During the weeks he had spent in Carter territory, Lusian had transformed the local army into something almost unrecognizable.
What had once been a scattered collection of guards, improvised hunters, and armed farmers was beginning to take the shape of a true military force.
Under his supervision, new divisions had emerged.
Shock units equipped with plate armor and heavy shields, trained to withstand the charges of large monsters.
Magical support squads made up of the county's few mages and reinforced by three Douglas mages capable of launching long-range attacks and control spells.
Rapid-response units, light and fast, tasked with evacuating civilians and sealing breaches before a creature could penetrate the defensive lines.
And finally, a scout corps, specialized in detecting abnormal movements, tracking trails, and monitoring the changes taking place within the forests.
They trained from dawn until the sun disappeared.
Discipline, which had once seemed like a luxury, was becoming part of their daily routine.
Lusian walked among the ranks, correcting postures, adjusting formations, and repeating the same idea:
—Against monsters, coordination is more important than individual strength.
The soldiers listened.
Some nodded.
Others were still uncertain.
But they all trained.
Count Daniel watched from one of the training platforms.
It was difficult to recognize the same army he had encountered weeks earlier.
—Your territory will be among the best-prepared in the kingdom —Lusian said.
Daniel let out a small, bitter laugh.
—After seeing what just happened, I don't know if that's supposed to reassure me.
Lusian looked at him.
—It shouldn't reassure you.
Daniel frowned.
—Then why are we training?
—So that when something worse arrives, they don't die immediately.
The answer was so direct that Daniel fell silent.
Lusian turned his gaze back toward the soldiers.
—I can't turn them into high-level warriors in just a few weeks.
—But I can teach them how to survive.
Daniel slowly lowered his gaze.
—We owe you too much.
There was a hint of shame in his voice.
Until recently, he had resented Lusian for personal reasons.
Now that same young man was preparing his soldiers to defend their homeland.
—You don't owe me anything —Lusian replied—. These are obligations we agreed to fulfill.
Daniel knew that was only part of the truth.
But he didn't press the matter.
The Douglas troops remained in the rear.
Their knights did not participate directly in the training.
Only the Douglas mages occasionally intervened, launching controlled attacks to simulate real combat situations.
The knights watched.
They waited.
And they remained ready to intervene if anything went wrong.
Lusian had been clear from the beginning.
—They need to learn how to defend themselves.
One of the Douglas officers had frowned.
—And if they can't?
Lusian had looked at him for several seconds.
—Then we'll intervene.
He paused.
—But if we protect them too much, they'll die in the first battle we're not there for.
No one argued again.
And those weeks of training were about to prove whether it had been the right decision.
The attack came at dawn.
First came a roar.
Then another.
The ground began to tremble.
The scouts sounded the alarm.
—Monsters!
The city gates closed.
The Carter soldiers rushed to their positions.
This time there were no disorganized screams.
No men abandoning their posts.
The units took up exactly the positions they had practiced for weeks.
The scouts climbed onto the walls.
The mages took their places.
The shock units planted their shields firmly into the ground.
Lusian watched from atop the wall.
And then they appeared.
The first creatures emerged from the forest.
Level fifty-five.
Fifty-seven.
Fifty-eight.
A level-sixty creature appeared behind them.
Too powerful.
Even for a trained military force like this one.
Lusian slightly clenched his jaw.
They're stronger than I expected.
The Carter captain raised his sword.
—First line!
The shields locked together.
—Hold!
The monsters charged.
BOOOOM!
The impact shook the entire wall.
Claws against steel.
Fangs against shields.
The soldiers trembled.
But they held.
For several seconds, it worked.
The formation maintained the line.
Then a monster the size of a wagon slammed into the right flank.
CRACK!
Three shields went flying.
A soldier fell.
Another monster leaped over the formation and landed among the spearmen.
—Break formation!
—No!
The captain shouted.
—Hold formation!
But chaos began to spread.
One soldier stepped backward.
Another tried to help him.
The line began to open.
Lusian watched for only a few seconds.
They're still not ready to face monsters of this level on their own.
He couldn't let this turn into a massacre.
—Adele!
She tightened her grip on her spear.
—Yes, my lord!
—Hold your position.
Adele immediately nodded.
Her white tiger growled, but it did not advance either.
Lusian raised his hand.
—Douglas mages!
Three magic circles appeared behind him.
—Area slow!
The mages extended both hands.
—Mȳr-Khal Vërr!
A wave of mana spread across the battlefield.
The monsters suddenly slowed.
Their movements became heavy.
It was enough.
—Carter troops, orderly retreat!
The captain immediately understood.
—Fall back!
The soldiers began retreating.
One step.
Another.
Another.
Without running.
Without breaking formation.
The monsters tried to catch them, but the Douglas magic slowed their movements.
For the first time, the training showed its true value.
The Carter soldiers were losing ground.
But they weren't losing control.
Lusian nodded.
—That's it.
Then he raised his arm.
—Douglas knights!
The western gates opened.
—ADVANCE!
More than two hundred knights charged onto the battlefield.
The ground trembled beneath their mounts.
Douglas shields slammed into the creatures.
BOOM!
Lances pierced hardened flesh.
Mages fired from the rear.
Barrier.
Lightning.
Fire.
Ice.
Formation after formation.
The monsters began to fall.
Adele remained beside Lusian, watching the surroundings.
—Aren't we going in? —she asked.
Lusian shook his head.
—Not yet.
—Why?
—I want to see how they react.
Adele understood.
Lusian wasn't watching the monsters.
He was watching his soldiers.
The Carter men had returned to the city.
Wounded.
Exhausted.
But alive.
And, most importantly, they were still maintaining formation.
That was what Lusian wanted.
Not soldiers capable of defeating level-sixty monsters.
Not yet.
Soldiers capable of surviving until someone who could defeat them arrived.
Fifteen minutes later, the battlefield fell silent.
The monsters were dead.
Some had escaped into the forest.
Lusian descended from the wall.
He walked among the wounded as the healers began working.
—The critically wounded first.
—Yes, my lord.
—Those who can walk, help carry the others.
The soldiers obeyed.
Daniel arrived shortly afterward.
His face was covered in sweat.
He looked at the battlefield.
Then he looked at his men.
—They could have died.
Lusian nodded.
—Yes.
Daniel clenched his fists.
—But they didn't run.
—No.
Lusian watched the Carter soldiers.
Some were trembling.
Others were covered in blood.
But none had abandoned their posts.
—That's what matters.
Daniel took a deep breath.
—Lusian...
—Don't celebrate yet.
The count raised his eyes.
Lusian stared toward the forest.
The trees remained motionless.
Too motionless.
—This wasn't a victory.
Daniel frowned.
—Then what was it?
Lusian took several seconds to answer.
—A warning.
The wind swept across the battlefield.
Far away, something roared from between the trees.
Lusian slightly clenched his jaw.
—Next time, they could be stronger.
And this time...
no one knew what kind of monsters would emerge from the forest.