Jamie tightened his grip on his daggers before warning. "He's coming."

At that moment, a figure leapt down from the battlements. He landed among the teeming orcs with such force that the ground shuddered, sending a shockwave out in all directions. Screeching monsters tumbled head over heels as if struck by a giant's invisible fist.

For a heartbeat, the battlefield fell silent, hushed by the audacity of this lone warrior. Soldiers on the wall paused their arrow volleys, stunned that anyone would fling themselves into the fray. Jessica, Maria, and Serana stood in bewildered awe, but Jamie's expression remained composed, as if he had expected this very moment.

"Stay on guard," Jamie said, his voice carrying enough authority to wake up his companions. "This fight's already over, but we are still among enemies."

An immense sword rose skyward in the warrior's hands. Its polished steel gleamed with an almost blinding light. His echoing voice thundered across the battlefield.

"For the supreme lord, Aetheron, let your light descend! [Annihilation]!"

The thick cloud cover that had blotted out the sun began to lift, unveiling a scorching brightness. The temperature spiked so fast that the snow beneath them started to melt. Heatwaves shimmered around the orcs. Flames erupted on their ragged, sweat-soaked hides and threadbare armor. It was an inferno sparked by divine magic.

Panic spread like wildfire through the horde. Orcs, goblins, and hobgoblins shrieked, blinded by the light, scrabbling at the flames climbing up their limbs. Muddled in confusion and agony, they no longer maintained any coordinated attack on the walls.

Jessica paused mid-swing of her warhammer, mouth slightly agape at the sudden carnage. "They don't even know what's hitting them," she breathed, though her tone now held more awe than excitement.

Nearby, Jamie narrowed his gaze. The warrior hefted his massive sword once more. Air hissed around the steel, condensing into a wave of searing sunlight. As he swung it in a broad arc, the heat cleaved through flesh and bone with horrifying precision. Clusters of orcs were toppled, parted like weeds by a scythe.

"Who is he?" Maria asked, watching in utter disbelief as that single man dismantled an entire army.

Jamie glanced her way, a dry note slipping into his voice. "Our father," he said, raising no special sentiment or cheer. At those words, Maria's and Serana's faces registered open astonishment. Jessica, while surprised, tried to hide her shock.

The soldiers behind them, still reeling, began to find renewed courage. Whispers leaked through their ranks. "Look at him. With someone like him on our side, we can't lose." Their formation tightened, and their blows began to land with more vigor. They were motivated by the holy onslaught before them.

Between each attack and defense, most were focused on the distant battle. But Jamie never took his eyes off his target. That's why he was one of the first to notice a strange movement once again atop the wall.

"More are coming," Jamie warned, pointing to the wall.

As Jamie noticed, two more figures leaped down onto the battlefield. Each striking the horde of orcs like living comets. One, encased in a heavy plate, barreled forward, smashing through waves of creatures and leaving a trail of broken bodies. The other appeared to be a few years younger than Jamie, wielding a massive bastard sword with practiced ease.

"Darius and Lyra?" Jessica asked, her warhammer still raised.

Jamie nodded, not pausing his attacks. "Yes, it looks that way."

"They're all here?" Jessica pushed, glancing anxiously from the unstoppable warrior to the swordsman.

"I haven't seen Alexandra," Jamie said with some trace of happiness.

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Jessica pursed her lips. "She hates you; she must have stayed behind."

"She doesn't hate me," Jamie corrected. "She wants me dead."

"With them here, Jay won't want to show up at all." Between one attack and the next, Jamie quickly thought of his guardian.

"Focus!" Jamie barked, stepping up his pace. They still had a considerable distance to cover before reaching Frosthell's main gate, and even if they got there, a swarm of orcs stood between them and the city walls. Now that reinforcements had arrived, Darius and Lyra among them, there might be a chance to carve a path.

From the far side of the battlefield, Jamie heard a booming voice ring out.

"Conquest and Power are forged on the field of battle. Grant me your blessing, Kalyados! [CONQUEST]!"

Darius, positioned near the imposing gate, slammed his sword into the ground. Even from afar, Jamie and his companions could sense a powerful surge ripple outward. Orcs and goblins around Darius dropped to their knees as though the gravity around them had intensified, pressing them into the blood-soaked earth. Their roars turned into choking gasps as, one by one, they collapsed beneath an invisible weight.

Meanwhile, on the other flank, Lyra inflicted her own brand of mayhem. She was like an unstoppable freight train, tearing across the battlefield. She was charging through the orcs and hobgoblins without slowing. Any creature unlucky enough to stand in her path was either pummeled by her iron gauntlets or trampled beneath her boots.

"War and Victory! In your name, Ragna! [UNBREAKABLE]!"

A swirl of crimson mana rippled around her, turning her skin and armor seemingly impervious to every claw, axe, and spear strike. Blow after blow glanced off, and Lyra returned each in kind, crushing attackers with bone-shattering punches.

"We're getting closer," Maria commented, drawing the group's attention.

By squinting their eyes, they were finally able to see through the dust and smoke covering the battlefield. They had finally reached the shadow of the enormous wall.

"How are we going to get in?" Jamie called over his shoulder to Serana, who stayed at his back, staff in hand.

"There's a side entrance to the right," she replied, raising her voice above the chaos. "A guard post sits behind it. We can get someone there to let us through. The side gate leads inside the wall."

"Got it," Jamie answered, hurling his mana-threaded daggers into the goblins running toward them. Dozens more of the creatures fell, cut down from all angles by their coordinated assault.

As the goblins' heads rolled to the ground, Jamie got to see the distance to the side entrance more clearly. 'A little further,' he thought with a bit of optimism.

Jamie commanded over the clashing steel and monster screams. "When we approach, switch formation! The vanguard takes the rear. Our priority is to hold off those beasts while Serana gets us entry!"

"Yes, sir!" came the chorus of the soldiers following him. Their morale had soared since glimpsing the safety of the fortress gates.

With each determined stride, the surface beneath their boots changed from blood-slick mud to firmer, icy terrain. A few more steps, and the air was almost breathable again, though the stench of blood and guts still lingered around them.

"Prepare to switch," Jamie ordered. "Now!"

The group pivoted, shields and spears clattering as the front ranks rotated to guard the rear, freeing Serana to hurry forward. She rushed to the smaller door set into the wall's flank, pounding her fist on its iron surface. Cries and shuffled movements rose from inside in response.

"Hold them off!" Jamie ordered, brandishing his daggers. "We need a few more minutes."

"ARGH!" the soldiers shouted, fired up as they tried to hold back their enemies.

"One more thrust, one more slash!" Jamie urged them on again.

But amid the shouting, a trumpet sounded across the battlefield.

Immediately, the remaining orcs and goblins halted in mid-charge, confusion and fear flashing across their warped faces. As one, they began to flee. Dropping weapons, even leaving behind wounded comrades, stumbling over each other in a frantic retreat.

"Why…why are they running?" Serana whispered in confusion. He could see by her tense posture, and the shared looks of the soldiers, that this was anything but normal orcish behavior.

Unable to puzzle it out, Serana resumed knocking violently on the entrance. After some time, a face peered through a slit set with iron bars. "Who's out there? Are you fucking craz- I mean. My lady!" The guard's eyes widened, seeing Serana and the remnant of the expedition.

"Open up!" a soldier inside shouted to his companions, barking orders as hurried footsteps scraped on the other side of the gate. "Not the main gate, the side gate. FAST!"

While the guards within wrestled with bolts and chains, Jamie spotted three figures approaching from the sea of corpses before them. Maximus, Darius, and Lyra. They walked unhurried, stepping through red-stained drifts of snow. Each carried the marks of battle splashed across their armor.

At last, they came close enough to see Serana and Jessica waiting by the wall. The massive gate mechanism screeched open, and the paladins paused. Maximus stepped forward, letting the point of his sword drag in the bloodied slush behind him. His gaze fell on Jessica first, a gentle smile lifting his face despite the battlefield's carnage.

"Daughter," he said with unmistakable warmth as he caught sight of her, then he turned to Jamie with the same grave composure. "And you. James."

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