The first strike had never been meant to win.
It was meant to delay.
Five armies.
Five targets.
Five chances to fail.
Jax knew they couldn't protect everything.
So he didn't try.
Instead…
He made the Empire hesitate.
Solmere – War Room
The room pulsed with movement.
Messengers.
Maps.
Voices layered over one another in controlled urgency.
Tele-stones glowed across the table—each one tied to a different front.
Each one alive.
"The canyon force has slowed," one commander reported.
"Not enough," another muttered.
Llandra stood beside the war table, her eyes scanning routes, recalculating distances.
The Elven King remained composed, though even he leaned forward slightly, watching closely.
Nearby—
The Spymaster, Vaelith, listened without speaking.
Then—
A flicker.
One of the Shadow Knights standing silently near the wall…
Shifted.
Gasps rippled through the room.
Jax stood where the shadow had been.
"…Report," he said calmly.
Even now…
Even after seeing it before…
They weren't used to it.
The King studied him carefully.
"…You move between them freely."
Jax didn't answer.
Because the answer didn't matter.
He turned to the map.
"They've shown their hand," he said.
"Mages forward. Anti-summoning priority."
Vaelith finally spoke.
"Which means they're expecting your shadows."
Jax nodded once.
"Good."
He reached out, touching one of the tele-stones.
"Bridge team."
A voice answered instantly.
"Position secured."
Jax's eyes flicked to Llandra.
A small nod passed between them.
Then—
He vanished.
The Bridge
The ravine cut deep through the land.
A hundred feet down—
A narrow river carved through jagged stone.
The bridge above was the only crossing for miles.
Which made it perfect.
Jax appeared in shadow beneath it.
Silent.
Hidden.
Above—
Boots thundered across wood and rope.
Half the force had already crossed.
The rest moved steadily behind them.
Mages.
Surrounded.
Protected.
Waiting.
Jax didn't move.
Not yet.
He watched.
Counted.
Measured.
Then—
When the mages reached the center—
He moved.
The Break
Peacemaker flew.
A blur of steel and force.
It cut through reinforced beams like they were paper.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The bridge gave way.
The center collapsed inward.
Wood splintered.
Ropes snapped.
And the screams began.
The Collapse
Mages reacted instantly.
Barriers flared.
Light encased them—
Protective.
Desperate.
But not all of them.
Not fast enough.
Above—
A portal flickered open.
Hidden.
Precise.
Llandra stepped through first. Having a portal brought into the room next to the War Room was the right call she thought.
Zee followed.
And chaos followed them.
Rain from Above
Llandra didn't hesitate.
Her clones split outward—
Phantoms of motion and precision.
Arrows fell like judgment.
Fire.
Lightning.
Explosions ripped through the formation—
Front lines.
Rear lines.
Even the protected center.
Silence Falls
Zee raised Sanctaris.
Her voice was quiet.
Focused.
"Silence."
The spell didn't roar.
It didn't explode.
It settled.
Across the bridge.
Mages opened their mouths.
Chanted.
Nothing happened.
Confusion.
Panic.
Barriers failed to form.
And then—
They fell.
The Ravine Below
Bodies dropped.
Hundreds.
Armor.
Weapons.
Mages.
Knights.
Archers.
All falling.
And below—
Jax waited.
Infernal Requiem in hand.
The first shot cracked through the air.
Then the second.
Then the third.
Each one precise.
Each one final.
Most never reached the water.
The lucky ones did.
And even then—
Few survived.
The Final Choice
Above—
The remaining soldiers faced a decision.
Forward—
Into arrow fire.
Or back—
Into collapse.
Neither was escape.
Zee shifted her stance.
Her barrier formed—
Then slammed forward at an angle.
Men were thrown.
Pushed.
Forced off balance—
And off the bridge.
Some made it across.
Most didn't.
The Withdrawal
This wasn't their battlefield.
This wasn't their end.
Llandra gave the signal.
The portal reopened.
One by one—
They vanished.
Gone before the Empire could regroup.
Gone before retaliation could form.
Leaving only—
Silence.
The Cost
When the dust settled—
The Empire still stood.
But diminished.
Five hundred dead.
Nearly two dozen mages reduced to three—
And those barely standing.
Only two hundred had crossed.
And they were shaken.
Slowed.
Exactly as planned.
The Shift Continues
Back at the hidden field—
The portal sealed behind them.
Jax appeared once more.
A tele-stone pulsed.
He answered instantly.
"Jax—they've entered Foghorn Forest."
No hesitation.
He touched his forehead.
And vanished.
In his place—
A massive shadow form took shape.
A gorilla.
Silent.
Watching.
Waiting.
Closing
Two fronts engaged.
Two delays secured.
Ten percent gone.
And still—
Three more to go.
Jax reappeared within the forest's edge.
Eyes scanning.
Calculating.
Adjusting.
It was going to be a long day.