The first real test came without warning, on a night when fog rolled thick from the eastern mountains.
Word reached me just after midnight. A Moon Shadow scout—disguised as a wandering herbalist—slipped into the war hall, her veil damp with mist. "Foreign raiders, my lord," she whispered. "Two hundred elite from the Freeport Alliance. They slipped our outer eyes by using fog talismans. Heading for Ironmist Fort's granaries."
I straightened up from the map table. Lin Dao's eyes narrowed. Mo Han gripped his halberd. Yue Zhilan simply stood, her spear already humming faintly.
"Numbers?" I asked.
"Peak Core Formation leaders. Archers with poison bolts. They think our borders are weak after the coalition scare."
Lin Dao traced the path on the glowing map. "Smart route. Fog hides their tracks, and Ironmist's walls are thinnest there. If they burn the grain, winter starves three cities."
"Not tonight," I said. "Layer one—shadows. Alert Meiyin."
The scout vanished like smoke. Within moments, blue lights flickered on the map—Mist Eyes repositioning.
The raiders moved fast, cloaks blending with the fog. Their captain, a scarred man named Captain Vark with a curved sabre, smirked under his hood. "Li's fool prince plays at independence," he muttered to his lieutenant. "His 'gods' are tavern tales. Hit the granaries, burn them, and we're ghosts by dawn."
They crested the ridge overlooking Ironmist Fort. Lights glowed faintly below—farmers sleeping, guards on lazy patrol. Perfect.
But as they descended, the fog thickened unnaturally. Whispers echoed, too soft to pinpoint. One archer froze. "Captain... something watches."
Vark spat. "Cowardice. Move—"
A dagger flashed from nowhere, embedding in the archer's throat. Silent. Clean. He dropped without a sound.
Panic rippled. Layer one: Moon Shadow Legion. Illusion Veils struck first—veiled women who moments ago seemed like distant villagers now materialised from mist, blades dancing. Ten raiders fell before they drew steel.
"Ambush!" Vark roared, sabre igniting with green flame. His men formed a wedge, poison bolts flying wild.
But the shadows multiplied. Silent Hands emerged from cracks in the earth, daggers poisoned with paralytic mist. The raiders' formation broke as legs buckled and eyes rolled back. No screams—just bodies piling in unnatural quiet.
Vark slashed two shadows apart, spiritual energy surging. "Regroup at the river! Fall back!"
Half his men never heard the order. Layer two: Demon borders. The ground trembled. Crimson flames erupted from hidden pits—Mo Han's Hellfire Legion rising like demons from the underworld. Five hundred armoured infernos charged, halberds sweeping in fiery arcs.
A raider swung at one; the demon's armour drank the blow, countering with a punch that melted steel and bone. Heatwaves scorched the fog to steam. Raiders screamed now, bolts glancing off hellfire shields.
Vark's lieutenant grabbed his arm. "Captain, they're not human!"
"Run!" Vark bellowed, shoving forward.
They broke toward the cliffs—only sixty left. Fog parted above. Layer three: Aerial dominance. Thunder cracked. The Silver Thunder Drake descended, wings blotting stars, lightning chaining from its maw. Bolts struck like spears, frying clusters of fleeing men. The beast's roar shook boulders loose.
Vark dove behind a rock, heart pounding. "By the gods... It's real!"
One final layer sealed their fate. Yue Zhilan appeared atop the cliff, moonlight coiling around her spear like living serpents. She didn't charge—just raised her weapon. Space warped. A dome of silver light snapped shut around the valley, trapping the survivors.
The remaining raiders pounded against invisible walls, spiritual energy fizzling. Vark dropped to his knees. "Mercy! We surrender!"
Yue Zhilan's voice echoed, cold as winter stars. "No mercy for those who test sleeping dragons."
Her spear thrust downward. Moonlight lanced through the dome, piercing every heart in a single flash. Two hundred invaders—gone. Not a drop of blood stained the snow.
Dawn broke clear. I walked the site with my commanders. Scorched earth smoked where demons fought. Lightning scars blackened the cliffs. Bodies lay in neat rows, courtesy of the shadows—no trace of struggle.
Mo Han laughed, kicking a melted sabre. "They tasted hellfire and begged."
Lin Dao nodded in approval. "Zero losses. Perfect layering. Word will spread—no one breaches the north."
Wen Zixing arrived with fresh reports. "Moon Eyes confirms: Freeport scouts retreating. Their alliance fractures already."
Yue Zhilan sheathed her spear. "They came to test. They leave as lessons."
The system chimed in my mind.
"Ding! Defence Test Complete. Security Rating: 98%. Casualties: 0. Population Loyalty: +12%. Reward: Territory Expansion Permit (x3)—Claim adjacent ruins safely."
Villagers gathered at Ironmist's gates, staring wide-eyed at the cleanup. A child pointed at the drake circling overhead. An elder bowed low. "Lord Chen... you kept us safe."
I knelt to the child's level. "Not me. All of us. Your eyes saw them first. Your hands will rebuild stronger."
Word spread like wildfire. Refugees poured in faster—families from raided lands, smiths fleeing taxes, and healers tired of wars. They came because tales now rang true: the north was ironclad.
That night, atop the tower, I watched new campfires dot the valleys. Yue Zhilan joined me. "One raid tested us. Thousands will hear."
"Good," I said. "Fear keeps enemies away. Loyalty draws friends home."
She smiled faintly. "Your madness works."
"Not madness," I replied, gazing north. "Promise kept."
Below, hammers rang—walls rising higher, granaries filling anew. The first major test passed not with glory or blood, but silence. Raiders vanished like mist before dawn.
And in that quiet strength, my domain grew—not by swords alone, but by the unshakeable truth that here, safety was no dream. It was the law.