The battlefield froze for just a moment—just long enough for everyone to realize what had happened. Elias, the boy who once shook every time he lifted a shield, the weakest of Leonidas' trainees, now stood beside the Spartan with a steady stance and a faint aura of Rank 1 qi shimmering around him.
Leonidas blinked through blood and exhaustion. "Elias… you—"
Elias tightened his grip on the spear. His voice trembled, but his feet didn't. "I… won't let you die, Sir Leonidas."
The Rank 3 captain's expression shifted for the first time. Curiosity. Then annoyance.
"Another ant awakens," he muttered. "No matter."
He lunged.
Leonidas barely raised his broken spear haft, deflecting the killing strike. Elias stepped in, thrusting directly for the captain's knee—fast, precise.
The captain twisted aside, but not fast enough.
Elias' spear grazed the back of his leg, forcing him to adjust his stance.
Sun Tzu shouted from the wall, "Leonidas—Elias! Push him toward the trench! Force him into the narrow ground!"
Leonidas understood instantly.
The captain did too.
He tried to step wide to regain position—
Vlad appeared behind him again, dagger flashing.
The captain blocked with a backward elbow strike that cracked Vlad's jaw, but Vlad laughed through the blood. "You still can't ignore me."
Leonidas surged forward, using the brief pause to slam his shoulder into the captain's torso. The impact forced the captain a step back—just one step.
But one step mattered.
The ground beneath shifted irregularly.
Sun Tzu's voice echoed across the field: "ANGLE STRIKE NOW!"
Elias thrust.
Leonidas thrust.
The captain parried both, but his footing slipped slightly on the uneven dirt. For the first time, his spear wavered.
Liam saw it from the wall. "He's off balance—HE'S OFF BALANCE!"
Orin nearly collapsed but kept fighting, smashing a climber off the ladder with a wild shout. "Kill him, Leonidas! Kill him!"
The captain regained footing with stunning speed, sweeping his spear in a wide arc that forced both Leonidas and Elias back. He pressed forward, striking low at Elias—
Leonidas blocked, taking the blow on his forearm with a grunt.
The captain struck high at Leonidas—
Elias knocked the spear aside, teeth clenched.
Together, they held.
For a moment.
Until the captain suddenly pivoted, shifting weight with inhuman efficiency—then stabbed directly at Elias' heart.
Leonidas saw it too late.
"ELIAS—!"
The spear lunged—
Vlad intercepted.
His dagger met the spear shaft with a violent clang, throwing the attack off course. The blade grazed Elias' ribs instead of piercing him. Elias gasped but stayed standing.
The captain's eyes narrowed. "You pests… multiply."
Leonidas lowered his stance, spear ready. "We fight together."
Elias steadied his breath. "Until you fall."
The captain scoffed. "Then fall you shall."
He launched forward again—this time faster than any previous exchange. His strikes blurred, spear slicing through air like a razor. Leonidas blocked one, two, three—but the fourth slipped past his guard, cutting deep across his shoulder.
Leonidas staggered.
Elias thrust desperately, aiming for the captain's side. The captain deflected easily, sweeping Elias' spear aside and striking him across the chest with the butt of his weapon. Elias flew backward, rolling across the dirt, groaning.
Liam screamed, "ELIAS—NO!"
Orin looked toward him in panic—but another climber reached the wall and she was forced into defense again.
Vlad darted in, striking at the captain's exposed flank. The captain shoved him aside with brutal force, sending him into the trench edge.
Leonidas stood alone again.
Bleeding.
Barely conscious.
But standing.
The captain approached him carefully now—not with caution, but with respect for the resilience he'd displayed.
"You are worthy," the captain said. "But worth does not win wars."
Leonidas lifted his broken spear slowly. "Survival does."
The captain thrust.
Leonidas dodged—barely.
The captain swept his spear horizontally, catching Leonidas across the side. Blood sprayed.
Leonidas fell to one knee.
The captain raised his spear for the final strike.
"Die with honor."
And then—
Sun Tzu shouted, "NOW!"
A flaming jar of oil arced through the air.
It shattered behind the captain, erupting in a cloud of fire.
Not enough to burn him alive—but enough to force him to pivot, his stance shifting to avoid the flames licking at his armor.
One misstep.
One wrong angle.
Leonidas lunged.
With the last of his strength, he drove the broken spear shaft into the captain's side—between plates of armor, deep into flesh.
The captain gasped, eyes widening.
Leonidas roared, pushing deeper.
Elias somehow rose again, sprinting forward with a wounded cry. He grabbed Leonidas' spear and added his weight, driving the weapon even farther in.
Vlad appeared beside them, stabbing his dagger into the captain's back.
Three warriors.
One kill.
The captain staggered backward, coughing blood.
He looked at Leonidas with something like satisfaction.
"Worthy… indeed."
Then he collapsed.
Dead.
Silence blanketed the battlefield.
The enemy troops froze—shock rippling through their ranks. Their leader, their strongest, their commander had fallen.
Sun Tzu inhaled deeply. "Sound the horn."
A villager raised the Ridgebrook horn with trembling hands.
DOOOOOOM.
The note echoed across the field.
The remaining Rathmore soldiers dropped weapons, fleeing in disarray. Some tripped over bodies, others threw shields and ran without looking back.
The siege was broken.
Orin collapsed on the wall, sobbing from exhaustion and pain. Liam dropped onto his knees, breath gone, chest aching, tears slipping down his face without him realizing.
Vlad wiped blood from his mouth. "He died well," he murmured.
Elias stood shaking, nearly collapsing but refusing to fall. Leonidas caught him, supporting him as he swayed.
"Good strike," Leonidas whispered.
Elias managed a weak smile. "I—I learned from you…"
The battlefield lay quiet now—except for the crackle of dying flames and the distant sound of fleeing soldiers.
Liam opened the Ledger.
[NEXT SUMMON: 24 DAYS]
He exhaled, eyes stinging.
"We survived."
Sun Tzu walked toward Leonidas, expression unreadable.
"This was victory," he said softly. "But at a cost we will feel for months."
Leonidas nodded. "Victory always costs."
The siege of Ridgebrook was over.
But the war for survival had only begun.