The fifth day of war began differently from the previous ones.
When I left my tent that morning, the first thing I noticed was the silence.
Not complete silence.
There were still soldiers walking through the camp.
Blacksmiths working.
Healers organizing supplies.
Officers relaying orders.
But something was missing.
The explosive tension that usually preceded the battles felt different.
It was heavier.
More concentrated.
Everyone had seen the fortress the previous afternoon.
Everyone knew it existed.
And now no one could get that image out of their minds.
The enormous dark structure remained distant on the horizon, yet its presence seemed to influence every thought within the camp.
I walked between the tents, watching the activity.
Some soldiers ate breakfast in silence.
Others checked their weapons over and over again.
Some were writing letters.
Perhaps to their families.
Perhaps to people they might never see again.
War had that effect.
It made people think about what truly mattered.
When I reached the adventurers' area, I found the girls gathered together.
Lyannis was studying a map.
Vespera was organizing fresh arrows.
Scarlett was finishing adjusting her enchanted gloves.
Elara was helping a few soldiers with minor recovery spells.
Liriel was preparing potions.
Rai'kanna sat on a wooden crate, staring at the distant fortress.
I approached the group.
"Everyone's up early."
Scarlett smiled.
"You say that as if you got plenty of sleep."
"I slept."
"Four hours doesn't count."
I ignored the comment.
Rai'kanna kept staring at the horizon.
"That thing looks bigger today."
I looked in the same direction.
The fortress really did seem closer.
But that was because our army had advanced significantly over the past few days.
Now we were relatively close.
"We're getting there."
I said.
Lyannis nodded.
"And they know it."
That was true.
Vaelthor had probably already received countless reports.
He knew exactly where we were.
He knew how many soldiers we had.
He knew we had defeated thousands of demons.
And yet he continued waiting.
That bothered me.
Someone who was overly confident usually had something dangerous hidden away.
A little later, the war horns began to sound.
The entire army started preparing to advance.
This time, the movement was different.
We would not simply defend our positions.
We would pressure the demons.
The objective was simple.
Push them back to the fortress.
Or force them to retreat inside it.
The troops began to march.
The sound of thousands of footsteps echoed across the ground.
Banners fluttered in the wind.
Cavalry advanced along the flanks.
Adventurers accompanied the main formations.
As I walked beside the girls, I observed the faces of the soldiers.
Many looked exhausted.
It was only natural.
After all, they had already fought through four consecutive days of battle.
Even so, they kept moving forward.
They kept fighting.
They kept believing they could win.
After nearly an hour of marching, we spotted the first demonic lines again.
This time, they were positioned on higher ground.
The terrain favored defense.
Further proof that the demons were trying to delay our advance.
Soon the first clashes began.
Arrows crossed the skies.
Magic exploded in the distance.
The front lines collided.
Another day of battle had begun.
I drew my sword and charged forward.
The first demons appeared quickly.
I cut one down.
Then another.
I continued advancing alongside the adventurers.
Around me, the battlefield descended into chaos once again.
But there was one difference.
Today, the soldiers seemed more determined.
The discovery of the fortress had changed something.
Now everyone had a visible objective.
We were no longer fighting only against a distant threat.
Now we could actually see part of it.
That made a difference.
The battles spread across the entire field.
Scarlett unleashed successive destructive spells.
Columns of fire erupted among the enemy formations.
Explosions opened paths for the soldiers to advance.
At one point, I saw a huge group of demons trying to surround an allied unit.
Before they could complete the maneuver, a lightning storm erupted.
Scarlett simply wiped out half the formation.
The survivors retreated immediately.
Meanwhile, Vespera continued her silent work.
She occupied elevated positions whenever possible.
From there, she observed the entire battlefield.
Every arrow found an important target.
Captains.
Mages.
Commanders.
Little by little, the demonic formations lost coordination.
It was almost impossible to notice the immediate impact.
But as the hours passed, the results became obvious.
Rai'kanna remained on the front line.
Her axe continued carving a path through the enemy.
Many soldiers began following her instinctively.
She had become an inspiration to many of them.
Whenever she advanced, dozens followed.
Whenever she attacked, morale rose.
At one point, I heard a group of soldiers cheering when she brought down a massive armored demon.
That drew a smile from her.
Small.
But genuine.
Farther back, Elara and Liriel continued working tirelessly.
The number of wounded that day was lower than I had expected.
Even so, there were still many.
Liriel constantly used healing magic.
Elara created barriers and used wind to protect vulnerable positions.
The two worked in perfect harmony.
Lyannis continued coordinating everything.
Her communication magic connected multiple sectors of the battlefield.
Without her, maintaining order would have been much more difficult.
Throughout the morning, we began noticing something important.
The demons were retreating more quickly.
Much more quickly than in previous days.
They were still fighting.
They were still resisting.
But they clearly were not trying to hold those positions at any cost.
They were giving up ground.
"I think they're luring us in."
Vespera said when we met briefly.
"I think so too."
I replied.
"But we don't have a choice."
She nodded.
That was exactly the problem.
Even knowing it might be a trap, we had to advance.
We couldn't simply stop.
War demanded movement.
The rest of the day followed that same rhythm.
Constant battles.
Small advances.
New positions captured.
By late afternoon, we had covered a considerable distance.
And the fortress was even closer.
Now we could make out details.
Black walls.
Gigantic towers.
Structures built with strange architecture.
Dark.
Almost menacing.
The sight of that fortress left many soldiers silent.
It was impossible not to wonder how many demons were inside.
Or how many traps awaited us.
As the sun began approaching the horizon, the demons initiated a more organized withdrawal.
The enemy lines abandoned one position after another.
The allied commanders noticed immediately.
Soon afterward, new orders arrived.
Do not pursue.
Maintain formations.
Advance only to designated positions.
That prevented an obvious trap.
When the fighting finally ceased, the allied army occupied a new campsite.
Much closer to the fortress.
That night, it was clearly visible.
Even after darkness fell.
Lights glowed from several of its towers.
As if someone were watching.
Perhaps they were.
After dinner, we were summoned to a military meeting.
The message arrived through a royal officer.
"The commanders are gathering all the important leaders."
That immediately caught my attention.
I looked at Lyannis.
She also seemed to understand its significance.
"So it's time."
She murmured.
Soon afterward, we were walking toward the largest tent in the camp.
Numerous officers were already entering.
Battalion commanders.
Generals.
Representatives of the allied nations.
Leaders of the adventurers.
Drakarion himself was also present.
When I entered the tent, I saw a massive map spread across the main table.
The demonic fortress was marked at its center.
Numerous symbols surrounded the area.
Routes.
Positions.
Possible points of attack.
The atmosphere was extremely serious.
No one was talking about trivial matters.
Everyone understood the importance of that meeting.
I sat beside the girls.
I observed the faces around me.
Then I understood.
After five days of battle.
After thousands of deaths.
After countless clashes.
We had finally reached the moment everyone had been waiting for.
The planning of the offensive against Vaelthor's fortress was about to begin.
Outside, the night covered the battlefield.
Inside the tent, kings, commanders, and military leaders prepared the next step.
As I looked at the map before me, only one certainty occupied my thoughts.
The days of advancing were over.
Now we stood before the true objective.
And very soon we would begin the march toward the heart of the First Demon General's territory.
With that certainty, the meeting began, marking the end of the fifth day of war and the beginning of the most important phase of that campaign.