Chapter 43: The Beginning of the Great War

On the way to one of the four great villages—the mighty northern village: Syqlia.

About a thousand soldiers, drawn from various regions, joined us during the march. Not a massive army, but enough to meaningfully reinforce our ranks.

After hours of galloping beneath a cloudy sky, we finally reached Syqlia.

There, we were met by four elders of warrior rank—one even at the feared level of warrior-commander.

This village was no mere settlement; it was the strongest in the entire barony.

Its fortifications and structures were so formidable and grand they felt more like a city.

In recent years, Syqlia had been receiving increasing attention from the castle, with ambitious plans to transform it into a border city, capable of halting and confronting beastly incursions.

Yet there was no time to admire our surroundings.

Immediately upon passing through the stone gates, we were all dispatched on missions.

My brigade, along with four others, was tasked with constructing an advanced defense line, set one hundred meters ahead of the main wall.

Meanwhile, I and seven other warriors were chosen to guard and assist the scouts tasked with advancing into the forest's reconnaissance zones.

Soldiers wielded magic deftly, erecting stone walls, stakes, and protective runes with astonishing speed.

Flames and ice, chains and roots—every element was invoked and shaped as part of a survival ritual.

Ahead of the forest, Ignis hovered slowly, unleashing his blue flame in strategic arcs, burning entire swaths of trees to grant us improved visibility.

Where his flame passed, the trees turned to crystalline dust, as though they had never existed.

Astrel, too, assisted… but with utter disdain.

He cruelly felled a few trees, then trotted back to a rock to lie down, pretending the whole affair didn't concern him.

The warrior-level scouts, stealthily embedded in the forest's shadows, pressed deeper with purpose.

Their mission: to locate the horde's concentrations and uncover whether something larger lurked beyond the tree line.

From my vantage point, I watched the fortifications accelerate into being.

The air hummed with tension.

Though the horde remained unseen, we could feel its approach.

So much so that they sent a near-Baron elder just to oversee operations.

> And when they deploy someone like that…

It means they expect the worst.

---

They expected everything to be finished by dusk.

They needed to be ready.

Because the real danger wasn't what we could see… but what could emerge in the darkness.

Hence, the village of Syqlia became a organized frenzy—an insane rush through every corner, a frantic dance of sweat, steel, and sorcery.

At the main boundary, soldiers labored as if time itself were their enemy.

Magical barriers, crystalline trenches, thorn and root traps.

Archers were stationed every twenty paces.

Support mages etched explosive runes and slowing spells into the earth.

All second-tier weapons were brought online:

Stellar cannons, channeling the night's energy into destructive beams of light.

Thunder crossbows, firing cascades of electrified bolts.

Flame catapults, fueled with pure energetic essences.

And the dreaded net-launchers, built to immobilize massive beasts.

Under the relentless work of our troops, at dusk, everything was ready.

The advanced defense line stood strong—strategic, unforgiving.

Soon after, all scouts returned.

We were led back into the village.

Even there, on the wide, well-paved streets, tension was palpable.

Soldiers manned full garrison duty, organizing patrols, lighting watch towers, and preparing evacuation points.

Nighttime strategies were already underway.

We were guided into a vast hall, where every key leader had gathered—from brigade commanders to near-Barons.

There, in heavy silence, we saw Flávia, Sitha, and Selena whispering among themselves, faces taut and grim.

After a few minutes, Flávia rose to her feet.

Her red eyes swept the crowd, and when she spoke…

The hall fell entirely silent.

---

Flávia:

> "Soldiers…

Tomorrow, we may face the bloodiest war this barony has ever witnessed.

Perhaps I, or you, or even all of us will die.

But no.

We will not die.

We will endure.

And—

We will triumph.

Demonic beasts?

Savage creatures of the dark woods?

They can never match a vampire's strength.

They cannot grasp what it means to fight for a people.

For a home.

For those we love.

Tomorrow, we will win this war.

And beneath the blood of beasts, we will raise our swords…

And savor the taste of life."

---

Flávia ended her speech by unleashing her crimson aura.

The hall shivered under its might.

Her overwhelming presence reminded every soldier, commander, and near-Baron—why she was the supreme leader of this barony.

> "GO! PREPARE YOURSELVES! TOMORROW WE WILL WIN!" she roared with unshakable authority.

> "YES, MA'AM!" we responded in chorus, leaving the hall in a wave of renewed purpose.

---

Outside, I walked slowly through the streets of Syqlia, finally allowed a moment of reprieve.

The northern village held a quiet, enduring beauty—ancient stone halls and enchanted obsidian lanterns hovering over cobblestone.

Yet despite it all, my brow remained furrowed.

The weight of what lay ahead pressed upon me like an invisible wall.

> "If only I were already a true warrior…"

My vampire abilities were still limited, and though my True Blood had reached 3 of 10, it wasn't enough to ascend to the next tier.

> "What a shame… If this were one or two months from now, I might have reached it."

These thoughts chased me while, in a powerful leap, I bounded onto rooftops.

House by house, I climbed until I reached the northern barrier wall.

---

From this high perch I saw everything.

The silent expanse beyond defenses.

Traps arranged in perfect formation.

The advanced frontline—a grim sentinel.

No living soul in sight.

Just the ominous hush of war's eve.

I lingered for minutes, watching.

Reflecting.

Until, on a breath of wind, two familiar figures appeared beside me.

Flávia and Selena.

They hovered quietly for a moment, simply watching.

— Beautiful, isn't it? — I murmured, still gazing at the horizon.

— Indeed… it's a lovely sight, replied Selena in her gentle voice.

— Yes… Tenebris is breathtakingly beautiful, added Flávia, a hint of nostalgia shining in her eyes.

We were silent together for a moment.

Then, she whispered, voice tinged with regret:

— It's a shame… that this beauty is forever bound to war.

---

Flávia and Selena nodded in agreement, silent, as the three of us gazed upon that tranquil vista…

A false calm.

A fleeting peace.

The final one before chaos descended.

---

The Next Day…

Under the advanced defense line, the entire army stood ready.

Soldiers aligned in disciplined ranks, shields raised, weapons glinting.

Mages weaved spells; artillery was primed.

And then…

BOOM… BOOM… BOOM…

The earth trembled.

The waves of vibration grew faster, stronger.

And then we saw them.

Looming at the forest's edge, a shifting mass appeared on the horizon.

They looked like ants.

But we knew they were not.

A horde of demonic beasts.

A living wall of teeth, claws, and savage intelligence.

— Damn… — I muttered between clenched jaws.

Their numbers were staggering.

Far greater than anticipated.

Three, perhaps four times more than forecasts.

The third-level beasts led them, but the true power lay in the overwhelming multitude of lesser creatures.

It was like witnessing collapse itself.

As they advanced, they began to spill out of the forest.

And then… terror broke.

---

BOOM! GRRHK! FWHAAA!

Traps unleashed their fury in sequence, flinging magical shards, icy blades, columns of flame, and enchanted nets.

A maelstrom of death washed over the first wave.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, fell instantly.

The air filled with bestial screams and the stench of burning flesh.

And yet… they pressed on.

Like a river of damnation.

---

With my heart in my throat, we waited.

Every second felt like an age.

The roar of approaching beasts… the hush of our ranks…

Tension stretched taut, ready to snap.

And then…

---

Flávia rose into the sky.

Her body split the heavens in a breathtaking ascent, and Vitae burst forth from every vein—a shimmering tide of life's crimson essence, radiating unstoppable power.

With both arms lifted, an aura of water appeared, spiraling around her like a celestial storm.

And then…

BOOOOOOM!

A gargantuan water explosion erupted, formed as a spear of oceanic force—cutting across the sky and crushing the forward line of beasts.

It tore through and collided head-on with the low-level creatures; upon impact…

CRRRRAAACK!!!

A second wave detonated:

The water froze instantly, releasing a burst of blue-gray frost that spread outward.

Dozens, hundreds of beasts were seized and shattered where they stood.

A colossal crater yawned across the battlefield.

The water turned to snow.

The ground became a mirror of ice.

The terror was now quiet and frigid.

A frozen battlefield had been born.

---

And thus, it began.

The Great War.

The flames of conflict, paradoxically, lit up a frost-bound stage.

> "And we stood there...

To burn… or be frozen with it."