Chapter 22: The Emberfront War Begins

A war wasn't declared with banners or shouts, not in this world—not when the System orchestrated every act of escalation like an unseen god. The battle for Emberpath had shifted. No longer a cold race for territory, it was now an inferno of calculated strikes, counter-sabotage, and desperate innovations.

Inside the central command tent of Hollowshade, Hikaru stood with clenched fists. The northern depot lay smoking behind them. Crystal shards still littered the edges of the blast radius. The attack had been swift, subterranean, and devastating.

"It's personal now," he growled.

Illya placed a calming hand on his arm. "We need a plan, not vengeance."

He took a breath, the System interface flickering in front of him.

Ongoing Conflict Detected: Warfront - Emberpath Fields

PvP Status: Active

Resources Gained: +300 Iron, +80 Mana Crystals/day

Resources Lost (Sabotage): -230 Mana Crystals

Suggested Objective: Build Forward Stronghold

Unlocks: Tier II Siege Tools, Tactical Retaliation Protocol

"I want that Forward Stronghold," Hikaru muttered. "Put everything we've got into it."

Kora marched in, her armor scorched but her eyes gleaming. "The west ridge is clear. Our Ironhammers held. We can secure the southern quarry if we move fast."

Hikaru turned to her. "Take a team. Hold it. And install a flame-resistant wall perimeter. I'm not letting Lucien melt another inch of my territory."

She grinned. "Gladly."

Lucien leaned over a tactical map, watching red lines blink in and out of existence. The Embercrawlers had done their job—but he hadn't anticipated the Phantom Watchers. His scouts were disappearing faster than he could replace them.

"They're bleeding me slowly," he muttered.

His second-in-command, a crimson-robed pyromancer named Theron, stepped up. "Permission to unleash the Pyreborn?"

Lucien glanced at the glowing containment cages outside. Inside writhed fiery elemental spirits bound to skeletal constructs—unstable, volatile, and devastating.

"They'll raze more than we gain," Lucien muttered. "But perhaps that's what's needed."

Theron smiled. "War is fire."

The Forward Stronghold rose like a fortress from the dust. Reinforced walls crafted with Blisterfang alloys gleamed under the sunlight. Turrets bearing flame-resistant plating scanned the horizon. Mana fuses linked the entire structure to a localized defensive network.

System Notification: Forward Stronghold Constructed

Effect: +25% Defense in Emberpath

Unlock: Tactical Retaliation Protocol

Hikaru studied the new System option.

Tactical Retaliation Protocol

Deploy a targeted counter-strike mission with increased success rate based on Commander INT + Tactical Assets + Morale.

Current success chance: 78%

Target: Ashveil Quarry Site

Outcome: If successful, destroy 60% of active operations and trigger enemy morale loss.

Illya gave him a nod. "The odds are in our favor."

"Then launch it."

A squad of upgraded Phantom Watchers departed into the night, carrying with them smoke-bombs, destabilizer cores, and bluefire igniters.

The Ashveil Quarry Site glowed under the moonlight, guarded by Emberforge constructs and low-level flame priests. But they weren't prepared for what Hikaru's forces brought.

The Phantom Watchers moved like shadows, breaching magical barriers with encoded sigils stolen from previous skirmishes. One by one, the fuel cores of Lucien's mining operations were sabotaged. Explosions erupted in rapid succession.

By dawn, the entire quarry had collapsed into itself.

System Notification: Tactical Retaliation Success

Ashveil Quarry Operations: -65%

Lucien's Morale: -14%

Hollowshade Morale: +22%

Reward: Infernal Salvage Crate x1, +2 System Favor

Kora laughed when the report came in. "Now that's how you wage war."

Hikaru remained quiet, staring at the map. "It's not over. He'll hit back harder."

Lucien stood amidst the rubble of his ruined quarry. His knuckles whitened around his obsidian staff.

"No more mercy," he growled. "Theron. Release the Pyreborn."

The cages unlocked with a hiss of steam and fire.

From them emerged burning skeletons, each wrapped in molten armor and radiating unstable System energy. They screeched into the dawn.

System Alert: Elite Unit Deployed – Pyreborn

Status: Unstable

Damage Output: +80%

Range: Medium

Weakness: Cold, Disruption Fields

The Pyreborn struck like a meteor shower.

Three outposts vanished under coordinated firestorms. Flame pillars scorched the earth. Even reinforced golems melted under the pressure. Entire platoons burned before orders could be issued.

Illya barely escaped the southern defense point, her robes smoldering.

"Hikaru," she panted, appearing before him. "We need counters. Now."

Hikaru activated his interface.

Enemy Weakness Detected: Cold & Disruption Fields

Suggested Counter: Build Frost Lancer Towers & deploy Cryo-surge Units

He grinned.

"Then we give them winter."

The Builders worked around the clock. By dusk, the first Frost Lancer Towers were online. Blades of pure sub-zero mana spun and launched like harpoons. At their base stood the newly trained Cryo-surge Units—mages wielding staffs that shot freezing pulses in wide arcs.

The next Pyreborn assault was met head-on.

Fire met ice.

The battlefield hissed as steam engulfed the plains. The Cryo-surge pulses struck true—shattering the unstable Pyreborn frames mid-rampage. A dozen fell. Then two dozen.

System Alert: Countermeasures Effective

Pyreborn Threat Reduced: -70%

Morale Boost: +10%

Unit Loyalty: +15% (Cryo-surge Units)

Lucien screamed into his war map. "He's adapting too fast!"

Theron stepped back warily. "He's not just reacting—he's outmaneuvering you."

Lucien stared at the red glow of his diminished forces and grit his teeth. "Then we escalate again. If I can't burn him out…"

He opened his interface and selected a hidden System card:

System Card: Invoke Cataclysm – Volcanic Rift Beacon

Warning: Use of Cataclysm-tier tech will destabilize local terrain for 48 hours.

Proceed?

He pressed "Yes."

A deep rumble shook the battlefield. Fissures tore across the western plains. Lava surged upward in tendrils. Craters formed where mana veins once lay.

Illya's voice cracked. "What… what is he doing?"

A red icon blinked on the map:

Volcanic Rift Beacon Activated

All Emberpath Operations Suspended for 48 Hours

Risk: Unit Death, Environmental Hazard, Building Meltdown

Hikaru stared at the carnage.

Lucien had turned the field into a no-man's-land.

And yet, Hikaru smiled.

"Perfect. Now I know what kind of player he really is."

Kora raised a brow. "Insane?"

"No. Desperate."