Chapter 254: One Last Step

Cora and Sera moved along the sides of the road, watching the surrounding barracks for enemies attempting to approach from behind.

A group of soldiers emerged from a nearby entrance.

"Intruders!"

The Twins reacted immediately.

Cora stepped forward, catching the first soldier’s sword with her own before knocking it aside.

Sera moved past her sister and struck the second man’s weapon from his hand.

CLANG!

The soldier stumbled backward.

Before he could recover, Sera swept his legs out from under him and sent him crashing onto the ground.

Cora dealt with another attacker, striking his wrist and forcing him to drop his sword.

The remaining soldiers tried to regroup.

But the Twins were already moving toward them.

Their swords flashed as they slipped between the attackers, disarming anyone who attempted to fight.

Within moments, the small group had been defeated.

"Left side clear," Cora announced.

"Nothing behind us," Sera added.

Emric nodded.

"Good work. Keep moving."

The team continued toward the middle ring.

Meanwhile, Lyra had reached a narrow section of the approach road.

Several massive war-beasts were charging down from the upper barracks, their broken control collars swinging around their necks.

The creatures were huge.

Some resembled armored wolves, while others looked like oversized bears with thick horns growing from their shoulders.

Without the enchantments controlling them, they were attacking anything that moved.

A group of soldiers was already fleeing down the road.

"RUN!"

"THE BEASTS ARE COMING!"

Lyra stepped forward.

"Everyone, get behind me!"

The soldiers barely had time to react before the first creature appeared around the bend.

It roared and charged straight toward her.

Lyra lowered her spear.

Cold energy spread from her body, flowing across the road beneath her boots.

Within seconds, a thick layer of ice covered the packed dirt.

The leading war-beast charged onto the frozen surface.

Its paws immediately lost their grip.

WHOOSH!

The creature slid forward, struggling to regain its balance.

Then it crashed onto its side.

BOOM!

A second beast struck the ice moments later.

It tried to stop, but its heavy body continued sliding until it collided with the first.

CRASH!

Both creatures tumbled across the road.

Lyra moved forward before they could recover.

She struck the nearest beast’s shoulder with the blunt end of her spear, releasing a burst of cold energy that froze the joint.

The creature growled and struggled to rise.

But its front leg wouldn’t move.

Lyra turned toward the second beast and repeated the attack.

Another burst of frost spread across its legs, holding it in place.

Within moments, both creatures were trapped on the frozen road.

Lyra stepped back and looked toward the frightened soldiers.

"Get away from here. And don’t go near those animals."

The men nodded quickly.

"Y-yes, ma’am!"

They hurried down the road without another word.

Lyra watched them leave before turning toward the upper switchback.

More war-beasts were roaring somewhere above.

She tightened her grip on her spear.

"Looks like I’m going to be busy."

Renna had reached one of the watchtowers overlooking the middle ring.

From her position, she could see several sections of the approach road and the soldiers moving between them.

Most were still trying to figure out what had happened to their communication devices.

But a group of archers had gathered on a higher platform, preparing to fire at Emric and the others.

Renna spotted them immediately.

"Oh, no you don’t."

She drew an arrow.

THWACK!

The shaft flew toward the nearest archer, striking his shoulder armor.

A burst of storm energy spread through the metal, stunning him and causing his bow to fall from his hands.

Before his companions could react, Renna fired again.

THWACK!

Another archer dropped.

Then a third.

The remaining soldiers scrambled for cover.

One tried to raise his bow and return fire.

Renna’s next arrow struck the wooden railing beside him, releasing a sharp burst of electricity that forced him backward.

CRACK!

The man dropped his weapon.

"All right! We surrender!"

Renna lowered her bow.

"Then stay down!"

She glanced toward Emric’s position and smiled.

"Tower clear. You’re welcome!"

Emric’s voice came through the radio.

"Nice work. Keep watching the upper road."

"Already on it!"

Renna drew another arrow and scanned the surrounding platforms.

For once, she was actually enjoying a mission that had started with twenty-eight cannons pointed in their direction.

The mountain was still dangerous.

But at least nobody was shooting enchanted artillery at them anymore.

The assault continued.

Across the outer and middle defensive rings, Zahn’s soldiers struggled to respond.

Some attempted to hold their positions, while others abandoned their posts after hearing that the central shield and communication networks had failed.

Groups of soldiers tried to reorganize under their officers, but the sudden appearance of Team Soup only added to the confusion.

Emric led the advance through the narrow road, using his shield to break through barricades and protect the others from arrows and thrown weapons.

Renna covered their movement from above, stunning enemy archers and forcing watchtower guards to abandon their positions.

Lyra kept the escaped war-beasts away from the team, blocking several sections of the road with ice and disabling any creatures that charged toward them.

Meanwhile, Cora and Sera moved between the barracks, dealing with soldiers attempting to flank the group.

They weren’t trying to kill everyone.

There was no need.

Soldiers who surrendered were disarmed and left under orders to remain where they were.

Those who fled were allowed to go.

Only the ones who continued attacking were forcefully stopped.

Without reliable communication between the defensive rings, the commanders struggled to gather enough soldiers to mount a proper counterattack.

And while the fighting continued along the lower sections, Holden was already approaching the inner ring.

The final defensive ring stood directly beneath Eagle Peak’s central command structure.

Massive stone walls surrounded the upper road, with reinforced bunkers positioned on both sides of the entrance.

Normally, the entire area would have been protected by the Rank 4 energy barrier.

But the shield was gone.

The enchanted markings along the walls had also gone dark.

Holden walked toward the entrance, the Eclipse-Sun Sword resting comfortably in his right hand.

Several soldiers noticed him approaching.

Their expressions changed immediately.

"INTRUDER!"

Weapons were raised.

More soldiers hurried out from the nearby bunkers, gathering around the road leading toward the command building.

Within moments, twenty armed men had formed a defensive line.

Swords.

Spears.

Halberds.

A few carried large shields, while others stood behind them with longer weapons ready.

Unlike the confused soldiers below, these men were close enough to their commander to receive orders directly.

And they weren’t planning to let Holden pass.

From the balcony above, Zahn watched the confrontation.

His expression remained hard.

"Hold that position!" he shouted. "Do not let him reach the command building!"

The soldiers tightened their formation.

Their weapons pointed toward Holden.

He stopped a short distance away.

"Last chance," he called out. "Move aside, and nobody has to get hurt."

The officer at the front raised his sword.

"FOR COMMANDER ZAHN!"

The soldiers charged.

Holden sighed.

"Why does everyone insist on doing this the hard way?"

He raised the Eclipse-Sun Sword.

Crimson flames spread along the blade, gathering into a bright arc of energy.

But instead of unleashing the full destructive power of Hellfire Cleave, Holden controlled the flames and released a broad wave of force toward the approaching formation.

FWOOSH!

The attack struck the front line.

BOOM!

A powerful shockwave swept through the soldiers, knocking their shields aside and throwing several men backward.

Their formation broke immediately.

Some crashed onto the road.

Others collided with the soldiers behind them, sending weapons scattering across the ground.

CLANG! THUD!

Within seconds, the entire line had fallen apart.

The controlled attack had been powerful enough to knock the soldiers down without burning through their bodies.

Several groaned as they tried to rise.

Others remained where they had fallen, clearly unwilling to continue.

Holden lowered his sword.

"Stay down."

Nobody argued.

One soldier reached for his weapon, but the man beside him quickly grabbed his arm.

"Leave it! Are you trying to get us killed?"

The soldier hesitated.

Then slowly withdrew his hand.

Holden continued forward.

He stepped past the fallen weapons and made his way toward the command building.

Above him, Zahn had disappeared from the balcony.

The commander had finally realized that his remaining soldiers weren’t enough to stop the intruder.

And Holden knew exactly where he was going.

He reached the entrance.

Tw steel doors stood before him.

Unlike the enchanted systems surrounding the fortress, these doors were completely physical.

Thick metal.

Heavy hinges.

No magical energy.

Zahn had clearly prepared some defenses that didn’t depend on enchantments.

Holden examined the doors for a moment.

Then he smiled.

"At least he thought of backups."

He stepped forward and raised his right leg.

Aether-Steel strengthened his muscles as he drove his foot into the center of the doors.

BOOOOM!

The impact shook the entrance.

Both doors bent inward, their hinges tearing away from the surrounding stone.

CRAAASH!

The heavy metal barriers flew into the building, crashing against the far wall before falling onto the floor.

A cloud of dust rose through the entrance.

Holden lowered his leg.

"Still not strong enough, though."

He stepped inside.

The entrance hall was dark.

With the enchanted lighting disabled, most of the interior had been left without power.

Only a few ordinary emergency lamps provided any illumination, casting weak pools of light across the stone walls.

Holden raised the Eclipse-Sun Sword slightly.

The crimson flames along its edge grew brighter, lighting the area around him.

The hall was empty.

A long corridor stretched deeper into the mountain, leading toward the rooms where Zahn’s officers had been directing the battle.

Holden could hear faint movement somewhere ahead.

Footsteps.

Voices.

Soldiers rushing between rooms.

But nobody was waiting at the entrance.

He glanced over his shoulder.

Outside, the sounds of fighting still echoed across Eagle Peak.

His team was continuing its advance through the defensive rings, while the remaining soldiers struggled to restore order.

The mountain hadn’t completely fallen yet.

But its strongest defenses were gone, and the command structure was now open.

Holden took another step forward.

At that moment, a familiar notification appeared.

DING!

[Army Vanguard Cleared!]

[Hostiles Defeated: 1,247!]

[Base KP Earned: +90,000!]

[2x KP Booster Active!]

[Total KP Earned: +180,000!]

Holden dismissed the notification and looked down the dark corridor.

Commander Zahn was somewhere inside.

A Rank 4, 2-Star cultivator.

A former Royal Army commander.

And the sixth target on Vespera’s list.

Holden adjusted his grip on the Eclipse-Sun Sword.

"All right, Commander. Let’s see what you’ve got without your army."

Then he walked deeper into the command structure.