The third wave slammed into Ridgebrook like a storm tearing at a cliff. The enemy advanced with terrifying precision: shield lines rushing the gate, archers firing in arcs that cut through the morning fog, two ladder squads sprinting toward the eastern flank, and torch runners weaving toward the trenches.
Sun Tzu scanned all directions at once, reading movements faster than Liam could track. "Gate team! Prepare pushback! Eastern flank—archers prioritize the ladder crew! Western side—hold position until the flanking horn!"
Liam's heart pounded. "How do you keep all this straight?!"
Sun Tzu didn't even look at him. "By remembering that confusion kills."
Leonidas marched the Shield Core into position, his presence like an iron pillar keeping everyone upright. "PHALANX—FORM!"
Twelve shields slammed together. Even exhausted, the formation tightened with practiced familiarity.
Orin took her place near the center. She swallowed hard. "Chief—if I faint, drag me."
"You faint, I'm fainting with you!" Liam yelled.
"That doesn't help!"
"It wasn't meant to!"
Leonidas didn't bother hiding his irritation. "Silence. Hold your shields or I will personally hammer your jaws shut."
The enemy reached the trenches.
They vaulted planks across gaps, swarmed forward, and CRASHED into the Shield Core. The impact rattled bones, bent knees, and nearly drove the formation back. Orin cried out as the force slammed through her shield and into her arm.
"HOLD!" Leonidas roared.
The villagers screamed from behind the line. The militia stabbed through gaps, arrows raining from the walls.
But this time, the enemy didn't stop pushing.
Their formation pressed harder, with more coordination, their shields overlapping like scales. Someone shouted over the din:
"THEY'RE STRONGER THAN BEFORE!
Leonidas planted his feet deeper, sweat pouring. "PUSH!"
The Shield Core strained, boots digging furrows into the dirt. Liam felt the pressure tearing at his arms, threatening to rip the shield away entirely.
Then a sharp whistle cut through the chaos.
Sun Tzu shouted, "Right flank—brace! Archers, disable the ladder crew!"
Liam turned his head just in time to see the ladder squads sprinting toward the eastern wall. Their ladders gleamed—reinforced, crafted to withstand arrows.
"Shit—LIRA!" Liam shouted.
Lira was already there, rallying the militia. "Break the runners! Drop the ladders before they climb!"
Arrows flew. Some struck. Some didn't.
The first ladder slammed onto the wall with a heavy thunk. Enemy soldiers began climbing instantly, faces contorted with effort and fury.
Lira grabbed a spear. "Push them back! Don't let them crest!"
A soldier reached the top—Lira stabbed him through the throat. His body toppled backward, knocking three climbers down with him.
The second ladder hit the wall.
More soldiers climbed.
Sun Tzu barked, "Militia—fall back to inner angle! Spear them from the side!"
The militia shifted positions just as the first enemy head rose above the parapet. Spears struck from the diagonal, using Sun Tzu's geometry to full effect. The soldier fell screaming.
But more followed.
Meanwhile, the gate team buckled again.
Leonidas' voice grew hoarse. "PUSH—PUSH—PUSH OR YOU DIE!"
His shield shook violently. The Rank 3 captain watched from the distance, his eyes glinting with sharp interest. He wasn't participating—he was studying Leonidas, reading every movement, every strength, every flaw.
Leonidas felt that gaze like a physical weight.
He roared and surged forward, driving the formation two steps ahead.
The Shield Core followed—but not perfectly.
Two villagers faltered. One dropped to a knee. The line bent dangerously.
Liam shouted, "Get up!"
"I—I can't!"
Leonidas spun, seized the man by his armor, and heaved him upright with a strength that shouldn't have existed in a Rank 1 body.
But it wasn't enough.
The enemy pressed harder.
One soldier broke through the formation, shoving his spear toward Orin. She reacted late—too late—
Leonidas moved before thought.
His shield intercepted the spear.
He shoved forward in a violent snap, disarming the attacker and crushing him underfoot.
But when he stepped back into formation, Liam saw it.
Leonidas' breath was heavy. Too heavy.
He wasn't just sweating.
He was trembling.
Sun Tzu shouted from the wall, "Leonidas! Your breathing—steady it! Focus!"
Leonidas clenched his jaw, drawing in a harsh breath that quivered through his body.
Liam gasped. "He's close—he's really close, isn't he?!"
Sun Tzu didn't answer. He had no time. Another ladder dropped on the eastern wall.
Militia screamed.
Lira stabbed another climber and nearly lost her balance. "There's too many!"
Vlad leapt across the trench, killing two torch runners with a single spin. "I cannot be everywhere, Chief!"
"I know!"
Liam felt panic rising like bile.
Fires began again near the trenches. Archers cried out as enemy arrows hit the parapets. The Shield Core ground their teeth as the enemy refused to break.
The line shook.
The village trembling.
The captain stepped forward.
He raised his spear, pointed directly at the Shield Core.
Then he made a sweeping gesture.
Instantly, the enemy pushed with renewed coordination—faster, harder, more brutally disciplined.
Leonidas staggered, his vision blurring. His shield dipped for a heartbeat.
The line bent.
"LEONIDAS!" Orin screamed.
He heard her—but her voice was distant, muffled under the roar of blood in his ears. His vision reddened. His heartbeat thundered. His muscles felt like they were tearing.
A soldier slammed into him. His shield scraped the dirt.
Liam shouted, "NO—DON'T FALL!"
Leonidas forced himself upright—but his knees shook violently.
Sun Tzu yelled, "Breakthrough is near—but not yet! Hold, Spartan!"
Leonidas' breath became ragged.
He wasn't breathing to survive.
He was breathing to evolve.
The enemy pushed again.
Liam felt the formation collapsing.
Orin fell to one knee, crying out in pain.
The captain smiled from across the field.
The line was seconds from breaking.
Leonidas roared—a primal, ancient sound—but his body faltered again.
Not yet.
Not enough.
Not at this moment.
With a final push, the Shield Core forced the enemy a half-step back.
But the damage was done.
Sun Tzu shouted, "Retreat line! FALL BACK TWO STEPS!"
Leonidas slammed his spear into the ground to steady himself.
He wasn't defeated.
He wasn't broken.
But he was at the edge.
The moment before a breakthrough.
Then—
A horn sounded across the field.
The attack halted.
The Rank 3 captain lifted his spear, signaling his troops to withdraw.
Just like that—it was over.
The third wave ended abruptly, leaving bodies, blood, and smoke in its wake.
The Shield Core collapsed to the ground. Orin sobbed into her shield. Liam knelt, gasping. Lira sat against the wall, shaking, hands covered in blood—some hers, some not.
Leonidas stood alone.
Barely.
He swayed.
Vlad landed beside Liam, whispering, "He is close, Chief. Very close."
Liam stared at Leonidas' trembling hands
If the captain pressed again now, Leonidas might break—or break through.
He opened the Ledger with shaking fingers.
[NEXT SUMMON: 26 DAYS]
"Too long," Liam whispered.
The captain stared across the field at Leonidas
He had seen the tremble.
He had seen the struggle.
He had seen the madness.
And he wanted to become strong
This siege wasn't ending.
It was evolving.