*System Alert:Enemy Vanguard will arrive in 23 hours.Estimated Strength: Tier 4 Elite Units + Shadow-Class Commander
Territory Danger Level: EXTREME
Suggestion: Evacuate non-combatants or fortify core zones.*
The warning hit like a hammer, but Arjun didn't flinch. He stood over the war table, a thick map of their village and surroundings spread before him. Red markers denoted possible enemy approach routes. Blue pegs showed the Dawnwatch forces. At the center, a singular black feather stuck upright from a stone—a reminder of the death curse ticking down.
"We hold them here," Arjun said, pointing to a natural choke point: a forested ravine lined with jagged cliffs. "They'll expect us to defend the gates. But if we bleed them before they even reach the wall... we win."
Shayra nodded, adjusting the straps on her armguard. "I'll lead the strike team into the ravine. Fast and lethal. Then fall back and trigger the trap."
Meera leaned over, her silver gauntlets gleaming under torchlight. "And if the Shadow Commander doesn't take the bait?"
"He will," Arjun said. "Prideful types always do."
Tarun looked up from his spellscrolls. "The mana net's ready. Two launches, twenty-second delay. Once it activates, no teleporting, no escape."
"And the beasts?" Priya asked, eyes sharp.
"In position," Arjun replied. "They're more than ready."
Far beneath the soft soil, in tunnels carved by monstrous hands, the Hollow Saint's vanguard moved.
Twelve warbands.
Each led by a deathmarked knight, wearing boneplate armor etched with cursed runes.
At the heart of it all rode Kael'Rath, the Shadow Commander—a gaunt figure draped in abyssal silk, his eyes glowing with contempt for the living. He sat astride a nightmare steed, its hooves bleeding ichor with every step.
"Hold the village," Kael'Rath murmured, voice like poisoned honey. "Burn the people. Bring me the Lord's head. Let the curse sing."
That night, Dawnwatch didn't sleep.
The air was thick with anticipation, the villagers moving like a well-oiled machine.
The children were hidden in reinforced basements, guarded by trusted non-combatants. The beast enclosures were relocated to a central stronghold with defensive glyphs. Ballista crews rehearsed loading drills. Arjun personally checked each line of defense.
In one quiet corner of the village, Priya approached Arjun, carrying a bundle wrapped in silk.
"I found another egg," she said softly, handing it to him.
The egg pulsed with faint blue light. "This one is different," she added. "The system said it's… celestial-grade."
Arjun raised an eyebrow. "And it came from where?"
"The Stormfang Lion laid it. After absorbing the essence of the cursed wyvern we defeated last week."
Arjun carefully placed the egg in a reinforced incubation cradle, smiling faintly. "It seems even the beasts are rising to meet fate."
He placed a hand on her head. "You've done more than I ever imagined, Priya."
She smiled shyly. "We're family, bhaiya. And I want to protect this home too."
The sun never truly rose that morning.
The sky was gray, heavy with clouds and the weight of destiny.
At the edge of the ravine, Shayra and her team waited in the trees—silent shadows among bark and leaf. Her blades were coated in poison. Her eyes locked on the winding trail below.
They heard them before they saw them.
Marching footsteps.
The shriek of unnatural beasts.
And then they came.
The first warband stepped into the trap zone—hulking armored warriors with glowing eye-slits. Behind them, spined warhounds sniffed the air.
Shayra gave the signal.
Arrows rained from the trees, aimed not to kill but to stagger. As the enemies reeled, Shayra and her strike team dropped like panthers, striking tendons, piercing joints, and hurling smoke bombs.
Then they retreated.
Behind them, wooden spikes snapped into place. Mana charges exploded.
And the cliff above trembled.
"Now!" Arjun's voice echoed through the linked communication stones.
A boulder trap was released, tumbling down with thunderous roars, crushing three enemy squads.
The survivors howled and surged forward—right into the mana net.
With a low hum, the trap activated. Kael'Rath's teleportation sigils fizzled. Shadowmancers found themselves unable to merge with the darkness.
From the flanks, Dawnwatch's beast cavalry struck.
Stormwing Raptors dove from the sky, slashing and disorienting. The Hellfire Hound unleashed a wall of flame, trapping the enemies in chaos.
Kael'Rath snarled, pushing through the mana net's effect, heading straight for the village. Arjun waited for him at the gates.
"Lord Arjun of Dawnwatch," Kael'Rath sneered, drawing a blade of obsidian flame. "You're a child playing at war."
Arjun unsheathed his own blade, forged with system-upgraded metal. "You're just the beginning."
Their duel began with explosive force—Kael'Rath's attacks blurred with shadow, striking from impossible angles. But Arjun's System-enhanced reflexes and countless hours of sparring with Shayra had forged him into a precise fighter.
He ducked a slash, twisted, and cut along Kael'Rath's ribs.
The Shadow Commander howled, retaliating with a shadow pulse.
Arjun raised his shield and activated Barrier Surge—a village defense skill unlocked after completing three territory quests.
The pulse shattered against the shield.
Arjun countered with Sword of Dominion, a technique that struck not flesh, but command.
Kael'Rath stumbled. His vanguard paused.
And that hesitation was all Dawnwatch needed.
Shayra leapt from the second watchtower and plunged both her blades into Kael'Rath's back.
Arjun followed through with a two-handed thrust, piercing the Shadow Commander's heart.
Kael'Rath screeched—and exploded into black mist.
The curse lifted.
System Alert:Challenge Completed!You have slain Kael'Rath, Shadow Commander of the Hollow Saint.
Rewards Unlocked:– Blueprint: Hall of Origin Bloodlines– Unique Resource: Shadow Essence (x100)– Passive Unlock: Command Radius +30%– Title Gained: Warden of the Gate
Dawnwatch celebrated.
The walls had held. The people had survived. The beasts roared in triumph.
But Arjun didn't rest. He stared at the broken battlefield, brows furrowed.
Because the final notification came not with fanfare… but with a warning.
A Saint does not fall with one blow.The Hollow watches still.And deeper powers stir…