Chapter: The Sealed Battlefield
The wind over the trade city carried the smell of iron, dust, and blood.
Beyond the massive walls, the battlefield had become a storm of violence.
Roars.
Explosions.
Metal crashing against bone.
And the thunderous footsteps of monsters.
The Beginning of the Clash
The first wave struck like a tidal wave of nightmares.
From the mist of the Great Concealment, shapes emerged.
Hundreds.
Then thousands.
Then tens of thousands.
Boss monsters.
Mutated beasts.
Undead warriors.
Sea creatures dragged from the depths.
Demonic creatures born from corruption.
The defenders on the wall felt their hearts freeze.
Someone whispered.
"That… that's not an army."
"That's a calamity."
Then the clash began.
Chaos on the Battlefield
The moment the monster army surged forward, the battlefield erupted.
Arrows darkened the sky.
Magic cannons fired blazing spheres of energy.
Elemental ballistas released spears of lightning and flame.
The attacks struck the advancing monsters like a storm.
But the result was terrifying.
Many monsters died.
But far more kept coming.
A colossal horned beast smashed through the outer traps, crushing dozens of soldiers beneath its feet.
Undead knights charged without fear, impaling themselves through spears just to reach their enemies.
Mutated wolves tore through formations of guards.
Sea creatures dragged soldiers into pools of blood.
The battlefield descended into absolute chaos.
Draven Observes
High above the battlefield, Draven sat calmly atop the demon tyrant.
His generals stood around him.
They were not participating yet.
They were watching.
Studying.
Testing the strength of the army.
Draven's crimson eyes scanned the battlefield slowly.
His voice was calm.
"Observe."
The gargoyle general nodded.
"Many monsters still lack battlefield discipline."
Samuel spoke next.
"But their ferocity compensates."
Prince Varuk grinned.
"Humans are already breaking."
Indeed.
Across the battlefield the defenders were losing ground rapidly.
Even though they had nearly 64,000 fighters, the monster army was overwhelming.
Not through strategy.
But sheer brutality.
The Lion Knights Appear
Suddenly—
A powerful presence erupted from the city walls.
A figure leapt from the inner wall.
He landed heavily upon the outer defensive wall beside the city ruler.
The leader of the had entered the battlefield.
.
The moment he landed, a massive golden aura surged behind him.
Then something appeared.
A spiritual manifestation.
A gigantic spectral lion.
Its mane burned with golden fire.
Its eyes shone with ancient authority.
"The Mystical Leon."
The city lord exhaled slowly.
Behind Vazur, the remaining lion knights jumped from the inner wall one after another.
Each one landing beside him.
Fifty warriors.
Golden armor.
Lion crests shining.
Each of them radiating battle experience.
They did not join the battle immediately.
Instead they watched.
Studied.
Measured.
A One-Sided Battlefield
From the wall they could see the truth clearly.
This was not a battle.
It was a massacre.
Entire squads of guards vanished beneath monster claws.
Adventurers fought desperately but were surrounded.
Undead soldiers kept rising even after being killed.
A gigantic titan monster smashed through a defensive tower.
Another monstrous creature swallowed three soldiers whole.
The battlefield had become a slaughterhouse.
Vazur inhaled slowly.
Then looked toward the distant hill.
Where Draven sat calmly on his mount.
Watching everything.
Like a king watching a tournament.
The Demon in Disguise
Draven was not showing his true form.
His wings were hidden.
His horns suppressed.
His demonic body concealed by disguise magic.
But it didn't matter.
Because the aura leaking from him was terrifying.
Demonic power.
Ancient corruption.
And killing intent so dense it felt like gravity itself.
Vazur felt a cold chill run down his spine.
"This…"
"This is not a monster."
"This is something else."
Even the spectral lion behind him growled uneasily.
The Generals
Vazur's eyes shifted.
He looked at the figures standing behind Draven.
Each one radiated terrifying power.
The undead knight.
The gargoyle giant.
The wyvern rider.
The hellflame spirit wielder.
The demon bear warrior.
Each of them could easily be considered boss level threats.
Yet they stood quietly behind that one man.
Obeying him completely.
Vazur muttered softly.
"That creature commands monsters like soldiers."
The Desperate Signal
Vazur slowly reached into his armor.
From inside he pulled out a small white sphere.
A distress signal orb.
A relic used by the eastern empire.
Once crushed, it would summon a messenger spirit capable of reaching imperial forces instantly.
He clenched the orb tightly.
"This battle cannot be won alone."
The city lord glanced at him.
"You're calling reinforcements?"
Vazur nodded.
"This enemy must be reported immediately."
Then—
CRACK.
He crushed the orb.
But something strange happened.
Instead of glowing…
The orb crumbled.
Turning into black dust.
The particles fell from his hand like ash.
Vazur froze.
"What…?"
System Notification
At that exact moment—
A glowing message appeared before Draven.
SYSTEM NOTICE
Communication sealed.
Escape routes sealed.
Dimensional transmission blocked.
Reason:
DOMAIN AUTHORITY ACTIVE
The corrupted forest had already spread across the battlefield.
The land itself had become part of Draven's domain.
The Dome
The ground trembled.
Dark energy erupted from beneath the soil.
Black roots of corruption spread rapidly.
Then—
A massive dome of dark energy formed around the entire city.
Like a gigantic prison.
Cutting it off completely from the outside world.
No magic.
No teleportation.
No messenger spirits.
Nothing could escape.
The soldiers noticed immediately.
Panic spread through the ranks.
"What is that?!"
"Why can't we contact the empire?!"
"We're trapped!"
Sweat dripped down faces.
Even veteran adventurers began trembling.
They finally realized the truth.
They were not defending a city.
They were trapped inside a hunting ground.
Realization
The city lord stared at the dark dome surrounding them.
His hands trembled slightly.
"This monster…"
"He planned everything."
Vazur slowly wiped the black dust from his palm.
Then reached into his coat again.
This time he pulled out something unexpected.
A cigar.
He placed it between his lips.
A small flame appeared at his fingertip.
He lit it calmly.
The smoke rose slowly into the air.
He exhaled.
Then looked toward Draven again.
His voice was calm.
"So."
"No reinforcements."
"No escape."
"No communication."
He took another slow drag.
Then spoke quietly.
"I guess that means…"
"This battle was decided the moment he arrived."
Behind him the other lion knights tightened their grips on their weapons.
Even they could feel it.
The overwhelming demonic pressure coming from the distant hill.
Draven was still sitting there.
Watching.
Smiling faintly.
Like a predator watching prey struggle inside a cage.
Draven's Smile
From afar, Draven watched the dome form around the city.
The system confirmed everything was sealed.
He leaned slightly forward on the demon tyrant.
His voice was quiet.
"Now…"
"No one interrupts."
Behind him the monster army continued its rampage.
The battlefield shook with explosions.
Screams echoed across the city.
Blood soaked the earth.
Draven's generals waited silently.
Because soon—
The real battle would begin.
And when it did…
Even the legendary lion knights would understand.
They were not fighting an army.
They were facing the birth of a new calamity.
TO BE CONTINUED....