Eris, Alexa, and Elara stood upon the palace rooftop, their gazes fixed on the hordes of beasts advancing toward the capital like a roaring storm.
Matt Tedrosi, Alexa's cousin, commanded the second division of the army. His unit was stationed in the city streets and the emptied homes of the citizens.
From every corner, the three approaching armies could be seen converging upon the city's walls.
Matt exhaled deeply and looked at his men.
"If they breach the beasts' ranks, they'll head straight for the palace. The capital will fall without question. We must stop them at all costs."
The soldiers nodded, acknowledging his command.
The beasts reached the city wall and brought it crashing down.
The wall stood nearly thirty meters high, and its collapse sent showers of stone and concrete to the ground, crushing homes nearby. Dust billowed in every direction, smothering the air.
The expressions of those still alive in the capital hardened. The decisive battle was upon them—the battle that would determine the city's fate.
And with it, the fate of certain eminent figures.
From the haze of dust, the horde of monstrous creatures surged forward, charging the city in savage frenzy.
Scarlet apes leapt from rooftop to rooftop, cracking walls beneath their weight.
The winged beasts that Zacharias had fought earlier soared high above, casting shadows over the city.
Colossal lizards barreled through the streets, their speed and weight shaking the ground.
The soldiers of the second division raised their weapons and charged.
And when the two armies clashed,
the city drowned in the clamor of steel striking against the armored hides of the lizards.
The archers loosed countless volleys skyward at the flying beasts. Arrows rained like a storm rising from the earth to the heavens, bringing many winged monsters crashing down.
Matt sprinted toward an abandoned wagon in the street, planted his foot upon it, and vaulted onto a rooftop.
There, four of the scarlet apes awaited him.
One lunged with inhuman speed, the roof crumbling beneath its feet.
Matt raised his shield in his left hand and gripped a long-bladed spear in his right. Planting his stance, he braced for impact.
But what came next, he did not expect…
The ape leapt several meters away, suspended in the crisp air cutting across the capital. Clasping its fists together, it descended upon Matt with a crushing blow.
Matt lifted his white steel shield above his head, bracing for the strike.
The impact came too swiftly to dodge.
The beast's fists crashed against his shield, shattering the rooftop beneath the warrior's feet.
Both combatants plummeted into the darkened home below.
Only a single shaft of light broke through the gaping hole in the roof, dust streaming down like a waterfall of sand.
Matt staggered upright, shaking his head.
As the ape lunged again, Matt hurled his spear with immense force. The blade pierced its throat, pinning it against the wall.
Matt sprinted to reclaim his weapon from the fallen beast.
But the three remaining apes dropped into the house as well.
To say Matt was in peril would have been no exaggeration.
The apes charged together.
Matt rushed to meet them.
One swung at him, its massive fist intercepted by his gleaming shield. Matt countered with a thrust from below—but the thick scarlet fur absorbed the strike.
Another ape crept behind him and smashed his back with a brutal punch, staggering him.
It was all the opening they needed.
The first ape wrenched his spear away and drove the shaft into his abdomen.
If not for his hardened muscles, it would have pierced through.
Reeling backward, Matt was struck in the side by the third ape's powerful kick, hurled into the wall of the house.
The wall crumbled, sending Matt tumbling through rubble into the street.
For a moment, he lay still as the apes advanced once more.
With effort, he rose, scanning his surroundings.
He almost wished he had perished inside the house before seeing this.
The city lay in ruin. Homes crumbled under the apes' rampage.
The lizards devoured soldiers, smashing others with their massive tails.
The archers' quivers were emptied, yet the flying beasts still swept the skies, seizing helpless men with clawed talons.
Far away, Matt glimpsed his cousin Alexa, still motionless atop the palace. Beside her stood Eris, Elara, and the famed generals of the army.
Matt's face darkened, and he muttered through labored breaths:
"What are you doing up there? The capital is falling!"
But he had no time to dwell on them now. He had to survive the apes before him.
Yet fate had other plans.
A shadow fell from above—a winged beast diving in a suicide strike.
Matt barely dodged, crashing to the ground as its beak impaled the earth.
From a nearby home, a lizard burst forth, jaws dripping with blood from a slain soldier. In an instant, its tail coiled around Matt, constricting with monstrous force.
The crushing pressure shattered his ribs, the sound echoing in the bloodstained street.
Matt screamed, torn by agony, praying for someone—anyone—to save him.
But no one came. He had no chance to call upon magic or summon strength. The battle for the city was far harsher than Zacharias's earlier struggle.
The beast released him, dropping his battered body.
The apes surrounded him, smashing his frame with merciless fists.
Matt was no more.
---
Far above, on the palace rooftop, Eris turned to Alexa.
"Why didn't you give the order to save him?"
Alexa's voice was firm.
"He was already dead. The moment he faced those apes, his fate was sealed. Sending you to him would only drag you into the fray. I need you here."
Eris clenched his teeth, unable to accept it.
"Alexa… for heaven's sake. He was your cousin."
Alexa squeezed her eyes shut, as if to hold back tears.
"Do you think it was easy for me? To watch him be crushed and do nothing?"
Silence stretched between them.
By now, much of the capital lay in ruins. Blue flames of sorcery lit the wreckage, bodies of men and monsters alike strewn across the streets. The once-great city had become a vision of devastation.
Yet remnants of the second division still fought. Not all were dead. Resistance endured.
Far beyond the capital, atop a mountain overlooking the magical gates, stood two women.
Both were blonde, with piercing blue eyes that gleamed like glass.
They belonged to the Zadish clan—bitter rivals of the Siren. The clans had clashed countless times in the first and second wars, leaving behind endless carnage and an unquenchable hatred.
The first was tall and imposing, her body hardened with muscle, her expression cold and sharp.
This was Evelyn, sovereign of the Zadish clan.
The other was shorter, with wide eyes, soft features, and short wavy hair—an innocent face that belied her nature.
As the saying goes: never judge a book by its cover.
This was Heko, Evelyn's sister and minister.
Leaning against a tree, Heko sighed softly.
"Their capital fell far more easily than I expected. Pathetic wretches."
Evelyn gave no reply, her gaze fixed intently on the city.
Annoyed, Heko pressed:
"What is it?"
Evelyn answered calmly.
"The capital fell because they never truly defended it."
Heko blinked, stepping forward to stand at her sister's side.
"What do you mean?"
Evelyn exhaled slowly.
"Look at their formation. The division commanders are strong enough, yes. But upon the palace rooftop stand Alexa, the clan's ruler… Eris, commander of the Union armies… Elara, the one called 'Lightning Flash.'"
Heko followed her sister's gaze. It was true. Why had the most vital figures of the Siren clan remained idle as their capital burned?
Evelyn broke her train of thought.
"If those three had led the battle, they would have crushed the beasts. Yet they stood and watched. That means there is something… or rather, someone in the palace more important to them than the city itself."
A sly smile curved Heko's lips, mirrored by Evelyn.
Evelyn continued:
"They know we're here for Ethios. So… he truly is within."
She sat upon the ground, folding her legs with composure.
"Oh, dear Alexa… I wonder what it will take to drag you from your hole."