And then, through the dust of the valley…
gigantic shadows emerged.
At first, a dozen.Then a hundred.Then thousands.
Colossal herds.
Herbivorous creatures the size of houses—beasts with granite horns, burning eyes, and hides thick as the bark of ancient oaks.
They were running.
No…they were dragging a continent behind them.
"WHAT IN HELL IS THAT?!" a legionary screamed.
Imperial towers loosed enchanted arrows, but the shafts ricocheted as though striking living iron.
"They're stampeding!""Fall back!""FALL BACK NOW!"
The valley exploded before the order could be obeyed.
The Living Tsunami
The beasts crashed into the imperial army with the force of a cataclysm.
Entire squadrons vanished beneath legs the size of shields.Siege engines were crushed like toys.Soldiers were hurled through the air like rag dolls.The earth itself buckled under the momentum of thousands of tons in motion.
Imperials.Royals.Anyone caught in between…
died.
And behind them—
came the true hell.
Stone wolves.Flame-furred felines.Raptors with metallic feathers.
From every direction, carnivorous monsters poured out of the forest, drawn by the thunder of the stampede.
The first wave was living mountains.The second was the hunt.
An imperial general, caked in dust and blood, shouted commands no one could hear:
"FORM MANA BARRIERS!""DON'T LET THEM SURROUND US!""WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?!"
No one knew that when Laurence Douglas died…
more than a man had fallen.
An ancient pillar.A silent equilibrium.
The forest.The land.The creatures that for centuries had respected the Duchy's borders—
were now unbound.
Not by hunger.Not by instinct.
By grief.
By an ancient call echoing in their bestial hearts.
The earth split.The sky darkened.The battle ceased to be a battle—
and became pure survival.
The Empire had been one step from victory.
That step vanished beneath millions of kilograms of untamed fury.
The chaos raged for hours.
Men of the Kingdom and the Empire—who minutes earlier had been cutting each other down—now fought shoulder to shoulder to avoid being swallowed by the stampede and the carnivores.
It was not an alliance.It was not friendship.
It was survival.
A royal soldier shoved a legionary aside to pull him clear of a stone-backed colossus that crashed down like a meteor.An imperial captain raised a mana barrier to shield a royal squad fleeing armored wolves.
Screams.Blood.Spells cast without regard for whether they saved enemy or ally.
For the first time since the campaign began, both forces understood one another without words:
Monsters did not negotiate.Monsters did not grant respite.Monsters showed no mercy.
In the midst of the carnage, an imperial mage staggered toward the Emperor.
His robes were burned.His legs shook.His face was drained of all color.
"M–My… E-Emperor…" he coughed blood. "I—I have… an urgent report…"
Naira caught him before he collapsed.The Emperor, still bandaged and supported by his guard, fixed him with a severe gaze.
"Speak."
The mage swallowed and extended a shattered transmission crystal that flickered wildly.
"This isn't normal, my lord…Not just here…"
His voice broke.
"Stampedes are happening across the entire Empire!"
The silence that followed was more terrifying than the roars.
Even blood-soaked soldiers turned to listen.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes.
"Explain."
The mage drew a shaking breath.
"Cities overrun…Entire regions out of control…Communities evacuating…The forests are disgorging creatures like never before…Lakes—entire lakes—are boiling with mana…This isn't an attack…It isn't enemy magic…"
"Then what is it?" Naira demanded, her voice unsteady.
The mage looked at her with utter despair.
"…It's the world, Your Highness.The world is overflowing.The stampedes—they aren't local.They're global."
His legs gave out, and he fell to his knees.
"We cannot contain this alone, my Emperor…Not even with ten legions…"
The Emperor remained silent.
His gaze swept the battlefield:
Men of Kingdom and Empire fighting side by side against unwilling odds.Monsters tearing through entire formations.The land itself in rebellion.
When he finally spoke, it was without imperial arrogance—only cold calculation, fully aware of the scale of disaster.
"The Kingdom and the Empire…are not in a truce."
Naira looked at him, startled.
He clenched his jaw, imperial blood still trembling from Laurence's wound.
"They are equally condemned.And if they do not cooperate…both will fall."
A royal officer, covered in dust and blood, approached cautiously when he saw the Emperor did not strike.
"What… what orders should we follow?" he asked hoarsely.
The Emperor answered without hesitation:
"Order a ceasefire.Regroup the wounded.Share barriers and defensive positions.From this moment forward…"
He looked out over the ravaged valley.
"Kingdom and Empire will defend this front together.Not for honor.Not for loyalty.But because there is no other choice."
And so, in the least likely of places—in the worst imaginable hour—two ancient enemies lowered their weapons not for peace…
but because death was coming in waves,and it did not care which banner they served.