[Realm: Uhorus]

[Location: Verdantis]

[Embereach]

Standing atop the enormous stone walls surrounding the city, General Mai found herself staring at a sight that had already become far too familiar over the past weeks.

The Abyssal Creatures surged forward endlessly.

A black tide on white snow.

They clawed and slammed themselves against the enormous barrier encapsulating Embereach with relentless fury, their warped bodies crashing against the translucent shield hard enough to rupture themselves apart on impact. Violet light pulsed violently across the barrier every time another wave collided with it, the entire construct trembling under the pressure.

And still, the creatures kept coming.

The sheer number of them felt wrong.

Even from atop the massive walls, looking outward over the frozen plains beyond the city, the swarm stretched so far into the distance that it became difficult to distinguish where individual creatures even began or ended. They moved over hills, through forests and across frozen rivers without pause, blotting out portions of the snow beneath sheer volume alone.

There were too many.

Far too many.

Even if one gathered entire armies from multiple nations, the numbers still looked absurd.

Cold wind swept across the battlements, carrying frost and the shrieks of Abyssal Creatures through the air. Mai’s violet hair whipped around her face while the long panels of her half áo dài fluttered sharply behind her.

Yet she remained perfectly still atop the wall.

The barrier groaned again, a particularly large cluster of Abyssal Creatures hurled themselves against it without hesitation, their black bodies bursting apart into writhing masses of dark fluid the moment they made contact.

And still more climbed over the remains.

General Mai exhaled slowly through her nose.

These particular Abyssal Creatures were especially vile, not because they were intelligent or because they were powerful. But because of what they lacked, they moved with singular purpose.

Pure destruction.

Human or animal, it did not matter. Anything alive was attacked immediately and without pause. Entire villages had already been reduced to torn remnants because of it. Livestock shredded apart. Forest wildlife butchered senselessly. Even creatures too small to pose any threat whatsoever were slaughtered simply because they moved.

There was no hunger behind it, no instinct anger or malice even, and that almost made it worse. Mai’s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched another wave slam against the barrier.

("This cannot even be called instinct anymore...") Predators killed to eat, humans killed for reasons. Even demons, cruel as they were, often acted from desire, ambition, rage, or pleasure.

But these things, these things existed solely to destroy.

Nothing more.

As though they had been made for despair and nothing else.

"Stare any harder and you might actually kill them all!"

The sudden voice behind her caused Mai to jolt slightly in genuine surprise. Her body turned immediately, instincts sharper than her thoughts. She had not sensed anyone approaching, not a footstep or even mana.

Nothing.

Which alone made her immediately wary. The woman standing behind her looked entirely out of place atop a battlefield wall.

Silky golden-blond hair framed a face carrying an almost permanently exhausted expression, while dull reddish eyes lazily studied both Mai and the area beyond without any real urgency behind them.

Her attire only added to the absurdity.

A loose, wrinkled white shirt hung carelessly from her frame, several upper buttons undone enough to expose part of her cleavage while the sleeves had been rolled carelessly to her elbows. The lower portion of the shirt had likewise been folded upward slightly, revealing glimpses of a toned stomach despite the freezing weather.

Baggy gray trousers hung low around her waist, one ankle rolled upward unevenly above a pair of heavy black boots that looked more suited for trudging through mud than standing atop military fortifications.

Combined with her drooping posture and sleepy demeanor, she looked less like a legendary warrior and more like someone who had wandered out of a tavern after sleeping through several bad decisions.

Yet appearances meant very little in this world.

Because General Mai knew exactly who stood before her.

"Knight Captain Ysabel," Mai acknowledged carefully.

Even now, her mind lingered on one detail more than anything else.

("I did not sense her approach at all...")

That bothered her. Even amidst harsh weather and the overwhelming Abyssal presence surrounding the city, someone of Mai’s caliber should not have been caught unaware that easily.

And yet Ysabel had walked directly behind her without detection.

The blonde woman waved a hand dismissively.

"Heya." Her tone was casual to the point of disrespectful. "Just Ysabel is fine. The whole title thing gets exhausting after a while." She stepped beside Mai atop the wall before letting out a low whistle toward the area below. "Damn... there really are a lot."

Mai studied her quietly.

Ysabel sounded impressed, but not worried. The Knight Captain leaned slightly against the cold stone edge of the wall, looking outward at the countless Abyssal Creatures almost lazily.

Another massive wave crashed against the barrier and the shield pulsed violently.

Still, Ysabel barely reacted.

General Mai finally spoke.

"You do not seem particularly concerned."

Ysabel blinked once before glancing sideways at her.

"Hm?" Then she shrugged lightly. "I mean, I am concerned. Little bit." She gestured vaguely outward. "World-ending invasions are usually bad for morale."

Mai did not smile.

Ysabel noticed immediately.

"Tough crowd."

The General returned her gaze to the Abyssal surge.

"The city barrier is straining more with each assault," she stated calmly. "At the current rate, continued impact will eventually destabilize portions of the outer defensive layers."

"Mm."

"Civilian evacuations remain incomplete."

"Mm."

"The creatures have already overrun multiple smaller settlements."

Ysabel finally glanced toward her properly.

"You always sound this tense?"

Mai ignored the question.

"These numbers exceed every prior report."

"And?"

Mai frowned slightly.

"And?" she repeated.

Ysabel nodded casually.

"Yeah. And?" Her reddish eyes drifted back toward the endless swarm below. "You’re looking at them like the battle’s already lost."

Mai went quiet for a moment after hearing that.

The cold winds howled across the walls again. Far below, soldiers moved hurriedly across the battlements while support mages reinforced sections of the barrier that pulsed weakest.

Everything about the city felt strained, holding itself together through sheer force of will.

"This is not a normal battlefield," Mai finally said.

"No kidding."

"These creatures do not retreat, they do not exhaust themselves and they do not fear death." Her voice remained level. "Every casualty we take matters. Theirs do not."

Ysabel listened without interrupting.

Mai continued staring outward.

"At some point numbers alone become catastrophic."

For once, Ysabel’s lazy expression softened slightly.

"Yeah," she admitted quietly. "That part’s true." Silence settled between them briefly, then Ysabel stretched both arms above her head with a tired groan.

"But honestly?" she muttered. "I still think you’re overthinking it."

Mai slowly looked toward her again.

Ysabel grinned faintly despite the destruction surrounding them.

"The world’s scary enough already. If the people protecting it start looking hopeless too..." She shrugged lightly. "That usually ends badly."

Mai stared at her for a moment longer.

Then finally looked back toward the sea of monsters below.

("Though I suppose...") Her eyes lingered briefly on Ysabel. ("...the title of ’Mightiest Knight’ was never handed out without reason.")

"But you know..."

Ysabel suddenly spoke up again, her voice casual despite the distant sounds of impacts hammering against the city barrier below.

General Mai glanced toward her.

The blonde Knight Captain had leaned back slightly against the stone edge of the wall, hands tucked loosely into her pockets while the freezing winds tugged lazily at her wrinkled shirt and loose hair.

"I heard you were supposed to be a pretty cheery General," Ysabel continued, tilting her head ever so slightly as she studied Mai from the corner of her eye. "But honestly?" A small grin tugged at her lips. "You kinda seem like a hardass."

Mai blinked once.

Of all the things she expected to hear atop a city wall during an ongoing Abyssal siege, that had not been one of them.

"What?"

The response slipped out before she could stop it. She turned fully toward the blonde woman now, violet eyes narrowing in confusion while Ysabel merely shrugged as though she had commented on the weather.

"No offense or anything," the Knight Captain added easily. "The whole ’possible end of the world’ situation tends to do that to people."

Below them, another wave of Abyssal Creatures slammed themselves against the barrier.

The translucent shield pulsed violently across its surface, Ysabel barely even looked at it as Mai studied her carefully instead.

The woman’s demeanor remained strangely relaxed despite the overwhelming horde surrounding the city. There was no visible tension in her shoulders, no urgency in her breathing, with no strain in her expression.

Just that lazy confidence that almost felt unnatural.

"Still," Ysabel continued, glancing sideways at Mai again, "you worry too much."

The blonde lifted one hand and lazily jabbed a thumb toward herself.

"I’m here," she said simply. "So the city ain’t falling anytime soon."

The statement was absurdly arrogant. Yet somehow it did not sound empty coming from her. Mai’s gaze lingered on the woman for several quiet seconds.

"You are very confident," the General finally noted.

Ysabel snorted softly.

"Well, yeah." She grinned openly now, completely unbothered by the freezing winds around them. "I’m the strongest knight in the whole wide world." Another thumb jab toward herself followed immediately after. "Confidence comes with the job description."

Mai almost expected herself to be annoyed by the boast. Instead, surprisingly, a small breath escaped her nose that came dangerously close to amusement.

Ysabel noticed instantly.

"Oh, there it is," the blonde pointed accusingly. "See? That’s the expression I heard about. You do know how to look less terrifying."

"I was not aware I appeared terrifying."

"That’s because terrifying people rarely notice," Ysabel said.

Mai shook her head at that. "You speak very casually for someone in your position."

"And you speak like every sentence is part of some stiff military report," Ysabel shot back immediately. "Lighten up a little, General."

The wind swept harder across the walls again. For a moment, both women simply looked outward together. At the endless black tide below, at the barrier trembling under continuous assault, and at the dark tears suspended high above Verdantis.

Then Ysabel spoke again.

"Though..." Her eyes drifted toward the city behind them briefly. "You should probably head back to that Solkari companion of yours."

Mai’s brows furrowed slightly.

"She was with your second in command Ingrid, right?"

"Yeah." Ysabel scratched lightly at her cheek. "She’s not exactly what I’d call uplifting company."

Mai could not disagree with that.

The woman had been tense ever since the scale of the invasion became clear. Understandably so. Entire sections of Verdantis had already gone silent.

"Of course," Mai answered with a small nod.

She finally shifted her stance as though preparing to leave. But before taking a step, her gaze lifted upward once more. Toward the broken skies and toward the pulsing tears hanging above the world.

Then downward again, toward the endless Abyssal Creatures swarming beneath them like a nightmare given form.

And suddenly for just a brief instant, the present overlapped with memory. A familiar feeling pressed against her chest. That same helpless atmosphere where the world had seemed moments away from collapse.

Mai’s expression dimmed slightly.

("It really is like that day...")