The battlefield was chaos incarnate.
The night sky was alight with flame and lightning. Ash rained down on both armies as the resurrected dead clashed against summoned beasts, steel walls, and spirit-infused soldiers. Smoke veiled the horizon, but Dawnwatch's banner still fluttered atop its bastion—defiant and proud.
Arjun stood in the command tower, his cloak scorched at the edges, hands clenched on the railing. His eyes locked on Vargan—whose movements were carving crimson trails across the field.
"We have to break his momentum," Arjun growled. "Or we'll be bled dry before sunrise."
Below, the Scorched Crown's army kept reforming like an unholy tide. Even as Shayra dueled Vargan in close combat, the rest of the enemy surged forward, undeterred by losses.
Suddenly—
System Alert: Enemy Enchantment DetectedStatus: Vargan's Undying Warpath – ActiveEffect: Fallen Pyrelings reanimate after 30 seconds with increased aggression. Duration: Indefinite until Vargan is defeated.
"Of course," Meera muttered beside him. "That bastard is using a recursive undead loop."
"We need to stop him. Fast."
Clang!
Sparks exploded as Shayra's frost-enchanted blade clashed with Vargan's hell glaive. Each impact sent shockwaves through the field. Despite her lithe frame, Shayra danced between blows, her speed barely keeping up with the flaming tempest before her.
"You fight well," Vargan said, grinning through cracked obsidian armor. "But you burn like the rest."
Shayra didn't answer. Instead, she ducked a sweeping arc and jammed her short blade into his leg.
Ice crackled.
Vargan snarled, backhanding her and sending her flying.
But she landed on her feet, blood dripping from her lips. "Arjun… now would be a good time!"
Arjun turned to Priya, who sat with her eyes closed, whispering ancient syllables to her beast eggs.
"How close are you?"
"One of them… is ready," she whispered. "But it's… different this time. It's not a beast—it's… it's a summoning from the old world."
System Skill Triggered: Beast Egg Roulette – Supreme VariantResult: Summoned Unit – Titan Wolf of the Void HowlClassification: Apex Summon (5-minute duration)Effects: AoE Fear | Anti-Undead Aura | Lunar-Infused Devour
A fissure opened in the sky above the walls.
And then it descended.
A creature of shadows and moonlight, easily 20 meters tall, landed with a quake that shattered enemy formation. Its howl ruptured the air—and every undead near it withered on the spot.
"Beautiful work, Priya," Arjun whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder.
She looked pale, but nodded. "I'll buy us five minutes. That's all it can exist."
"Five minutes is enough."
"Rana!" Arjun called.
The Revenant Swordsman appeared beside him, his spectral armor glowing red.
"You are my blade," Arjun said. "Cut me a path."
With a nod, Rana sprinted forward, slicing through flaming constructs as he went.
Arjun turned to Meera. "With me."
"I thought you'd never ask."
They mounted Zephragon—the evolved Dracowl—soaring above the battlefield, and dove straight toward Vargan.
Below them, the Titan Wolf tore through siege engines, buying the window they needed.
Vargan turned just in time to see the sky screaming toward him.
The impact was thunderous.
Arjun leapt from the back of Zephragon, crashing blade-first into Vargan's chest.
The flaming armor shattered.
Meera followed up, her halberd glowing blue with compressed wind energy, slicing deep across Vargan's side.
He roared, grabbing Arjun by the throat and lifting him.
"You… are nothing but a boy!"
Arjun's hand flared with power.
System Use: Lord Skill – "1000x Reversal"Target: Enemy Unique Skill – Undying WarpathResult: Skill Inverted – Reanimation now heals Allied Forces instead
Suddenly, every fallen Dawnwatch soldier began to stir—reborn with radiant auras.
Vargan froze. "Impossible…"
Arjun's blade plunged into his chest.
Meera followed with a final, brutal strike.
System Alert: Tier 4 Lord [Vargan of the Scorched Crown] – DefeatedReward: Title Gained – "Breaker of Flame and Bone"Loot Acquired:– Glaive of the Dying Sun (Legendary)– Ember Core (Territory Upgrade Catalyst)– Class Scroll: "Ash Reaver"– 5000 Soul Crystals
A silence fell over the battlefield.
Then a roar.
Cheers erupted as the enemy forces crumbled, their bindings broken.
Dawnwatch stood victorious.
Hours later, fires were extinguished, wounds bandaged, and dead honored.
In the Lord's Manor, Arjun sat with Shayra and Meera. Priya lay in a nearby bed, still unconscious from the strain.
"You did well," Meera said, leaning against him.
Shayra scoffed, though her tone was soft. "Not bad for a village boy."
He smiled faintly, gaze on the battlefield outside.
"This is just the beginning," he murmured. "The Lords will only grow stronger from here."
Meera nodded. "And so will we."
Then she leaned in and whispered in his ear. "You still owe me a night without fireballs flying over us."
Arjun laughed.
*System Alert: Emotional Bond with Meera StrengthenedNew Status Effect: Lover – Bonus Morale +5% | Night Recovery +10%
Pregnancy Chance: 29% – Alignment Optimal*
Outside, as dawn rose, the banner of Dawnwatch fluttered in the golden light.
A new day had begun.
But war had only just begun.