Chapter 102: The Elevator

The wind currents swept over Adam's shoulders, lightly ruffling his black hair, which rose slightly longer. His blue eyes grew, not only deeper but filled with the wisdom of painful experiences and accomplishments infused with delight.

His gaze was fixed on the bright sun, which would disappear over the horizon in a few hours and leave its place for the moon.

The moon brought peace and tranquility, just like the countless stars in the night sky.

However, no one would see the moon today, for it was the day of the Eclipse.

Eclipses occurred at night, hiding the moon and causing almost all light to disappear, even in the dark.

Adam had spent the past two days preparing for the Eclipse, more on the informational side. In those two days, however, he'd had time to do some training and eaten enough to fill himself up for a month.

Eclipses were nothing new to Adam, as they were to everyone in the Citadel. However, all he knew was that the Eclipses were dangerous, and the Phantoms put a lot of effort into defending their home.

"There won't be any night monsters among the invading monsters, right?" Adam muttered, wanting to be sure of his knowledge.

'Most likely. Although the time is appropriate, night monsters rarely gather in large groups, especially in massive waves of monsters that will strike the Bastion. However, the most important factor is the light.' Silvana said calmly.

At the same moment, several massive spotlights shone brightly, illuminating everything in front of the northern gate of the Bastion Radon. The lights would become an arena for the Phantoms, giving them an advantage and a shield from the night monsters.

These spotlights weren't the only ones, but most were still inactive as their turn would come at night.

Sure, the monsters were not afraid of light, they were creatures tearing their enemies apart without fear and with true violence.

Still, the spotlights had their uses, especially during the Eclipse, not just on a normal night.

As Silvana had said, the night monsters did not bunch up in groups, much less in waves. Moreover, the light annoyed them since they weren't used to it. It didn't affect their fighting ability, but these two factors greatly reduced the chances of them appearing on this night.

However, this only really worked during the Eclipse. If the Phantoms went on a normal night mission, they didn't have any bright spotlights or monster waves.

...

'Adam, you need to move to your squad. You'll be defending the left area in front of the north gate.' Silvana said calmly, occasionally receiving data and relaying information to him.

"Sure. It's almost time." Adam muttered, walking along the wall - towards the elevator.

He passed next to the military men, who were especially numerous today. Their rifles were useless, but grenades could distract monsters, and laser turrets could hurt White and Green Threat Level Monsters.

Adam raised an eyebrow puzzled, crossed his arms over his chest, and turned away with a calm look.

"This isn't the first time you've defended Bastion Radon, is it?"

Alexia's corners of her mouth lifted upward slightly.

"You're not wrong."

Adam glanced at her.

"Do you have any advice? It's my first time."

Alexia nodded.

"Beat your enemies, help your allies. However, if you decide to go it alone, take control of your area and stay out of my way."

A slight chill went down Adam's back, for Alexia's appearance and soft tone didn't match her words, at all.

'Interesting...' Adam internally muttered, 'Looks like my squad has a really strong leader this time.'

Crackle.

The elevator opened.

Adam and Alexia walked through the grand north gate, heading for the left area, where several dozen Phantoms were already waiting for them. Some didn't look particularly strong, but there were enough people here with powerful auras - they could compete with Adam.

"Agh..." Alexia took a deep breath, looking at the sun going behind the horizon line, "It's going to be a long night tonight. I advise you not to die because that's not cool!"

"Tsk. Thanks for the tip." Some Phantom smiled bitterly, shaking his head.

It seemed Adam wasn't the only one who was surprised that someone like Alexia was their leader, but no one was going to figure it out. They had one goal - to defeat the monsters. There were no enemies here, only allies.

Soon, after thirty minutes, the sun was gone, allowing the moon to gradually rise. However, instead of the moon, everyone saw only a thin disk of light - the only thing left of the moon in the eclipse.

Then, all the floodlights turned on simultaneously, illuminating the area around Bastion.

"ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRR!!!"

The terrifying roars echoed in the distance, resonating amongst themselves like the belligerent howls of an entire army.