The massive log fell.
It screamed through the air like a herald of death, crashing down from the top of the wall into the densest cluster of enemies below.
Boom—!
The impact was catastrophic.
Bones shattered with sickening cracks. Flesh crumpled under impossible force. Two soldiers at the bottom were crushed instantly—reduced to mangled ruin before they could even react. The log didn't stop. It rolled forward, dragging three more climbers down with it, twisting their limbs into grotesque shapes as they slammed into the ground.
In an instant, that section of the battlefield became a vision of hell.
Blood soaked the earth.
Screams died before they could fully form.
The assault on the flank collapsed completely.
But victory there came at a cost elsewhere.
THUMP—!!
With a deafening crash, the main gate gave way.
Wood splintered. Dust and smoke burst outward.
And through the broken entrance—
The enemy surged in.
"Kill!!"
The scarred commander led the charge, his blade gleaming with bloodlust.
Inside the gate stood Colin, Lina, Finney, and two others—exposed.
No retreat.
No shield.
Only steel.
"Hold the line!"
Colin roared—not stepping back, but forward.
His sword met the commander's strike head-on.
CLANG!
Sparks exploded.
The impact drove the commander backward, his arms numbed, his expression shifting from confidence to shock.
A demi-human—
With this kind of strength?
Colin didn't give him time to think.
In his mind, the system's cold notifications flickered rapidly—
Kill after kill.
Fuel.
Rage.
Power.
His muscles surged. His vision burned red.
"Die!"
He abandoned defense.
His left hand transformed—fingers tightening, nails elongating into dark, blade-like claws.
"Wolf Claw—Tearing Bite!"
He moved like a phantom.
A spear thrust missed him by inches.
His claw flashed—
Pfft!
It tore through a soldier's throat.
Five deep gashes split flesh and muscle, exposing bone beneath. Blood erupted as the man collapsed, choking, lifeless.
The brutality stunned the others.
For a split second—
They hesitated.
Then—
A scream.
"Ah—!!"
From above.
"Sarah!!"
Goff's voice broke.
On the wall, a soldier had slipped past the defense. In a moment's lapse, his blade pierced through Sarah's back—straight through her chest.
Her body went limp.
Blood spread across the wood beneath her.
Something snapped.
"Kill them!!"
Lina's voice tore through the air.
Fear vanished.
Only hatred remained.
She and the others thrust their spears forward desperately, forcing the enemy back just enough—
Just enough—
For Colin.
His eyes locked onto one target.
The commander.
Cut the head—
And the body dies.
He launched forward.
A blur.
A sword struck his back—cutting shallow, failing to stop him.
He didn't slow.
The commander raised his blade—
Too late.
Colin twisted mid-motion.
His sword strike was a feint.
The real attack—
Came from his left.
The claw sliced through the air.
Clean.
Precise.
Unstoppable.
The commander froze.
His eyes widened.
He looked down—
At the blood pouring from his neck.
He tried to speak.
Only a wet gurgle came out.
Then—
He fell.
[Elite enemy killed — 15 Kill Points gained]
Silence.
Then—
Collapse.
"The commander's dead!"
"Run! It's a monster!"
Panic exploded through the remaining soldiers.
Discipline vanished.
Weapons were dropped. Formation shattered.
They fled.
Through the same gate they had broken—
Into the darkness.
The battle ended.
Just like that.
The outpost stood.
But barely.
The air reeked of blood.
Bodies lay scattered.
The survivors stood frozen—unable to process it all.
Goff dropped from the wall, stumbling to Sarah's body.
He knelt beside her.
For the first time—
The old hunter wept.
Around him, cries rose.
Grief.
Relief.
Loss.
Survival.
All tangled together.
At the gate, Colin stood still.
Breathing hard.
Blood dripping.
Pain creeping in.
But his eyes remained cold.
Watching.
Measuring.
They had won.
At a cost.
He climbed the wall slowly.
Looked out into the forest—
Where the enemy fled in terror.
Where the ground ran red.
There was no joy.
Only a quiet, creeping certainty.
This—
Was only the beginning.
He turned back.
To the people who now looked at him—
With grief.
With fear.
With something else.
Trust.
Dependence.
"We won."
His voice was hoarse.
But steady.
"Sarah's blood… was not spilled in vain."
He swept his gaze across them.
Across the land they had defended.
"From this day forward…"
"This is no longer a place where we struggle to survive."
He raised his bloodstained sword.
Pointing it to the sky.
"This is our home."
"Our fortress."
"The first foundation of our existence."
His voice rang out like iron striking stone.
"I name it—"
"Blackwood Castle."
The words struck deep.
Like thunder in every heart.
Driving away despair.
Igniting something new.
Hope.
Then—
The system spoke.
But this time—
It felt different.
[Territory core established… will gathering…][Kill System upgrade in progress…]