The heart of humanity’s defense against the monster invasion was, without question, the blast zone.It stretched for an entire kilometer and had been carefully designed to bring complete destruction to anything reckless enough to step inside. Every inch of the area had been prepared with a single purpose in mind, to wipe out the enemy before they could ever reach the human front lines.The first time Rhys saw it in action, he finally understood why everyone spoke about it with such confidence. Within seconds, thousands of undead skeletons were wiped out without putting up the slightest resistance.Arrows filled the sky. Mortars rained down without pause. Spells exploded across the battlefield while bombs and heavy artillery pounded the advancing horde. Every long-range area attack humanity possessed had been concentrated into that single stretch of land, creating a storm of destruction that erased everything in its path.The first wave never even made it halfway across.The skeletons m

Because Cade, Miles, and Rhys had been inseparable ever since they were children, their parents had naturally grown close over the years as well. Birthdays, school events, and countless family gatherings had turned them into friends in their own right.Now, with the monster raid finally underway, the three families had gathered inside the same house.No one wanted to face this night alone.They sat together in front of the television, watching the live broadcast from Ground Zero. Every pair of eyes remained fixed on the screen, each person silently praying that their children would make it through the battle unharmed.“The hardest part about raising an Ascender is when they have to go to war,” Cade’s mother, Mary, said softly as the television showed the endless stream of undead marching out of the Tower of Ascension.Angela, Miles’ mother, gently rested a hand on hers.“Don’t worry, Mary. Rhys would never let anything happen to our boys. Those three have been together since they were

“Lord Caden…”Rhys dropped to one knee without thinking, lowering his head until it nearly touched the ground.He had expected the Blood Monarch’s appearance to send shockwaves across the battlefield. Paladin Vance and the other devoted followers of Sol should have been the first to react.Instead, nothing happened.No one knelt.No one even turned in Caden’s direction.“Get up,” Caden said with a grin. “It’s not very warrior-like to bow on an active battlefield. You represent the Sol brand now. I can’t have you looking like a bitch.”Rhys immediately stood and looked around in confusion.Paladin Vance shot him a puzzled glance, clearly wondering why he had suddenly knelt, but everyone else remained focused on the battle. It was as though the god standing a few feet away simply didn’t exist.“My Lord…” Rhys said cautiously. “Can no one else see you?”Caden smiled.“That’s right. No one can see me because, technically, I’m not really here.”Rhys slowly nodded.“I’m like one of your syst

“He’s here. The Lich is finally here!”The shout echoed across the battlefield, and for the briefest moment, Rhys instinctively turned toward the entrance of the tower.A swirling vortex of dark energy twisted through the air, and from within it stepped the Lich.It was a creature that looked like death itself had taken form. Long, tattered robes hung from its body, swallowing the light around them until its outline seemed to blend into the surrounding darkness. Beneath the robes, parts of its skeletal frame could be seen, with bright green runes carved into the bones glowing with an eerie, unnatural light.Its hollow eye sockets burned with ghostly green flames that illuminated everything around it. In one bony hand, it held a staff crowned with a crystal that pulsed with necrotic energy. Every pulse matched the flow of dark magic spreading from its body.The moment it appeared, the battlefield changed.The air became heavy with deathly energy. A freezing pressure settled over everyon

Ren’s POVWhen Ren truly got serious, his swordsmanship looked nothing like that of an ordinary swordsman.Most swordsmen fought with a single blade. In modern times, dual swordsmen who specialized in overwhelming offense were not uncommon either. Ren normally belonged to that second group.As a guild master, he constantly had to issue orders during battle, so fighting with two swords was the most practical style for him. It gave him enough freedom to lead while still unleashing devastating attacks.There was, however, one fighting style that almost nobody ever got to see.Whenever Ren decided that his own life no longer mattered, he reached for a third sword.The blade was specially forged with a custom-made hilt that fit perfectly between his teeth. The moment he clenched it in his mouth, his entire fighting style changed.He became a three-sword wielder.It was a form he had sworn to use only in the most desperate situations.Daren and the rest of the guild’s core members understood