The battlefield was chaos. Smoke, blood, and steel filled the air as Astralis fought for survival.
The Dreadborne Horde, though weakened by the loss of their Behemoth, still vastly outnumbered the defenders.
Gral'Zhor the Undying stood at the rear, watching the battle with cold calculation.
He did not rage. He did not charge blindly. He was a warlord who had conquered countless civilizations.
And he had not come here to lose.
The Enemy Adapts
Gral'Zhor turned to his dark warlocks, his voice deep and commanding.
"Summon the Abyss Hounds. Tear through their lines."
The warlocks obeyed, chanting in a guttural tongue.
Shadows rippled across the battlefield, and from the darkness, twisted beasts emerged.
Abyss Hounds—creatures of pure nightmare.
Flesh black as night.
Eyes burning with violet fire.
Claws sharp enough to rip through steel.
They moved like shadows, weaving through the battlefield, too fast for normal soldiers to react.
Astralian warriors screamed as the hounds tore through them.
Leon's interface flickered.
───[New Threat Identified: Abyss Hounds]───
Speed: Supernatural.
Weakness: Light-based attacks.
Survival Rate Decreased: 12%.
Leon cursed. This was bad.
The First King swung his blade through a Dreadborne warrior, his breath ragged. He turned—just in time to see an Abyss Hound lunging at his throat.
The First Blessing
Time slowed.
Leon acted.
A single golden sigil appeared on the First King's chest.
───[Divine Blessing Granted: Warrior's Light]───
The king's sword flared with radiant fire, cutting through the Abyss Hound in a single strike.
It howled, its body dissolving into smoke.
The warriors around him witnessed the miracle.
"The Creator fights with us!" one of them shouted.
Another raised his sword. "We are not alone!"
Leon's interface flickered.
───[Morale Boost: 100%]───
Fear: Erased.
Astralis fights with renewed strength.
Survival Rate Increased: 35%.
Leon smirked. That's more like it.
Gral'Zhor Enters the Battle
The warlord scowled.
Enough.
With a single motion, he leaped from his warbeast, landing with a thunderous crash in the center of the battlefield.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
His bone axe, nearly the size of a man, burned with dark power.
Leon's interface pulsed.
───[Gral'Zhor the Undying Enters Combat]───
Power Level: Overwhelming.
Skill: Ancient War Techniques.
Survival Rate Decreased: 20%.
The First King turned to face him.
Gral'Zhor's voice was a growl.
"You are not the first kingdom to stand against me."
He lifted his axe, pointing it at the king.
"You will fall like all the rest."
Leon leaned forward.
This was it.
The true battle had begun.
Clash of Kings
A tense silence fell over the battlefield as Gral'Zhor the Undying stood before the First King of Astralis.
The two warriors locked eyes—one, a conqueror who had crushed empires under his heel; the other, a king fighting for his people's survival.
Around them, the battle raged on, but for a moment, it felt as if time had stopped.
Gral'Zhor gripped his massive bone axe, its dark energy pulsating like a living entity.
The First King, his sword still ablaze with the Warrior's Light, took a steady breath.
This was it. The true test.
The First Strike
Gral'Zhor moved first—a blur of monstrous speed.
His axe swung in a deadly arc, aimed directly at the king's neck.
The First King barely dodged, the sheer force of the swing splitting the ground where he once stood.
Leon's interface flickered.
───[Enemy Analysis: Gral'Zhor the Undying]───
Strength: Extreme
Speed: Beyond Mortal Limits
Endurance: Unknown
Weakness: ???
"He's stronger than I anticipated," Leon muttered.
The First King didn't hesitate—he counterattacked.
His sword, still glowing with divine energy, struck toward Gral'Zhor's chest.
But the warlord barely flinched.
With inhuman reflexes, he caught the blade with his bare hand.
Sparks flew.
The First King's eyes widened. Impossible.
Gral'Zhor's lips curled into a cruel grin.
"Is that all your so-called 'Creator' can offer?"
The Power of the Undying
With a surge of dark energy, Gral'Zhor slammed his fist into the king's chest.
A thunderous crack echoed across the battlefield.
The First King was sent flying, crashing through a ruined barricade. Blood spilled from his lips.
Leon's interface flashed red.
───[Warning: First King's Health Critically Low]───
Fractured ribs detected.
Internal bleeding increasing.
Survival Rate Dropping.
Leon clenched his fist.
The First King was strong—but against Gral'Zhor, he was outmatched.
If he died here, Astralis would fall.
Leon could intervene again. He could save him.
But that would be too easy.
The First King had to find his own strength.
The Voice of the Creator
As the king lay on the ground, struggling to breathe, a voice echoed in his mind.
"Will you yield?"
The king's vision blurred. Was this… the Creator?
"Or will you rise?"
The king clenched his jaw. He had sworn to protect his people.
He would not fall here.
A golden light ignited in his chest, his body surging with newfound strength.
Leon smirked. That's it. Get up.
The First King stood once more.
His wounds sealed, his sword burned even brighter.
Gral'Zhor's expression darkened.
"Tch. So you have more fight in you after all."
The king raised his blade, eyes filled with determination.
"I am the King of Astralis. And I will not kneel."
The battle was far from over.
The Wrath of the First King
The battlefield was soaked in blood and fire, the sky choked with smoke.
But in the heart of the chaos, two warriors stood tall.
The First King of Astralis, his sword ablaze with divine power.
And Gral'Zhor the Undying, the warlord who had brought empires to their knees.
Their battle would decide the fate of Astralis.
The Clash of Titans
Gral'Zhor lunged forward, his bone axe cleaving through the air with terrifying speed.
But this time, the First King was ready.
CLANG!
Their weapons collided, sending shockwaves across the battlefield.
Soldiers on both sides staggered, feeling the sheer force of their blows.
The Dreadborne warriors hesitated—they had never seen their warlord meet resistance.
And the Astralians… they roared.
Hope flared in their hearts.
Their king was fighting back.
The First King's Awakening
Leon watched closely, his divine interface pulsing.
The First King's power was rising.
His divine blessing—Warrior's Light—had fully awakened.
───[New Ability Unlocked: Radiant Overdrive]───
Temporarily enhances strength, speed, and endurance.
Can burn through dark energy.
Drawback: Consumes stamina rapidly.
Leon nodded. Now let's see what you can really do.
The First King surged forward, his blade a blur of golden fire.
Gral'Zhor blocked the first strike—but barely.
The second strike? He failed to block.
SLASH!
For the first time in centuries, Gral'Zhor bled.
The warlord staggered back, a golden wound burning across his chest.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
No one… had ever wounded him.
The Tide Turns
The Astralians saw their king draw blood—and their morale exploded.
With renewed fury, they charged into battle, pushing back the Dreadborne forces.
Even the Abyss Hounds, once unstoppable, began to falter before the radiance of the king's power.
Leon's interface flickered.
───[Battle Status Updated]───
Astralian Survival Rate: 58% (Rising)
Dreadborne Morale: Dropping Rapidly
Gral'Zhor Status: Wounded
This was it.
The turning point.
The war was far from over.
But for the first time…
Astralis had a chance to win.