The sky burned with the pulse of fire.
Blazing bolts of light hammered against the upper shield dome, sending rippling flashes across the surface like thunder cracking through crystal. Explosions thudded in slow, aching rhythm not overwhelming, but constant. Just enough to demand attention.
Just enough to keep them awake.
Wizards scrambled across the temple balconies and towers, passing crates of potions, hoisting transfigured battlements, rotating into firing positions. Every face was pale with exhaustion. Red-rimmed eyes. Jaws clenched. Their breath misted the air as they muttered spell incantations over and over like prayer.
The night had gone long.
And the enemy had not stopped.
On the western wall, boots slammed hard against the stone walkway.
Kazuki marched along the battlements like a force of nature, his voice cutting clean through the chaos like a blade.
"Stay sharp! They're testing the lower flank again, watch your angles!" he shouted over the roar of spellfire. "Wand steady, feet locked! Don't waste your casts!"
He paused beside a trembling teenage recruit whose robes were soaked in sweat.
"Think of your family!" Kazuki barked, grabbing the boy's shoulder and forcing his aim upright. "You hold the line for them!"
A flash of blue struck the outer barrier overhead the shield flexed, and Kazuki's voice rose above it.
"Shift rotation on sector nine! South wall slingers, NOW! You have two seconds or you're dead!"
A commander nearby relayed the order through a crystal-linked mirror, shouting it down the line. Mages swapped places with trembling hands, fresh teams replacing the sagging bodies of those who'd already been up for hours.
Even down in the courtyard, medics worked with harried precision, replenishing magical stamina with vials that were now in short supply. Squibs ran between them, carrying bundles of water, warmed bread, and rune packs.
Kazuki barely noticed the cold anymore.
He kept moving. Kept shouting.
"Keep formation! Do not fall! As long as you're standing, so is the shrine!"
Above, a sudden shriek split the air a winged figure streaking toward the southern spire.
"Focus fire on that one! Down him before he breaks line!"
Spells lanced skyward.
The figure fell.
But then—
A jolt trembled through the mountain stone beneath their feet.
A red flare burst from the east.
"Shield failure!" someone screamed from the upper watch. "Outer perimeter, collapsed!"
Kazuki didn't hesitate.
"Seal the breach! Sector Six and Seven, move now!" he roared. "Circle formation, shield breakers at the center!"
Like clockwork, the defenders pivoted. Wardweavers sprinted forward to reinforce the broken arcane lattice, while frontline combat casters charged into position. Blades transfigured mid-run. Earth rose beneath their feet.
The enemy began to withdraw as they always did. Tactical. Precise. Controlled.
Except, some lingered.
A cluster of demons with eyes glowing like embers stood at the breach's edge, hands alight with flame. A few angels above them hovered, watching. Waiting.
Kazuki narrowed his eyes.
"Don't fire," he said low to a nearby captain. "They're baiting it."
The demon at the front tilted its head, mockingly.
Then they faded just as quickly as they had come.
Kazuki exhaled and turned toward the line of soldiers waiting at the edge, weary and rattled.
Soldiers buzzed with motion, shouting for supplies, calling rotations, casting temporary shields to plug the hole. But just behind them Kazuki stood still, his sharp eyes watching it all.
"Hold the repairs," he ordered calmly.
Several commanders paused, startled. "Sir?"
Kazuki stepped forward, his boots crunching on broken tile.
"Instead of wardweavers," he said, voice flat, "I want battle mages out there. Three of our best teams. Tell them to act like they're fixing the shields. Let the enemy think the breach is barely holding. When the attack comes again—and it will, I want them ready to act the moment I give the signal."
The commanders exchanged glances. Then one nodded tightly.
"Yes, my lord."
Kazuki turned, gesturing toward the inner courtyard. "Rotate the shifts now. Pull the most fatigued from the walls and replace them with the fresh ones. Quietly. Smoothly."
More nods. The orders rippled outward.
Wizards on the walls began switching out in staggered lines, wearied veterans dragging themselves back down the stone staircases while new eyes filled their places. From a distance, it all looked normal—routine. Exactly what any besieged force would do.
But beneath the surface, every soldier standing on that wall was alert, waiting.
Morpheus hadn't been seen since the last strike.
But Kazuki knew better.
The man was watching. Somewhere.
He always was.
Kazuki moved to the highest watchpoint above the breach and stood there silently, arms folded as the cold mountain wind swept across his face. Behind him, his commanders stood still wordless but ready.
They already knew the plan.
They just had to wait.
And they didn't have to wait long.
Four hours later, long past midnight, the next wave came.
The first signs were faint tremors in the snow.
Then light.
Dozens of angels burst from the clouds, spears drawn in golden arcs. Their wings tore through the sky, catching starlight. Behind them, demons sprinted across the ridgelines—scarlet-eyed and snarling, magic bubbling at their fingertips.
They moved in patterns now familiar: angels first to draw fire, demons just behind to collapse upon the shield like a tidal wave. But this time, they weren't aiming for the full dome.
They were angling toward the breach.
Right where Kazuki had wanted them.
He didn't move yet.
Spells exploded around him. The wall shuddered with impacts. Somewhere to the west, a flare launched into the sky.
But Kazuki's eyes were locked on the demons pushing closer snarling, reckless, overconfident.
They thought the opening was weak.
They thought the defenders were tired.
They had no idea.
He lifted his hand.
"Now," he said.
The "repair team" exploded into motion. Wards fell away like peeling bark, revealing fully armed battlemages beneath robed in deep crimson and bronze, their wands already alight.
Blasts of cursed fire surged forward in disciplined, brutal arcs it corroded the creatures it touched.
The lead group of demons barely had time to react before the first three lines collapsed under direct hits. Several angels dove to shield their comrades only to be struck by piercing spears from above.
And then, Morpheus appeared.
He stepped onto the battlement like a shadow falling into place, his coat curling around him in the wind, his eyes glowing with pale fire.
Kazuki didn't flinch.
He heard the low hum of Morpheus's power, already building.
"Welcome back," Kazuki muttered.
Morpheus raised a hand and a wall of wards erupted just behind the enemy vanguard, cutting off their retreat.
The angels above faltered in midair, momentarily unsure whether to dive in or pull out. More spells lashed upward from the defenders, striking one, two five of them clean from the sky.
Screams rang out. The valley thundered with battle.
It didn't last long.
The attackers hadn't come in full force, just another probing wave. But this one had walked into a perfectly laid trap and paid dearly for it.
By the time Morpheus let the shadow wall collapse and the remainder of the survivors scrambled away, the snow at the breach was steaming with scorched earth and the stench of burned flesh.
Kazuki turned to his closest officer.
"Casualties?"
The woman checked a glowing rune and shook her head. "Minimal, sir. Two wounded. Both alive."
Kazuki allowed himself a breath.
Then he looked toward Morpheus, who was already turning back toward the wall, unreadable as ever.