An optical lens above the fortress battlements maintained its aim while Maren stepped forward from the collapsed masonry.
Hajin positioned the mutated Overlord directly between himself and the hidden shooter, balancing on bruised feet with deliberate control.
His right arm dangled limp after enduring that punishing surge of foreign Demonic Density through his fragile human pathways.
Three frightened guards sprinted down the narrow maintenance road behind him, shouting frantic warnings toward the northern alarm bell.
"Stay down behind that overturned cart and keep your heads below the timber rim!" he ordered without looking back, his voice cutting through the dust with iron authority.
"There is a concealed sniper zeroed on the battlement with an open firing lane across this entire roadway!" he shouted.
"What about you, kid?" one guard shouted from behind the splintered wheel.
