In three nearby villages, cultists disguised as civilians activated their demonic artifacts: the Dissonant Runes.
A dark hum rippled through the air. The runes released shockwaves in anti-mana frequencies, vibrating against the cities' barriers. Within barely thirty seconds, the defenses weakened by forty percent.
The Douglas captains exchanged looks of horror.
"This isn't normal!""They're breaking the barrier from the inside!""Who authorized these artifacts?""How… how did they get inside the Duchy?"
The cultists raised their voices, shouting in unison:
"For the rebirth of the Lord of the Abyss!"
Then they immolated themselves. An explosion of dark mana consumed them, and with the blast the defensive barriers collapsed by another sixty percent. There was no containment anymore: thousands of level-80 to level-90 monsters could now pass through the walls without restriction.
War drums thundered in the distance. Horns called the banners to battle. The earth trembled beneath the roar of the chaos drawing near.
The destruction of the defensive city was unmistakable—collapsed towers, burning houses, and black smoke rising into the sky. War drums echoed while level-80 to level-90 monsters advanced with lethal coordination. The beast riders and the Douglas army could barely hold them back, and the sense of danger was overwhelming.
Then, along the horizon, a white radiance appeared.
A white steed, neighing with magical force, advanced with steady steps. Upon it rode Sofía Douglas of Mondring, her lance held with elegance and unwavering resolve. Behind her, her level-92 lion—massive, muscular, its mane gleaming with power—roared across the battlefield like a natural king claiming his domain.
The crowd cried out as one:
"The Duchess has arrived!""Sofía is here!""Make way! Make way!"
Sofía's aura expanded. It was not merely light—it was a declaration of authority, a call that resonated in every heart and every allied beast. With a single motion of her hand, she activated her unique ability:
"Alpha Attunement — Pack Bond."
In an instant, the power of the riders and their beasts surged, their strength and synchronization doubling. Roars and neighs intertwined into a thunderous harmony that made even the fiercest monsters hesitate.
Pack alphas guided their descendants. Colossal reptiles shattered branches and stone with every step. Giant birds swept through the skies with blinding auras. Magical wolves and felines ran in perfect formation, and lesser dragons radiated pure energy that made the air tremble.
Even the tallest monsters and elite beasts recoiled, confused—as if Sofía's mere presence had altered the very laws of battle.
Behind them, the elite forces of the Douglas army emerged from the central city: five to seven thousand Lord-rank warriors forming an impenetrable line, three to five hundred Magisters conjuring lightning, fire, and dancing mana barriers, and a handful of Champions whose mere aura seemed to swallow the sunlight.
Elite squads maneuvered with lethal precision. Magical artillery launched projectiles capable of reducing entire hills to dust. Archers of Delta and Epsilon affinity loosed arrows that cut through the air like controlled lightning.
The battle that, moments before, had seemed lost… began to turn.