In the East.
In the mist of dawn, the beasts stood outside the kingdom's gates like endless waves, howling, screaming, and pounding the ground with their heavy claws.
Their ranks stretched from horizon to horizon, with arched bodies and glowing red eyes.
In the shadows, behind a small watchtower, stood Ren, his black cloak swaying with the wind, and his eyes faintly glowing. He whispered to himself:
"It is time to confuse them from within..."
He closed his eyes and extended his hands forward; darkness began to gather around him in the form of a cold vortex that breathed as if it were alive.
Then he opened his eyes, and dozens of shadowed copies of him appeared around him, all moving in deadly silence.
Skill: "Mirage Army"
Ren creates illusory copies of himself that infiltrate the ranks of the monsters, passing through them like undying ghosts, spreading terror among them.
Dozens of copies that took the form of the commanders.
Inside the ranks of the monsters
In the depths of the front lines, some monster leaders began to feel something strange...
The army began to grow agitated, bewildered.
Words echoed in their minds from their leaders:
Attack them! They are traitors!.
Ren was commanding the army to attack itself by claiming that each one was a traitor to the other.
Ren's words were sinking into the minds of the monsters, echoing in their minds like a curse:
"Your leader has betrayed you..."
"This kingdom is cursed..."
"The East falls... the South is in danger... no one is coming to save you..."
"We cannot win this war"
"We will retreat"
Some monsters began to pounce on one another, attacking their allies, while others ran toward the nearby forests in terror.
And some withdrew from the battle because they believed they were defeated.
And it did not end there.
Ren formed a massive foggy cloud that covered the entire army, showing every monster its greatest fears, and also making it appear to them that their army had been defeated.
Fear and terror spread throughout all their ranks until no one remained on the battlefield.
And the battle ended without firing even a single bullet or drawing a sword.
The real Ren appeared atop a small hill, watching the results with a slight smile, then used his next skill:
Skill: "Schism Illusion"
He created a giant image of Ren, appearing like a winged black demon with golden eyes hovering over the battlefield.
This image began to scream with a deep voice that pierced through minds:
"Return from where you came, or prepare for the most gruesome ways of death."
Hordes of monsters began to flee, but some leaders still stood and resisted Ren's hallucination and manipulation.
But Ren fell to the ground, exhausted from excessive use of his power.
He dropped to one knee, struggling against fatigue.
One of the leaders stood before him, furious at Ren and his actions, while Ren panted, barely able to utter a single letter.
Neither spoke, neither him nor Ren, but both understood that there was a desire for revenge.
He raised his hammer to the sky, intending to crush Ren.
Ren did nothing, but smiled in his face, ready to die for the sake of the land of his friend, and even considered that death an unmatched honor and tribute in the entire world.
But moments before he crushed Ren, the leader's hand was severed and fell to the ground.
It was followed by another strike that cut off his head.
Two young men stood behind the leader, and both returned their swords to their sheaths.
Then they went to Ren and caught him before he fell:
Sir, please rest for a while, the plan has succeeded, there is no need to strain yourself more than necessary.
Ren smiled at them and slowly closed his eyes from exhaustion.
The two young men moved him to the capital's hospital, and there Ren remained.
And in this chaos, the kingdom's army began to move quietly to their designated positions... without anyone noticing.
Ren (speaking to himself in a tired but proud tone, striking his chest with joy):
Well done, Ren.
Then he sat on the ground, sweating...
In the South.
Ryo: It seems that Ren has turned them against each other and granted the army an opportunity, that is good, the first part of the plan has succeeded, now it is my turn.
The sound of drums beat like a living heart, each pulse igniting the spirit of war. Ryu was at the front, riding a massive armored beast, his sword glowing with rare energy, and his red scarf fluttering behind him.
He stood on a hill overlooking the battlefield, where the monsters were tearing themselves apart due to the orders and rumors that came from the East, and shouted in a powerful voice:
"Now! Forward! Do not retreat a single step!"
The knights behind him went wild, running toward the monsters, striking the ground with their swords and chanting his name:
"Ryo! Ryo! Ryo!"
Inside the battle
Ryo runs in the front lines. His body is covered in light but durable armor.
A giant monster stood before him, but Ryo did not slow down.
He raised his sword, and suddenly—
Skill: "Heavenly Wind Cut"
A strike so swift and transparent that the beast did not feel it... until it split into two halves after three seconds.
One of the soldiers behind him shouted:
"Sir! The leaders are moving toward us from the left!"
Ryuo turns, sees dozens of monsters led by a massive one-eyed commander, carrying an axe glowing with darkness.
Ryo smiled, and ran toward him.
"This one is mine."
Ryu vs The Monster Leader (Gorga the Skeletal)
Gorga laughs hoarsely:
"Human... do you think you are the hero here?"
Ryo replied with confidence as he circled him at lightning speed:
"No, I am the sword that will cut you."
Swords clashed, and the earth cracked beneath their feet. The strikes were like the collision of planets, but Ryu was faster, more precise, and fiercer.
In a fleeting moment, he leapt high and descended with a single strike—
Special Skill: "Falling Cutting Meteor"
His sword turned into a flame of wind and fire, striking with a force that shattered the plateau beneath them.
Gorga blocked the attack and threw Ryo far away into the sky.
Ryo lost his balance, but quickly regained it.
His foot ignited with crimson flame, and he launched toward Gorga with blinding speed, leaving behind an echo like an explosion had roared.
Gorga prepared himself, taking a defensive stance, and smiled at Ryo saying:
Come!.
Ryo answered as he moved toward him preparing his attack:
As you wish! I will divide your massive body until not a single atom remains!.
The 20th Poem:
Kagutsuchi: Sky Cleaver!.
Ryo rushed toward him and raised his sword to split him.
Gorga blocked the attack believing that Ryu's strongest strike had failed.
But Ryo was standing behind him, smiling.
Gorga looked at him in terror, not knowing what had happened.
Slash!!.
Gorga's body was cut into two halves, followed by 50 precise cuts that shredded his body with great accuracy.
Gorga fell, shattered...
Ryo stood over his remains and raised the banner of victory, announcing the defeat of the commander.
Ryo finished the leader.
Ryo created a complete independent dimension around all the monsters, trapping them.
Ryu: I am finished, now only Yui and Infernus remain.
In the heart of the capital, where civilians were gathering in fear inside the fortresses, Infernus stood alone atop the city wall, his eyes glowing like burning meteors.
He wore his heavy black armor, and his body ignited from within, pulsing with living fire.
And he said in a loud voice:
"The capital... shall not fall!"
Infernus roared in a thunderous voice:
"Anyone who steps here shall burn in my fire! This land... shall not be defiled!"
Then he raised his giant sword toward the sky, and a pillar of pure flame erupted from it, reaching the heavens.
And he formed a fiery shield around the entire capital, preventing anyone from entering.
The sky began to rain burning volcanic rocks, they did not harm humans, but they melted the monsters.
That great skill had only one flaw, which was that Infernus had to remain stationary in his place in the center of the capital
so that the wall would surround the entire capital.
If he moved a single step, the wall might falter and there would be an exposed side.
Infernus was aware of the risks, so he did not come unprepared.
He came with ten royal guards protecting Infernus from any monster, and he had also built a complete shelter far from the monsters.
And thanks to his caution, the plan succeeded.
But Infernus's heart still did not feel at ease, he wanted to protect his people even more, therefore...
Skill: "Defensive Hellstorm - Ignis Barrier"
Infernus formed a massive fiery dome around every house in the capital in order to protect the citizens,
any monster that approached would burn before touching the fiery wall.
At the same time, from atop the wall, he began launching concentrated waves of fire toward the four directions, especially where Ryu had imprisoned the monsters.
The monsters screamed.
As if the fire responded to his rage... and penetrated into the bodies of the monsters to complete the extermination.
One of the trapped monsters screamed:
"Just how powerful is that ruler exactly?!"
At that moment, the army leaders saw from above that the defenses had become ready, and the monsters were in chaos.
One of the commanders shouted:
"Now! The opportunity is before us! The West is for Yui... but the North, South, and East... are ours!"
Thousands of soldiers poured out of the three gates, led by the three commanders, each leading a squad of elite warriors.
From the North: The "Sky Frost" Squad
From the East: The "Deep Shadow" Squad
From the South: The "Raging Wind" Squad
Each side surged like a hurricane, piercing through the collapsing ranks of monsters.
Three fronts were completely cleared,
the monsters fled, were torn apart, burned, or frozen in place.
The sky filled with the flashes of weapons, and the earth trembled under the footsteps and the shouts of the army declaring its victory.
The screams of the monsters began to fade, turning into a terrifying silence.
The West remained... with Yui.
The last front, and the most dangerous one. The forest, after a long wait, had been completely filled with monsters, and there was no longer any benefit in waiting any longer.
It was time to burn the forest along with the monsters.
On the horizon...
The clouds were gathering in the direction of the West...
Massive shadows were moving... but there was no attack yet.
They were waiting for someone.
Yui.
The last warrior in the front lines, her failure means total defeat and the fall of the kingdom.
What will she do? How will she act in order to make the plan succeed without her death or the fire spreading beyond the forest?
To be continued...