The night that followed the Demon's warning was unlike any night the soldiers had experienced since arriving at Mount Laya.
No one truly slept.
The fortress remained illuminated throughout the darkness.
Soldiers moved constantly along the walls.
Engineers inspected the Light Cannons again and again.
Archers checked their strings.
Dwarven craftsmen repaired weapons that had already been repaired several times.
The commanders gathered repeatedly inside the strategy tent, comparing maps and discussing every possible method the Demon commander might use.
Lucian stood near the fortress wall, staring toward the black forest.
The Demon had told them to leave before dawn.
Instead, they had decided to stay.
But what would happen next?
Would the Demon simply gather its forces and charge?
Or was the warning itself part of a larger plan?
Lucian couldn't shake the feeling that the Demon had not come to kill them.
It had come to observe.
And that thought frightened him more than an immediate attack.
"If it wanted us dead..."
Lucian murmured.
"...why would it have left?"
There was no answer.
Only the distant sound of the wind moving through the trees.
Just before dawn, reinforcements finally arrived.
The sound of enormous wheels echoed through the mountain pass.
A long line of heavily protected wagons climbed toward the fortress.
Dwarven engineers marched beside them.
Human soldiers followed.
And beneath thick protective coverings were weapons Lucian had never seen deployed in the field.
Massive Light Cannons.
They were enormous compared to the portable versions.
Each one required several soldiers and Dwarven workers simply to move.
Their weight made transportation difficult.
Normally, such weapons would have been carried with the assistance of a Levitation Ramp, but the rugged terrain around Mount Laya made constructing one impractical.
Instead, the Dwarves had spent days dragging the weapons through specially prepared paths.
The effort had nearly exhausted the engineers.
But the result was worth it.
The fortress was transformed.
Additional walls were erected.
More Light Cannons were positioned around the perimeter.
Mana barriers were installed between the towers.
Heavy ballistas were placed upon the outer battlements.
The fortress that had originally been captured as a temporary military position now resembled a smaller version of the Border Wall.
A commander looked over the completed defenses.
"We should be able to hold."
Lucian didn't answer.
He looked toward the forest.
"I hope you're right."
The sun finally rose.
But the light never reached the fortress.
A dark haze appeared on the horizon.
Demonic Mana.
It began rising from the forest like smoke.
The soldiers immediately took their positions.
"Positions!"
"Prepare the Light Cannons!"
"All units, stand by!"
The peaceful atmosphere vanished.
Lucian climbed onto the highest section of the fortress wall.
His eyes narrowed.
The mist was moving.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
It rolled across the valley.
And within it...
Shapes emerged.
Demonic Beasts.
Hundreds of them.
Some were enormous.
Others moved on four legs.
Several carried Demons upon their backs.
The army braced itself.
Lucian looked at the approaching force.
Something felt strange.
There were fewer enemies than expected.
After what the Demon had displayed the previous evening, Lucian had expected an army capable of overwhelming the fortress.
Instead...
This force was manageable.
Far too manageable.
"Commander."
A soldier beside him waited for the order.
Lucian raised his hand.
"Wait."
The beasts continued approaching.
Closer.
Closer.
Then—
"Fire."
The fortress erupted.
Light Cannons released their beams simultaneously.
Brilliant white light tore through the darkness.
The first line of Demonic Beasts vanished.
Explosions shook the valley.
Dwarven weapons fired from the towers.
Arrows rained down.
Magic surged through the battlefield.
The Demonic forces barely had time to react.
Within minutes...
The first wave had been annihilated.
Not a single beast reached the fortress.
The soldiers stared in disbelief.
"We won?"
A cheer began to rise.
But Lucian didn't smile.
His eyes remained fixed on the forest.
"This is too easy."
He didn't have to wait long.
A second wave emerged.
But these beasts were different.
They were smaller.
Faster.
Their bodies were covered with thick armor-like scales.
They moved in strange formations, weaving between the trees to avoid the Light Cannons.
The soldiers adjusted their aim.
"Fire!"
Again, the fortress erupted.
The second wave was destroyed.
Then came a third.
Different again.
These beasts possessed enormous bodies and thick hides.
Some moved slowly.
Others were capable of burrowing beneath the ground.
The soldiers adjusted.
The Light Cannons fired.
The beasts fell.
A fourth wave appeared.
Again...
Different creatures.
Different movement patterns.
Different methods of attack.
And again...
The army defeated them.
But Lucian finally understood.
His expression became grim.
"They're testing us."
The commander beside him looked at him.
"What?"
Lucian pointed toward the battlefield.
"Look at the beasts."
"Every wave is different."
"Their speed."
"Their defenses."
"Their attack patterns."
"They aren't trying to break through."
"They're observing how we respond."
The commander slowly understood.
"They're testing our weapons."
"Our formations."
"Our weaknesses."
Lucian nodded.
The thought sent a chill through him.
Somewhere in that forest...
A Demon was watching.
Learning.
The assaults continued.
Morning became noon.
The fortress cannons fired again and again.
The soldiers fought until their arms became numb.
The once-deep supply of Light Mana Crystals began to shrink.
Crystals that had been prepared for several days were being consumed within hours.
Engineers rushed from weapon to weapon, replacing exhausted cores.
Soldiers collapsed from fatigue.
Yet the Demonic forces kept coming.
Wave after wave.
Different beasts.
Different tactics.
Different formations.
But eventually...
The attacks stopped.
Completely.
Silence returned to the valley.
The soldiers stared at the forest.
Nothing moved.
No beasts.
No Demons.
No mist.
Only the remains of the battlefield.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then someone whispered,
"Is it over?"
Another soldier lowered his weapon.
"We survived."
Relief spread through the fortress.
But Lucian remained uneasy.
The Demon commander had not shown itself.
That meant this battle was not finished.
It had merely changed.
A few hours later, another group of reinforcements arrived.
But this time...
Someone unexpected was with them.
A carriage bearing the crest of House Tecka entered the fortress.
Lucian happened to be standing near the gate when the carriage door opened.
A familiar woman stepped down.
Her armor reflected the afternoon sunlight.
Her expression was as confident as ever.
Lucian froze.
"Aunt Irene?"
Irene looked at him.
For a moment, her stern expression softened.
Then she smiled.
"You've grown."
Lucian's face immediately brightened.
"Irene!"
For the first time since the expedition began, the commander of the united army looked like the young man who had once left the Capital.
He hurried toward her.
"What are you doing here?"
Irene laughed.
"Is that how you greet your aunt?"
Lucian smiled.
Then he began asking questions.
"How is Mother?"
"How is William?"
"Is Clara still in the Capital?"
"How is everyone?"
Irene answered patiently.
For several minutes, the war seemed distant.
There were no Demons.
No battlefield.
No dead soldiers.
Only family.
For Lucian, those few moments were more valuable than he could explain.
The Border had hardened him.
The battles had taken pieces of him.
But every time someone from home appeared...
He remembered who he had been before the war.
What Lucian did not know was that Irene had not come directly from the Capital.
While the united army fought to recapture the fortress at Twin Mountains, the western territories too advanced in their attack against the demons.
Under Irene's leadership, the Tecka forces had rallied the loyal noble armies and launched a swift counteroffensive.
One by one, the fallen territories were reclaimed.
Fortresses retaken.
Supply routes restored.
And when the reports from Mount Laya finally reached the west, everything changed.
Irene did not hesitate.
She left command of the reclaimed western front to her subordinates.
And she marched toward the Twin Mountains.
Not as a noble observer.
Not as a distant supporter.
But as a battlefield commander.
Their reunion was brief.
Soon they entered the command room.
The commanders immediately stood.
"Lady Irene."
Irene raised her hand.
"Sit."
The commanders obeyed.
Lucian explained everything that had happened.
The Demon that had entered the fortress.
The strange warning.
The successive waves of Demonic Beasts.
The different species.
The way each attack appeared designed to test their defenses.
Irene listened carefully.
When Lucian finished, she leaned over the map.
"So they are studying us."
"Yes."
"And they haven't committed their real forces."
"No."
Irene became silent.
That answer was enough.
The room grew tense.
Then she spoke.
"I will fight on the frontline."
Everyone immediately objected.
"No."
Lucian stood.
"Aunt Irene, absolutely not."
Irene raised an eyebrow.
"You intend to command from the front."
"That's different."
"How?"
"Because I'm the commander."
"And I'm Lady Tecka."
Lucian opened his mouth.
No words came.
Several commanders exchanged nervous glances.
Irene smiled faintly.
"I've spent years fighting on battlefields."
"I didn't come here to sit behind the walls."
Lucian remained silent.
Irene stepped closer.
"You are not the only one who has a duty to protect this kingdom."
Her voice softened.
"And I am not going to watch my nephew face this alone."
Lucian finally sighed.
"Fine."
Irene smiled.
"Good."
The commanders reluctantly accepted her decision.
But every one of them understood the risk.
If the next assault was different...
Irene would be standing directly in its path.
The sun began to descend.
The soldiers prepared for the next attack.
Then—
A scout shouted from the western tower.
"Movement!"
Everyone turned.
The forest began to move.
But this time...
It wasn't a single formation.
It was everything.
Flying beasts emerged above the trees.
Burrowing creatures tore through the earth.
Fast-moving predators raced between them.
Large armored beasts followed behind.
Poisonous creatures released clouds of venom.
Some crawled.
Some flew.
Some hunted from underground.
Every kind of beast the army had encountered during the previous assaults appeared at once.
Lucian's expression hardened.
"So this is it."
Irene stood beside him.
She drew her weapon.
"Looks like they've finished studying us."
The fortress bells rang.
GONG!
Soldiers rushed to their positions.
The Light Cannons began charging.
Dwarven engineers shouted commands.
Elven archers climbed the towers.
Human soldiers formed defensive lines.
Lucian stepped onto the battlefield.
Beside him stood Irene.
The wind carried the smell of Demonic Mana.
The army stared into the approaching darkness.
Then Lucian raised his sword.
"Hold the line!"
The soldiers roared.
The fifth assault had begun.
And this time...
The enemy had brought everything it had learned.