While the battle raged at the walls, Damien led a small strike team through the chaos, aiming for the enemy’s command post. Ebonfang blazed with celestial energy, its power cutting a path through the enemy lines.

“We’re close!” Damien shouted as they approached a towering Rift Lord adorned in dark armor, wielding a massive warhammer. This was no ordinary leader—it was the Warlord of the Vanguard, a beast of immense power and cunning.

The Warlord roared, slamming its hammer into the ground and sending a shockwave that scattered the Valdris soldiers. Damien activated Phase Step, blinking through the attack and appearing behind the Warlord. He struck with Void Cleave, the energy wave carving a deep gash into the creature’s armor.

Roland charged in next, his shield raised to deflect the Warlord’s counterattack. “Let’s take this thing down!”

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Lyra and Cassian joined the fray, their combined strikes targeting the Warlord’s vulnerable joints. Cassian’s arrows pierced its exposed flesh, while Lyra’s blades severed the tendons in its legs, forcing it to kneel.

Damien seized the opportunity, channeling his energy into a devastating Radiant Surge. The explosion of celestial light engulfed the Warlord, its roar of defiance fading as it collapsed into mist.

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THE TURNING POINT

With the Warlord defeated, the enemy forces began to falter. Damien’s team regrouped, but their victory was short-lived. From the rear of the enemy lines emerged a new threat—a Rift Colossus, a monstrous entity towering above even the Rift Lords.

The Colossus wielded dual axes, each swing capable of leveling entire sections of the battlefield. It let out a bone-rattling roar, and the enemy forces rallied around it.

“We’ve got a problem,” Cassian said, loosing an arrow that barely scratched the beast’s thick armor.

Damien’s eyes narrowed. “Then we bring it down together.”