"Damn it!"
Ren heard someone curse through gritted teeth as the massive warship surged forward, crushing burning wrecks beneath its hull, rising like a maddened sea beast amidst fire and smoke.
"No… aren't those their own ships too? How could they… ram straight through their allies?"
Another soldier whispered in a trembling voice, eyes locked on the absurd scene before him. In that instant, what they once called the "rules of battle" collapsed.
The biting chill of early dawn seemed to freeze solid. The pale mist, mixed with black smoke and the stench of burning wood, made every breath heavy and acrid.
Then a roar split the suffocating air from atop the walls:
"Everyone, fire everything! Don't hold back a single arrow! Archers, draw! Catapults, ready!"
The urgent cry shook the fortress walls. Archers raised their bows in unison, strings drawn taut with a dry creak.
Catapult crews shoved the last stones into place, hands shaking but eyes bloodshot with fury.
The commander swept his gaze across the harbor, his voice striking each soldier's chest like a hammer: "Men below! Hold the gates! Prepare for the enemy to land!"
A chorus of "Yes, sir!" rang out, mingling with the clatter of armor and the rasp of weapons unsheathed. Dozens of spears lowered, shields locked into a makeshift steel wall before the gate.
Fear flickered in their eyes, but so did resolve. They knew, if they faltered here, there would be no place left to retreat.
If they did not hold the line now, the people behind them would have no path to survival; the fortress would fall, and centuries of ancestral struggle would collapse in a single morning.
Ren watched, chest tightening as if under crushing weight. His heartbeat pounded in time with the soldiers' shouts, blending with the chaos of waves, wind, and fire.
The enemy's horn still blared, drowning out the sea's roar. The colossal warship charged like a raging leviathan, eager to tear the harbor apart.
"Fire!!"
The order rang out, and the sky instantly darkened with a storm of arrows.
Hundreds of shafts hissed through the mist, slicing the air and slamming into the ship's hull.
Thud, thud, thud, steel tips buried into the thick planks. A few struck the clustered Forest Elf soldiers on deck, drawing screams as bodies toppled into the icy water.
But the hull was too vast, too thick. Most arrows barely lodged shallowly, trembling like tiny thorns on the back of a savage giant.
The ship did not slow, it roared louder, oars thrashing white columns of spray.
"Loose the stones!!"
The heavy groan of ropes followed, then stones the size of boulders fell like meteors.
One smashed against the hull, sending splinters flying, water crashing upward, Forest Elves hurled into the air with shrieks.
Yet as the spray cleared, the ship still held course. Its side cracked, but did not break, as if defying the very weight of the earth itself.
The second, third stones rained down.
One snapped a smaller mast clean off, sails tearing apart and tumbling like burning rags into the sea of fire.
But still, the warship did not waver. It thundered forward, each wave it cleaved shaking the waters like an earthquake.
On the walls, the air was suffocating.
Archers loosed their last arrows, catapults stood empty, nothing left but the creak of timber and sweat dripping onto cold stone.
All eyes fixed on the monster of iron and wood cutting through the waves, advancing toward the gate despite fire and wounds, despite the inferno licking its sides.
Ren swallowed dryly, throat parched like sand. His heart beat in rhythm with the crashing waves, a rhythm heralding the nightmare descending upon them.
The warship was a colossal hammer, about to strike Yofel's heart.
"Everyone, pull back from the harbor! Fall behind the gate!" Kizmel's voice rang through the wind and crashing surf.
While others panicked, her gaze stayed razor-sharp, terrifyingly composed.
Sparse arrows fell in vain, stones struck without force, the defenses above had lost their power.
She gripped her sword hilt, the cold metal biting through her glove.
In that instant, Kizmel saw the truth of the battle: they could no longer stop the enemy from afar.
All they could do now was minimize casualties, retreat, and brace for the fight within the fortress walls.
To strike the enemy the moment they set foot on unfamiliar ground, that was the only path left.
But inside, Kizmel ground her teeth.
It was their mistake, hers, and those who had guarded this fortress.
They had trusted the walls too much, relied too heavily on firepower and rigid tactics.
They had grown arrogant, believing that from above they could simply crush the weak outsiders.
And now, that arrogance had become the blade at their throats.
She glanced at Ren, Kirito, Asuna, and the soldiers gathered behind the gate, their faces etched with anxiety.
In Kizmel's dark eyes, the pride that once shimmered had hardened into ruthless resolve.
The colossal warship did not slow. It rammed straight into the harbor, like a titanic spear plunging into the waves.
BOOOOM!!!!
The impact roared like the sky collapsing.
Water exploded into a towering wall, hurling small boats and soldiers on deck into the sea.
The harbor quaked, stone tiles cracking apart as water and fire surged together in chaotic whirlpools.
Ren had to brace his sword against the ground just to stay upright, the salty spray and scorching smoke lashing his face.
His ears rang, the world reduced to splintering wood, shrieking voices, and the relentless crash of waves as though the fortress itself would be swallowed whole.
From the shattered prow, figures leapt forth like a swarm of night crows descending upon corpses.
Dozens, then hundreds...of enemies clad in silver mail, shields and gleaming weapons in hand, stormed ashore, trampling across smoldering planks into the harbor.
Their savage cries ripped through the air.
Blood spilled in the very first instant as an enemy spear pierced the chest of a soldier who hadn't even raised his shield.
The man collapsed, his scream drowned beneath the thunder of boots behind him.
"Everyone, to your positions! Lock the formation!" the commander roared, his voice seething with rage and despair.
Archers on the wall loosed as one.
A storm of arrows rained down, piercing shields, armor, and pinning foes to the harbor floor like skewered dolls.
Yet the tide of enemies surged on, unrelenting.
"Hold the line! Brace yourselves!" Kizmel bellowed, her voice cutting into the chaos like a spear, pulling her soldiers' spirits back from collapse.
The massive iron gate screeched as it dropped behind them, sealing the fortress.
The Dark Elf soldiers and the three humans stood before Kizmel, blades trembling in their grip but eyes ablaze.
Ren tightened his hold on his sword, drawing a deep breath. The wet, acrid air seared his throat.
His heart hammered as if to burst from his chest, but his gaze left no room for hesitation. Beside him, Kirito and Asuna had already raised their swords, ready.
And then...
The first clash erupted as the enemy crashed in. Steel rang against steel, shields slammed together, and the howls of war echoed across the ruined harbor.
Spears thrust into the defense line, warriors falling instantly, their bodies shattering into fragments of crimson pixels.
Kizmel led from the front, her black blade carving a blazing arc that cleaved down two foes in a single breath.
Pixelated blood sprayed like crimson rain, but she did not falter.
Ren charged right behind her, his sword catching the hammering strike of a Forest Elf. The blow rattled through his body, nearly toppling him, but he clenched his teeth and countered, his blade slicing across the enemy's shoulder.
The ground was stained red, screams rang out, and the true battle began, a storm of blood before Yofel's gates.
The shield wall quaked as the enemy crashed upon it. Forest Elves shrieked, spears and swords hammering down like a storm of steel, the noise deafening.
"Hold the line! Don't let them break through!" Kizmel shouted, her voice thundering across the shattered harbor.
Her sword swept out, each strike like lightning, tearing open the enemy ranks and carving space for her allies.
Right at her back, Kirito slipped into the opening with blinding speed, his blade flashing like streaks of light.
His sword cut left, parried, and countered in the same instant, felling two Forest Elves almost simultaneously.
"Asuna, right side!" Kirito called.
Without hesitation, the girl lunged, her rapier flashing forward.
A cold hiss rang out as her blade pierced an enemy's breastplate; with a twist of her wrist, she tore free in a long, rending slash.
Asuna's eyes burned with focus, every strike precise, like the stitch of a needle, sewing shut the gaps in their faltering line.
Ren drew another breath, summoning strength. A Forest Elf in heavy armor charged, axe crashing down like a thunderbolt.
Ren raised his sword to block, his entire body shuddering, arms numb. But he refused to yield. With a roar, he twisted, redirecting the blow, and slashed across the foe's waist.
Red pixels burst, streaming along his blade.
"End them quickly, they're not stopping!" Kirito warned, his eyes darting to the sides where more ships had already landed, enemy troops still pouring in like the tide.
"We cannot let them break this line! If we do, the fortress will fall!" Kizmel roared, raising her black blade high and leading the counterattack.
The four of them, Kizmel, Ren, Kirito, and Asuna, though different, moved now as one. Their blades traced weaving arcs of light, forming a living wall of steel. Any enemy that slipped through was struck down by one of them instantly.
Pixel blood burst in sprays, steel screamed, and every breath they drew merged with the rhythm of battle.
The first line still held, though beneath their boots, the ground was already awash in crimson, like a sea of blood.