She paused.
"But tomorrow will be worse. Because tomorrow, Elric won't show mercy. Won't accept gradual victory. He'll try to annihilate us in one overwhelming assault. And we have one hundred eighty-three defenders to stop him."
The worst was yet to come.
And they both knew it.
—---------------------------
Night Falls - Both Sides Regroup
The battlefield went quiet as night descended fully.
Scattered fires burned across Third Line's ruins. Torch-light flickered from human siege positions. The settlement core glowed with defensive lanterns.
Both sides tended their wounded, counted their dead, and prepared for what everyone knew would be the final battle.
—--------------------
Human Camp
Elric stood in his command tent, reviewing casualty reports and tactical assessments while battlefield priests continued healing the Four Heroes in an adjacent medical tent.
Captain Hendricks presented the numbers:
