The lizard lunged at Zacharias with overwhelming speed and power.
Its jaws opened wide, ready to bite the brave warrior in half.
Droplets of sticky saliva fell onto the blood-soaked ground.
Zacharias's eyes widened as the attack came from behind.
He dug both feet into the ground and leapt high into the air.
The lizard's jaws snapped shut, missing his legs by mere inches.
With a swift motion, he landed behind the beast.
But his calculations were off.
The lizard stood nearly four meters tall, its tail longer than its body.
Its entire form was covered in black armored scales, making wounding it nearly impossible.
It coiled its tail, then swung it with terrifying force toward Zacharias.
The tail's tip smashed into his face, hurling him violently to the side.
He slammed into a massive boulder, shattering it completely on impact.
His body rolled several meters across the ground, battered and broken.
For a moment, his senses faded.
He could barely hear or see, only the muffled roar of battle around him.
Through blurred vision, he saw his comrades torn apart and devoured by the beasts.
The first division of the army was collapsing.
"Is this my end"?
Before the thought could settle, the black lizard coiled its tail around his leg.
The pain snapped him fully back to reality.
Before he could grab onto anything, he was dragged violently across the ground.
The beast swung its tail, lifting him ten meters into the air.
It was about to smash him to pieces...
The tail constricted with a monstrous force, snapping his leg.
Then, with terrifying speed, it slammed him into the ground.
The earth cracked and trembled with the impact, dust erupting in every direction.
Zacharias felt his bones shattering, his body bleeding from almost every limb.
But it wasn't over.
The tail remained coiled tightly around his broken leg, ready to repeat the torment.
Clutching the hilt of his sword, he slashed desperately at the beast's tail.
Strike after strike, a frenzy of blows born of sheer desperation.
But the armored scales barely scratched, his efforts in vain.
Again, the lizard hurled him high into the air.
All he could do was brace for the inevitable.
And it came.
This time the impact was even more brutal.
His body nearly crushed under the force, his ribs breaking, his face covered in blood.
Blood sprayed from his nose and mouth, painting the battlefield red.
Zacharias could no longer resist.
The battle between him and the lizard was too far from the others—no help would come.
A tear traced down his cheek, cutting through the blood.
He remembered the promise he had made to his daughter—
to take her camping in the mountains once this battle was over.
A promise he would never fulfill.
The lizard raised him again, stretching its tail to full length.
From there, Zacharias could see the battlefield one last time.
The flood of creatures pouring from the gates never stopped—
in fact, it only grew worse.
One by one, the soldiers of the first division fell, devoured or crushed.
"I failed them... I failed as a commander".
But there was no time to atone.
He knew the next strike would end his life.
The tail tightened around his broken leg, dragging him into a storm of agony.
He shut his eyes, ready for death.
But then—
Just before the tail constricted fully, a flash of blue light appeared.
In an instant, the lizard's tail was severed cleanly at its base.
Zacharias couldn't comprehend what happened.
As he plummeted, too weak to control his fall, he prepared for agony once more.
But the lizard was already dead.
Its head had been cleaved clean off.
Whoever had done this was no ordinary warrior.
Zacharias hadn't even seen them move—only caught a glimpse by chance.
The ground rushed toward him.
He clenched his teeth, bracing for the pain.
But instead of the cold earth, he landed in someone's arms.
His eyes were closed, but he felt the strength in the man's body.
Slowly, painfully, he opened them—
And saw Iris.
The distance between them in formation had been more than fifty kilometers.
How had Iris reached him so quickly?
Well… there was a reason he commanded three armies.
Iris smiled.
"You fought well, only to be eaten by a lizard? How pitiful."
Zacharias chuckled weakly.
The laughter sent waves of pain through his broken ribs.
"I'm sorry, Commander… I've failed."
Iris's smile vanished.
Without another word, he opened a magical gate.
The energy of the Siren clan's magic was always deep blue—
from Alexa's blade on the lake,
to the fiery aura of Zacharias's sword,
to the shimmering clouds of their spells.
So too was the portal: a glowing blue circle,
engraved with ancient Akimo runes, revolving silently around its edge.
Iris lifted Zacharias's shattered body with care.
Even the gentlest motion caused him unbearable pain.
Together, they stepped through the portal.
In the blink of an eye, Zacharias was on the palace rooftop.
There stood Alexa, Iris, Eilara, and the Sirens' greatest generals.
Iris laid him on a stretcher. Servants carried him swiftly inside for treatment.
Iris then returned to Alexa's side, watching as the first division was annihilated.
The tide of abominations poured endlessly from the gates, overwhelming the city.
He exhaled in frustration.
"It seems… we will lose the capital after all."
Alexa said nothing, her expression unreadable.
Iris spoke again.
"Isn't now the time to take Ethios and hide him somewhere safe?"
Alexa sighed softly.
"And where exactly would that be?"
Indeed, Ethios was the source of their calamity—though only a child.
No one but his parents and the highest of the Sirens knew his secret.
Even their closest allies might turn against them if the truth came to light.
Iris gritted his teeth.
"Damn it…"
At that moment, the first division was completely wiped out.
The abominable armies surged forward, advancing on the city's second division.
The capital was on the brink of collapse…