Barb Utsa

I was awakened by the power of the warning skills and the loud bells ringing across the fort.

'They're attacking,' Yora said sharply, rising to her feet and swiftly beginning to don her armor.

I did the same and checked my bag of liquor. Most of the liquors I had brought when I first came here were now different.

In the past nine days, I have learned a lot.

Every day, I went out with scout teams. I didn't have to, but I volunteered.

I needed the experience—to hone my skills and sharpen my instincts. When the horde finally came, I wanted to face them at my peak, armed with the best preparations I could muster.

My readiness isn't as complete as I'd like, but it's leagues ahead of where I stood on the first day.

We got out of the tent, where it was still dark. We gathered with our team and formed two groups.

We already know our assignments, and the skill leads us toward our position.

We'll face the monsters beyond the fort's walls, battling them head-on with the massive army they've gathered. Archers and ranged weapons will support from the walls.

A steady stream of soldiers marched through the gate, their movements precise and calm. There was no panic—only the practiced efficiency of an army trained for this moment every day. Soon, it was our turn to pass through.

Once outside, we split into Rev's and Hosk's teams. Both are seasoned leaders at Level 30, ready to command their forces in the battle ahead.

I am on Hosk's team, and we moved to the left while Rev led his team to the right.

I could see the lines and lines of soldiers. Mainly wearing three colors.

The ones wearing green are of the allied baronies. The ones wearing blue belong to Amberhold. Both have about similar numbers of over twenty thousand.

Third is a small group.

There are only six thousand of them; they are wearing the brown of the dominion of Greltheaven.

Colonel Axseer is leading them.

She is an orc woman, not a warrior but a shaman. She was only just promoted to colonel before being sent here.

From my contacts, I learned that she had never led such a large force and that many people opposed it.

Even General Cardin seemed to oppose her sudden promotion and deployment here, but General Stone was adamant, and Master Silver agreed.

Even people here aren't that pleased. Including many of those she is now leading.

I looked around as the army quickly fell in line.

Soon, we reached our position, which was adjacent to the forces of Greltheaven.

There is a barely visible cloud of dust over the forces of Greltheaven. Vibrating in some strange rhythm, it would release some dust that would fall on the soldiers.

"I hope she wouldn't embarrass the city," said Maliv. Looking at the center of the Greltheavens forces, where a woman is dancing.

The woman stood proud in her officer's uniform, her body adorned with intricate patterns of painted colors that seemed to tell their own story. Her eyes, sharp and unwavering, were filled with a deep concentration.

She has a staff in one hand, and with the other hand, she is throwing the powder from the pouches hanging by her waist.

The woman is relatively young, in her late twenties, and so thin that it feels like she is a half-orc. From what I had heard., she isn't

The woman is Colonel Rahzira Axseer, the leader of Greltheaven forces.

"Even her men looked embarrassed by it," snickered Hen.

"Don't underestimate shamans. They are one of the most terrifying classes out there. If General Stone had sent her here, it means she has some abilities," cautioned Hosk.

That statement wiped the smile from their faces.

I didn't say anything; I just looked at the woman. Her dance is beautiful. It is wild but also graceful.

Even some of the dance teachers in the college didn't have as much grace as her.

I watched her for a few minutes before looking around the army. It had fully gathered, readied with their weapons sharp and cannons pointed ahead.

It was when the first light of dawn breached the sky that we saw the monsters.

"The avians," I said, looking at the large number of them in the sky.

"There must be thousands of them!" said Yora, her voice quivering in fear.

They appeared to blanket the entire sky ahead of us. They approached but kept their distance, staying just out of range of most attacks.

Though they cried and roared. Invoking fear in our hearts.

These monsters won't strike until those on land make their move. Since they've already shown up, it won't be long before the others appear as well.

Soon, over half an hour passed, and the horn rang out.

"Monsters are close," warned Hosk.

I saw Baron Harrods taking steps forward while Lord Blackwell stood on the wall with a bow out.

"Warriors, hear me!"

The voice of Baron Harrods rang through the whole battlefield.

"Before us lies a horde, vast and terrible. Monsters that would tear apart all we hold dear, trample our lands, and devour our future."

"But they will find no easy prey here today."

They do not know what we are. They do not understand the fire that burns in our hearts."

"Each of you stands here because you are unlike the rest of the world. You are the shield that guards the helpless, the sword that cuts through darkness."

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'Together, we are unbreakable. Shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart, we do not fight for glory or riches. We fight for the homes behind us, the children who dream, and the future we will carve with our blood, sweat, and steel."

"Let them come. Let them roar and claw. Let them feel what it means to face a wall that will not fall! Today, we are the storm, the tide, the unrelenting force!

'Stand tall, hold the line, and remember: together, we will not yield. Not today, not ever!"

"To victory!"

He finished with the shout, and a moment later, the entire army shouted back.

Roar!

The monster seemed to have heard us at the very next moment. It roared, and its roar was so mighty that it shook my soul.

Roar, Cry, Roar!

After that, thousands of roars and cries rang out. Although we could not see the monsters, we could feel them.

The very earth begins to shake.

Every second, it got worse and worse till I feared the earth would split open and swallow us all.

I magnified the spyglass but saw no monster. Though I know the hoard will appear at any moment.

I could feel it through the earth.

Finally, the monsters emerged from the forest. Seeing their number, my soul shook, and I nearly stepped back.

They poured out in an unending torrent from every corner of the forest before us.

There were all types of monsters, from massive elephants to long-fanged cats. There are wolves and rhinos with horns sharp enough to tear through anything.

"We are dead," said Maliv, with a smile filled with fear.

He isn't the only one feeling scared. I am afraid, and so are others. Some had even taken a step back before steeling themselves.

It was then that a shining arrow streaked through the twilight sky, cutting through the thick tension like a blade of hope. The air seemed to hum with energy as the arrow blazed a brilliant path, a radiance that everyone—friend and foe alike—could feel deep in their bones. Even the monsters paused, their relentless advance faltering as they turned their gaze toward the luminous streak arcing toward them.

No one needed to guess who had unleashed such a force. There was only one person on the battlefield capable of wielding that kind of power.

Ignatius Blackwell.

In his hands, the legendary Bow of Valor, an artifact of immeasurable might, shone like a beacon. With Blackwell here, the tide could turn.

The arrow moved fast, and its target was a mammoth covered in thick red hair.

Roar!

The mammoth roared, and the fire burned across its body and shot toward the arrow as it reached it, but the arrow tore through it before piercing through its head.

Bang!

For a moment, nothing happened, and I almost believed that the tiny arrow didn't do anything to it when the massive explosion rang out.

It blasted the monster apart.

"Attack!"

Roared Baron Harrods moved forward, and the army followed, with the sky covering the arrows and sounds of cannons drowning everything.

I could see the ballistas, trebuchets, and catapult roaring alongside them.

We moved with the army, feeling the effects of thousands of skills spreading through our bodies, making us faster and stronger.

Roar, Cry, Roar!

Seeing that, monsters roared in fury. Coming at us at an even faster speed.

The arrows begin to hit them, and cannons start to tear them apart, but the monsters are unstopped and seem unending.

They didn't stop.

Even when the mines begin to explode under their legs and the earth starts to collapse under their feet.

Making sharp sticks pierce their skins.

"The monsters are smarter than we thought," Hosk muttered, his voice laced with grim realization. As he spoke, we saw them—monsters attacking the ground, their movements deliberate. They revealed hidden pits and mines with each strike, which they carefully avoided.

The monsters have fought here before and know what traps await them.

Still, we are doing a lot of damage to the monsters, but not enough to stop them. They have come in massive numbers; even now, they are still coming out of the forest.

We know that if we want to stop them, we will have to kill them ourselves up close and bloody.

The archers and canons are attacking the monsters with everything they have, but there are more of them.

Cry, Cry, Cry!

The army is moving toward the monsters. I heard the loud cries and saw the avians circling the skies at a distance, diving toward us.

"Careful," warned Hosk.

The flying monsters came, and when they entered the range, a storm of arrows, ballistas missiles, and even cannons began to hail down on them.

Many monsters began to fall one by one, their bodies crashing to the ground in a grim display. Yet, despite the losses, they seemed undeterred—relentless. They surged forward, undaunted by the fallen as if nothing could slow their advance.

Soon, they closed in, and the mages began to cast their spells while medium-range archers unleashed their arrows. The air crackled with magic and the sound of strings drawn tight.

As I watched, my eyes were drawn to something that made my heart skip a beat. Above the forces of Greltheaven, a faint cloud—once barely noticeable—began to shift and swirl. It gathered and took shape, growing larger and more distinct.

A massive head emerged from the mist, its features regal and terrifying. It was no mere lion; it was the head of a lioness, fierce and commanding. And it hovered ominously above Colonel Axseer.

Despite the chaos unfolding below, she didn't falter. She didn't stop dancing, her movements fluid and graceful, even as her army surged forward to meet the oncoming monsters.

She danced as she moved with the army.

The head of the lioness is as big as me and looks majestic.

"A spirit shaman," said Yora in surprise before turning to the avians above us.

Thousands of them are diving to kill us, but the mages and archers are sniping them. It is why most of the avians are targeting the wall behind us, where the majority of the archers and half of the mages are.

"They are coming," Hosk warned as a group of palm-sized birds came diving toward us in the hundreds.

I took a bottle from my bag and gulped it. The ones I had stored in my skill and put in my mouth were different types of liquor.

It took the monsters less than three seconds to appear right above us when I breathed out with Long Breath and Powerful Breath and lighted up with Flint.

Whoosh!

The stream of fire shot up before spreading into a large plume—the largest I had used in the battle.

Covering a large number of birds, burning them brightly. They died within a second.

The liquor's name is Gartin Ven. It burns very hot for a very short period, hotter than usual because it contains some emotion mist.

The burned bodies fell from the sky while I took another swig and breathed out again.

Once again, the monsters were consumed by fire.

The remaining birds attack, but not us. I had cleared the sky over us while others fought them off.

I saw one of the people falling, with a cut across his neck, but I didn't know if he was dead or alive.

I don't know, as we are moving toward the monsters, just a few hundred meters away in front of the army.

"Kill them all!" roared Baron Harrods as the land monsters crashed against the army.

I readied myself as it wouldn't take monsters long to breach the army's front rank, nor are they trying to stop them all.

A few seconds passed, and the monsters came inside.

The people moved to encircle them. Some died while others turned them.

I saw one rhino tearing the head from a man's body and munching despite it having a helmet covering it.

People and the monsters died, but they kept coming and soon reached us.

Roar!

A massive blue cat monster appeared before me, its roar echoing through the air as it lunged forward, mouth wide open, intent on biting my head off.

Instinctively, the liquor surged to my mouth. I inhaled deeply, releasing the Long Breath followed by Power Breath, lighting it with a spark from the flint.

The pale yellow flame shot toward the cat, moving precisely despite its desperate attempts to dodge. The fire wrapped around it, engulfing the creature.

I advanced, stepping forward with Graceful Walk, my movements fluid and deliberate. As the fire shifted to a darker hue, thick black smoke billowed, clouding the cat's vision. It thrashed, but the smoke and flames held it in a vice grip, overwhelming its senses and vision as it tried to find a way out.

This liquor creates a smoky fire. The smoke isn't to kill it but simply block its vision.

The monster's vision was sharp, and its senses keen, but the smoke billowing around it wasn't just thick—it was laced with a dense mist. The mist obscured the cat's vision, making everything blurry and disorienting. Despite its incredible sight, the mist twisted everything around it, making it hard for the creature to track its surroundings.

I chose it over the powerful fire because the monster's vitality is too powerful. Also, in crowded battles, it could be harmful to allies.

This gives me a much better chance against the monsters.

Roar!

It roared, finally seeing me coming, moving its head to bite mine.

Bang!

I bashed my shield against it, nearly stepping back, but forcefully stabilized and attacked it with my sword.

Puch!

The monster saw the sword, but it was too late. The sword reached it before piercing inside with the power of Heavy Strike and enchanted sharpness.

It took several seconds to die. In that time, I burned two more monsters fighting my allies before taking my sword out of the beast.

I was about to move toward another monster when I saw a sizeable blood-red lightning bolt striking the massive rhino monster fighting against Greltheaven's soldiers.

As the blast struck the rhino, I watched it tremble violently before collapsing to the ground, lifeless. What struck me was that the blood-red lightning, despite its terrifying power, left no scorch marks or burns behind—nothing to show the sheer force it had unleashed.

I traced the blast's path and followed it upward, my gaze landing on the massive lioness totem spirit hovering above Colonel Axseer. The once pure white figure had transformed, glowing a deep, menacing blood-red. It was an unsettling sight, far more intimidating than before, its aura now radiating a terrifying power.