The soldiers and knights who had escaped from Noctis felt their bodies freeze as the scene before them triggered memories they wished they could forget. Their minds went back to that night when a fireball like a burning meteor slammed into the gates of Noctis and shattered them apart. Some of them trembled, their breaths coming in short and broken gasps.

The sound of that destruction still lived inside their bones.

Now, as another fireball came falling from the sky, they braced for impact. Many closed their eyes, some clenched their teeth, waiting for death.

BOOOOOOOM!

A massive shockwave hit the walls and flames rolled outward. But instead of breaking apart, the wall glowed bright. A barrier of swirling magic lit up and held its ground.

Kai's eyes narrowed. His voice came out low and surprised.

"An array of magic circles."

Dust settled and then someone stepped forward. The soldiers looked and saw Duchess Emma. Her cloak fluttered in the heat of the flames, and her eyes were firm and steady.

"Did you really think I am here for a show?" Emma said, raising her chin slightly.

She was the leader of the Duchy's Mage Squad and the one who crafted this magic barrier.

Kai attacked again and again, each blow shaking the sky slammed onto the walls but the barrier did not fall. Finally, he stopped and lowered his staff.

"The barrier is designed to segregate the magic attacks," he said. "But we will see how long it can last. Before that..."

He waved his staff, eyes shining with madness.

"My undead legion... go and show your might."

The earth shook as the zombies advanced again.

Emma stepped forward, power rushing around her fingers.

"Mage Squad," she shouted. "Attack!"

Countless spells rained down. Fireballs burst among the dead. Bolts of lightning shot across the battlefield. Wind blades sliced rotten flesh and crushed bones. The sky lit up again and again as magic poured down like a storm.

But still, the undead crawled ahead.

...….

The walls of Vancouver trembled under the weight of siege attack

Roen stood gripping his sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His breath came out shaky. His armor was already smeared with blood and smoke. His eyes were tired, red from exhaustion, yet unable to look away from the horror below.

The soldiers around him panted, some holding their chests, some fighting just to stay standing. Their pale faces were filled with fear, but none of them stepped back. Their weapons were slippery with blood, yet they held on.

Below the wall, the maddened cultists surged like a living tide. Thousands moved together, screaming and chanting in voices that did not sound human.

Some undead carried torches, axes, broken blades, sharpened bones. Women, children, the elderly, young men and every kind of person twisted and changed by madness.

Their faces were blank or stretched into unnatural smiles. Their eyes glowed like dim lanterns in a nightmare.

All of them were decimated into tatters.

And behind them came more zombies, pushing forward, climbing over bodies without stopping.

The mage group cleared the piling bodies with magic but more just took the place.

And the horde seemed to grow larger and larger.

"Fuck this shit.."one of soldiers roared as he kicked the zombie sending him down.

"Damn."

"Take the right flank.."

"Close that gap…A bastard is climbing."

Arrows rained from the wall. Boiling oil poured down, burning flesh. Stones and spears fell into the crowd. Yet still, they climbed like ants.

"Wait..Wait..Where did the ladder come from?"

Only god knew where they grabbed the ladder.

Ladders slammed against the walls.

Hands, pale and dead, clawed over the ledges.

Among zombies there were even live cultists soldiers.

One cultist bit a soldier's throat open before falling to the ground. Another woman, with broken fingers and a cracked jaw, laughed even as a spear pierced her chest. She took three more steps before she finally dropped.

Roen's eyes widened. His heart hammered hard inside his chest. He could barely believe what he was seeing.

"Aaaahahh... what is this shit?" he breathed out, voice breaking.

He gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to look away from the sea of bodies crashing against the walls.

...….

At the back, Kai stood slightly apart from the others, watching everything unfold with a twisted smile on his face. His eyes narrowed with amusement as he looked at the defenders who still fought with desperate hope.

"Frogs sitting at the bottom of the well that don't know the immensity of what they are facing." He let out a low laugh and tilted his head as if he was genuinely entertained. "Kekekke.. It would be fun to see them shocked.."

His fingers tapped slowly against the handle of his weapon. The air around him seemed to grow colder.

"I think we dragged enough... Let's go and attack."

"Let's go..." his companions replied, stepping closer with confident strides.

...

Julia and Roen were leading the soldiers at the front, their armor stained with dirt and the dark blood of the undead. Their blades moved through the air again and again, cutting down the growing number of zombies that crawled toward Vancouver's walls. The ground trembled under the force of countless footsteps and roars.

Julia wiped sweat from her forehead and shouted for the archers to cover the flanks. Roen swung his sword and pushed forward, trying to break the endless wave.

"This is getting out of control!" Roen shouted, his voice tense and breath heavy.

They kept fighting through the chaos until something in the sky made their movements halt for just a moment. A cold shiver went down their backs.

Three figures appeared in the air above the battlefield.

Their silhouettes hovered like dark shadows against the clouds. The pressure that fell from them made the soldiers freeze. Even the zombies seemed to slow for a brief instant, as if they were aware of the overwhelming power arriving.

Emma looked up and her face lost all color.

"WHAT?"

Her voice cracked. She took a step back, her heart pounding in her chest.

Kai's snicker echoed through the air, filled with cruel delight. He stepped forward and pointed at the floating figures.

"SHOCKED RIGHT?" His smile widened, full of pride and madness. "These are my companion, Benard and Loan.."

A murmur spread through the defenders. .

Many swallowed hard, fear taking over their eyes.

"Duchy of Salvos.... Since it's our first greeting, let me give you a gift."

Kai slowly raised his hand, and the three figures mirrored the motion. A thick and violent surge of energy formed around them. The air crackled and the sky darkened as if the clouds were being torn apart by their power.

Then the spell launched toward the Vancouver Walls.

A blinding flash struck the stone. The sound roared like thunder, and the ground shook under everyone's feet. The impact spread through the wall, cracks spreading like spider webs across the surface.

Stone fragments rained to the ground as the mighty walls began to weaken.

"Noooo!" Emma shouted, her voice filled with despair. Her hands trembled as she watched the defenses of her home crumble.

The soldiers around her looked on in horror. Their strongest shield, the wall that had protected them so long quivered and jolted under the spell.

And Kai only smiled, savouring every second of their fear.

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