The sun's last lingering ray vanished completely beyond the western horizon.
Darkness swallowed the land like a tide.
In the direction of Hong City, countless howls from the Weird erupted almost simultaneously amid the previously silent ruins.
"Woooo!!!"
The piercing sound mingled with the distinctive shrieks and roars of all kinds of Weird, converging into a scalp-prickling wave of sound that swept toward the gathered Sequence Users.
To the Weird, the scent of humans was like a bonfire in the night, unmistakable and enticing.
Now that over a thousand Sequence Users had gathered on Hong City's outskirts, their immense collective human presence was nothing short of a lavish feast to the Weird's senses.
All the Weird throughout Hong City erupted into a frenzy.
Hundreds upon thousands of Weird poured from ruins, underground caverns, and abandoned buildings, surging like a black tide toward the eastern side where the Sequence Users had assembled.
Master Wen Hao watched from high ground, his brows tightly furrowed, though his expression remained fairly composed.
With the experience of two battles at the Yi City Battlefield, the Aerospace Base had long since developed an effective strategy for large-scale engagements like this.
They concentrated all participating Sequence Users in one direction, forcing the Weird to charge in that same direction.
This both prevented them from being surrounded on all sides and allowed their ranged attackers to make the most of their firepower.
"They're coming!"
Someone spoke in a low voice.
Everyone tightened their grip on their weapons in unison.
The Sequence Users with ranged attacks had already chosen their positions at the very front.
Archers, firearm-type Sequences, spell-type Sequences, throwing-type Sequences...
They all took their positions, their eyes locked on the steadily approaching dark tide of Weird.
Five hundred meters.
Three hundred meters.
Two hundred meters.
When the