The next morning, before the sun had fully risen, Lucian arrived at the assembly point near the Wall.
The atmosphere was different from the previous day.
Inside the kingdom, soldiers prepared for war.
Beyond the Wall, soldiers prepared for survival.
A group of ten people stood waiting.
They were not a normal patrol unit.
Five of them carried weapons and wore reinforced armor designed for fighting in corrupted lands. Their equipment was lighter than ordinary armor, allowing them to move quickly in dangerous terrain.
The other five carried strange containers and artifacts.
They were not warriors.
They were specialists.
Their duty was far more important.
They were responsible for restoring the land.
One of the soldiers stepped forward.
He was a man in his early forties, with scars covering one side of his face. His calm eyes showed years of experience.
"I am Captain Rowan," he introduced himself.
"This is the cleansing squad assigned to Sector Seven."
Lucian nodded.
"Lucian."
The soldiers already knew who he was.
The young knight who had defeated several Dark followers.
The nephew of Commander Max.
But despite that, none of them treated him differently.
Beyond the Wall, reputation meant little.
Only survival mattered.
Captain Rowan looked at him.
"Commander Max wanted you to lead this expedition."
Lucian was slightly surprised.
"But?"
Rowan smiled.
"But he also understands that strength alone does not make a commander."
Lucian remained silent.
"Beyond the Wall, the enemy is not only the beasts."
"The land itself wants to kill you."
The words were not exaggerated.
Lucian remembered the sight from the top of the Wall.
The black earth.
The dead trees.
The endless darkness.
Rowan continued.
"You don't know the terrain yet. You don't know the habits of the creatures here."
"So for now, you follow our command."
Lucian nodded.
A good warrior knew when to learn.
"I understand."
The great gates of the Wall opened.
Slowly.
The sound of massive chains moving echoed across the fortress.
Every soldier became silent.
Outside was a world they were fighting to reclaim.
Lucian stepped beyond the Wall.
For the first time in his life, he stood on land touched by Demonic energy.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he felt it.
A pressure.
A cold sensation.
The air itself felt wrong.
The sky seemed darker.
Behind them, the Wall stood like the last remaining symbol of civilization.
Ahead of them was nothing but destruction.
The squad moved carefully.
Every few steps, the specialists checked the ground and air using their instruments.
Hours passed.
The Wall slowly disappeared behind them.
Far in the distance, two enormous mountains appeared.
Mount Laya.
And its sister mountain.
They dominated the horizon.
Ancient.
Silent.
Terrifying.
Those mountains had become the nest of many Demonic beasts that had crossed the first line of defense.
The beasts that attacked the Wall did not simply disappear afterward.
They retreated there.
Waiting.
Watching.
Their mission today was not to reach the mountains.
That would be impossible.
Instead, they had to cleanse the land halfway between the Wall and the mountain range.
Slowly pushing the darkness back.
Eventually, they reached their destination.
A ruined settlement.
Long ago, people had lived there.
Now only broken buildings remained.
The streets were covered in black mist.
Demonic miasma.
The corrupted energy flowed through the ruins like a living thing.
The specialists immediately became serious.
"Several life signatures."
One of them checked the artifact.
"Three."
Captain Rowan raised his hand.
Everyone stopped.
The squad looked toward the ruins.
For several moments, nothing moved.
Then—
A roar.
A Demonic beast emerged from the destroyed buildings.
Its body was twisted by corruption.
Its eyes glowed with unnatural light.
Another creature appeared from behind it.
The soldiers immediately moved.
The five fighters formed a defensive formation around the specialists.
"Now!"
The battle began.
The soldiers attacked with perfect coordination.
Unlike normal battles, there was no room for mistakes.
One bite.
One scratch.
Even a small wound could allow Demonic energy to enter the body.
The first beast charged.
A soldier blocked it.
Another struck its exposed side.
The creature collapsed.
The second beast attempted to attack from behind.
But Captain Rowan intercepted it.
His sword pierced its core.
Two beasts fell.
The battlefield became silent again.
Then—
A third presence appeared.
A much larger beast jumped from the ruins.
It had been hiding.
Waiting.
Its speed was far beyond the others.
Before anyone could react, it launched itself toward the specialists.
Lucian moved.
His body reacted before his thoughts.
His sword flashed.
The beast's movement stopped.
A moment later, its body fell to the ground.
The remaining Demonic energy disappeared.
The soldiers stared.
Even experienced fighters were surprised.
Captain Rowan looked at Lucian.
Then smiled.
"Fast."
Lucian looked at the fallen creature.
It was different from the monsters he had fought before.
The presence alone felt heavier.
"This is normal beyond the Wall?"
Rowan laughed.
"Unfortunately."
With the threat eliminated, the specialists began their work.
They opened their containers.
Inside were small seeds unlike anything Lucian had seen before.
They were not ordinary plants.
One by one, the specialists scattered them across the ruins.
The moment the seeds touched the ground, they reacted.
The plants began absorbing the Demonic mana in the air.
The black mist slowly weakened.
Then the specialists activated their artifacts.
A strange device floated above the ground.
It began pulling the corrupted energy from the earth itself.
The black soil slowly changed.
The dead atmosphere disappeared.
For the first time in years, the ruins became peaceful.
The land was not healed.
Not yet.
But it had taken its first step.
As they prepared to leave, Lucian stopped.
He felt something.
A gaze.
He turned toward Mount Laya.
For a moment, he saw nothing.
Only darkness.
But then—
Two red eyes appeared between the mountains.
Watching.
Studying.
Lucian's hand moved toward his sword.
The presence was different.
It was not like the beasts.
It felt intelligent.
As if something was observing him.
Waiting.
"Sir Lucian?"
The voice of Captain Rowan pulled him back.
He looked away.
The red eyes were gone.
"Are you alright?"
Lucian hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
Rowan smiled.
"Then congratulations."
Lucian looked at him.
"On what?"
"Your first Demonic kill."
The soldiers around him gave small smiles.
For them, every successful return was something worth celebrating.
Lucian looked back toward the mountains.
The feeling remained.
Something was there.
Something stronger.
But for now, he ignored it.
As evening approached, the squad began their journey back.
The Wall slowly came into view.
Lucian noticed something.
They were not the only ones returning.
Other squads moved across the corrupted land.
Some carried injured soldiers.
Some carried supplies.
Some carried artifacts.
There were dozens of groups.
Hundreds of soldiers.
All moving beyond the Wall every day.
Not to conquer.
Not yet.
But to reclaim.
The war against the Demons was not only fought through battles.
It was fought by every seed planted.
Every piece of land restored.
Every step forward.
And Lucian had finally taken his first step into that war.