The first wave came in the dead of night, under the cover of mist. The ground shook with the rumble of hooves, and the air was thick with the scent of burning wood. The cult had arrived — and they had come prepared.
Uther stood at the center of the defensive line, his gaze fixed on the approaching storm. The village's outer perimeter had been reinforced, but the true test was the core — the forge, the heart of the village. If the cult breached it, everything they had built would be lost.
---
The First Wave: Hordes of Corruption
The first enemies to emerge from the mist were Voidbeasts — grotesque, shadowy creatures with elongated limbs and fangs that dripped venomous corruption. Their bodies rippled with dark energy, their eyes glowing an unnatural red. They swarmed toward the village in a maddening rush, their shrieks cutting through the night air.
The defenders held firm.
Kael and his shieldbearers formed the first line of defense. The Voidbeasts clashed with their shields, forcing them back, but Kael's group stood strong, their formation unyielding.
Reyna's mages lit up the air with arcane fire, sending blasts of searing light into the oncoming horde, while the village's archers and mercenaries rained down arrows, picking off the beasts one by one.
"Stay strong!" Uther shouted, his voice carrying across the battlefield.
The battle was fierce, but the villagers were holding their ground. The Voidbeasts faltered before the combined force of the defenders, but they were only the beginning.
---
The Cult Lieutenant Appears
As the Voidbeasts were pushed back, a darker presence emerged from the mist. A figure cloaked in tattered black robes — the Cult Lieutenant. His eyes burned with malevolent power, and his very presence seemed to drain the surrounding mana, twisting the air around him.
"You think you can stop the inevitable?" the Cult Lieutenant sneered, his voice a rasping whisper.
With a snap of his fingers, the air shifted, and a wave of dark energy surged forth, knocking several defenders off their feet. The lieutenant raised his hand, summoning a shadow spear crackling with void magic.
Uther gritted his teeth. This was the moment they had prepared for. If they could take down the Cult Lieutenant, the rest of the cult's forces would lose their coordination. They needed to strike fast and hard.
---
The Push for the Lieutenant
Uther nodded to Mara, who had positioned herself along the wall as a scout. "Now's the time. Take him down."
Mara sprang into action, her arrows flying like lightning, each one aimed at the Cult Lieutenant's exposed limbs. But the lieutenant was fast. His hands weaved through the air, deflecting each arrow with unnatural precision.
Reyna stepped forward, her staff crackling with energy. "We need to drain his power. Focus on breaking his magic!"
She raised her staff high, casting a mana-nullification spell, disrupting the flow of magic around the Cult Lieutenant. For a moment, the shadows that clung to his form faltered, leaving him vulnerable.
Uther, with his sword drawn, charged forward, his footfalls steady and purposeful.
[Combat Skill Activated: Blade of the True Commander]
With a flash of steel, Uther struck — his blade cleaving through the air with the weight of his will. The Cult Lieutenant parried with his dark spear, but Uther's strike found its mark, slicing through the lieutenant's defenses.
For a moment, the world seemed to freeze as the Lieutenant staggered back, a howl escaping his lips.
But then, the ground beneath them trembled again.
---
The Second Wave: Reinforcements Arrive
Just as Uther and the defenders pressed their advantage, another wave emerged from the mist. Warlocks in dark armor, their hands crackling with void energy, flanked by doppelganger warriors — soldiers born of shadow and deception. The siege was escalating. The battle had only just begun.
"We need to finish this quickly," Uther growled, sweat beading on his brow. His eyes never left the Cult Lieutenant, whose dark magic surged again, recovering from Uther's strike.
"Reyna, Kael—hold the line!" Uther shouted, "Mara, with me!"
Together, Uther and Mara pressed forward, charging straight at the Cult Lieutenant, while Reyna, Kael, and the others kept the warlocks and doppelgangers at bay.
---
The Final Strike
Uther's heart pounded in his chest as he closed the gap between him and the Cult Lieutenant. The shadowy figure raised his spear high, ready to strike, but Uther was faster.
He leapt into the air, twisting his body and bringing his blade down in a clean arc. This time, the lieutenant couldn't block it. The blade pierced through the dark energy that surrounded him, and with a final roar, the Cult Lieutenant collapsed into dust.
But the battle was far from over.
The night sky burned with red embers as the cult siege began in full. Arrows rained from the treeline, whistling through the air, met with the defiant clang of village-forged shields. Uther stood atop the barricade, his glowing sword drawn, aura humming with mana-charged intensity.
"Mara, status!" he shouted, eyes scanning the woods for movement.
The hunter emerged from the shadows beside him. "Three groups flanking from the east. They're using summoned beasts as cover. I've marked their path."
Uther nodded. "Good. Garrick, trigger the fire traps on the eastern perimeter."
With a nod, the smith pulled a lever hidden beneath the lookout post. Seconds later, fire burst along the forest edge, lighting up the ambush and scattering the beasts. Screams echoed from the treeline.
Thalen, still bound but guarded, watched with wide eyes. "You fools don't understand! You're not stopping the cult — you're provoking it!"
Uther turned, his voice ice-cold. "We're past negotiations."
At the central plaza, Elena led the civilians into the underground shelters Uther had ordered built after discovering the Hollow Heart's influence. The village wasn't just defending itself — it was protecting a future.
From the shadows, a masked figure darted forward — a cult assassin. Uther met the strike mid-air, swords clashing in a spray of sparks. The assassin hissed, their eyes glowing unnaturally.
"You shouldn't have rebuilt the village," the cultist snarled. "It was meant to stay forgotten."
"I'll make it unforgettable," Uther replied, and struck him down.
As the battle raged, a second wave began. A dark priest emerged, chanting from beyond the treeline — summoning something massive. The earth trembled.
Mara's eyes widened. "Uther — they're calling a Hollow Beast!"
Uther tightened his grip on his sword. "Then we kill it before it fully forms."
He leapt down from the barricade, his body wreathed in silver light from the activated system skill: Combat Surge – Tier II. Behind him, his villagers — now trained defenders, hunters, and volunteers — followed without hesitation.
The cult thought they were attacking a village.
They were wrong.
They were assaulting a rising kingdom.