The battlefield was a sea of chaos. Smoke curled from burning siege towers, the clash of steel and the screams of dying men filled the night air. Blood soaked the once-fertile earth, and beneath the cold stars, Ren stood at the center of it all, his blade gleaming crimson as if it drank deeply from the lives it took.
His lungs burned with each breath, his muscles screamed, but he would not fall. Not now. Not when the System whispered in his ear, feeding him fragments of clarity amid the madness:
[System Notice: Morale of allied forces is wavering. Commander’s Presence required.]
Ren lifted his head, his eyes burning with a fire that seemed almost inhuman. He raised his blade high, letting the torchlight catch the steel.
“Hold the line!” His voice thundered across the chaos, strong and
