In the weeks Lusian had spent in Carter territory, he had transformed the local army into something unrecognizable.
What had once been a loose collection of scattered guards, improvised hunters, and armed peasants was beginning to take shape as an organized military force.
Under his direct command, new divisions emerged:
Reinforced shock units, equipped with plate armor and heavy shields, designed to withstand the brutal charges of high-impact monsters.
Magical support squads, formed from the county's few mages and reinforced by three Douglas spellcasters, capable of launching long-range mana barrages.
Rapid-response groups—light and swift—trained to evacuate civilians and seal breaches in the walls.
A corps of scouts, masters of stealth, tasked with detecting mutations in the forest and predicting the beasts' movement patterns.
They trained from dawn until nightfall.Discipline—once a luxury—now hung in the air.
Lusian walked among the formations, correcting stances, refining tactics, repeating again and again:
"Against monsters, coordination is stronger than the sword."
Count Daniel watched from the stands, overwhelmed.
"Your territory will be among the most prepared in the kingdom," Lusian assured him calmly.
Daniel swallowed, acutely aware of the truth.
"We owe you too much…" he murmured, gratitude mingled with quiet shame.Until recently, he had harbored resentment toward Lusian over matters of the heart.And yet this young man was saving his home.
Meanwhile, the Douglas troops remained in reserve.
They did not directly participate in the drills. Only their mages engaged, casting controlled volleys to simulate real combat conditions.
The Douglas knights observed from a distance, ready to intervene if necessary—but careful not to overshadow the county's training.
Lusian had been clear:
"They must learn to defend themselves. If we shield them too much… they'll die in their first real battle."
No one dared argue.
And because of that decision, the day level 55+ beasts came roaring from the forest—
The county's men did not flee.They did not scatter.They did not collapse into chaos.
They formed ranks as Lusian had taught them.
Douglas mages raised glowing circles in the rear.
Scouts climbed the inner wall to track charge routes.
Shock units drove shields and spears into the ground.
The first roars shook the earth before the monsters even emerged from the tree line.
Massive shadows.Coiled bodies.Eyes gleaming with savage intelligence.
Level 55.Level 57.Level 60.
Far too strong for a rural territory.
But the men of Carter did not retreat.
At the captain's command, shields and spears rose, forming the improvised wall Lusian had drilled into them.
"Front line, hold! Do not yield!" the captain shouted.
The collision was brutal.
Claws slammed against shields. Men trembled under the impact—but they held.
For a moment… it seemed possible.
Until it wasn't.
A beast the size of a wagon shattered the formation on the right flank. Another leapt over the shield line, crashing down onto two spearmen.
Screams.Blood.Chaos.
From the wall, Lusian assessed the situation with a strategist's cold speed.
They're not ready yet. If I leave them there… I'll lose them.
Beside him, Adele tightened her grip on her spear, her white tiger bristling—but Lusian raised a hand.
"Not you. Hold your position," he ordered firmly.
She nodded instantly. No protest. She was his guard. Her sole mission was to protect him.
Lusian's voice rang out across the wall, carrying command through the din:
"Douglas mages, forward! Area slow—now!"
Three magic circles ignited behind him.
Rune after rune flared like an overflowing sun.
"Ṃȳr—Khal Vërr!" they chanted in unison.
A wave of mana burst outward in a blue shockwave.
The monsters staggered, their movements weighed down by invisible heaviness.
"County troops, orderly retreat!" Lusian commanded. "Fall back into the city! Maintain formation!"
Captains echoed the order. The men stepped backward in disciplined sequence—sweating, shaking, but intact.
They were no longer scattered peasants.
They were soldiers retreating without breaking.
Just as the beasts prepared to lunge—
Lusian raised his arm.
"Douglas knights—advance!"
The duchy's forces surged from the western gate like a tide of steel.
Over two hundred elite units, each of superior level.
The ground trembled with their charge.
Douglas shields smashed into monsters with devastating force. Reinforced spears pierced hardened hides. The duchy's mages maintained pressure from the rear, launching mana projectiles and erecting temporary barriers to deflect incoming strikes.
Adele remained behind Lusian, ready to kill anything that came too close.
"That's enough," he murmured, watching his troops execute maneuvers with surgical precision. "We will not accept unnecessary casualties today."
Within fifteen minutes, the tide had turned.
Within thirty, the beasts lay dead or fleeing back into the forest.
A heavy silence settled over the battlefield.
The scent of blood and scorched earth filled the air.
Lusian descended from the wall and walked among the wounded. Adele followed like a faithful shadow, the white tiger vigilant at her side.
"Take the injured to the medical post," Lusian ordered. "Healing mages, prioritize those who can return to the field soon."
Daniel's men, exhausted, looked at him with a mixture of respect and shame.
He simply said:
"Today you did the best you could. It is not your fault the world has changed… and it will not wait for you to be ready."
Count Daniel clenched his fist tightly.
"Lusian… thank you. Without your troops, it would have been a massacre."
Lusian shook his head.
"We are not celebrating yet. This was only a test. The real monsters are still to come."
And from Daniel to the youngest soldier, each felt a chill crawl down their spine.