The earth trembled more heavily as dark shapes crept into view along the horizon.
No one spoke. Every soldier on the wall understood what this kind of silence signified. It was the calm before annihilation, the moment when instinct sharpened, and fear was stripped away.
Then the war drum sounded.
A deep boom rolled across the stronghold, shaking stone and steel alike. Each strike echoed into the Frozen Plains, a challenge hurled into the distance.
With the final beat, the tremors surged.
The vast snowfield ahead began to ripple.
Shapes emerged from the white haze, first vague and shifting, then horrifyingly clear.
Massive frost-scaled beasts thundered forward, their hulking bodies plated with bone and ice. Between them, smaller predators surged ahead in blurs of motion, claws ripping through the snow as they closed the distance with terrifying speed.
Hundreds charged as one.
Their roars merged into a single, overwhelming tide of sound.
Runic bolts shrieked through the air, smashing into the front ranks and detonating in bursts of frost and blood. Beasts were crushed, impaled, torn apart mid-charge. Yet the horde did not slow. It simply flowed around the fallen, momentum unbroken.
The pressure descended like a tangible force, bearing down on every defender atop the wall.
The first wave crashed into the defensive barrier.
Runes flared violently, light rippling across the formation as horns, claws, and armoured bodies slammed against it again and again. For a brief heartbeat, the barrier held.
Then fractures spiderwebbed across its surface.
With a thunderous roar, a Frostscaled Behemoth forced its way through by sheer brute strength, its massive claws rending stone as the wall shuddered beneath the impact.
Chu Feng moved without hesitation.
He leapt, and the moment he touched ground, his sword flashed. The blade cut cleanly across the beast's exposed throat, tearing through scale and flesh as blood erupted, steaming violently in the frozen air.
The Frostscaled Behemoth roared, but it did not fall.
A massive claw swept toward him in retaliation.
Chu Feng twisted aside, yet the force still struck him. His body was hurled across the ice, skidding violently before slamming into a half-buried rock. Pain detonated through his ribs, driving the air from his lungs in a single, brutal burst.
He hit the ground hard.
Chu Feng coughed, dark blood staining the white snow beneath him.
Then he forced himself upright.
His squad followed, engaging at close range as steel clashed against claw and bone. The ground churned beneath their feet, ice shattering with every heavy step.
Chu Feng's consciousness expanded, sharpening his perception. The chaos slowed in his eyes. Openings revealed themselves with brutal clarity. He advanced, his sword moving with ruthless efficiency.
A Ravager lunged from his flank.
He turned and drove his blade through its jaw, twisting as he tore it free. The beast collapsed instantly.
Another charged.
He parried, stepped in, and cut upward, splitting its chest open. Blood soaked into the snow beneath his boots.
Something slammed into him from behind.
A Burrower erupted from the ground, its armored head crashing into his back. A defensive rune flared, absorbing the impact and throwing the creature off balance.
A shadow loomed, jaws opening wide.
Chu Feng rolled aside just as the beast snapped shut, teeth clashing against empty air.
He planted his feet and slashed downward, splitting the shadow's skull clean in two. The corpse collapsed at his feet.
All around him, the battle raged.
Soldiers fell. Others stepped forward without hesitation. From the walls above, javelins and formation traps rained down, detonating among the beasts. Still, the tide pressed forward.
Farther back, enormous silhouettes moved through the snow, creatures far larger than those already engaged, their presence pressing down like mountains.
The second wave was approaching.
Chu Feng's arms trembled with exhaustion. Blood ran down his sleeve. His breathing grew ragged.
Still, he advanced.
Killing any beast that dared approach, Chu Feng fought on.
Then a frost ape slammed into him with crushing force. Something cracked along his side. His vision swam as he was driven hard into the snow, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs.
The war drum sounded again.
The deep, relentless beat cut through the chaos like a command etched into bone.
Chu Feng clenched his teeth and forced himself upright. His leg shook violently, pain screaming through it, but he did not retreat. Around him, others were already falling back to secondary positions.
He knew that if he withdrew, the breach would widen. More beasts would surge through, and the gap could never be closed.
So he stepped forward instead.
Sword intent surged from him like a rising tide. Runes flared to life, forming a sword formation born from the enlightenment he had gained after rereading the ancient book. The runes revolved, each strike guided by his will, as if the blade itself possessed life.
He blocked.He countered.He struck.
There was no pause.
A claw ripped into his shoulder.
He roared and drove his sword straight through the beast's skull. Blood poured down his arm, staining the snow beneath his feet.
Without hesitation, he reached into his spatial ring, pulled out a medicinal bottle, and swallowed a healing pill in one motion.
From the battlements above, squad leaders watched in silence. A single figure held a position that should have collapsed, bleeding and trembling, yet refusing to yield.
Inside the command tent, officers monitored the battle through formation mirrors. One marker remained fixed at the breach far longer than expected.
"Who's holding that position?" someone asked.
Reports arrived quickly.
"Eastern Wall. Lower breach. One squad maintaining ground."
The commander's gaze hardened. "Send reinforcements. Hold the line."
Moments later, fresh units surged forward, crashing into the weakened beasts. New formation arrays flared to life, sealing the breach.
The pressure eased. Chu Feng staggered, blood and snow staining his armour, but he did not fall.
The moment the fighting eased, his legs gave way. Strong hands caught him before he could hit the ground. He barely registered them, his mind still reeling from the clash.
He stared up at the snow-filled sky, chest heaving, his sword still clenched tightly in his grip.
He was alive.
The wall had held.
As the beasts withdrew under heavy losses, their roars fading into the distance, the war drum sounded again—slower, steadier this time.
The first clash was over.