Dylan turned sharply toward the battlefield. "My men will reinforce the west."

Margaret’s lips tightened. "I did not give you permission."

Dylan looked back at her coldly. "Then give it now."

For a moment, neither of them moved.

The wind blew harder across the tower, carrying with it the smell of smoke and burnt flesh. The soldiers around them looked from Margaret to Dylan, waiting.

Margaret knew this moment mattered. If she refused and the breach worsened, everyone would blame her. If she agreed, Dylan would look like the one who forced the right decision.

Her pride burned like fire in her chest. "Go," she said coldly.

Dylan gave a slight nod. "Lennox squad, reinforce the western barricade. Keep the formation tight and listen to Rowan’s signal."

The Lennox soldiers immediately moved to reinforce the western wall. As if Dylan’s command had always been the one they were waiting for.

Margaret watched them leave, her nails digging into her palms until pain shot through her fingers.

Enzo lifted his head slightly. "You should take the win, Margaret. At least that was one smart order."

Margaret slowly turned toward him. "You think you are still useful because you have people in this fortress."

"I am useful because I understand people," Enzo replied, his voice quieter now. "That is the difference between you and me."

Her eyes darkened. Then a faint smile slowly returned to her lips. "Then maybe I should test how useful you are."

Stefan’s gaze sharpened instantly. "What are you planning now?"

Margaret ignored him and turned toward the soldiers. "Remove the guns from their heads."

The soldiers hesitated for a brief moment before obeying.

Enzo’s brows furrowed.

Margaret continued, "Keep their restraints on, but bring them to the western wall."

Stefan’s eyes widened. "Are you insane? How are we supposed to fight with restraints?"

"You wanted to live until the battle ends," Margaret said calmly. "So live."

Enzo’s jaw clenched.

Margaret stepped closer and lowered her voice slightly, though not enough to hide her words completely. "If you survive tonight, perhaps I will consider letting the fortress witness your trial."

Stefan struggled against the soldiers holding him. "Take this device off me."

"No." She replied calmly.

"Then I can’t use my ability."

"I know."

Stefan stared at her, fury burning in his eyes. "You don’t want us to fight. You want us to die to warn the others. You are despicable."

Margaret’s smile widened faintly. "Careful, Stefan. Accusing your acting commander in the middle of battle might make you look unstable."

Enzo suddenly laughed under his breath.

Margaret looked at him coldly. "What is funny?"

"You," Enzo said, lifting his gaze to her. "You are trying so hard to look like a commander, but all I see is someone terrified of Laurel’s shadow."

The tower fell silent again. Margaret’s expression froze.

Even Stefan turned slightly toward Enzo, stunned that he had dared to say it out loud.

For a moment, Margaret did not move. Then she stepped forward and slapped Enzo across the face so hard that his head turned to the side.

Blood appeared at the corner of his lips. Enzo slowly turned back to her, his smile still faint despite the pain. "There she is... the real Margaret."

Margaret’s breathing became heavier.

Before she could respond, another soldier rushed onto the tower, his face filled with alarm. "Commander! The western breach is widening. Captain Rowan said if reinforcements don’t hold, the monsters will reach the inner wall."

Margaret’s gaze remained on Enzo for a moment longer before she straightened her posture, forcing her expression back into calmness.

"Take them there," she ordered.

The soldiers dragged Enzo and Stefan to their feet.

Stefan’s eyes remained fixed on the battlefield, but his mind was no longer only there. It was in the darkness outside the fortress, in the tunnels, with Tina’s frightened face and Ida’s injured body.

’Hold on,’ he thought, his fists trembling inside the restraints. ’Just hold on until I get out of this.’

Below them, the western side of the battlefield erupted into fresh chaos as monsters surged toward the broken barricade, and as Enzo and Stefan were dragged down from the tower, Margaret watched from above with a cold expression.

She remained where she stood for a few moments, watching as the soldiers dragged Enzo and Stefan down from the tower.

Their figures disappeared into the sea of movement below, swallowed by soldiers rushing between the walls with ammunition crates balanced on their shoulders while medics pushed through the crowd carrying stretchers toward the medical sector.

A bluish-white beam suddenly cut across the darkness and pierced straight through a charging monster before it could reach the barricade. The monster burst apart in an instant, spraying black blood over the ground as cheers erupted from the soldiers lining the walls.

Their celebration barely lasted a heartbeat before another group of monsters rushed out of the darkness, trampling over the fallen bodies without slowing down.

The laser weapons rotated almost effortlessly, their embedded meteor cores glowing brighter as another volley of beams swept across the battlefield and dropped the charging monsters one after another.

Margaret stood quietly, observing the battle from above. Everywhere she looked, the defense was holding.

The laser weapons continued carving paths through the advancing monsters while the soldiers behind the barricades fired in disciplined bursts, falling back only long enough to reload before another squad stepped into position.

War trucks moved steadily along the defensive line carrying fresh ammunition, engineers rushed from one laser platform to another to prevent overheating, and officers relayed reports through their radios without the slightest hint of panic.

The open field beyond the fortress walls had become almost unrecognizable beneath the growing number of monster corpses.

A faint smile slowly appeared on Margaret’s lips. Perhaps commanding a fortress was not nearly as difficult as everyone had claimed.

She turned away from the battlefield and descended the tower, her pace calm and confident while two soldiers followed several steps behind.

The temporary command station had been established beside the western wall beneath a reinforced shelter where several folding tables had been pushed together and covered with maps of the fortress. Colored markers showed the positions of every battalion, every reserve unit, every laser weapon, and every supply route running between the walls.