The capital of Luminaria had finally regained its peace.
The scent of freshly baked bread, the laughter of children—life had returned to normal.
After Merslin and his companions had defeated the demon's threat, the people had finally found a moment of respite.
But peace never lasts.
At the break of dawn, the sharp blast of warning horns shattered the tranquility.
Merslin jolted awake and rushed to the city walls.
"KUUUUUUUNG—!!!"
The ground trembled.
Standing atop the fortress, Merslin's eyes widened.
Beyond the misty horizon, an endless tide of black surged forward.
An army of orcs, trolls, and goblins marched with terrifying coordination, and above them, a swarm of gargoyles darkened the sky.
This was not a mere horde of monsters.
This was a calculated attack.
BOOOOOM!
At the forefront, monstrous trolls hurled massive boulders, clearing a path.
The stones crashed into the walls, sending debris and dust flying.
Behind them, orcs formed disciplined battle lines, while goblins dragged forward siege towers and battering rams.
Merslin gritted his teeth.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
His voice rang out across the walls, a mix of urgency and determination.
"We will protect this city!"
His comrades swiftly took their positions.
Elena whispered an incantation, summoning a shimmering blue barrier around the fortress.
The first wave of arrows and stones crashed against it, and though it held, cracks rippled across its surface.
But the battle was not confined to the city walls.
In the open fields beyond the city, Kane led Luminaria's cavalry against the advancing orcish horde.
Deep in the forest, elven archers clashed with goblin scouts in a deadly skirmish.
Above, gargoyles engaged in a fierce aerial battle against the city's wyvern riders, their monstrous wings slicing through the sky.
And within the river that cut through Luminaria, battles raged beneath the surface as amphibious beasts emerged to assault the city's defenses.
A Battle on Every Front
Serena, moving like a shadow, evaded goblin ambushes with ease.
Her keen eyes picked apart their treacherous strategies, and with every swift stroke of her daggers, another enemy fell.
Lisa, wielding the Sunblade, stood against the monstrous trolls.
With each swing, the sacred light of her sword burned their flesh, nullifying their unnatural regeneration.
"The power of the sun will purge you!" she declared.
As her sword struck, a golden pillar of light erupted into the sky, visible from miles away.
Amidst the chaos, Aria tirelessly moved between the wounded, casting powerful healing magic.
Her warm light closed wounds and reignited the fighting spirits of the weary.
"Do not falter! We will prevail!"
But for every soldier saved, another fell.
A deafening scream rang through the battlefield as a wounded knight tumbled from the fortress walls.
His blood splattered across the stone, his body crumpling upon impact.
Terror spread through the city.
Children cried.
Civilians huddled in fear.
Merslin, face grim, clenched his staff.
"If they wish to break through, let them try."
A frigid mist coiled around his hands as he unleashed a wall of ice, blocking the orcs' relentless charge.
But the battle was escalating.
"This isn't enough. We need reinforcements."
Raising his staff high, Merslin struck the ground, sending a radiant flare into the sky.
A beacon of magical light erupted, reaching the furthest corners of Luminaria.
A call for aid.
Across the capital, the battle unfolded on a massive scale.
Tens of thousands of orcs, goblins, and trolls stormed the city walls.
Flaming arrows rained down like a storm, illuminating the battlefield with a crimson glow.
The streets of Luminaria trembled under the weight of war.
Buildings crumbled, screams echoed, and chaos spread like wildfire.
Merslin's party fought with all their might.
Serena, moving like a ghost, sowed confusion among the goblin ranks.
"Your trickery won't work on me!" she whispered, her daggers glinting as she vanished into the shadows.
Lisa stood at the heart of the battlefield, facing an endless wave of trolls.
Each slash of her Sunblade severed limbs, her divine aura preventing their cursed flesh from regenerating.
Elena channeled her power into the sky, weaving layers upon layers of protective barriers.
"This shield will not break!" she vowed, repelling another volley of fireballs and siege projectiles.
Aria, though exhausted, never ceased her healing.
Wounded knights and soldiers clung to life as her gentle light enveloped them.
"Hold on. We must not lose hope!"
Yet, no matter how hard they fought, more enemies kept coming.
Then, an ominous screech pierced the battlefield.
From above, the gargoyles began their descent.
Sharp claws and stone fangs tore through the defenders.
Even Merslin's ice magic struggled to hold them at bay.
"Damn it… They're overwhelming us."
But just as hope wavered—
✨ A thousand silver arrows rained down from the mountains.
The sky shimmered as elven archers emerged from the ridgeline, their arrows cutting through the gargoyle swarm like divine judgment.
"We stand with Luminaria!"
Their commander's voice echoed, firm and unwavering.
But Merslin wasn't fooled.
This alliance was fragile.
The elves had long distrusted humans, and their arrival didn't mean they had forgotten their grudges.
Sure enough, moments later, another group appeared.
A battalion clad in dark red armor, wielding flames as weapons.
The Blood Elves.
Their prince, Atanis, led the charge, his crimson fire engulfing the orcish frontlines.
"We fight for survival, not for you." he spat, his gaze cold as ever.
The High Elves and Blood Elves glared at each other.
Their old wounds ran too deep.
"Your kind has no place here," the High Elf commander muttered.
"Say that again after we save your damn city," Atanis shot back.
Tension crackled between them.
The battle had united them for now, but true trust had yet to be forged.
Merslin could only sigh.
"Focus on the enemy first. Argue later."
The elves gave reluctant nods, then turned to fight.
Still, even with reinforcements, the battle was far from won.
💥 A deafening explosion rocked the fortress walls.
Siege weapons breached the outer defenses.
The goblins, desperate, set the forest ablaze, forcing the elves to retreat.
Even the Blood Elves, now vastly outnumbered, found themselves pushed back toward the city.
"We need the Frontier Knights… now."
Merslin's hands trembled from exhaustion.
His mana reserves were nearly depleted.
Then—
⚔ THUNDEROUS HOOFBEATS SHOOK THE EARTH.
From beyond the ruined gate, five thousand Frontier Knights charged into battle.
Their commander, Leonhardt, led the assault.
His golden armor gleamed under the blood-red sky as he cut through the enemy ranks.
"The Frontier Knights have arrived! Hold the line!"
His voice rang like a war drum.
For the first time in hours, the tides of battle began to turn.
Yet, despite their strength, something was still wrong.
Merslin, standing atop the broken fortress, clenched his staff.
"This isn't enough. We're still fighting separately."
He raised his voice, reaching every soldier on the battlefield.
🔥 "This city stands because we stand together!"
His words carried over the roar of battle.
One by one, the scattered forces lifted their weapons toward the sky.
Lisa held her Sunblade high.
"We fight as one!"
Elena unleashed a raging inferno.
"Let them witness our strength!"
Serena smirked, wiping blood from her blade.
"Now it's getting interesting."
Aria, hands trembling, let her healing light expand.
"We will all survive this. I promise."
Even the elves and Blood Elves, despite their differences, finally acknowledged each other's strength.
Doomrak, the Blood Lord, snarled.
"Insignificant insects…!"
But the battlefield had changed.
All factions, all warriors, all survivors—
Had become one.
And when Merslin slammed his staff into the ground—
"CHARGE!"
Through sweat and blood, the warriors of Luminaria held the line.
And then—
He arrived.
A massive figure, towering over the battlefield, stepped forward.
Doomrak, the Blood Lord.
Unlike the orcs he commanded, his presence was something far more sinister.
His crimson-marked body pulsed with unnatural energy.
His blade, the Blood Reaper, dripped with fresh carnage, never once drying.
And with every step, the ground beneath him bled.
He surveyed the battlefield, then let out a low, guttural laugh.
"You think this is victory? This is nothing but the beginning of your end."
A wave of red mist spread from his body, slithering across the battlefield.
And then—
🔥 Blood began to flow.
Not from wounds, but from the very skin of those who stood against him.
Merslin gasped as a thin red cut formed on his arm, and droplets of his own blood floated into the mist.
Elena's voice shook as she realized what was happening.
"It's a curse… a blood-binding spell!"
Lisa gritted her teeth.
"If this continues, we'll bleed out before we can even lift our weapons!"
Serena moved first, vanishing into the mist, but Doomrak was faster.
With a single swipe of his monstrous sword, a shockwave tore through the air, knocking her back.
"You cannot defeat me," he declared.
Merslin clenched his fist.
"I will not let you win."
He raised his staff, preparing an ice barrier, but Doomrak's Blood Wave shattered it instantly.
Then, the ground itself trembled.
From the pools of blood, monstrous Blood Golems rose.
"I do not need to kill you myself," Doomrak sneered.
"My blood will fight in my stead."
Lisa struck down one of the creatures, but it reformed instantly.
Serena's blades flashed, but the golems were relentless.
Aria, despite exhaustion, lifted her hands.
"We need holy fire!"
Elena nodded and raised her palms.
🔥 "Let the sacred flames cleanse this battlefield!"
A wave of divine fire crashed into the golems.
For the first time, they screeched as their cursed blood evaporated.
But Doomrak only laughed.
"You burn my minions? I will make more."
He ripped his own flesh, letting more blood spill.
More monsters formed.
More soldiers fell.
And then—
Doomrak turned his eyes to Merslin.
The mist wrapped around him, draining his strength.
Merslin gasped, his magic faltering.
Doomrak grinned.
"The great mage… reduced to nothing."
And then—
A warm golden light enveloped Merslin.
The curse vanished.
Merslin looked up.
Aria stood before him, her hands trembling.
Her face was pale, her body weak—she had taken the curse upon herself.
"Merslin…" she whispered.
"You are our last hope."
His hands clenched around his staff.
There was no more hesitation.
Merslin gathered his remaining mana.
"Everyone—buy me time!"
Lisa struck, her Sunblade burning Doomrak's flesh.
Serena moved like lightning, her dagger slicing through the mist.
Elena unleashed another wave of holy fire.
Even the Frontier Knights and elves, seeing their chance, charged forward.
And in the chaos—
Merslin whispered his final spell.
🔥 "Sunfire Crown."
Above them, a massive burning sphere appeared, resembling the sun itself.
Doomrak's smirk vanished.
"Impossible…"
The flames engulfed him.
He screamed, thrashing as the divine fire ate away his existence.
Even as his body burned, he tried to fight back.
He raised his sword for one final strike.
Merslin pushed forward, his last ounce of magic reinforcing the spell.
The flames consumed Doomrak whole.
His voice echoed one last time—
"You think you've won? The true nightmare is yet to awaken!"
And then—
Silence.
The battlefield stood still.
Merslin collapsed to his knees, his vision fading.
It was over.
The battle had ended.
But Luminaria was in ruins.
The streets were covered in blood.
Fallen knights lay scattered.
Buildings burned, reduced to ash.
Was this truly a victory?
Merslin stood amidst the wreckage.
He looked around.
The dead.
The wounded.
The empty expressions of those who survived.
Above him, the Taeyang-ui Wang-gwan (Crown of the Sun)
still glowed.
A beacon of triumph—yet, it illuminated only destruction.
Merslin murmured to himself.
"The world is so dark… and yet, the Sunfire Crown shines so unbearably bright."
His hands trembled.
His breath felt heavy.
This was no celebration.
Behind him, his companions approached.
Lisa, her Sunblade shattered, but her spirit unbroken.
Serena, bloodied, yet managing a tired smirk.
Aria, barely standing, yet still whispering a prayer.
Elena, watching the broken city with pained silence.
They were all alive.
And yet…
Had they truly won?
Merslin clenched his fists.
The pain.
The loss.
The weight of it all.
Then, he exhaled.
His voice was quiet but firm.
"Light does not erase darkness."
"But…"
His friends turned to him.
"We have not given up."
A moment of silence.
Then, Lisa nodded.
Serena smirked.
Aria closed her eyes, as if in silent agreement.
Elena whispered under her breath.
They had not won.
But they had survived.
And they would keep moving forward.
As they walked away, the Crown of the Sun slowly began to fade.
The battle was over.
But the war was far from finished.