The feral， bloodthirsty rage in Jax’s voice made even Talan freeze. He’d never seen this side of the kid before. He was completely blood-mad.

  “Vice Leader Jax! There are too many hyenas! The main pack behind them is probably over a hundred strong! We started with thirty men， and only twenty are left!

  We can’t rush this! The men are breaking， Viper’s mechanical arm is almost out of power! If we keep fighting—”

  “Bullshit! Twenty against a hundred? The advantage is ours! Talan， if you dare shake the men’s morale again， I’ll shoot you first!”

  Jax was in the zone， his physical strength growing with every shot. There was no way he was leaving now.

  Under Jax’s furious glare， Talan was equal parts angry and shocked， and more than a little absurd. Who the hell was the actual leader here?

  You’re a vice leader with no real power. Are you fucking crazy?

  Even with his rage， he couldn’t lash out. He forced himself to speak calmly. “Vice Leader Jax， listen to me—”

  “No.”

  Talan fell silent.

  This was insane. You’re practically drained dry， and you still want to fight?

  Watching Jax barely able to stand， Talan’s eyes burned. If you want to die， don’t take us with you! You can die once the hyenas are dead， but not now!

  Minutes ago， he’d begged Jax to fire. Now， he was begging Jax to retreat.

  Just as he was about to drag Jax away by force， Jax suddenly stumbled， like his body had finally given out， and collapsed to the ground.

  Talan’s heart skipped a beat. He fought through a hyena’s snapping jaws and rushed to Jax’s side， terrified the kid was dead.

  “Vice Leader Jax! Are you okay?!”

  Jax grabbed Talan’s arm， his pale face set with grim determination. His lips trembled as he spoke: “Help… help me up. I can still fight!!”

  He roared the last word， hauled himself to his feet using Talan’s arm， raised the Breath of Bone， and fired again and again.

  Talan was broken. Completely and utterly broken.

  This kid was a fucking lunatic.

  The toxic mushroom’s side effects hadn’t worn off at all.

  “Vice Leader Jax! Vice Leader Jax! Take it easy! You can’t keep fighting! You’ll die if you keep going!”

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  When begging didn’t work， Talan grabbed Jax and tried to drag him into a retreat.

  Jax struggled furiously， roaring: “Talan， let go of me! I’m going to kill every last one of these bastards!”

  “Vice Leader Jax， we can’t keep fighting! Fall back! I’m begging you， please!” There was even a hint of desperation in Talan’s voice.

  “Fall back?! Fall back where? We’re surrounded by hyenas! There’s nowhere to run! The only way is to fight to the death! Men! CHARGE!”

  “Jax… brother， what the hell are you talking about? Ashwood Town is right behind us! It’s a few hundred meters to safety!” Talan was nearly in tears. He didn’t wait for Jax to agree， slung him over his shoulder， and ran for his life.

  Jax flew into a rage， slapping Talan hard across the face. The man was covered in bristles， but his face was mostly bare.

  “Behind me are the 800 people of Ashwood Town! I’m their leader! If I don’t carve a path through for them， am I supposed to watch them starve to death inside the walls?!”

  Talan， stinging from the slaps， was ready to snap back — when suddenly，

  Rumble…

  The thunder of hooves echoed from the distant sand. Dozens of twisted， monstrous shapes raced toward them through the haze. At the front was a towering， terrifying figure， over two meters tall!

  “Hyena King!!” Talan’s face went white. He didn’t care about anything else， running as fast as he could with Jax over his shoulder.

  And Jax was still yelling.

  “Let me go! I’ll fight the Hyena King to the death! Behind me are the homes of our people， the cries of our children! The weapons in our hands are the last shield protecting them!”

  Talan said nothing， just ran faster.

  “They call me Vice Leader Jax! That’s not just a title — it’s a responsibility! Even if I die here today， my body will become brick and stone for these walls， a wall of flesh and blood to hold back the hyenas!!”

  Talan’s brain went numb from the impassioned roar. Lunatic! The kid was definitely brain damaged from the toxic mushroom， permanently!

  “Every inch of this land holds the seeds of our people! Every piece of armor on our shoulders carries the light of their homes! We must fight—”

  “Vice Leader Jax! Stop yelling! We’re home!” Talan dropped Jax to the ground.

  Jax， mid-rant， froze. He blinked and looked around. Ashwood Town? They were back?

  He’d been so caught up in the speech he hadn’t even noticed.

  Truth be told， he’d only started making up excuses to stay and kill more hyenas. But the bloodshed， the screams， the chaos of the battlefield had sent his adrenaline through the roof. He’d gotten carried away， and accidentally committed to the bit.

  “CLOSE THE GATES!!” Viper， covered in blood， roared. The men and townsfolk waiting inside scrambled to slam the heavy iron-reinforced wooden gates shut， the thick iron spikes studding them the only thing keeping the hyenas out.

  “DON’T CLOSE THE GATES! LET US IN!”

  “BOSS! WE’RE STILL OUT HERE! PLEASE OPEN UP!”

  A few injured fighters， too slow to keep up， were trapped outside.

  Seconds later， feral snarls and bloodcurdling screams rang out， mixed with the sickening crunch of tearing flesh.

  The sound left the survivors pale， hearts hammering in their chests.

  Some looked away， eyes burning with tears. The men trapped outside were their brothers， people they’d lived with for years.

  A single gate had split life and death. The Hyena King was still far away. They could’ve made it back.

  But Viper and Talan had refused to take even the slightest risk， locking them out without a second thought. The act left a cold， heavy weight in every man’s heart.

  No one dared say a word. But the moment would hang over them like a storm cloud for a long time to come.

  “OPEN THE GATES! I’M GOING TO GET THEM BACK!”

  The boy’s impassioned voice cut through the cloud hanging over them like a golden blade.

  The townsfolk manning the defenses， and Viper and his men， all spun around. Dozens of eyes locked onto Jax’s resolute face， each with a different look in their gaze.

  When no one moved， Jax said nothing. He pulled out the Breath of Bone and marched straight for the gates.

  The act made Talan jump in front of him， blocking the way.

  “Vice Leader Jax! You can’t go out there! The Hyena King is right outside—”

  “Move， Talan.” Jax’s voice was cold. “The brothers out there， East or West District， are all people of Ashwood Town. As long as I’m Vice Leader for a single day， I’ll protect them.”

  If anyone else had said those words， Talan would’ve written it off as posturing and bullshit. But coming from Jax? He didn’t dare doubt it. If he hadn’t dragged the kid back earlier， Jax would still be out there fighting to the death.