A Year of Changes
Rob stood before the window of his makeshift office within the base. The morning sun illuminated the central plaza, where his family and friends worked, laughed, and, despite everything, lived.
He looked at Matthew, now a strong and determined young man. He had seen him train to exhaustion, hardening without losing his kindness.
He saw Amélie, chasing after Apollo and Maya, their two loyal guardians who now resembled small lions, both protective and playful.
He observed Victoria, organizing a group of healers. Her light was brighter than ever, not just as a nurse, but as the very heart of the bastion.
Rob gently clenched his fists. Everything he had done, all the sacrifices, had been worth it. But he knew the real storm was just beginning.
He took a deep breath and walked toward the central plaza, where hundreds of people were already gathering.
The Announcement
When Rob stepped onto the small stone platform, the murmur of the crowd fell silent.
"Family," he said, his voice projecting firmly. "A few days ago, I received a message from the Survival System."
A heavy silence fell over the place.
"In five days, our base will be attacked. Not by a simple horde, not by a scattered group... but by a force designed to test us."
Some faces turned pale. Others bowed their heads, murmuring silent prayers.
"The beasts will come in waves, without rest, for 24 consecutive hours. And among them," he added, his gaze hardening, "there will be level B creatures."
Terror spread like a virus.
Stifled cries. Weeping. Fear.
Rob raised a hand, demanding silence.
"I know you're scared. I am too," he admitted without shame. "But listen carefully: we are not who we were a year ago. We've grown. We've strengthened. We are more than survivors! We are a bastion of hope!"
His voice thundered.
"Every brick of our walls, every drop of sweat, every tear shed, was for this: to resist. To fight. To live!"
Silence was replaced by determined looks, held breaths, clenched fists.
"We will not retreat," Rob shouted. "We will not yield. And if the world wants to devour us, it will have to swallow blood and fire!"
A roar rose from the crowd.
At that moment, Rob knew that, no matter what happened, they would not be alone.
Preparations for the Storm
Rob's announcement had shaken the base like a silent earthquake. But after the initial shock came something much more powerful: action.
The following hours were a hive of activity.
Strategic Organization
Rob divided the base into specific groups:
Defense Group: warriors and fighters, armed with enhanced weapons and energy crystals.
Healers Group: led by Victoria, ready to act in case of casualties or injuries.
Logistics Group: in charge of ammunition, food, and supply transportation.
Rescue Group: to evacuate the wounded and reinforce compromised areas.
Everyone, regardless of age or ability, found a place to be useful.
Alan's Traps
Alan, leveraging his construction skills, devised a trap system that left everyone impressed.
Hidden pits filled with energized stakes.
Tension cables that activated homemade fragmentation explosives.
Improvised minefields made with unstable energy crystals.
Quickly, the main accesses to the base transformed into camouflaged death fields.
Fortification and Reinforcements
Marlon led the work on the walls, using his defense ability to identify weak points and reinforce them with new layers of reinforced materials.
Additional watchtowers were erected, built quickly but with surprising solidity.
Snipers were strategically positioned at heights, armed with rifles modified using crystalline energy technology.
Rising Tension
Older children helped carry ammunition. The elderly organized emergency kitchens and water distributions.
No one rested. No one complained.
Every nail hammered, every sandbag moved, was an act of resistance.
The sky, covered with black clouds, seemed to foreshadow disaster.
The Final Meeting
When everything was in place, Rob gathered the base leaders one last time.
"This is our home," he said, with a gravity that resonated with everyone. "Our family. Tomorrow, we will fight not only for ourselves but for all those who couldn't make it here. And I promise you: as long as we breathe, we will not fall!"
Victoria nodded, her gaze determined.
Alan smiled sideways, adjusting his equipment.
Marlon, serious, simply struck his shield against the ground, making the earth vibrate.
They were ready.
Or at least, as ready as one could be before the end of the world.
The Horde Arrives
The first roar came like a distant thunder.
From the walls, the sentinels saw the horizon darken. Thousands of forms advanced: mutant beasts, amalgams of flesh, fangs, and fury.
The ground trembled beneath their paws.
The horde had arrived.
"Everyone to your positions!" Rob roared, his voice projecting like a whip of energy.
The defenders ran to their posts, their hearts pounding like war drums.
Alan's Traps in Action
When the first rows of monsters reached the trap fields, hell broke loose.
Tearing explosions destroyed the vanguard of the horde.
Hidden pits swallowed entire groups of creatures, impaling them on electrified stakes.
The improvised minefields detonated in succession, covering the battlefield with fire and debris.
During the first minutes, the base resisted brilliantly. Every activated trap, every explosion, was a song of survival.
But the horde did not stop.
For every ten beasts that fell, twenty more emerged from the mist.
D+ Beasts Appear
Gradually, larger, more resilient creatures began to emerge.
Level D+ beasts, monsters with armored bodies, skin thick as steel, and terrifying cunning.
Some passed through the traps as if they were mere obstacles.
The first impacts against the walls shook the entire base.
"Reinforce the north gate!" Marlon shouted from his position.
"Snipers, aim for the eyes! Take them down!" Alan ordered, coordinating defensive fire.
Rob Takes Action
Rob, wielding the Blade of the Andes, launched into direct combat.
His sword cut through flesh and bone with supernatural ease.
Every strike, every movement, was precise, devastating.
He defeated three D-level beasts in a matter of minutes, his body moving with the fluidity of a veteran of a thousand battles.
The defenders' morale ignited upon seeing him fight.
But Rob knew the bitter truth: his strength, though superior, was not unlimited.
Every clash, every dodge, every attack wore him down little by little.
The Weight of the Siege
As hours passed, fatigue began to take its toll.
Some defenders already showed signs of extreme exhaustion. The wounded were dragged out of the lines, healers ran back and forth.
And still, the horde did not relent.
The sky turned dark red, as if the world itself were bleeding.
Rob, covered in sweat and blood, paused for a moment to look around.
He knew they needed a miracle to hold on.
And he knew that soon, very soon, it would be Victoria and Marlon's turn to change everyone's fate.
The Breaking Point
The defenses began to give way.
The traps had fulfilled their initial function, but the horde was endless. Every reinforced wall, every line of defense, began to show cracks.
Fatigue weighed on everyone.
The defenders, wounded and exhausted, fought for every meter of ground.
Rob, covered in sweat and blood, held the front line. His sword, the Blade of the Andes, was an extension of his will, but even he felt his strength waning.
Then, the miracle occurred.
Marlon's Awakening
At the most critical moment, when the beasts began to scale the walls, Marlon shouted a protection oath so loud it seemed to shake the very air.
An intense blue aura enveloped his body.
"Illusory Wall!" he roared.
From his hands emerged a dome of translucent energy that quickly expanded, covering the entire base.
The beasts' attacks crashed against the wall with a roar, but the barrier repelled them like a divine fortress.
For an hour, no attack from beasts below rank A could penetrate it.
An invaluable respite.
The defenders fell to their knees, crying in relief and exclaiming in jubilation.
Victoria's Awakening
At the climax of the battle, when the base was on the brink of collapse, Victoria saw how Matthew, Rob, and the children fought with all their being... while chaos devoured them from all sides. Screams, wounds, despair.
While chaos roared around her, Victoria found herself at her limit. Around her, friends, family, and neighbors suffered. Rob fought like a titan, and Apollo and Maya were already bleeding amid teeth and bites. Matthew held on, but the fear on his face broke her soul.
Victoria, with trembling hands, pressed wounds, tried to organize the injured, and maintained composure... until she couldn't anymore.
Victoria, usually firm and calm, felt something break inside her.
Her vision blurred, her breathing quickened, and her mind began to spiral.
The pain in her chest wasn't physical: it was helplessness.
In that instant, the world seemed to stop. The screams faded in her mind, and her thoughts traveled back... far back.
"Is this the end? After everything we've done? After everything we've lived together...?"
She remembered, with brutal clarity, the first moment she met Rob.
"When did I meet him?"
A smile appeared amid the tears.
It wasn't in a park, nor at university or on a blind date... but in a virtual room, playing video games.
One day a friend told her to join a server to have a good time:
"It was because of a video game. One of those online. I didn't understand anything. My friend said, 'join, and I'll introduce you to someone who will help you.' And there he was... Rob: Loud, competitive, a bit arrogant, confident, and somewhat egocentric... or so I thought."
"As time passed with him, I realized he was also warm, protective, and curious, and most importantly, I understood he wasn't arrogant and egocentric as I initially thought, but he was confidence, he was security. He was effort, he was passion. He was pain transformed into conviction, he was hunger for life."
Over time, they began to talk outside the game. Video calls that lasted hours. Laughter, secrets, tears.
She remembered how he worked day and night to become a civil engineer, how he studied and trained, and still found time for her.
Until one day, without realizing it, Rob was already an essential part of her existence, and love could no longer be denied. She, a fully independent and self-sufficient woman, had fallen in love. The time she once dedicated to reading, watching series and movies, or going out, she now preferred to spend with Rob. Enjoying his presence was simply wonderful.With time, she remembered how he cared for her, how they built a family. She remembered his hands, his voice, the way he looked at Matthew when he was born. His laughter while playing with Amélie. The warmth of his back on the coldest nights—those were simply unforgettable memories, deeply etched into her soul.She remembered how Rob had confessed to her, tears in his eyes, when he told her the world would end. And how, despite everything, she had believed him.
So with tears streaming down like a river, she made a decision. She wiped her face, and with unwavering conviction, thought:"I can't let it end like this. No. I can't lose them. Not after everything we've lived. Not after everything he's done for us. Not now. Not when they need me the most."
Victoria clenched her fists. In that moment, as if the universe responded to her silent vow, a soft light emerged from her chest.The Survival System reacted powerfully to her ignited soul.A golden light burst forth from her chest.
[Congratulations, Victoria! You have awakened the S-Rank Ability: Sacred Zone.]
Victoria instinctively raised her arms. A golden circle formed beneath her feet, expanding outward like a luminous ring that covered a full kilometer.The entire base was enveloped in that warm, restorative energy.Wounds began to close. Screams faded. Fighters stood back up, revitalized.
In that instant, healing began. Tears dried. Screams turned into hope.For two whole minutes, the miracle unfolded.
Rob felt a shiver down his spine. He looked toward the center of the base—and saw his wife, standing tall, her eyes glowing, like a beacon amid the chaos."What's that?!" someone exclaimed."It's... Victoria!" Alan shouted. "Victoria is healing everyone!"
From the frontline, Rob saw the light—saw his wife glowing like a celestial flame. His sword froze for a second. His battle-worn heart filled with a renewed surge of strength."Victoria… thank you..." he whispered. "You're amazing."
Everyone felt it. The rebirth. The hope. The salvation.And with that, the battle shifted.The children stopped crying. The soldiers stood tall again.The counterattack had begun.
Victoria collapsed to her knees after maintaining the ability for the exact two minutes. But when she opened her eyes, she saw Rob, who had rushed to her and now held her in his arms.Through tears and with a trembling voice, she whispered:"I promised you… I'd do everything to protect them… even if it broke me."Rob smiled and kissed her forehead."And you did, my love. You saved us all.""Now rest. You've done more than enough. Leave the rest to me—I'll be worthy of you."
The CounterattackRenewed, empowered, and protected by the barrier, the defenders launched a fierce counteroffensive.Rob, at the front, led the charge with inhuman fury.D- and C-level beasts were slaughtered within minutes.Apolo and Maya, now evolved and enormous, brought down enemies with overwhelming force and perfect coordination.The base, once on the brink of annihilation, became a storm of unshakable resistance.
The New EnemyThen, it appeared.From the rear of the horde, walking with calm yet commanding steps, emerged a towering figure.A mutated Andean Fox, nearly three meters tall, silver-furred, with intelligent and cruel eyes.An unmistakable aura surrounded it: Level B.Unlike previous beasts, its gaze was calculating. It didn't attack at random—it moved the lesser creatures like pieces on a chessboard.Rob's instincts screamed.This wasn't just a threat.This was the true commander of the horde.And its goal wasn't just to destroy the base—it wanted to crush hope itself.
The Final DuelThe Andean Fox advanced with elegant steps, like a predator that had already tasted victory.Rob gritted his teeth, gripping the Blade of the Andes tightly.Silence reigned for a few eternal seconds.Then, the battle began.
The Fox struck first, fast as lightning. Rob barely blocked the slash, which hurled him several meters back, cracking the ground beneath him."Damn it…" Rob growled, feeling the tremor in his arms.The Fox was faster, stronger, and—above all—smarter than any beast he had fought before.Each attack was a deadly dance of strategy and ferocity.Rob couldn't just swing blindly. He had to adapt. To survive.
The AmbushMid-battle, the Fox set a trap.It sent a wave of lesser beasts to distract him, then vanished into the shadows.Rob, caught in combat with the minions, didn't see the flank attack coming.A claw slashed his side, throwing him to the ground.Screams rose from the base.Victoria, Matthew, Amélie, Apolo, and Maya watched in horror.
But Rob stood again, staggering."No…" he spat blood, raising his sword. "Not today."
The Awakening of the Blade of the AndesHe felt something awaken within.A deeper connection to the Blade of the Andes.The dormant energy inside the weapon resonated with his resolve.The blade emitted a silver glow, vibrating with restrained power.Rob channeled all his strength, all his fury, all his love for his family and people into a single strike."Celestial Slash!" he roared.A wave of cutting energy surged from the blade, slicing through the air like a falling star.
The Andean Fox tried to dodge, but wasn't fast enough.The blow hit it squarely, tearing it apart with unstoppable force.The Fox collapsed, roaring in death.The remaining horde scattered like leaves in the wind.
Silence After the StormRob fell to his knees, exhausted.The entire base fell into a deathly silence.Then, cheers erupted.Cries of joy. Tears of relief.Victoria ran to him, embracing him tightly, followed by Matthew, Amélie, Apolo, and Maya.
They had survived.They had endured.But Rob knew… this was only the beginning.
Under the StarsThat night, Rob sat atop the wall, gazing at the starlit sky.He thought of Thea, Alex, Lee Ming, Nikolav… all those who had once fought by his side in another life.He knew they were still out there, strangers in this new future.And he knew he would soon have to leave to find them.
For now, the base was safe.But the real journey… had only just begun.
"In the shadow of a night scarred by battle, Rob vowed beneath the stars that his fight had only just begun. And the world, though broken, still had someone who would fight for its light."
—(End of Chapter 17: "The Siege of Shadows")