The calm before the storm had ended.
From the darkened skies beyond Sanctum's towering walls, an ominous rumble grew steadily louder. The first wave of Tier-B beasts had been relentless, but the defenders had held firm—bolstered by Iden's ever-growing legion and the newly constructed Etheric Defense Grid, a shimmering lattice of arcane energy pulsing with radiant light across the outer perimeter.
Inside the command tower, Iden's eyes flickered over the holographic battlefield display. The monsters were massing in far greater numbers this time. With claws and horns glinting beneath twisted corrupted flesh, they advanced in brutal coordination—bigger, stronger, and more resistant than anything the defenders had faced before.
[System Notification: Second Wave – Tier-B Assault Initiated]
Iden took a deep breath, already issuing orders through the interface.
"Deploy all combat skeletons to frontline formations. Scouts, maintain perimeter surveillance. Builders, reinforce all vulnerable sectors. Let's put this defense to the ultimate test."
His skeletal army, already numbering a staggering 344,064, responded instantly, moving in perfect formation across the battleground. Each skeleton, from warrior to mage to sniper, operated with near-perfect synchronicity under Iden's command.
Meanwhile, deep within the dungeons and training grounds, thousands of newly summoned skeletons fought tirelessly to level up. Reports streamed in continuously:
[EXP Gained from Dungeon Raids +6,000][Iden's Current EXP: 47.3% → 53.8%]
Iden barely had time to process the influx when the system chimed again:
[Level Up Achieved: 46 → 47][Summon Capacity Increased: 344,064 → 344,065][EXP: 2.1%]
But the wave did not wait. As the siege intensified, the relentless assault pushed the limits of Sanctum's defenses. The Etheric Defense Grid flared repeatedly, sending arcs of searing energy into the charging monsters, decimating scores with every pulse. Yet the sheer numbers threatened to overwhelm.
Just then, another surge of experience washed over Iden:
[Level Up Achieved: 47 → 48][Summon Capacity Doubled: 344,065 → 688,130][EXP: 4.7%]
His breath caught. Doubling summon capacity meant Sanctum's forces could nearly double in size overnight. With over 688,000 skeleton warriors ready at his command, the scales of battle shifted once more.
Across the allied factions, the reaction was electric. Thanks to the teleportation portals enabled by the alliance benefits, reinforcements poured in without delay. Trade caravans delivered vital resources, while diplomats and strategists rallied together.
[Alliance EXP Share: +5,300][Resource Gains: +30,000 units]
Kael stood beside Rael, watching the holo-feed of the battlefield. "The doubling at level 48... That means the next one is close too. At level 50, it will be unimaginable."
Rael nodded, eyes fixed on the distant horizon. "We'll need every edge. This wave is nothing like before."
Back in the field, the clash erupted anew. Skeleton archers opened fire from elevated positions, snipers Iden personally equipped picked off monstrous leaders, while mages and warriors advanced under the protective glow of the Etheric Grid. The builders continued reinforcing walls and setting traps designed by Kael and Arlen's combined tactical genius.
Iden's EXP bar inched forward, the digits glowing softly in the corner of his interface:
EXP: 4.7% toward Level 48
Every strike, every fallen monster, every shattered trap fed into the steady growth of his power and his army's.
Though the monsters pressed harder than ever, the defenders' resolve was stronger still.
The second wave was just the beginning.
But with the ever-growing army, the newly fortified defenses, and the alliance's united front, Iden knew Sanctum was ready to meet whatever horrors lay beyond the horizon.
The battlefield had quieted — but only in sound, not in tension. Ash blanketed the outskirts of Sanctum. Burnt monster husks steamed in the snow-dusted wind, and acidic blood seeped into the charred soil.
But the silence was a lie. Everyone in Sanctum knew it.
Inside the Grand Command Pavilion, war tables glowed with updated information. Territory-wide mana flow reports. Rebuild projections. New Rift surges. The aftermath wasn't a moment of rest — it was an opportunity to outmaneuver whatever came next.
Iden stood at the central terminal, absorbing data with unnatural calm. At his back stood Kael, Arlen, Rael, and Nyra—each bruised, exhausted, and yet undeniably alert.
"Third wave?" Kael asked quietly.
Rael nodded, tapping a side panel. "Pattern density. There's no doubt. We'll see them within forty hours at most. And they're escalating. Tier-Bs will be the minimum."
"I can optimize the sanctum-node routes before then," Arlen added. "If we fully integrate the Etheric Grid into the leyline junctions, we can delay their surge and overload the northwestern kill zone."
Iden scanned the room. "Good. I want fallback channels mapped. Contingencies for another double-sized assault."
"Summons?" Nyra asked.
The system interface pulsed in front of Iden's eyes.
[Current Level: 48][EXP: 4.7% → 9.1% from post-battle settlement][Summon Capacity: 688,130][Active Skeletons: 662,020][RP Available: 31,870]
"We're fielding 662,000 units. I'm diverting 50,000 of them to staggered dungeon runs in six different zones to push our collective EXP gain. The rest will be rotated through tower-defense and active patrols to prevent siege fatigue."
Kael blinked. "You're using them as autonomous wave trainers."
Iden nodded. "We gain EXP, training, and zone control at the same time. The new dungeon modifiers scale harder now, and every evolution point they gain feeds back into our tactical pool."
"And the RP?" Nyra pressed.
Iden opened the RP Terminal:
[RP Purchase – Titanforge Shield Protocol Tier II: 12,000 RP]
[RP Purchase – Summon Intelligence Cluster Upgrade: 8,000 RP]
[RP Purchase – High-Speed Build Automation Node (x2): 6,000 RP]
[RP Purchase – Field-Operable Medical Dome Kit: 5,000 RP]
[RP Remaining: 870]
Upgrades materialized almost instantly. Sanctum's borders began reshaping within the hour, drones and builder skeletons forming a new ring of advanced reinforcement pylons.
"Deploy the Titanforge Shield to District 3's emergency dome," Iden ordered. "And get the new summon AI cluster online. If we survive the third wave, we pivot hard into expansion."
Outside, the streets buzzed with movement. Civilians still under emergency lockdown were now emerging from shelters to assist in the recovery effort. Bards sang of their survival, cooks prepared stew over reinforced heat cores, and engineers erected new relay towers into the town's growing frame.
Sanctum was no longer a refuge.
It was becoming a true bulwark.
And now, with Iden's level climbing toward 49, the countdown had already begun.
Next Doubling at Level 50. Projected Capacity: 1,376,260
In the looming dark beyond the horizon, a greater danger stirred.
Tzakaroth had fallen. But the world was far from safe.