0015.

Commander Fang, with held breath, ready to accept his fate, ready to sacrifice for the sake of stopping this momentum of bull charge, his mind racing, raking, filled with guilt as he had commanded new recruits too, to defend. 

He was hiding this fact from recruits too, but deep within he knew a massive massacre was about to happen, but defending the wall was paramount above everything. 

He braced himself, putting every ounce of his cultivation base on his arms and legs to hold his ground when the bull charge came closer.

Then, with a thunderous boom that shook the very ground beneath their feet, the lead charging lines of the bulls tripped. Their massive bodies, propelled by the momentum of their charge, slammed into the dirt, their legs buckling beneath their own weight. 

The bull's bellow of pain and surprise was cut short as it toppled forward, triggering a chain reaction that swept through the herd like a wave crashing against rocks.

The bulls directly behind it, unable to react in time, collided with the fallen beasts in a sickening crunch of bone and flesh. The impact sent a shockwave through the herd, throwing them into disarray. Bulls tripped over the flailing limbs of their fallen comrades, their own momentum slamming them into one another.

An explosion of flesh, bone, and blood. It was a gruesome dance of butchery. Screams and bellows filled the air, drowned out by the sickening sounds of snapping bones and tearing flesh. 

Bulls became battering rams, their immense size turning against them as they were thrown into a gory mess. Huge bodies slammed together, spraying a grotesque shower of blood and viscera into the air. Limbs were torn from torsos, hooves shattered, and skulls caved in.

The grass field was painted red as blood spewed out from the massive gored bodies of the bulls, their collision resulting in a horrifying heap of twisted flesh and shattered bones in an instant. The air filled with the sickening stench of blood and entrails, displaying the horror and ferocity of their momentum turned against them.

Fang and the recruits watched in stunned horror, the horrific scene playing out before their very eyes. A wave of nausea washed over them, the metallic tang of blood on their tongue. Exploded Chunks of flesh and bone rained down upon them, splattering them with gore.

Fang's grim premonition of a massacre had come true, yet it unfolded in a way he could not have anticipated. It wasn't him or the new recruits who lay broken and bloodied on the ground, but the beasts they had braced themselves to confront. Relief and horror mingled in his eyes as he surveyed the gruesome aftermath.

This was their fate, how did it reverse? How come they were standing still drenched in blood and gore, but it was not their blood. None of them were hurt, their silver armor now painted crimson, how? Fang scanned the battlefield, searching for the source of this unexpected salvation. 

The grass field still clamored with the mangled beasts, their pained cries echoing in the air as they drowned in their own blood and filth. Commander Fang could not take his eyes off this accidental brutality.

He steadied himself and approached, stopping beside an arrow embedded deep in the grassy earth. Kneeling down, he inspected the ground closely. The dirt around the arrow was disturbed, scattered wide by the force of impact, revealing deep craters in the ground.

The scene of bulls toppling at each other played out in his mind as he noticed how they tripped, their hoofs...It snapped, and these holes became the pitfall of the bull charge. 

He stood up, wiped the stenchy dripping blood on his face and armor, and looked at the wall. He was not able to see anything clearly but the wide smug grin of Su Jin was as clear as day.

"Is that his doing?" Commander Fang's mind churned as couldn't believe, this miracle was such a simple trick. How did that scoundrel achieve it? How can someone calculate this?

His thoughts were filled with uncertainty, torn between gratitude and disdain. The thought of being indebted to Su Jin, a manipulative figure he despised, left a sour taste in his mouth. He grappled with the idea of thanking someone he viewed as a scoundrel.

As he looked at the fresh-faced recruits, some pale and vomiting from their first taste of battle, the first sight of carnage, bloodshed, gore, and stench of it. Commander Fang struggled with a tough choice. Should he let his disgust lead him, or accept being manipulated if it meant saving innocent lives?

This was not a time for internal philosophical debate. "RETREAT!!" He quickly yelled. The bull charge has been foiled, and looking at the mountain of flesh of bone, there will be none next. This beast tide is not a chaotic mess but someone is guiding them, someone is commanding, playing out a strategy.

Only Elder Beasts were capable of such strategic thinking, but why would they involve themselves like this? What did they have to gain? Serene Jade City was a border city, a humble community of miners and beast hunters. Beast tides were a common calamity, a natural disaster like an earthquake or flood, but this one felt different.

Fang's gaze swept across the battlefield, now littered with the mangled remains of the bulls. This wasn't a random attack; it was a calculated move by a cunning strategist. The averted charge was just the opening act. A far greater threat lurked in the shadows, a mastermind pulling the strings of this beast tide.

Why would Elder Beasts, powerful creatures of immense intelligence, stoop to manipulate a beast tide against a simple mining city? What secrets did Serene Jade hold that were worth such an orchestrated attack?

Commander Fang and the new recruits returned to their positions near the wall, but Fang ascended the western gate to confront Su Jin directly.

"Who ordered the archers to unleash that volley?" Commander Fang's voice held a stern edge as he addressed the perplexed archers, their guilty gazes turning towards Su Jin. Fang's expression hardened as he confronted Su Jin directly.