The battlefield outside the capital had become a wasteland of torn earth, shattered stone, and fallen bodies. Realm soldiers fought bravely, but the monster swamp kept pressing forward—C-ranks crawling over their own dead, B-ranks tearing through shields, and the remaining A-ranks roaring like commanders of ruin.
“Hold the line!” Xander shouted, fire ripping through a cluster of monsters.
K slammed his palm to the ground, raising walls of stone—but cracks spidered through them almost immediately.
May’s chest burned as she forced wind after wind into existence, throwing monsters back from the gates. “They’re not stopping,” she shouted to Ze. “They don’t feel fear!”
That was when Zayn stepped forward.
The ground beneath the monsters darkened.
At first, it looked like spilled ink—shadow
