Chapter 23: The War Begins

1. The Dawn of Conquest

The first light of dawn broke over the horizon, casting an eerie glow over the war camp. The Ashen King stood at the edge of the old fortress, overlooking his gathered forces. They were not an army in the traditional sense—there were no gleaming banners, no divine blessings, no royal decrees.

They were outcasts. Rogues. Those forsaken by the gods.

And they were ready to burn the old world to the ground.

Seraphina approached him, her crimson cloak billowing in the morning breeze. "The scouts have returned," she reported. "Valtorin has summoned the Sentinels."

The Ashen King remained silent.

Seraphina hesitated before continuing. "They're sending everything they have at you."

A slow smile crossed his lips. "Then they're afraid."

Kallista emerged from the shadows, arms crossed. "They're not wrong to be. The Sentinels aren't just warriors—they're chosen. If they come at you, it won't be a battle. It'll be a reckoning."

The Ashen King turned to face her. His gaze was calm, but the Rift's power burned in his eyes.

"Then let them come."

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2. The Divine Order Moves

Deep within the Grand Sanctum, Duke Valtorin stood before the celestial council. The chamber was bathed in golden light, the air thick with divine energy. Before him, the High Inquisitors of the Eternal Dominion sat in judgment.

"You swore that you would end him," the central figure intoned. "Yet he still breathes."

Valtorin bowed his head. "We underestimated him. The Rift's power has made him… something else."

A murmur rippled through the chamber.

The tallest of the Inquisitors stepped forward. "Then we must respond accordingly. The Sentinels will be deployed. The Ashen King will not leave Eldoria alive."

A shimmer of energy filled the air as golden portals flickered into existence. From them, armored figures emerged—each radiating divine power, their weapons forged in the heart of celestial flames.

The Sentinels had arrived.

And they were ready for war.

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3. The Siege of Eldoria

The first attack came at sunset.

The Sentinels descended like falling stars, their impact shattering the earth beneath them. The sky burned as divine sigils illuminated the battlefield. Hundreds of holy warriors advanced toward the Ashen King's fortress, their blades singing with celestial power.

From the ramparts, Seraphina drew her twin daggers. "We are outnumbered ten to one," she muttered. "This should be fun."

Kallista smirked. "Try not to die too quickly."

Below, the Ashen King stepped forward, raising a single hand. The air around him trembled, shadows gathering at his fingertips. Then, with a single motion, he unleashed the Rift's Wrath.

A shockwave of abyssal energy erupted from his palm, tearing through the first wave of Sentinels. Holy shields shattered like glass, warriors were thrown back, and the earth itself cracked beneath the force.

But they did not stop.

The Sentinels reformed, their golden armor repairing itself, their wounds sealing instantly. They marched forward, their eyes glowing with unwavering resolve.

The Ashen King narrowed his gaze.

"So, they can regenerate…"

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4. The First Clash

The first clash was brutal.

Seraphina moved like a phantom, her daggers finding the weak points in Sentinel armor. Each strike was precise, deadly—yet the divine energy within the warriors burned her with every cut.

Kallista weaved between attacks, her shadow magic coiling around her like living smoke. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a blast of abyssal fire into the ranks, but the Sentinels barely flinched.

"These bastards don't go down easy," she growled.

The Ashen King did not hesitate. He raised his hand, summoning a black spear wreathed in Rift energy. The very air around it warped, as if reality itself rejected its presence.

Then he threw it.

The spear pierced through three Sentinels in an instant, impaling them into the ground. For the first time, the divine warriors hesitated.

The Ashen King exhaled. "So, they can die."

That was all he needed to know.

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5. The Rift Unleashed

The battle raged through the night, the ground soaked in blood—both celestial and mortal. But even as the Sentinels fell, more portals opened.

More warriors came.

Valtorin stood at the edge of the battlefield, watching with cold determination.

"The Ashen King cannot win this," he murmured. "No matter how strong he is, he will be overwhelmed."

But then—something changed.

The air grew heavier. The shadows deepened.

And the Ashen King stopped holding back.

The markings on his arms ignited, pulsing with abyssal energy. The ground cracked beneath his feet. And then—he vanished.

A heartbeat later, he reappeared in the middle of the battlefield.

The Sentinels barely had time to react.

With a single sweep of his arm, he tore through them. Divine armor cracked. Celestial bodies disintegrated. The battlefield became a storm of black and gold as the Ashen King ripped through the holy ranks with terrifying efficiency.

Valtorin's eyes widened.

"Impossible…"

This wasn't just strength.

This wasn't just magic.

This was the power of the Rift itself.

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6. A King's Command

As the last Sentinel fell, silence swept across the battlefield. Smoke and ash filled the air. The Ashen King stood in the center of the devastation, his breath steady, his gaze unreadable.

The survivors of his army—what few remained—watched him with awe.

Then, he spoke.

"We move at dawn," he said.

The war was far from over.

It had only just begun.