The fight with the shadowy figure brought chaos like the defenders had never seen. Soldiers and hunters from the alliance battled hard, but the monster horde pushed forward with wild anger, led by their fearsome chief. Dead bodies, both human and monster, covered the ground as the night went on. The heroes were tired and pushed to their breaking point.
Valer stood at the front. His sword shone bright as he slashed a huge beast and yelled. "These things never stop!" he called out. His voice was hard to hear over the noise of the fight. His cuts were sharp and strong, but he was starting to look worn out.
Jin was close by, locked in a rough fight with a monster that had three heads. Each head bit and snapped at him, keeping him on guard. He smashed one head with a hard punch, but the creature kept coming. "We can't do this much longer!" Jin said with a grunt, ducking just in time to miss another bite.
Magnar stood on a high spot above the mess. His staff glowed as he called down lightning. The bolts hit the ground and burned up groups of monsters in flashes of power. Sweat ran down his face, and he clenched his teeth. "Someone needs to stop that shadowy figure, or we're finished!" he shouted.
Arden was in the middle of the battle. He looked at the shadowy figure. It felt like a dark pit, pulling away light and hope from everyone. Arden yelled to Magnar, "Give me some time! I'm going for it!" Magnar nodded and lifted his staff again. "Don't take too long, Arden. I don't know how much more I can do," he said.
Buck sat on a rocky ledge. His bow moved fast as he shot arrows one after another. He aimed at the small, quick monsters trying to break the front line. "I don't like saying it, but we need luck right now," he mumbled. Even so, every arrow hit its target.
Kaguya stayed near the command spot. She looked worried as her eyes moved over a map of the fight. "They're spreading out," she said. "If we don't fill the holes, they'll trap us."
Commander Roland heard her and shouted to the troops nearby. "Move to the west side! Close that gap before they get through!"
Hiyori ran all over the place. Her healing magic kept many soldiers on their feet. Her face was white, and her hands shook from working so hard. "Hang on a bit more," she said softly to a hurt soldier as her magic fixed his wounds. "We'll get through this."
Dawn was almost near. The battle went on and on. The plains were full of noise and mess as the alliance soldiers fought hard against a huge crowd of enemies that never seemed to stop coming. Arden moved through the fighting. His eyes stayed on a dark figure far away. It felt heavy to be near it, and the black energy around it made people feel scared if they looked at it. Arden wanted to stop this fear. He held his glowing sword tight and ran toward the figure.
As he got closer, the figure turned its bright eyes to him. It started to pull out a big longsword. The sword gave off a bad feeling that made the air twist. Arden felt the hate from the sword hit him. He took a deep breath, lifted his sword, and yelled, "You won't get one step closer to the capital!" His voice was loud over all the noise.
Then a loud scream cut through the dawn. Everything went quiet. A huge bird-like thing came down from the dark sky. It landed hard between the black figure and the soldiers, making the ground shake.
This wasn't a normal bird. Its wings were bigger than any human. Its feathers were black like night and glowed a little in a strange way. Its claws were sharp like knives, and its blue eyes shone bright, like it was hunting.
The soldiers gasped. "What is that thing?!" one soldier said, stepping back, scared. The dark figure stopped, ready to fight, but waited when the bird landed. The bird pulled its wings in, looking strong and scary.
This was Kaya.
"Wait for the child," Kaya said. Her voice was calm but full of power. Her blue eyes stared at the tall figure. "Don't forget why we're here."
The figure growled. Its big body shook with anger it held back. For a second, it looked like it might not listen to Kaya. But then it put its hand down, and its huge claws pulled back. It made a low, mad sound, agreeing to Kaya's words even though it didn't want to.
Then it threw its head back and roared so loud it hurt everyone's ears. The ground shook. Soldiers fell to their knees, terrified. Even the monsters stopped for a moment, shocked by the big sound.
Thick fog started to come in around the figure's feet. It was heavy and hard to see through. It felt bad, making even brave people feel weak. Shapes started to come out of the fog—more monsters, ugly and twisted. The soldiers and heroes watched as the black fog made more and more scary things.
Commander Roland bit his teeth hard and held his sword. "The battle's not done yet. Get ready!" he shouted, getting the soldiers to listen. Kaya looked down at the fighting. She smiled a little. "Let them play," she said quietly, her voice full of hate. "The real goal is coming."
Arden said a bad word under his breath. The battlefield was worse now. He looked at the dark figure one more time. It stood still, like it was waiting. The fog moved around it. Kaya sat next to it, her blue eyes glowing in a creepy way.
"Get back to the front!" Arden yelled, running away as the monsters came out of the fog. He raced to his group, his face showing he wouldn't give up. The soldiers who saw this were too scared to move, but Arden's shout made them wake up.
At the front, Valer was fighting two fast black wolves. They moved around him like shadows. "Arden, what happened?" he called, cutting one wolf with a strong swing. "No time to tell you," Arden said, joining Valer and the others. "They sent more. We have to hold here!"
Jin yelled as he ran into a big ogre-like monster. His gloves glowed as he hit it hard, breaking its bones. "What was that thing? It felt like my heart stopped!"
-"A death messenger," Magnar said darkly. His staff glowed, and he sent fire over the monsters coming closer. "We need to be ready for bad things."
Kaguya shouted orders to the troops nearby. "Hit the creatures from the fog! Don't let them get too many!" Her voice was fast, but she sounded a little scared. She kept looking at the dark figure and the bird far away.
Hiyori moved quick between hurt soldiers. Her healing magic worked hard to keep them alive. "We can't keep going like this forever," she said softly. Her hands shook as she fixed a soldier's cuts. Commander Roland shouted to the troops. "Stay where you are! Don't let the fog scare you. Fight like it's for your life and the capital!"
Tired soldiers swung their weapons, trying hard against the endless monsters. Blood and sweat covered the ground. The air smelled like death and sounded like fighting.
Far from the fighting.
Alan and Nat walked with a the fresh wave of new soldiers heading to help Antonia. The soldiers were quiet but ready. Nat looked at one of them walking near her. "How long until we get to Antonia?" she asked, her voice quick and worried. The soldier turned to her. His face was white, but his eyes were strong. "We passed Antonia's border a while ago," he said. "We'll be there soon. Any time now."
Suddenly, a loud, scary roar filled the air. It stopped everyone. It was a sound unlike anything they had heard before—terrifying and primal, filled with rage and malice. The troops stopped, looking at each other in uncertainty, their expressions reflecting the fear gripping their hearts.
"What was that?" Nat whispered. Her hand grabbed her sword tight which was given by a soldier. Alan's face got hard. He looked far away, trying to find where the sound came from. Before anyone could panic, a big voice broke through. Commander Sirus, second to Roland, stepped to the front. He shouted, "Stay strong! That roar means our brothers are still alive! They're giving their all to protect the capital, and we will not let them stand alone! March at full speed—we'll show those monsters what it means to face us!"
His words made the soldiers feel strong. They yelled together, loud and sure, and started running. Their formation stayed tight. The sound of their shouts shook the ground like thunder. Alan and Nat looked at each other for a moment. They forgot how tired they were and ran too, feeling new strength.
At the battlefield, the fight between soldiers and monsters got worse. Every sword swing and every spell felt slow and heavy. The defenders tried hard to keep the line. The monsters kept coming, so many that they almost broke through. Commander Roland stood at the front. Blood covered him, but he didn't give up. He yelled orders, his voice loud over the noise, keeping his men steady as they fought for the capital.
Then they heard something far off—war cries. The sound got louder, strong and clear. It meant help was coming. A scout ran to Roland. "Commander! The reinforcements are near!" he shouted.
Roland turned to his men. His voice was full of feeling. "Our brothers are here! Don't give up now—hold the line! We won't let these monsters pass! Fight with all you've got until they reach us!"
The soldiers cheered, loud and brave. The news made them feel alive again. Their bodies were tired and hurt, but they stood strong. They pushed the monsters back. The sound of running feet and yells came closer. The new soldiers charged in, cutting through the monsters with fresh energy. Their shouts filled the air, metal hitting claws and teeth. The soldiers who had fought for two days started moving back to the camp. Their steps were slow and heavy, but they felt better seeing new friends take over.