Natural mist covered the terrain like a ghostly shroud.
The sun had barely begun to rise behind the mountains.
The gorge was silent.
But it was the silence before the storm.
Kaito stood at the command point.
An elevated platform with a panoramic view of the battlefield.
He wore his simple black armor.
A short sword at his belt.
And on his face…
Cold determination.
At his side, Gorman held a spyglass.
—Commander. Positions confirmed.
Kaito nodded.
—Report.
Gorman pointed.
—Adelheid at the vanguard. Fifty soldiers with her. First defensive line.
—Lilith in the rear. Preparing… her work.
—Naporia on the flanks. Forty assault troops. Ready for rapid counterattack.
—Aria with the archers on the heights. Twenty marksmen.
Kaito studied the terrain.
Reinforced wooden barricades blocking the narrow pass.
Dug trenches.
Archer positions along the cliffs.
And beneath the surface…
Hidden pressure plates. Ready to trigger landslides.
—Good —he murmured. —Now we wait.
They did not have to wait long.
Southern Entrance of the Gorge
The sound came first.
Footsteps. Hundreds of them.
Marching in perfect synchronization.
Then they appeared.
From the mist.
Like ghosts materializing.
Soldiers clad in silver armor.
Shining even in the dim dawn light.
Avernor banners waving.
The golden lion on a blue field.
Two hundred soldiers.
In flawless formation.
And at the front…
Four figures stood out.
The heroes.
Eldric: Tall, short blond hair, full plate armor. A longsword strapped to his back. Expression of restrained fury.
Marcus: Broad-shouldered, massive shield bearing a sun emblem. Gleaming white armor. Calm but resolute face.
Selene: Slender, brown hair in a high ponytail. Longbow in hand. Quiver full of arrows with shining tips. A pained expression as she glanced toward the heights (where she knew Aria was).
Drake: Muscular, bare-chested except for trousers and boots. Already showing signs of transformation: faint scales along his skin, vertical pupils in his eyes. A savage grin.
Eldric raised his hand.
The army halted.
He studied the gorge.
The barricades. The high ground. The narrow terrain.
He smiled coldly.
—An obvious ambush.
Marcus stepped closer.
—Do we advance anyway?
Eldric nodded.
—They have no choice. They either fight here, or we chase them to their fortress.
He looked toward the command platform.
Though he couldn't clearly see Kaito, he knew he was there.
—KAITO YUKIMURA! —he shouted, his voice echoing through the gorge.
The echo multiplied.
—I KNOW YOU'RE THERE! COME OUT AND FACE YOUR DESTINY!
Silence.
Then, from the platform, a voice answered.
—ELDRIC! LAST CHANCE! WITHDRAW AND NO ONE ELSE DIES!
Eldric laughed.
—WITHDRAW?! WE CAME TO FINISH WHAT WE STARTED!
He unsheathed his sword.
—WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU, YOUR KINGDOM WILL BE ASHES AND YOUR VILLAINS IN CHAINS!
Kaito did not respond.
He simply raised his hand.
Gave a signal.
Eldric saw it.
—FORWARD! AVERNOR, WITH ME!
The army advanced.
+++
From Neudämmerung's rear, Lilith watched.
She sat on a rock.
Barefoot as always.
Chains dragging behind her.
A small vial in her hands.
Inside… condensed mist.
Her mist.
She uncorked it.
Whispered words in a dead language.
The mist emerged.
Not like ordinary vapor.
But like a conscious serpent.
It slithered toward the battlefield.
Blending with the natural fog.
Invisible.
Undetectable.
Until it began to act.
+++
A soldier marched.
Suddenly… he stopped.
Looked around, confused.
—Why are we here?
The soldier beside him frowned.
—What are you talking about? We're marching against—
He stopped.
—Against… who?
Another soldier spoke.
—I… I don't remember why I came.
Confusion spread.
Five soldiers. Ten. Twenty.
The formation began to fracture.
Some halted completely.
Others stared at their weapons as if unsure what they were for.
Eldric noticed.
—WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! HOLD FORMATION!
But they did not respond.
Marcus understood.
—Mental magic. Someone's manipulating them.
He drove his shield into the ground.
—DIVINE PROTECTION!
The shield shone with golden light.
A wave of pure energy expanded outward.
Fifty-meter radius.
Lilith's mist was repelled.
Like oil on water.
The soldiers within the radius regained clarity.
—What… what happened?
—We were… lost.
Marcus raised his shield.
—STAY CLOSE TO ME! THE LIGHT WILL PROTECT YOU!
Eldric growled.
—That damn witch.
But he smiled.
—At least now I know where she is.
+++
The Avernor army advanced again.
More cautious now.
Eldric at the front.
They entered the gorge proper.
Rock walls towering on both sides.
The passage narrowing.
Forcing them into tighter columns.
Adelheid watched from the vanguard.
Waiting.
Counting steps.
Fifty meters.
Forty.
Thirty.
Now.
She raised her hand.
Signaled.
Hidden soldiers activated mechanisms.
Click. Click. Click.
Eldric heard it.
Looked up.
—SHIELDS UP!
Too late.
Massive boulders broke free from the cliffs.
Falling like meteors.
CRASH!
BOOM!
CRUNCH!
Screams.
Soldiers crushed beneath tons of stone.
Others thrown by the impact.
When the dust settled…
Twenty Avernor soldiers were dead.
Fifteen more wounded.
Eldric emerged from the dust.
Unharmed.
But furious.
—FORWARD! BREAK THEIR LINES!
Marcus shouted:
—Eldric, wait! We must reorganize!
Eldric didn't listen.
His crimson aura began to glow.
—NO! ENOUGH GAMES!
He looked toward the main barricade.
Where Adelheid stood waiting.
—YOU! VILLAIN COMMANDER!
Adelheid said nothing.
Only drew her sword.
Eldric activated his power.
+++
The crimson aura exploded around him.
Like flames without heat.
His eyes burned red.
And he charged.
He did not run.
He flew.
The speed was unnatural.
Neudämmerung soldiers fired arrows.
Dozens.
All deflected by the aura.
Like twigs against steel.
Eldric crashed through the barricade.
CRASH!
Wood shattered.
The first defensive line… destroyed.
He continued forward.
But there—
Adelheid stood waiting.
Adelheid Intervenes
She did not retreat.
Planted firmly.
Blade raised.
Eldric grinned savagely.
—DIE!
He struck.
Adelheid blocked.
CLANG!
The impact shook the ground.
She was pushed back three meters.
Boots carving furrows into earth.
But she did not fall.
Eldric blinked.
—What…?
Adelheid looked up.
A faint smile.
—Impressive. But not enough.
Their duel began.
Discipline versus fury.
Steel versus raw power.
Then Adelheid's eyes glowed silver.
"Iron Will."
Pressure expanded outward.
Not toward Eldric—
But toward nearby Avernor soldiers.
Ten soldiers faltered.
Lowered weapons.
—What… are we doing?
—Why are we fighting them?
Eldric roared.
—RESIST!
Adelheid smiled.
—You see? Your army is weak. Their convictions… hollow.
Eldric attacked again with renewed fury.
+++
Across the battlefield:
Adelheid vs Eldric — Steel and ideology clashing.
Aria vs Selene — Arrows colliding midair. Loyalty against betrayal.
Naporia vs Drake — Sword against claws. Technique versus primal force.
And in the rear…
Lilith vs Marcus — Light against oblivion.
On the command platform, Kaito watched it all.
Jaw tight.
—Gorman. Report.
—Adelheid is holding, but tiring.
—Aria and Selene are evenly matched.
—Naporia seems… entertained.
—Lilith is exhausting Marcus.
Pause.
—Casualties: fifteen ours. Forty theirs.
Kaito clenched his fists.
—Not enough. We're still outnumbered.
One hundred forty Avernor soldiers remaining.
Against seventy of his own.
Two to one.
He looked toward the horizon.
The sun had fully risen.
Bathing the battlefield in red light.
Like blood.
—This is only the beginning.