As Edward held the enemy back, Count Migo hammered at the iron lock on the gate.
"You better hurry, Migo!" Edward shouted, slicing through an Orc's leg. Blood sprayed across the snow, and the creature collapsed—but more Orcs crashed forward, relentless.
With a sweeping strike, Edward unleashed a blazing arc of magic from his sword, the wave cutting down the front line and forcing the horde back several steps.
Above the gate, Captain Riace and Hun were locked in brutal combat. Hun swung his axe with ferocity, cleaving an Orc's head clean off as if chopping soft bread. Riace tore through another with a heavy strike of his blade.
Finally—the gates broke open.
Edward, nearly swallowed by the Orc swarm, sprinted out into the snow. His blade scraped the ground, kicking up sparks as he escaped through the widening gap.
And then—
The human warhorn roared.
A sound ancient, deep, and powerful enough to make even Orc hearts tremble.
From behind the cliff, more than a thousand men charged through the snow, shouting war cries that shook the forest.
Behind them, the hidden mangonels fired.
Massive stones soared through the sky like falling stars, smashing walls and crushing Orcs where they stood.
"What are you doing, you fools?! Form a li—"
An arrow pierced the Orc commander's throat, cutting him short.
Regis led the charge, shield raised high.
He reached Edward. "You alright, boy? Come on—we've got bastards to kill!"
"I'm fine. Go! I'll be right behind you," Edward answered, pushing himself up.
"I have to kill the Wizard or we're finished."
Regis nodded, fierce determination in his eyes.
"Do what you must. We'll handle the rest."
On the right wall, Jim stormed ahead with his men. Few Orcs remained to defend the battlements.
Reinforced by magic, Jim's body glowed faintly. Chains wrapped around his arms rattled as he climbed.
He vaulted onto the wall, landing hard and slicing through the nearest Orc in a single motion.
More soldiers climbed up the ladders behind him, and soon the right tower fell.
The remaining Orcs tried to escape, scrambling down the stone steps.
"Forget them!" Jim shouted. "We push the center!"
At the center of the fortress yard, the Orc Champion tore through human ranks. Any man unlucky enough to get close was ripped apart or crushed under its massive polearm.
Regis saw it—and charged.
The Champion stood nearly two meters tall, armored in thick plates that made striking it nearly useless.
Regis cut through several Orcs on his way, Edward close behind him.
"Killing this thing is my ticket to the Wizard," Edward said, breath short. "We have to be quick."
Regis only nodded.
They circled the beast.
The Champion roared, swinging its polearm with frightening precision.
Regis dodged and slid to its flank, but a powerful shove sent him tumbling back.
Edward judged the timing.
Left hand raised before his chest.
Right hand gripping the sword behind his shoulder—ready to strike.
Regis recovered and slashed upward, but the Champion blocked it effortlessly with the middle of its polearm.
A heavy kick sent Regis to the ground.
An opening.
Edward slid beneath the Champion's legs, slicing through the thick tendon behind its knee.
The monster staggered.
Regis surged to his feet, thrusting his blade deep into the Champion's arm, forcing it sideways—exposing its neck.
Edward lunged.
With a clean, precise strike, he severed the Champion's head.
The massive body fell with a thunderous crash.
Orcs who witnessed it trembled—many breaking into full retreat.
Because no matter how strong Orcs were…
some always ran.
With the Champion fallen, Edward sprinted toward the main hall where the Wizard had fled.
"Go, Edward! We'll finish up here!" Regis shouted after him.
Meanwhile, Jim and his men swept through the rear of the fortress, capturing the final yard.
Jim moved like a storm—his legs reinforced, his strikes deadly and precise. He cut open bellies, slashed throats, and broke the Orc formation with terrifying efficiency.
He dashed through the chaos, carving a path for the soldiers.Steel clashed against steel, screams echoed through the burning fortress, and the fire spread through the left yard—contained only by a stone wall preventing it from reaching the rest.
At last, Jim found Lord Losh—cornered, wounded, and with far fewer men than he should've had.
Jim and his unit crashed into the Orcs surrounding him, saving Losh and his remaining soldiers.
The battle neared its end.
Those Orcs who survived were fleeing.
No guards stood at the entrance.
Edward stepped into the hall.
There, in the center, stood the Wizard—
a filthy, twisted creature even uglier than common Orcs.
It scratched its long nails against its skull, muttering:
"Human… human… human…"
No fear.
Just madness.
"You look ready to die," Edward said, catching his breath.
"You humans are all the same," the Wizard hissed, trembling now that Edward's voice filled the hall.
"Thinking the world revolves around you. But when the great King returns—Arnos, yes—your world will be ash."
It laughed—shrill, broken, disturbing.
"Whoever he is," Edward replied, drinking the last of his potion, "you won't be alive to see him."
"We shall see… human," the Wizard shrieked.
Its hands turned pitch-black.
The ground beneath its feet cracked open.
Two undead creatures—twisted forms born of necromancy—clawed themselves into the hall.
The Wizard stepped back, dark mana swirling around him.
"I will kill you here," it hissed.
"Now."
Edward rushed toward the Wizard—
but his path was immediately blocked as the two dark creatures lurched forward, their bodies dripping shadows like tar.
With a flick of his wrist, the Wizard cast a spell.
A streak of pressurized black liquid, sizzling with dark mana, shot across the hall like a spear of corruption.
Edward rolled to the right, dodging it by inches.
Before he could counter, another spell formed—
behind him, dozens of small jagged blades materialized from condensed dark mana.
They shot toward him at incredible speed.
Edward twisted, blocking most with his sword, each impact ringing through his arms. But the moment the blades faded, one of the creatures lunged, swinging down from above while the other attacked from his left.
He dodged the overhead strike and blocked the side blow—
but the force hurled him off his feet, ripping open part of his armor.
He hit the ground hard—
but somehow landed upright.
Gritting his teeth, Edward raised his sword.
Light flared along the blade.
He fired a sharp arc of divine light toward the Wizard.
But a protective circular shield formed instantly around the creature, absorbing the attack in a burst of black sparks.
The two dark entities surged again.
Edward dashed right, meeting the first one head-on as the second swung down.
This time, he stepped back, creating an opening.
He lowered his stance, the point of his sword aimed directly at the creature's skull.
A radiant aura ignited around the blade—
a trembling halo of divine mana.
Then—
A lance of holy light exploded from the sword,
piercing the creature's head and splitting it apart.
Its form melted into the floor like boiling tar.
The second one, seeing its partner destroyed, dissolved into a pool of thick black liquid and rushed toward Edward.
The ground pulsed—
and two massive roots of corrupted mana erupted beneath Edward's feet.
He vaulted backward, then to the left, but the creeping lake of darkness kept chasing him, tendrils forming teeth, claws, shapes of nightmares.
"You will die here, human," the Wizard hissed.
Edward spared a single glance at the Wizard—
and froze.
The mage was forming a mana core, a dense orb of dark magic pulsing violently.
An explosive spell.
Big enough to tear down the hall—
and kill everyone in the fortress if he let it grow.
He had seconds.
Edward stopped running.
He turned straight toward the lake of corruption—
and charged.
His sword blazed again.
The roots lashed out, but Edward spun right, cutting one clean through.
An opening.
He drove his blade downward, unleashing another surge of divine force.
The tar pool glowed—
then erupted.
A violent shockwave slammed into Edward, launching him into the wall with bone-shaking force.
Dust fell. Blood dripped.
For a few seconds he could hardly breathe.
But he stood.
Barely.
"I… see you're alone now," Edward said, picking up his sword.
Light spilled into the room from a shattered window.
The Wizard stared at Edward's blood-covered face, panic flickering in its eyes.
Edward spit blood.
Wiped his mouth.
Raised his sword.
They faced each other in silence.
"Fine," the Wizard snarled. "I'll kill you myself."
Its palms ignited in swirling flame.
A beam of burning fire shot toward Edward—
orange and red, twisting like a serpent.
Edward dashed right, forcing the Wizard to waste mana.
It shot another flame blast.
Another.
Another.
But Edward moved like smoke.
The Wizard growled in frustration.
It changed tactics—
ripping stones from the ground and hurling them forward.
Edward responded with a massive arc of holy light, shattering the stones and burning the floor beneath them.
Then—
with one final dash—
he closed the distance.
The Wizard turned too late.
Edward's sword pierced its chest.
"I told you…" Edward whispered, voice low and cold.
"I would kill you."
The Wizard's eyes dimmed.
Its body collapsed—melting into dark sludge.
Outside, soldiers gathered bodies, checking corners, clearing the remaining Orcs.
"Edward!" Jim called, walking toward him. "That bastard Wizard was strong, right?"
Edward sat on a stone, exhaling slowly.
"More like an amateur. He barely mastered fire magic."
Jim raised an eyebrow. Edward continued:
"Compared to the real mages and demons out there? This one was an ant."
Jim swallowed.
"Let's hope we never meet the real ones then… right?"
Edward nodded silently.
Suddenly—
"My lord Regis! There's a problem!"
Regis turned, confusion shifting to dread.
He ran toward the soldier.
"Edward! Jim!"
They rushed over.
"She's missing," Regis said, voice trembling. "The guards are dead. Bell is nowhere to be found."
Edward's expression hardened instantly.
He moved to the camp area, kneeling by the bodies, scanning the ground.
"Tracks… footprints… dragged marks…" he muttered.
"Some of the fleeing Orcs took her."
Regis clenched his fists.
"We must find her before they—"
"No," Edward said firmly. "We can't abandon the fortress. You need to stay and hold this place. If we leave it undefended, we lose everything."
Jim stepped forward. "Then what do we do?"
Edward stood.
"Send five groups. I'll lead one myself."
His eyes burned with fury.
" I will find her."
Jim nodded sharply.
"I'll gather the men."
Edward looked toward the snow-covered forest.