Chapter 192: Chapter 192 - The Fortress Crumbles
The war was far from over. The night stretched ahead, long and unforgiving. Atlas’s alliance had suffered heavy casualties, yet the battle could not end here.
Hesitation meant weakness, and weakness meant defeat. If they faltered now, the hard-earned victory they had seized could slip away, and the path to conquering this Dominion would become even more treacherous.
They moved quickly, forcing themselves into a rapid recovery, determined to finish the war tonight. Many of their soldiers had fallen in the last clash, but their sacrifice had not been in vain. In exchange, nearly three hundred enemy troops had been destroyed, along with one of the enemy lords—the one whose defenses had been the strongest among them.
Atlas and his forces marched toward the towering walls of Central Frostress, their momentum unstoppable. Enemy soldiers stood guard atop the fortress walls, but before they could mount a proper defense.
BOOM!
A massive surge of magic attacks rained down, and in an instant, Raze barreled forward, slamming into the fortress wall with devastating force. The stone structure shuddered, then crumbled, collapsing under the sheer power of the impact.
The moment the opening was made, the alliance’s high-level troops, warriors above level 100 rushed in. Their numbers dwarfed the enemy’s, flooding through the breach like an unstoppable force.
Now, this battle was no longer about strategy or positioning. It was a brutal clash of strength and sheer numbers.
The defenders fought back fiercely, launching arrows, spells, and counterattacks in a desperate bid to repel the invasion. But the sheer force of the assault was too much.
One by one, their formations shattered. Their coordination crumbled, just like their walls.
The enemy was struggling.
They wouldn’t last much longer.
This was it. The final battle.
By dawn, only one side would remain standing.
And Atlas had no intention of losing.
**
Inside Central Frostress, the fortress shook under the relentless assault. Walls cracked and crumbled, soldiers screamed in terror, and the suffocating stench of blood clung to the air.
At the center of it all, three lords stood in tense silence.
The Leader. The Strategist. And The Assassin.
A deafening explosion thundered through the chamber, rattling the stone foundations, but the Leader did not flinch. His fists slammed against the war table, his face contorted with fury.
"WE. DO. NOT. RETREAT!" His voice tore through the room. "We are lords! We fight! We die with our swords in hand."
"Or we don’t die at all," the Strategist interrupted coldly, his voice level despite the chaos outside. "Tell me, what do you think happens if we stay?"
The Leader’s eyes burned with frustration. "We defend our land."
The Strategist scoffed. "With what? Half of our army is dead, the other half is too terrified to fight. The walls are crumbling. Our enemy is larger, stronger, and has already killed one of our best lords. What part of this sounds like a battle we can win?"
The Assassin Lord, leaning casually against the stone wall, let out a quiet chuckle as he adjusted the daggers on his belt. "For once, the tactician makes sense." His voice was calm, too calm.
The Leader turned to him sharply, his fury only growing. "Not you too. Are you really thinking of running?"
The Assassin didn’t even blink. "No. I’m not thinking about it. I already decided." He pushed off the wall, straightening up. "I don’t fight battles I know I can’t win."
The Leader’s fists tightened. "You cowards! You’d abandon everything we’ve built?"
The Strategist exhaled sharply. "Better to abandon it than be buried under it." He shook his head. "Use your damn brain. We lost. Accept it."
"I will NEVER accept it!" the Leader roared. He stepped forward, his entire body shaking with rage. "You think you can run and just. What? Hide? Grovel for mercy?"
The Strategist met his glare without fear. "No. I plan to regroup. Rebuild. If we live, we can take our revenge another day."
The Leader took another step closer, his breath heavy. "And if I kill you both right now?"
The Assassin laughed. "Then you’ll be left alone, standing in this burning ruin, choking on your own pride." His eyes gleamed as he tilted his head. "Tell me, how does that sound?"
For a moment, the Leader said nothing.
The Strategist sighed and adjusted his gloves. "Do what you want. I’m leaving."
Without waiting for permission, he turned and strode toward the exit.
The Assassin gave one last smirk. "See you... or maybe I won’t."
And with that, he vanished, his figure dissolving into the shadows.
The Leader stood there, chest rising and falling, his rage consuming him.
"Those cowardly fools! They came with such bravado, and just like that. They scatter the moment this happens!"
Fine.
Let them run. Let them flee like cowards.
But he would stand. He would fight.
And if death was to claim him tonight, then so be it. He would drag as many of them into the grave with him as he could.
For a few tense moments, the room stood in silence. Until suddenly...
CRASH! BOOM!
The room trembled as the walls exploded inward, sending stone and dust flying in all directions. Through the settling debris, figures emerged. Enemy lords, their expressions sharp and unwavering, flanked by their elite soldiers.
The Leader barely blinked. Instead, he stood tall, adjusting his gauntlets with deliberate, almost mocking slowness.
His gaze swept across the room before landing on the approaching lords. Then, he grinned.
"So, the mighty victors finally show their faces," he drawled. "Tell me, do you feel powerful? Does it make you feel like kings, marching in here with your little army? You came without even knowing who your enemy truly is! I want to see just how much courage you really have when faced with my rage! I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"
One of the opposing lords stepped forward, her sword glinting beneath the dim light. Her voice rang sharp and commanding.
"It’s over. There is no escape for you. Surrender, or join your comrades in hell!"
No one had expected Luna, someone who appeared so gentle, so composed on the surface, to stand so firm, her presence sharp and unyielding in the face of battle.
And so, the final battle was about to begin. Surely, none of them would allow even a single mistake to turn this moment into an ending they could not accept.