Western Borders of the Ehrenfeld-Austrian Empire03:11 AM – Night of Ash
It began with the sound of bells.
Far beyond the city walls of Graz, in the shadowed ridgelines and mist-laced forests of the Alps, the first howls rose. Not wolves. Not men. But something far older, and far more monstrous.
Watchposts went dark.
The skies turned black.
Then the forest moved—a wave of glistening shapes, eyes aglow, claws like obsidian knives. The monsters had returned.
And this time, they came with purpose.
Vienna – Imperial High Command War Room
General Engelhardt slammed a gauntlet down onto the marble table, causing half the map pieces to scatter.
"We've lost contact with four frontier towns! Breitenau, Leibnitz, Hartberg—all gone within hours!"
He pointed to a growing red zone on the holographic table. It pulsed like a wound across southern Styria.
Hans Ehrenfeld Adler stood silent, eyes scanning the rapidly shifting frontlines. Behind him, Eliska read communiqués from the scouts at the Styrian ridge.
"Karling," Hans finally muttered, "this is his doing."
"My Kaiser," said Marshal Rudnicki from Slovakia, "we face an organized surge. These aren't just wild beasts. They're coordinating—trapping patrols, feinting retreats. This is... military behavior."
"Someone is commanding them," Eliska said darkly. "And they know exactly where to strike."
Hans turned toward his officers.
"Ready the Aegis Protocol. Mobilize the 5th Armored Column and deploy the Eidolon Knights. This isn't a hunt—it's a war."
Southern Styrian Highlands – 06:44 AM
The 5th Column arrived at dawn, rolling across muddy slopes with steel, smoke, and the thunder of diesel engines. At its head rode Hans himself, astride his summoned warhorse—an ethereal beast of light and ghostly armor, its mane rippling with spectral fire.
Beside him, General Engelhardt activated his power—Aegis Genesis—a golden shield dome stretching out over his division, deflecting the acid bile and razored projectiles flung by the enemy.
The battlefield became a dance of chaos.
Explosions tore open the valley floor. Fire met fang. Blade met claw.
Then Hans raised his hand—and shouted the command.
"Summon Legion: Silver Banner!"
A shockwave echoed through the earth as over a thousand spectral soldiers materialized behind him, their glowing eyes set forward, blades already drawn.
"Forward! No monster crosses into Vienna! Not while I live!"
His sword ignited with radiant light—his personal power, Sovereign's Wrath—and he charged into the mass of howling creatures, his legion surging behind him like a storm given flesh.
Hours Later – Field Command Post
Blood. Smoke. Victory—but not without loss.
The monsters had been repelled. Barely. Entire battalions had been torn apart. A third of the summoned legions dissipated from exhaustion.
Hans knelt beside a dying soldier, one of the volunteer Slovak units. The young man whispered, "Was it worth it...?"
Hans gritted his teeth, eyes burning with fury and sorrow.
"We hold the line so the world doesn't fall. Yes... it was worth it."
Behind him, Eliska walked past the burned banners, stopping only to salute the dead.
Elsewhere – Deep Forest Stronghold
In a vast underground lair, lined with ancient bone and dark crystals, Albrecht von Karling watched the battle unfold from a shadow mirror.
Behind him stood a creature—not quite human, not fully beast—wrapped in rags and adorned in bone charms.
"The beasts have failed," Karling said.
The creature hissed. "The next gate... opens soon. Let them taste fear."
Karling smiled coldly.
"Let Hans believe he's won something. This was but a warning."