GA: Chapter 125: This Era Doesn't Need "Saints" — It Only Needs Heroes!
At the same time, as the battle in Haicheng erupted, every surrounding city turned its attention to what was unfolding there.
As the first line of defense against the ocean, Haicheng's importance needed no explanation.
The moment the city's defenses were breached, the capital received word.
"Haicheng has encountered a mutated sea creature tide. Marine life has made landfall and launched a fierce assault on the city."
"With suppressive fire, a beast tide originating from outside the city posed no serious threat to the urban area. Without unexpected complications, they would have eliminated all invading sea creatures within a day."
The official responsible delivered the report in a grave tone before the director of the capital's Spiritual Energy General Bureau.
"But just as everyone believed the beast tide would end there — the unexpected happened."
"An enormous dark shape appeared above the ocean. An unknown mutated sea creature. With a single beam, it tore through Haicheng's defenses entirely, causing massive civilian casualties."
"Portions of the city's interior have already collapsed. The majority of surviving civilians are in a state of despair."
"Because the defensive line was torn open, a portion of mutated sea creatures have entered the city and begun indiscriminate slaughter. Despite ability users attempting suppression, the numbers are simply too great to hold back."
"If this continues, the entire city of Haicheng will fall to the mutated sea creatures, and countless human lives will be lost at their hands."
"We must make decisive decisions immediately to prevent this from happening."
Silence fell the moment those words ended. Every person in the room was processing what they'd just heard.
Haicheng was one of Huaxia's most economically prosperous coastal cities. After the spiritual tide, specialized defenses had been constructed specifically for this scenario — and yet it had fallen this fast.
And the primary cause of that failure was not the mutated sea creatures.
It was the enormous shadow in the ocean.
"What kind of mutated sea creature could produce a black beam like that..."
One of the Bureau members murmured in disbelief.
A single strike had punched through Haicheng's entire defensive line and paralyzed nearly half the city.
That level of destructive output — even if it didn't quite match a nuclear weapon, it was still just one hit. And whether that had been a casual blow or a full-power strike was anyone's guess.
Converted to human terms, the strength behind it placed that creature firmly in the same tier as Qin Tian, Huo Yu, and Chen Bing.
"The mutated sea creature is certainly something to take seriously — but the immediate problem is still the sea creatures already inside the city."
"They may not be individually powerful, but their numbers make them a severe threat to Haicheng's civilians."
"They exploited the defensive breach caused by that unknown creature, flooded into the city interior, and are now slaughtering without restraint — growing stronger in the process."
"This is something we cannot accept."
"The higher command has already ordered Spiritual Energy Bureau members from surrounding cities to deploy to Haicheng's support immediately — but that alone is not enough."
"To guard against another attack from whatever is lurking in that ocean, we must dispatch the first tier of ability users."
"Qin Tian, Huo Yu, Chen Bing, Ning Guang..."
"When they arrive — only then will the civilians feel safe."
The director of the Capital-Hangzhou Spiritual Energy General Bureau spoke with a quiet undercurrent of feeling.
Those below listened in silence. This beast tide involved the lives of tens of millions of civilians in Haicheng. Not a single misstep could be permitted.
One after another, orders were issued and dispatched. Countless ability users received directives from the nation.
Sea creature invasion. The situation was critical.
In his training room, Qin Tian's expression was cold as he read through the documents that had come down from above. No lengthy analysis — just the facts of what was happening in Haicheng, accompanied by images and video.
Millions of mutated sea creatures.
A black beam that had pierced Haicheng's defenses and left hundreds of thousands dead or injured.
The enormous shadow lurking in the ocean.
Humans killed by mutated sea beasts.
Civilians with despair written across their faces.
Haicheng right now couldn't quite be called hell on earth — but for those still alive within it, the despair, the terror, the feeling of simply waiting to die — it was no different from hell in every way that mattered.
When disaster struck, no one was spared.
Thump.
A warmth spread through his chest. Qin Tian pressed a hand over the Fire Crystal Stone there.
"They deserve to die."
He stepped out of the training room. The Flame Dragon Armor had already wrapped itself around every inch of him.
He turned — and with a thunderous roar, a streak of crimson blazed across the sky above, cutting through the air to land before him.
"Flame Dragon Steed!"
When he arrived — every last mutated sea creature in Haicheng would die.
Hangzhou Spiritual Energy Bureau.
Huo Yu read the report on what Haicheng was currently facing, and pure killing intent filled her eyes.
From beginning to end, the concept that all life was equal had never once taken root in her mind.
She could find animals adorable, think pets were delightful, admire how clever dolphins and orcas were — but all of that was built on the premise that they posed no threat to humans. It was an assessment delivered from a position of comfortable superiority.
The moment they gained the potential to threaten human lives — the moment they had already acted on it —
Without question, every single one of them was condemned in Huo Yu's eyes.
Humans were a complicated species. They could take reckless risks for profit, break the law, even abandon family and brothers without hesitation. But they could equally throw their lives away for what they believed was right, and give everything they had for their country.
In cruelty, humans surpassed every other living thing.
In devotion, humans were no less.
That cruelty and that righteousness coexisted without clear dividing lines — and among humans, there were even those rare true saints, people who cast aside the boundaries of race and extended their love to every living creature.
Huo Yu was not one of them. And she didn't think people like that were more noble than anyone else.
They had their ideals. She had her own convictions. There was no hierarchy of greatness between them.
In her eyes, Huaxia stood above everything else. Huaxia lives were worth the most.
Any creature — human or animal — that dared take the lives of Huaxia's people deserved to die.
This era didn't need so-called saints. What people needed were heroes — heroes who would cut down every last mutated creature without exception.
The disaster unfolding in Haicheng had set something blazing in her chest.
That mutated sea creature hiding in the ocean — she wanted to see exactly what it was capable of.
"Screech!"
With a sharp, clear cry, a crimson bird wreathed entirely in living flame appeared before her.
Then a streak of red light split the night sky apart and shot toward the distance at tremendous speed.
Tianhai City.
The aura around Chen Bing had turned colder still — his entire presence like a blade of scentless, breathless ice.
Those ice-blue pupils held nothing but boundless killing intent directed at every mutated sea creature that existed.
"Glacial Phoenix."
"Screech!"
A crisp phoenix cry rang out, and a figure of pure ice-blue — radiant and crystalline, like something carved from living frost — began to circle before him.
"Let's go."
Ice-blue light swept outward, carrying a cold that cut straight to the bone. Civilians sleeping in Tianhai City shivered involuntarily in their beds and pulled their covers a little higher.
Strange. It had suddenly gotten so cold.
Like winter had arrived overnight.