Yamato Archipelago…
By the time Ethan and the others rode their Flamebirds into the airspace near the Yamato islands, they could already see it from a distance—clusters of red figures moving all over the interior.
Ethan's eyes lit up.
"They really did come out."
"Don't rush in," Ethan said. "Circle once first. Get a look."
So the whole group stayed mounted and swept around the area in a wide loop. By the time they finished, Ethan had a rough read on things.
"Judging by the numbers… most of them are out."
"And…" His voice tightened a little. "They probably came out before the mysterious energy spiked. These bastards leveled up like crazy."
"How crazy?" everyone asked, staring at him.
"Lowest is Tier 19. Highest is Tier 22—and there are a lot of Tier 22s. Not sure if there are any Tier 23s. I haven't seen one yet."
"Ah… what…?"
"With that kind of power… can we even fight them?" The group's confidence wobbled.
