Screech! The more stones rained down into the Rift domain, the louder the cries of the Rift creatures grew. The sheer density of creatures made it almost impossible to miss, even if the soldiers fired blindly. Ghislain watched the approaching blue mist with a tense expression and shouted, “Don’t stop attacking! Keep the stones coming!” While hundreds of stones were stockpiled within the fortress, they wouldn’t last forever. To compensate, additional squads were dispatched to gather more from the surrounding area. But that wasn’t all. Boom! Crash! Bang! Within the fortress, anything that could be broken down was destroyed. If it was going to fall to the Rift anyway, they could rebuild it later. For now, it was all repurposed into ammunition for the trebuchets. Crash! Boom! Initially, the distance from the mist allowed only the trebuchets to attack. But by the second day, the mist had crept dangerously close to the fortress walls. Ghislain frowned as he observed it. “That rate of expansion is abnormal. There must be more than 500,000 of them.” It could even be closer to a million. Even in his previous life, Rifts like this had never appeared in such open plains. The Salvation Order had always struggled to create them in such areas. But once established, the Rift greedily consumed the abundant natural energy of the land, expanding at an unprecedented speed. With no buildings or structures to hinder its growth, its pace only accelerated. "They’ve done something even they can’t control." If Ferdium fell, the barbarians occupying the north would inevitably have to face this Rift. But even with all the tribes united, could they stand against it? Woroca had been blinded by short-term gains, making an unimaginably foolish decision. As the blue mist closed in, shadows of countless creatures flickered within it. Screech! The soldiers could see the Rift creatures writhing and clawing toward them, eager to attack. “What... are those things?” “They’re monsters, real monsters...” “They just keep coming...” Though shrouded by the mist, those with keen eyesight could glimpse the grotesque forms of the Rift creatures. Up close, they would undoubtedly appear even more horrifying. “Archers, prepare to fire!” Ghislain’s command snapped the soldiers out of their stupor. The creatures were now within effective range of arrows. Under the command of the elven archer Lumina, the archers raised their bows high. The Fenris forces were all trained in archery, and their proficiency had inspired Ferdium’s knights and soldiers to practice as well. While not as skilled as the Fenris troops, the Ferdium forces could at least aim and fire competently. “Loose!” Whoosh! Tens of thousands of arrows soared simultaneously toward the mist. Precision wasn’t necessary. Even if some missed, most would find their marks. Unlike stones, arrows couldn’t be scavenged from the environment. Once they used up the stockpile—including the reserves sent by Claude—they would be gone. But Ghislain showed no hesitation. “Don’t hold back! Keep firing!” He knew the arrows wouldn’t last, and a melee battle was inevitable. Their best option was to thin the enemy’s numbers before that happened. Whoosh! Arrows continuously rained into the mist, cutting down creatures that emerged from its edges. Rift creatures disintegrated as they stepped out of the mist, unable to withstand the volleys. Screech! Some creatures partially emerged—limbs or torsos—only to disintegrate and collapse. The soldiers rotated shifts to maintain their stamina. They needed to conserve their strength for the inevitable close combat. By the second day, the mist had reached the fortress walls. With it came the first true challenge: the arrows began to run out. Fenris had long prepared for war, producing arrows in abundance and stockpiling them in the northern fortress. Yet, within three days, their reserves were almost entirely depleted. With 20,000 Fenris troops and nearly 10,000 Ferdium soldiers firing relentlessly, it was remarkable the arrows had lasted even this long. “Cease fire! From now on, only the elves will use the remaining arrows!” Ghislain ordered. The barrage halted, and the remaining arrows were distributed among the elves for precision strikes. Finally, the mist enveloped the fortress walls, chilling the soldiers as if they’d been drenched by cold, clammy rain. “Shields up!” Ghislain shouted. The soldiers snapped to attention, crouching low and bracing their shields. And then, it began. Screech! Rift creatures burst through the mist, slashing with elongated claws. Clang! The sheer force of their strikes rattled the soldiers’ shields. Fortunately, the mist hadn’t completely consumed the walls yet. Several creatures’ hands disintegrated into dust as they extended too far beyond its boundary. Screech! Screech! Screech! Their deafening cries grew closer, shaking the soldiers’ eardrums. When the mist reached halfway up the walls, the assault intensified. Screech! Thud! Thud! Crash! The Rift creatures began clawing their way up the walls, their grotesque forms fully visible. Hairless gray skin, elongated limbs, red eyes burning with malice, and mouths filled with sharp, jagged teeth. “Hngh!” Some soldiers gasped at the sight, their fear overwhelming. The descriptions hadn’t done justice to the terrifying reality. But these were trained veterans. They tightened their grips on their shields and held their ground. Screech! Hundreds of creatures swarmed the walls, slashing wildly and gnashing their teeth. Many were riddled with arrows, but unless their heads were destroyed, a few arrows weren’t enough to kill them. Clang! Bang! Crash! The front-line shield bearers held firm, managing to repel the initial wave. But the sheer number of creatures pushed them to their limits, some even climbing over their fallen comrades to reach the top. As Rift creatures landed on the wall, Ghislain shouted, “Attack!” The second line of soldiers lunged forward with spears. Stab! Stab! Stab! The creatures’ bodies offered little resistance against the soldiers’ weapons, but their durability and resilience made them hard to kill. Woosh! Hundreds of magical spears materialized around Ghislain, piercing the creatures that breached the defenses. Boom! Boom! Boom! Ghislain’s knights and aides joined the fray, cutting through the creatures. They had learned from past battles to conserve their strength; fighting the Rift creatures was always a battle of endurance. Ghislain called out, “Vanessa!” Vanessa, stationed at the rear, began casting a spell. “Earth Wall!” Rumble! A massive earthen wall rose between the creatures climbing the wall and the horde still approaching from the mist, effectively dividing them. Screech! The separated creatures scrambled up the wall, only to be met with relentless magical assaults. Boom! Boom! Boom! Fire and lightning rained down, incinerating the creatures. The defenders worked tirelessly. Shield bearers shoved creatures off the walls, while knights and soldiers killed those that managed to climb over. Elven archers, stationed in high watchtowers, provided covering fire where needed. The trebuchets continued bombarding the rear ranks of the Rift horde. It was a perfect combination of tactics. Vanessa’s wall slowed the creatures’ advance, giving the defenders time to kill them methodically. “Hold the line! Stay the course!” Ghislain’s voice carried over the chaos, rallying his forces. The bodies of Rift creatures began piling up at the base of the walls, a gruesome testament to their efforts. Unlike normal enemies, these corpses didn’t disintegrate but remained, forming an ominous heap. However, the ever-mounting pile of bodies became a new problem. Despite the mages’ attempts to burn them, the sheer number of corpses created a hill that the creatures began using to climb faster. Screech! Some creatures, ablaze and riddled with arrows, charged through the flames, driven by an unyielding hatred and resolve to kill. The soldiers gritted their teeth, knowing they couldn’t falter. With their smaller numbers, even a single breach could spell disaster. As the wall of earth began to crumble under the creatures’ weight, Vanessa acted again. “Fire Pillar!” Boom! Massive pillars of fire erupted in front of the fortress, obliterating the corpses and forcing the creatures to scale the wall anew. “Earth Wall!” Rumble! Another wall rose, once again stalling the Rift creatures’ advance. The defenders repeated this cycle, holding the line and gradually thinning the horde. “Keep holding! Don’t give up!” “Stand your ground! We can do this!” Rallying cries from commanders rang out across the battlefield. If they could maintain their strategy, they would eventually overcome the Rift horde. But the Rift continued to expand, its domain now creeping past the fortress walls and allowing creatures to attack from the flanks. “Hold the line!” Ghislain shouted as trebuchet fire ceased. Every soldier, mage, and knight now needed to engage in direct combat. The units that had been hauling stones and operating the trebuchets rushed to block the flanks of the fortress. Thud! Thud! Thud! Knights split off to support both sides. While this slightly weakened the front-line defenses, it was still manageable. “Die, you bastards!” The defenders on all sides fought with every ounce of strength to prevent either flank from crumbling. The Rift creatures, with nothing but bloodlust driving them, showed no signs of waning in their relentless assault. Boom! Boom! Boom! Even on the walls, the bodies of Rift creatures began piling up, so much so that movement for the soldiers was becoming increasingly difficult. It was Ghislain who resolved the issue. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! From his body extended hundreds of mana threads, which he used to hurl the bodies of the Rift creatures away with violent force. As new Rift creatures attempted to climb, they were crushed by the flying corpses of their own kind. Splat! Splat! Splat! Thanks to Ghislain’s unparalleled efforts, the precarious balance of the battle was maintained. When the walls weakened, Vanessa raised them again. As expected of a 7th-circle mage, she even extended her magic to reinforce the fortress’s flanks. When the piling corpses formed hills, the mages burned them to ash. Yet even amidst their efforts, they carefully conserved their mana. Equidema was still lurking, and no one knew how long this battle would last. They believed that if they could maintain this grueling pattern, they would eventually overcome the Rift creatures. That belief lasted until exhaustion began to set in. "My arms... they won’t move." "Hold the line! We have to!" "Damn it... how many of them are there?" The limits of human endurance were beginning to show. If this were a war between humans, there might have been moments of reprieve, as even the enemy would need rest. But the Rift creatures came endlessly, without pause. The soldiers couldn’t afford to eat, sleep, or even take proper breaks. It was then they understood the true horror of the Rift. This wasn’t a battle—it was a fight to the death, with no respite until one side was completely annihilated. Watching his soldiers slow down from exhaustion, Ghislain clenched his jaw. “Endurance is always the problem,” he thought grimly. When a Rift expanded to this magnitude, this was the inevitable outcome. The sheer number of creatures pouring out was overwhelming. By now, hundreds more were likely emerging from the Rift every second, unopposed by any force. They had been allowed to amass unchecked. Retreat wasn’t an option either. Not even Ghislain’s elite Fenris soldiers could endure days of continuous combat without rest. Facing this endless tide would inevitably bring despair. The knights occasionally sipped water mixed with powder to sustain themselves, but the front-line soldiers holding the Rift creatures at bay barely had the chance to do even that. Screech! Boom! Ghislain stepped forward, blasting dozens of Rift creatures away in a single strike, then shouted, “Restore their strength!” Hearing his command, the priests standing by unleashed their divine power. Flash! Sacred light emanated across the battlefield, enveloping the soldiers. The Rift creatures nearby screeched in agony as their bodies burned and disintegrated. The soldiers, reinvigorated by the divine energy, regained some strength and resumed their fight. This strategy could only hold for so long, though. “They need rest.” Even with a large number of priests, restoring tens of thousands of soldiers wasn’t a simple task. The priests themselves were visibly drained after just one use of their abilities. “This can’t be sustained much longer.” The soldiers needed time to recover, even if only briefly. Ghislain resolved to buy that time himself. “Grant me the blessing!” he commanded. The priests directed their divine power toward Ghislain, enveloping him in radiant light. His body began to glow brilliantly. The goddess’s blessing surged through him, enhancing his vitality and reducing incoming damage. But Ghislain didn’t intend to use it defensively. Flash! His eyes glowed crimson as he focused his mana, suppressing his usual restraint. He decided against activating his third-tier core, opting instead for the second-tier—a sufficient compromise to turn the tide temporarily. Ghislain grabbed his spear and infused it with mana. Buzz... Buzz... Buzz... The air around the spear vibrated violently as a crimson-black aura enveloped it, radiating immense power. With a single motion, he hurled the spear forward. Boom! The spear struck the horde with devastating force, detonating in an explosion that obliterated hundreds of Rift creatures at once. Without hesitation, Ghislain leapt down into the thick of the battle. Watching from a distance, Skovan muttered, “He’s at it again.” The only difference from before was that Ghislain had jumped in alone this time.