The alarms didn't just ring; they screamed. It was a jagged, piercing sound that tore through the early morning fog, shattering the uneasy sleep of Last Light Valley.
I burst out of the command center, my broken arm strapped tight against my chest, the Spear of Longinus clutched in my good hand. The air was thick, not with Mist, but with the smell of ozone and impending violence.
On the western ridge, the horizon was moving.
It wasn't a line of trees. It was a tide.
Thousands of shambling figures poured over the crest, a churning ocean of grey and green. Stage Ones, tens of thousands of them, a carpet of death that stretched back into the fog. And towering above them were the hulking silhouettes of three more Titans, their mechanical joints screeching like banshees.
"Hold the line!" I roared, my voice amplified by the System's acoustics. "Sentinels, charge!"
The stone pillars around the perimeter hummed to life. Blue light gathered in their runes.
[THREAT DETECTED: HORDE CLASS ALPHA]
[ESTIMATED COUNT: 4,000+]
[HOSTILES: 3 x STAGE 4 TITANS]
[DEFENSE RATING: INSUFFICIENT]
The first wave hit the barrier like a wave hitting a cliff.
BOOM.
The dome flared, a shimmering wall of hard light that turned the front rank of zombies into paste. But the ones behind trampled the fallen, climbing over the mounds of bodies, pressing against the shield with mindless fury.
"All teams, fire at will!" Alex shouted from the eastern watchtower. His Tactical Perception was linking our forces, highlighting weak points in the horde's flow.
The crack of gunfire erupted—sharp, staccato bursts from Marcus's scavenged rifles. Zombies dropped by the dozens, but the gaps were filled instantly.
"The Titans are moving!" Lily screamed from the central garden. She was on her knees, eyes glowing green, feeding her energy into the barrier. If she fell, the dome would collapse.
I looked to the south. Claire's tank—the rusted M60—was parked on the rise, its turret swiveling.
"Sentinels, target the lead Titan!" I commanded.
Three beams of concentrated force lanced out, striking the leftmost Titan in the chest. It stumbled, metal melting, but the other two raised their massive steel arms to shield themselves.
They were learning. They were covering each other.
"Claire!" I shouted into the radio. "Hit the one on the right! We can't let them flank!"
"Working on it!" her voice crackled back. "My gunner is shaking apart! Give us a clear shot!"
The ground shook. The barrier flickered.
A crack appeared near the northern gate—a spiderweb fracture splintering across the invisible shield.
"Mom!" Ryan yelled. He was standing by the gate, hands blazing. "They're breaking through!"
"Burn them as they enter!" I ordered. "Do not let them get a foothold!"
I squeezed the Spear of Longinus. We were trapped. The horde was a sea, and we were a sinking island. I had the World Anchor ready, but opening a door to another world took time—time we didn't have while under siege.
But I had no choice.
"Alex, take command!" I said, turning and sprinting back toward the Base Core chamber. "I'm bringing reinforcements!"