The winds blew dry and hot as Kaelen stood at the threshold of the Iron Barrens — a land of red dust, jagged black stone, and rusted metal spires that pierced the sky like the bones of a dead god. The Trial of Shadows had tested their minds and resolve. But the Trial of Iron promised something far more brutal.
Here, strength reigned supreme. Logic yielded to force. And the dominion was ruled not by assassins, but by armored giants who knew no surrender — the Ironclads.
Entering Steelspire
System Notice: Entering Region – Iron Barrens.Trial of Iron Initiated: Capture the Fortress of Steelspire within 72 Hours.Warning: All enemy forces possess tiered armor and siege resistance.
Kaelen read the message aloud to his commanders.
"We need strategy," Selene said, her staff glowing with ambient mana. "Siege battles are about attrition."
Reina, mounted on her now-evolved Thunderclaw Sovereign, smirked. "Then we hit them so hard they can't last long enough to drag us down."
Kaelen stared into the distance. From the ridge, they could see it — Steelspire, a fortress carved from blackened iron and reinforced by volcanic stone, bristling with ballistae and trebuchets.
And at its center stood a massive armored figure: Lord Arkaron, Warlord of the Ironclads.
As they prepared the assault, Kaelen brought forth the latest drops from the previous trials. Among them was a rare evolution item — the Core of Elemental Conductivity.
Item Used: Core of Elemental ConductivityUnit Affected: Tempest Legionnaire x6Evolution Triggered: Legionnaire → Tempest Paladin
Blue light flooded the battlefield as six elite soldiers underwent visible transformation. Their armor grew crystalline, etched with lightning runes, and their weapons crackled with refined electric current.
Kaelen checked the system:
Troop Evolution Tree UpdatedNew Branch Unlocked: Elemental VanguardEvolution Progression (Global Rank): Top 0.7%
Meanwhile, Lyra's blade gleamed with moonlight. Her class, Blade of Moonlight, now allowed her to blink short distances and deliver devastating backline cuts.
Selene approached with her younger sister, Lirael, standing tall beside her rare beast — a Lunasky Griffon, recently evolved into a Celestial Griffon Matriarch.
Even the beasts, like their summoners, were growing.
Kaelen didn't wait. With only 72 hours, he knew time was precious.
Command: Begin Assault Phase One.
Ballista fire rained from Steelspire's walls, hammering down with thunderous force. Kaelen's shield units, newly reinforced, held formation, absorbing the brunt with their Tempest barriers.
Skill Activated: Storm Wall – Negate incoming projectiles for 5 seconds.
A trebuchet launched molten stone — only for Reina to leap ahead and unleash a Thunderous Sundering Slash, splitting the projectile midair.
Kaelen led the charge with Lyra at his flank, both weaving between geysers of fire and falling rubble. His trident surged with lightning as he crashed into the first Ironclad unit — each a hulking, two-meter-tall warrior encased in black armor.
But these were not illusions. These were real monsters.
Enemy Unit Detected: Ironclad Warden x22Elite Class: Arkaron's Vanguard
Each clash rang out like a hammer against an anvil. Sparks flew. Tempest Paladins traded blows in coordinated rhythm, using their evolved skills to bypass armor.
Selene's Frostcaller Wyrm released an arctic wave, freezing half of the enemy's flank — long enough for Kaelen to dive in and sweep their legs with a charged trident sweep.
The outer defense broke after three hours of relentless combat. But then, as they regrouped, the system sent another warning:
Fortress Defense Phase Two Initiated.Structure Activated: Steelstorm Turrets (x8).Status: Auto-Targeting Enabled.
Massive rotating turrets emerged from hidden bunkers and opened fire, peppering the battlefield with high-speed bolts and explosive shrapnel.
Two Tempest Paladins went down instantly. Blood and sparks filled the air.
Kaelen turned to Reina. "Get those things offline!"
She grinned. "Finally. Something fun."
She and her Thunderclaw Sovereign darted through the chaos. With a Storm Leap, she soared onto the turret's back, plunged her blades deep, and overloaded its core.
One down. Seven to go.
Battle with Arkaron
Time slipped away.
Only six hours remained.
At the inner gate, Kaelen faced Arkaron himself.
The warlord stood twice as tall as any man, wielding a hammer the size of a tree trunk. His armor glowed with embedded molten veins — a fusion of fire and steel.
"You've come far," Arkaron said, voice like grinding stone. "But you're not ironborn."
"I don't need to be," Kaelen replied, summoning the energy of every evolved unit and every allied bond. "I'm storm-forged."
Their weapons clashed. Lightning met molten steel.
Kaelen Skill Activated: Sovereign's Judgment – Discharge every stored Tempest core for one massive strike.
Lightning engulfed the battlefield.
Arkaron Skill Activated: Molten Heart – Triple defense and regenerate under flame aura.
They exchanged blow for blow, neither giving ground.
Until Lyra struck from behind with her Lunar Rift Slash, tearing through Arkaron's armor.
Kaelen plunged his trident into the gap, unleashing a final burst.
Boss Defeated: Lord Arkaron – Ironclad Warlord.Trial of Iron Completed.Rewards Unlocked: +10% Domain Influence | Ironclad Barracks | Unique Blueprint – Molten Forge | Heroine Affinity (Lyra) +12
That night, around their campfires beneath the shattered gates of Steelspire, Kaelen sat with Lyra and Reina, both quietly watching the forge-fire in the distance.
Reina leaned against him. "You're not bad at this warlord thing."
Kaelen chuckled. "I'm just getting started."
Selene joined them, a rare smile on her lips. "We've claimed two domains now. That puts us in the top 0.5% of Lords globally."
Kaelen's interface blinked:
New Challenge Unlocked: Eastern Empire's Proclamation – Lord Tournament in 5 Days.Top 500 Lords will receive special recognition and exclusive lands.
Kaelen rose, eyes locked on the horizon.
He had survived shadows and shattered iron.
Now, it was time to conquer nations.