Vordrak remained outside the walls.
He waited.
And waited.
His massive body sat among the ruins of the forest as he watched the flames rising over Norvind.
Too much time had passed.
His fingers slowly curled into fists.
—What the hell are they doing?
The cultists had promised that the city would fall quickly.
But reinforcements kept arriving.
And that meant more time.
More strain.
More demonic mana consumed.
Vordrak placed a hand over his chest.
He could feel his own existence slowly weakening.
A sensation he knew all too well.
—Damn gods...
He gritted his teeth.
—We work like slaves for a few miserable drops of divine mana.
He let out a bitter laugh.
—They promise a thousand years of life as if they're granting us some priceless treasure.
He looked at his own hands.
For an instant, parts of his body seemed to turn transparent.
To disappear.
Not yet.
He could still fight.
But every time he used too much power, a little more of his existence was consumed.
—I have to finish this quickly.
His eyes fixed on the walls.
—I kill the duchess.
I receive the divine mana.
And then...
A twisted smile appeared on his face.
—I can deal with the gods afterward.
Vordrak stood.
The ground trembled.
—Let's go.
His demonic aura began to expand.
—I've waited long enough.
When he finally spotted his target in the distance, Vordrak slowly rose to his full height.
A smile appeared on his face.
—Finally.
His massive body made the ground tremble.
The pressure of his presence alone was enough to break the will of the soldiers who were still standing.
The cultists immediately fell to their knees.
—Let's go —Vordrak ordered.
A dark aura began spreading around his body.
—It's time to finish this.
The gigantic demonic figure entered the city.
The Douglas captains exchanged horrified glances.
—That's not a beast!
—It's a demon!
—How the hell did it get in here?!
The cultists raised their arms.
—For the rebirth of the Lord of the Abyss!
And then they immolated themselves.
BOOM.
The demonic mana contained within their bodies exploded all at once.
A black wave swept through the streets.
The soldiers who were still fighting were knocked down.
Many had already died defending the city.
The rest could barely remain standing.
The containment had ended.
And now...
A demon walked freely through the streets of Norvind.
Ulric gritted his teeth.
He could barely remain standing, but he was still holding his sword.
He wrapped it in dark mana.
He would not allow the city to fall.
For his honor.
For his duty.
For the Douglas family.
With one final effort, he charged at Vordrak.
The clash shook the streets.
The shockwave rattled the nearby buildings, and several houses collapsed under the force of the confrontation.
Vordrak let out a laugh.
—Yes...
His eyes gleamed with savage madness.
—This feels good.
Ulric attacked again.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Each strike met a different defense.
A claw.
An arm.
A simple movement of the body.
Vordrak did not even seem to be trying.
Then it happened.
The demon's claw broke through his guard.
Ulric felt a searing pain.
His sword fell from his hands.
Vordrak lifted him above his head.
Blood began dripping onto the shattered stones.
—Is that all?
Ulric could barely keep his eyes open.
His body no longer responded.
But then he saw something.
In the distance.
Among the flames.
A white light appeared over the horizon.
For a moment, he thought he was seeing the sunrise.
A smile appeared on his face.
—She made it...
Vordrak threw his body aside.
The woman slowly dismounted.
Sofia surveyed the streets.
The bodies.
The burning houses.
The wounded soldiers.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Larriet growled beside her.
Sofia slowly tightened her grip around her spear.
—Take the wounded to safety.
Her voice was calm.
But everyone heard her.
—The rest, with me.
The soldiers who could still move began to rise.
—The duchess is here!
—The duchess has arrived!
—Reinforcements are here!
The despair that had gripped Norvind began to fade.
Sofia moved forward.
Larriet walked beside her.
Level 92.
The enormous lion was covered in dust and bore several wounds, but his gaze remained that of an absolute predator.
Vordrak watched him.
Then he looked at the woman walking beside him.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
At last.
A worthy prey.
Sofia stopped.
—You.
Vordrak tilted his head slightly.
—Me?
Sofia pointed toward the ruins surrounding them.
—You did this.
It wasn't a question.
Vordrak burst into laughter.
—And what are you going to do about it?
Sofia didn't answer.
She simply raised her spear.
—Alpha Attunement.
Mana exploded around them both.
—Pack Bond.
Larriet's body shuddered.
His muscles tensed.
His white mane began radiating an intense light that illuminated the ruined streets.
Vordrak narrowed his eyes.
—Interesting...
Then he heard footsteps.
Behind Sofia, nearly four hundred magical beast riders entered the city.
There were no shouts.
No speeches.
Only a perfectly organized formation.
Sofia pointed toward the horde.
—Destroy anything that threatens our citizens.
The riders charged.
The roar of hundreds of magical beasts shook Norvind.
The demonic creatures began falling one after another.
Vordrak watched the battlefield.
The situation had changed.
Completely.
His eyes returned to Sofia.
She remained perfectly calm.
Then he understood.
That woman was the reason the Douglas family had survived for generations.
For the first time since entering Norvind...
Vordrak stopped smiling.
—So you're Sofia Douglas.
She slightly raised her spear.
—And you're the idiot destroying my city.
Vordrak laughed.
—I like you.
Sofia didn't answer.
Larriet vanished.
An instant later, a claw narrowly missed Vordrak's head.
BOOM!
The demon was sent flying several meters backward.
He brought a hand to his face.
A thin line of blood ran down his cheek.
Vordrak stared at it.
Then he smiled.
—This will be fun.
Sofia pointed her spear at him.
—Larriet.
The lion roared.
Sofia stepped forward.
—Kill him.
Larriet lunged.
And the battle began.