The banners of Falmuth snapped in the wind above the massive camp. Twenty thousand men—soldiers, knights, priests, and hired blades—lined up in rows of tents that rolled across the plain like a sea. Fires burned. The smell of roasted meat mixed with smoke and loud boasts.
"Soon we arrive on that so-called nation of monsters," one soldier said, slamming his mug down.
"Nation?" another scoffed. "It's a den of beasts. We'll burn it, take their treasures, and everyone goes home heroes."
Inside the command tent, King Edmaris reclined on a cushioned chair, belly full from feasting. Nobles and bishops crowded the table, maps and reports spread before them. Archbishop Reyhiem leaned in, all honeyed voice and hard edges.
"Your Majesty," Reyhiem purred, "the Church will sing of this for years. You will be the king who struck down a demon's cradle."
Edmaris chuckled, wine staining his lip. "Yes. This Atem fellow—ruling over monsters. He'll learn what happens when humans strike back."
Across the camp, soldiers sharpened blades and tossed dice, their laughter loud, their confidence thick. They believed they could not lose.
At the border of Eterna's territory, three figures stood apart from the common men—outsiders summoned from other places, each dangerous in their own way.
Shogo Tagurihara cracked his knuckles, bared teeth showing too easily. He moved like a man ready for blood.
Kyoya Tachibana sat calmly, blade in hand, eyes cold and precise as a hunter.
Kiara Miyama leaned against a pillar of strange black glass that pulsed with sickly light—the core of the anti-monster barrier. It hummed across the land, draining magicules and sapping the strength of Eterna's defenders. Around the pillar, elite squads held the lines, ordered to cut down anyone who tried to flee.
Shogo spat. "Pathetic creatures. All they do is scream."
Kiara laughed, a thin, cruel sound. "They burn so pretty. If Eterna was the strongest nation, I'm bored already."
Kyoya sheathed his blade slowly. "Don't celebrate yet. There's pride in the slaughter. That makes men careless."
Their voices were picked up by the soldiers nearby, feeding the bravado. Men bragged about plunder, women they'd take, glory they'd earn. The arrogance in the camp rose like a tide.
They'd been told Atem was a foreign ruler, a man who led monsters and spirits together, who commanded strange powers. That made him an easy target for mockery.
"Who even is this Atem?" a drunk soldier asked. "A man who talks to ghosts? Sounds like a joke."
Reyhiem smiled a thin smile. "Whoever he is, he dared to make monsters into a city. That alone is a sacrilege. We are the sword. We will judge him."
Beyond the tent, the pulsing pillar kept eating at Eterna's strength. In the distance, faint fires from the ruined city painted the night sky. The men in camp felt unstoppable. They did not know the resolve burning on the other side of the smoke. They did not yet know the price their arrogance would demand.
For now, though, victory was on their lips and hunger in their bellies. They would march at dawn—confident, loud, and blind to what they had truly provoked.
The next day, Souei's voice whispered through Atem's mind, cold and precise.
"Atem-sama… the soldiers have positioned themselves along the perimeter of Eterna. They've blocked all main roads, and the otherworlders—Shogo, Kyoya, Kiara—are holding the pillars. They're ready to cut off any escape. Casualties are minimal on their side—they expect us to come to them."
Atem's piercing gaze swept the valley. The suppression pillars glowed sickly yellow, casting twisted shadows across tightly arranged formations. Archers crouched on ridges, infantry patrolled the plains, and the three otherworlders stood like statues of death, guarding the pillars.
"Perfect." Atem said, his voice calm but ice-cold. Without warning, he soared into the sky, rising above the enemy like a god surveying his prey. The wind whipped around him, carrying an aura of absolute authority and terror that made even seasoned soldiers glance upward in fear.
From his hand, the Spirit Deck responded. Atem began summoning the monsters he had collected across lifetimes, each appearing with explosive power, filling the battlefield with destructive energy.
4-Starred Ladybug of Doom fluttered across the frontlines, unleashing curses that confused and terrified the soldiers.
Alpha the Magnet Warrior and Beta the Magnet Warrior clashed with enemy siege engines, pulling them apart with invisible magnetic force.
Archfiend of Gilfer tore through infantry, its claws leaving trails of dark energy.
Black Luster Soldier and Envoy of the Beginning descended from the sky, striking multiple enemy squads at once, blades glowing with divine energy.
Dark Magician unleashed torrents of arcane fire, melting shields and armor in seconds.
Dark Magician Girl followed, firing waves of magical energy that paralyzed soldiers in pain and terror.
Summoned Skull leapt across the battlefield, crushing cavalry and scattering ranks with bone-crushing force.
Cyber Jar warped reality in localized zones, swallowing soldiers only to spit them out helplessly in disarray.
Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1 soared overhead, fire and wind tearing through cavalry and archers alike.
Valkyrion the Magna Warrior appeared from a trap card, spinning deadly blades through enemy ranks and toppling siege towers.
Zombyra the Dark and Feral Imp crawled along the battlefield, striking at unsuspecting officers and creating panic.
Beaver Warrior, Gaia the Fierce Knight, and Swift Gaia charged forward, crushing lines of infantry under unrelenting force.
Kuribohs scattered in defensive patterns, absorbing stray attacks and protecting the more destructive monsters as they tore through the army.
The valley erupted into chaos. Screams filled the air as arrows froze mid-flight, horses collided, and soldiers were torn apart by monsters both large and small. The suppression pillars flickered, struggling to maintain control under Atem's relentless onslaught.
The otherworlders—Shogo, Kyoya, Kiara—tried to intervene, but Atem sent Blue-Eyes White Dragons, Red-Eyes Black Dragons, and Dark Magician clones directly against them. Shogo's brute force met unstoppable attacks, Kyoya's swordplay was shredded by shadow and light, and Kiara's magic was devoured before she could even cast.
Interlude: The Pride of Falmuth.....
The night over the Falmuth camp was alive with firelight and hubris. Rows upon rows of tents stretched across the plains, packed with twenty thousand soldiers—knights, infantry, archers, and mercenaries—each convinced of victory before the first blow had been struck. Fires crackled and smoke rose in ribbons, mixing with the scent of roasted meat and spilled wine.
At the center, King Edmaris reclined on a raised platform, his ample form cushioned by silks and furs, a goblet of wine dripping from his fingers. Around him, nobles and bishops bent their heads in obeisance.
"Tomorrow," the king boomed, "we march on that so-called nation of monsters. Eterna will burn, and we will return victorious."
Archbishop Reyhiem's voice was oily, slick with flattery. "Your Majesty, the Church will sing your name in holy hymns. You will be remembered as the king who struck down the true enemy of the church."
Edmaris chuckled, wine staining his lips. "A human ruler playing at monster ambition? Foolish. They will regret ever daring to rise."
The soldiers around them laughed, boasting of what they would plunder. "I'll tell my grandchildren I burned dragons alive!" one knight bellowed. "And I cut down a hundred goblins before breakfast!" A chorus of laughter and crude cheers rose, swelling the arrogance of the camp to unbearable heights.
On the ridges and near the edges of the suppression pillars, the otherworlders watched like predators surveying prey.
Shogo cracked his knuckles, muscles coiled with barely contained violence. "They are pathetic," he growled. "We might as well take candy from children."
Kyoya's eyes were cold, calculating. He sharpened his blade with deliberate care, watching the distant fires. "Discipline will crush them. Their magic… will crumble."
Kiara leaned against the pillar that pulsed with sickly yellow light, her smile sharp and cruel. "See them. They do not even realize how fragile they are. I will enjoy every scream."
The soldiers below, intoxicated with confidence, took their positions along the perimeter of Eterna. Archers crouched on ridges, spearmen lined the roads, and cavalry patrolled in predictable patterns. Behind them, the suppression pillars glowed, draining the strength of the monsters of Eterna and binding their magic with invisible chains. No one thought to question the perfection of their formation, the inevitability of their triumph.
But above them, unseen and unimagined, a shadow gathered.
A wind stirred through the camp, slight at first, brushing the fires and carrying a sense of foreboding the soldiers could not name. Edmaris took another sip of wine, oblivious. "Morning comes, and victory comes with it," he said.
And then the sky darkened.
A chill rolled across the plains, unnatural and sudden. The soldiers stiffened, looking up in confusion as the air warped above them. Atem appeared, rising above the Falmuth army like a god. His presence alone twisted the night sky, an aura so overwhelming that firelight dimmed in comparison.
The soldiers murmured nervously. Even the otherworlders felt the chill of fear gnawing at their confidence. Arrows fell to the ground; swords clattered.
Shogo clenched his fists. "What… what is this power?!"
Kyoya's eyes widened, his grip on his sword tightening. "Impossible…"
Kiara's laughter faltered, replaced with unease. "This… this cannot be…"
From high above, Atem raised his hand. The air thickened, and in a heartbeat, the first strike descended: the ultimate judgment of his deck.
Cries of terror filled the air. "What… what magic is this?!" "It isn't humanly possible!" "The king… save us!"
King Edmaris' wine cup shattered in his hand as he stumbled backward. "What… what is happening?!"