Cassian smiled as the surviving soldiers of the first wave returned to the ships. The retreat had gone exactly as he intended. The Iron Wolves were celebrating what they believed was a victory, while Cassian had already moved on to the next stage of his plan.This was the part of warfare he enjoyed most.Strategy.He had spent the entire battle studying the Iron Wolves, and he had finally identified the reason they had performed far beyond what their numbers should have allowed. They were not stronger than Sovereign’s soldiers, nor were they better equipped. Their greatest advantage was the battlefield itself.The Iron Wolves knew Skull Island.They knew every cliff, every broken structure, every narrow passage, every rock formation, and every position they had prepared during their training. Even when darkness covered the island, they had been able to move with confidence because they knew exactly where they were and where their enemies were likely to appear.The enormous torches had

The Iron Wolves were being slaughtered.The second wave of Sovereign soldiers had completely changed the nature of the battle. Unlike the first wave, which had relied heavily on brute force and frontal pressure, these soldiers moved according to Cassian’s carefully designed formation. Two hundred soldiers attacked directly from the front, forcing the Iron Wolves to remain engaged, while another two hundred positioned themselves along the left flank to cut off any attempt to escape. Another two hundred controlled the right side, while the remaining four hundred scattered throughout the island, moving between the ruins and destroyed structures with their thermal equipment allowing them to see through the darkness.The Iron Wolves were completely surrounded. Every attempt to regroup was met by gunfire, every attempt to retreat was intercepted, and every position they tried to defend was already being attacked from another direction. Victor watched helplessly as his men fell one after ano

Kade stood in the middle of the battlefield as the remaining Sovereign soldiers stared at him in fear. The shockwave from his first attack had already torn apart their formation, but Kade gave them no time to recover. His figure suddenly disappeared, and a Sovereign soldier barely registered the movement before Kade appeared directly in front of him and drove his fist into his chest. The impact sent the man flying through three other soldiers, and before any of them could hit the ground, Kade had already moved again.He seized another soldier by the throat and lifted him effortlessly with one hand. The man struggled desperately, kicking his legs and trying to pry Kade’s fingers loose, but Kade simply hurled him into the ground with enough force to create a crater beneath him. Three more soldiers attacked simultaneously from different directions, yet Kade didn’t even bother turning around. He extended one hand, and Aether energy erupted from his palm, blasting all three men backward an

Karl slowly approached Kade, his massive battle axe resting against his shoulder as blood dripped from its blade. His eyes remained fixed on Kade, and the smile on his face made it clear that he had no intention of letting him escape.Before Karl could take another step, Victor and Michael moved between them.Victor raised his weapon and stared directly at Karl.“Not on our watch.”Michael stepped beside him, tightening his grip around his sword.Victor then glanced at Kade.“Boss, go. Find Roman Null. We’ll deal with this one.”Kade looked at the two men for a moment before nodding.“Be careful.”He turned toward the battlefield, bent his knees, and suddenly launched himself into the air.BOOM!The ground beneath his feet cracked from the force of his jump.Kade soared high above the battlefield before descending toward a large group of Sovereign soldiers. They looked up in confusion, but before they could react, Kade slammed into the middle of their formation.BOOOOOOM!The impact s

Victor tried to pull his arm free, but Karl’s grip only tightened around his wrist. The strength in that single hand was terrifying. Victor planted his feet firmly and pulled with everything he had, yet Karl didn’t move an inch. Gritting his teeth, Victor swung his free fist toward Karl’s face, but Karl moved first. He leaned forward and slammed his forehead into Victor’s face.CRACK!Victor’s nose broke instantly. His head snapped backward as blood poured from his nose, and before he could recover, Karl released his wrist and drove a brutal uppercut into his abdomen.BOOM!Victor’s feet left the ground as his body shot upward like a projectile. Karl didn’t give him even a second to escape. He bent his knees and launched himself after Victor, rising even higher until he was above him. Victor barely had time to look up before Karl’s fist came crashing down.BOOM!The punch drove Victor straight toward the ground. He slammed into the battlefield with enough force to create a crater bene