, where the frost seeped through even the thickest layers of wool, running was a monumental task. And there are no words to describe the terror of having death, in the form of a monster horde, snapping at your very heels.

  The condition of the soldiers was too good to be called terrible yet too terrible to be called good. But the biggest frustration was the order: Cease Fire.

  Everyone was at their breaking point, wondering why on earth the Major had ordered them not to shoot when their lives were on the line.

  "On the count of three, everyone gets inside that gate!"

  As Major Shaurya shouted the command while sprinting, every soldier's ears perked up. They glanced back in shock, but seeing their slowing pace, the Major's brow furrowed in a fierce scowl.

  "That's an order!"

  "Major! What about you?!"

  "Nothing is going to happen to me. Go! Now!"

  The Kaalminar staff had managed to open the massive entry gate almost as much as was required for those eight soldiers to enter together.

  "One..."

  The leading steps quickened. The distance to the gate was slightly more than the distance to the monsters.

  "Two..."

  The distance to the door and the distance to the monsters were equal, and there was no telling who would succeed first.

  "Three!"

  The soldiers lunged into the opening, those trailing behind diving headfirst into the safety of the interior.

  Just seconds before the gate slammed shut, a Mid-tier monster tried to leap inside.

  But at the final moment, Major Shaurya intercepted it. With the ferocity of a mountain tiger, he grabbed the beast by its throat, spun, and hurled it back into the oncoming horde.

  And the massive gate slammed shut.

  CLANG!!

  There was now only one prey for the entire army of monsters, or so it seemed.

  The Major's eyes scanned the horde from one end to the other.

  It was a long line... a very long line.

  Suddenly, a group of Mid and High-tier monsters attacked the soldier simultaneously. Some bared their glistening fangs, others extended razor-sharp claws. Some even started eating him, while others sprayed corrosive venom. They all wanted to end him instantly.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  ...But energy is neither created nor destroyed.

  He lowered her eyes, then closed them, and opened them again. This time, the expression in his eyes was different. Anyone who had been able to read them would have shuddered. All the monsters retreated at once... because those eyes had forgotten what a word called mercy even was.

  Major Shaurya's eyes ignited with a brilliant, pure white energy. A shimmering bolt of electricity raced down his body. The monsters froze, bewildered by the sudden shift in the air.

  One wave of light...

  A second... A third...

  And then, countless waves.

  The monsters began to retreat instinctively. Every wound on the Major's body filled with white light and knit shut instantly.

  The sparks radiating from his skin grew violent until his body lifted off the ground, hovering in the air.

  Then, in a flash, the major vanished...

  As the monsters searched the air, a massive bolt of celestial lightning struck from behind. The impact scattered the monsters like kernels of corn on a hot pan.

  Some literally turned into popcorn.

  Before the survivors could scatter, another bolt struck from the right, then the left, the front, and the back. Panic gripped the horde. They huddled together in the center, eyes darting in every direction.

  But will it be of any use?

  Absolutely not!

  Major Shaurya was in the air in front of monsters.

  His eyes glowing with that same merciless white fire. Sparks still danced across his form. His wounds were gone.

  "I'll show you what a Mountain Tiger really is!"

  The clouds above, which had only been shedding snow, began to pulse with that same white light. And in an instant, the entire scene changed as Shaurya's hand gesture fell from the clouds onto the demons below.

  Lightning struck all the demons simultaneously with a thunderous sound.

  THROOOOOM!!!

  Lightning didn't just strike; it rained.

  One, two... dozens.

  The clouds roared, pouring down nature's wrath like a god insulted by the sins of man.

  The white thunder outside the gate of the Kaalminar sounded like a cataclysmic event, and no one dared to look at it. Inside, everyone covered their ears, terrified, thankfully the door was locked.

  And at this time, the soldiers who were inside also understood that whatever the Major had done was a small part of the same trap.

  Outside, the snow was replaced by fire and charred remains. Some were ash; others were still smoldering.

  A shock of millions of volts doesn't leave much behind.

  The Major descended. His boots landed softly on the snow. There was no more sparkle in his eyes, nothing else. He simply walked forward, and the gates were opened without a word.

  His squad swarmed around him, cheering, while the other staff members watched from a distance. One of them went to the other staff standing nearby.

  "I used to think they are a squad. Now I realize they are The Squad."

  And everyone understood. Nodded.

  Whatever it was...

  It was a little less cold at that time.

  ?°?°?°?°?

  Randheer was walking toward the one place he didn't want to go, but Raghav's stubbornness was winning.

  Randheer knew he should probably just forcibly carry the boy to the medical wing and told him to rest, he had just been dizzy moments ago, but instead here he was, leading him across the bridge from the fifth floor toward the First Tower.

  To his surprise, the AHSF guards usually stationed there were gone. Suddenly, a soldier whom Randheer knew well came running towards him.

  "Jagat?!"

  The soldier stopped in front of them, panting. He rested his hands on his thighs, trying to catch his breath.

  "Oh, Randheer! Raghav! Good thing I found you. Ma'am is calling for you."

  Raghav raised an eyebrow, and looked at Jagat because it was strange, he was also going there.

  "What a coincidence! We were just heading to see her."

  As Jagat straightened up, his eyes fell on the blue-gold butterfly perched on Raghav's shoulder. He stared, mesmerized.

  "Is that your pet, Raghav-ji?"

  Raghav followed Jagat's gaze and found it falling on a butterfly resting on his shoulder, which was currently acting as if the world didn't exist. The butterfly was simply sitting there, seemingly at ease.

  "Something like that..."

  "Let's move."

  The three of them turned toward the First Tower. They had only taken a few steps when a blinding light from the distance caught their attention.The pull was such that no one could ignore it.

  "What was that?"

  Raghav was looking from the bridge in the same direction as the other two. Something lingered in the air, though the distance and lack of binoculars made it difficult to see what it was. But the brilliance was unmistakable.

  "Heavenly lightning..."

  A thunderous crack followed, forcing the three men to cover their ears. Even the butterfly was startled, scurrying inside Raghav's shirt for cover, leaving only its long antennae, black eyes, and proboscis peeking out.

  "W-What was that, Sir Randheer?!"

  The lightning was falling from the sky as if it wanted to tear the ground apart by hitting it and the sound of thunder from the clouds was as if countless ions were colliding with each other.

  RUMBLE-CRASH!!!

  Randheer was also looking in the same direction as Jagat. Jagat's eyes lacked the curiosity that Randheer and Raghav had. Jagat's eyes held something else.

  His gaze was fixed on the horizon, a memory from the past crawling behind his pupils.

  He knew.

  He knew exactly what this was...

  "This is exactly... exactly like it was five years ago..."

  To be continued...