The Eternal Night began to fracture.
It did not happen all at once, but like a crack spreading through reality: first, a streak of light appeared above the mountain peaks, followed by a second flash. The darkness that had suffocated the Duchy for months began to retreat, stripped from the heavens by an incandescent force.
Both Kheris and Velyrion felt it instantly and separated in the sky. The darkness contracted in one final shudder over the Douglas walls before vanishing completely.
The sun bathed the Duchy once more for the first time in weeks.
The soldiers on the walls looked up. Several squinted against the glare; others shielded their faces with their arms, having forgotten just how blinding daylight could be.
Lusian remained motionless.
Inside him, he felt the exact moment a presence withdrew from his body. The suffocating pressure that had accompanied every breath he took evaporated. His connection to darkness did not disappear entirely, but its vastness was gone. It was no longer omnipresent. He could no longer sense every corner of the forest or hear the echo of enemy footsteps hundreds of meters away.
He immediately understood the significance of the change.
Kheris's protective mantle had expired.
They were alone.
And ahead of them, the enemy remained intact.
Velyrion spread his arms over the battlefield, and a wave of pure light descended upon the crusaders. The wounded regained their strength, broken bones knit back together, and soldiers who had collapsed from exhaustion rose to their feet once more.
Their blessings blazed in their chests again.
Tens of thousands of men raised their swords as one.
—ADVANCE!
The god's roar thundered through the valley.
It was not an order given to a cornered army.
It was an irrevocable sentence.
The crusaders charged as one.
Lusian studied the horizon. The numerical disparity was still overwhelming, and they no longer had the darkness to even the odds.
—Albert.
—My lord.
—Fall back to the second defensive ring.
Albert stared at him, confused.
—Are we abandoning the border?
—No.
Lusian drew Dainsleif with steady hands.
—We're turning it into a trap.
A bitter smile appeared on Albert's face.
—Understood.
The Douglas war horns echoed through the air: three long notes, followed by three more.
The formations broke without panic.
It was not a retreat born of fear, but a calculated withdrawal. The archers abandoned the outer bastions, the mages dispersed their casting circles, and the infantry moved through corridors that had been prepared in advance.
The crusaders interpreted the maneuver as a rout and quickened their pace, drunk on confidence.
—They're retreating!
—We're breaking their lines!
—By the gods, don't leave a single one alive!
The vanguard crossed the supposedly abandoned defensive line.
That was when the earth collapsed.
The impact thundered across the battlefield, sending an entire line of soldiers flying through the air.
—It's a trap!
Too late.
Ancient trees crashed down in succession—not onto the Douglas lines, but around the enemy, trapping them inside a deadly snare. The seemingly clear routes of advance sealed shut within seconds as a barrage of spells descended from the hills.
The crusaders hastily raised their shields, but a second volley struck them from a blind flank.
Then a third.
—They're surrounding us!
—Open the formation!
—Where are they coming from?!
Douglas warriors emerged from the vegetation and vanished again like specters.
They did not attempt to hold a static front.
They struck.
Disappeared into the undergrowth.
Then attacked from somewhere else.
They were fighting on the land their ancestors had defended for generations. They knew every inch of it.
But the crusaders now possessed one unpredictable factor.
Velyrion.
A pillar of celestial light plunged into the forest.
The traps were pulverized. Ancient trees were torn from their roots, and the Douglas defensive positions were exposed.
—NOW! —Tamara roared, raising both hands.
A storm of fire descended upon the newly revealed positions.
The Douglas mages hurriedly raised barriers. Some withstood the onslaught.
Others shattered into a thousand pieces, claiming the first lives of the defense.
Lusian emerged among the enemy ranks.
Dainsleif severed a spear with a single stroke. In the same motion, he slammed the pommel into a crusader's chest, knocking him to the ground.
A second soldier tried to stab him from behind.
A flicker of darkness erupted from the ground, stopping the blade for one crucial instant.
Lusian seized the opening.
One clean slash.
The enemy fell into the mud.
Lusian watched the shadow dissipate.
It had lasted barely a second.
Kheris no longer held dominion over the territory, but remnants of his power still lingered there...
...responding to the duke's will.
Lusian clenched his teeth and tightened his grip around his sword.
—Not yet...
In the distance, a colossal thunderclap tore across the heavens.
Velyrion and Kheris collided once more, and the shockwave swept through the valley, shaking entire mountain ranges.
Men from both sides lost their balance and dropped to their knees.
Then the impossible happened.
The sky split open in a blazing fracture.
Kheris was hurled several kilometers backward, disappearing from sight.
Lusian looked up in alarm.
—Kheris!
The god of darkness crashed into the distant peaks.
Suspended in the air, Velyrion remained upright.
He was wounded.
But he was still standing.
His voice filled the air like a divine command.
—DOUGLAS!
Every combatant froze.
—Your god has fallen!
He extended a threatening hand toward Lusian.
—And now you will fall with him!
A unified roar erupted from thousands of crusaders as they raised their weapons toward the sun.
Lusian assessed the enemy tide rushing toward them.
Then he looked at his own men.
Their advantage was gone.
The Eternal Night was history.
Kheris had been driven back.
And the divine beings had ceased their direct clash.
Now, survival belonged entirely to the mortals.
Lusian slowly raised Dainslein.
—DOUGLAS!
Thousands of eyes turned toward him.
—We don't need to defeat them today.
Confusion crossed the faces of several soldiers.
—We only need to stop them from reaching the castle.
He lowered the blade, pointing it toward the enemy.
—And as long as even one of us remains standing... that road stays closed.
A visceral roar erupted from the Douglas walls in response.
Lusian smiled bitterly.
Whatever he did, it seemed fate always found a way to make everything go wrong.
—KILL THEM ALL IF THEY CROSS THAT LINE!
The two armies collided in a tide of steel.
And this time...
there was no darkness left to hide the slaughter that was about to begin.