Wolf Fortress had never been so active.
The soldiers had returned from the eastern checkpoint with valuable supplies, several monster cores, and enough materials to begin preparing for the next base upgrade.
But Destiny was not celebrating.
The black device recovered from the Abyssal Warlord had confirmed his worst suspicion.
The Monster King was monitoring the battlefield.
Destiny stood inside the command center while Isaac examined the damaged device.
"Have you discovered anything?" Destiny asked.
Isaac adjusted his glasses.
"The device was transmitting information about the Warlord's location, condition, and battle activity. It may have been designed to send information directly to a central command system."
"Can you trace the signal?"
"I've been trying, but the signal is encrypted. I managed to identify a general direction, though."
Isaac displayed a map.
A red marker appeared far beyond the city.
"The signal came from somewhere in the northern region," he explained. "But we can't determine the exact location."
Destiny stared at the map.
"Keep working on it. If we can locate their command center, we may discover how the Monster King controls his forces."
Isaac nodded.
Suddenly, the fortress siren sounded.
[EMERGENCY ALERT]
[WARNING: LARGE MONSTER FORCE APPROACHING]
[ESTIMATED ENEMY COUNT: 200+]
[HIGH-RANKED MONSTER DETECTED]
Destiny immediately stood.
"Show me the threat."
The map changed.
A large red marker was moving toward Wolf Fortress from the northern highway.
[MONSTER DETECTED]
[NAME: ABYSSAL DESTROYER]
[RANK: C]
[LEVEL: 30]
[ABILITIES:
- DEVASTATING CHARGE
- ENERGY CANNON
- ARMOR REGENERATION]
[THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME]
Destiny's expression became serious.
Another C-rank monster.
But this time, it was approaching with more than two hundred smaller creatures.
"Sound the alarm! All soldiers to their defensive positions!"
***
The fortress gates closed.
Joseph commanded the Defense Squad along the northern wall. Daniel organized the Assault Squad, while Naomi's scouts watched the enemy's movements from the observation towers.
Kane stood beside Destiny.
"That creature is larger than the Warlord."
Destiny nodded.
"And it has an army behind it."
The distant ground began to tremble.
The monsters appeared along the highway.
F-rank creatures moved at the front, followed by E-rank monsters and several D-rank beasts.
At the center of the formation stood the Abyssal Destroyer.
Its enormous body was covered in black armor, and a glowing energy cannon was embedded in its right shoulder.
Destiny activated Tactical Analysis.
[TARGET ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
[WEAKNESS:
- ENERGY CANNON REQUIRES CHARGING
- CORE LOCATED IN THE UPPER BACK
- REGENERATION CAN BE INTERRUPTED BY REPEATED ENERGY DAMAGE]
Destiny studied the enemy formation.
"Joseph, activate the energy shield. Daniel, hold your squad until the smaller monsters reach the defensive line."
"Understood, sir!"
The enemy force began advancing.
The fortress cannons opened fire.
Explosions spread across the highway, eliminating dozens of monsters.
But the remaining creatures continued forward.
The Abyssal Destroyer raised its shoulder cannon.
A bright light gathered inside the weapon.
"INCOMING!" Naomi shouted.
The cannon fired.
A massive beam struck the energy shield.
The entire fortress shook.
[ENERGY SHIELD: 67%]
Destiny stared at the display.
The shield had lost more than a third of its energy from a single attack.
"Isaac, increase the generator output!"
Isaac's voice came through the communication device.
"Already doing it, commander! But the shield won't survive many more attacks like that!"
Destiny looked toward the battlefield.
The Abyssal Destroyer was charging its cannon again.
"All units, target the shoulder cannon!"
The soldiers opened fire.
Bullets and energy attacks struck the monster's weapon, but its armor absorbed most of the damage.
The cannon fired a second time.
[ENERGY SHIELD: 39%]
Cracks began appearing across the blue barrier.
Destiny clenched his fist.
"At this rate, the fortress will fall."
Kane stepped forward.
"Then we need to take that creature down before it fires again."
Destiny nodded.
"Prepare the assault team. We're going outside."
***
The western gate opened.
Destiny led Daniel, Kane, Brian, Ethan, and several elite soldiers into the battlefield.
The smaller monsters immediately rushed toward them.
Daniel's squad formed a defensive line.
"Assault Squad, advance!"
The soldiers attacked in coordinated formations.
Brian and Ethan targeted the creatures from a distance, while Kane used his blood chains to restrain the stronger enemies.
Destiny activated Commander's Aura.
[COMMANDER'S AURA ACTIVATED]
The soldiers moved with greater confidence.
Destiny activated Soldier's Will and rushed toward the Abyssal Destroyer.
The monster noticed him.
Its massive head turned.
The energy cannon began glowing.
"Commander, it's targeting you!" Daniel shouted.
Destiny activated Combat Prediction.
He saw the direction of the attack and immediately changed course.
The cannon fired.
A beam of energy tore through the ground behind him.
The explosion sent dust and debris into the air.
Destiny continued moving.
He climbed onto a damaged vehicle, leaped onto a concrete barrier, and launched himself toward the monster's side.
His combat knife struck the armor.
A small crack appeared.
"Too strong!"
The Abyssal Destroyer swung its massive arm.
Destiny dodged, but the shockwave threw him off the vehicle.
He landed hard on the ground.
[WARNING: HEAVY DAMAGE DETECTED]
Daniel rushed toward him.
"Commander!"
"Stay back!" Destiny shouted.
The monster raised its cannon again.
Destiny struggled to stand.
Then he noticed something.
The energy cannon was connected to several glowing lines that ran across the creature's upper back.
He immediately activated Tactical Analysis.
[TACTICAL UPDATE]
[ENERGY CANNON CONNECTED TO CORE SYSTEM]
[WEAKNESS CONFIRMED: UPPER BACK]
[TACTICAL SUGGESTION: DISABLE THE ENERGY CANNON BEFORE ATTACKING THE CORE]
Destiny looked at Ethan.
"Can you overload that cannon?"
Ethan's face tightened.
"I can try, but I'll need a clear shot."
"Brian, protect him. Daniel, keep the monster distracted."
The soldiers moved into position.
Daniel's squad launched a concentrated attack against the Destroyer's legs.
Kane wrapped blood chains around one of its arms.
The monster roared and struggled to break free.
Ethan raised both hands.
Electricity gathered around his body.
A powerful bolt shot toward the energy cannon.
The weapon flickered.
[ENERGY CANNON INSTABILITY DETECTED]
Destiny activated Power Burst.
He rushed forward, using the monster's distraction to climb onto its back.
The Abyssal Destroyer shook violently.
Destiny held on to a damaged armor plate and crawled toward the glowing connections.
The cannon began charging again.
"DESTINY, GET OFF IT!" Daniel shouted.
Destiny ignored him.
He drove his knife into one of the glowing connections.
A burst of energy erupted.
[ENERGY CANNON DISABLED]
The monster screamed.
Its armor began regenerating, but the process was slower now.
Destiny moved toward the upper back.
A bright core was visible beneath the damaged plates.
He raised his combat knife.
But before he could strike, the Abyssal Destroyer released a powerful shockwave.
Destiny was thrown from its back.
He crashed into the ground and rolled several meters.
His vision blurred.
[CRITICAL HEALTH WARNING]
"COMMANDER!" Kane shouted.
The monster turned toward Destiny.
Its massive foot rose above him.
For one terrifying moment, everything seemed to stop.
Then Daniel charged forward and fired directly at the creature's damaged leg.
Kane's blood chains wrapped around the other leg.
Ethan released another electric strike.
The monster staggered.
Destiny forced himself to stand.
His body ached, but he refused to fall.
He activated Soldier's Will again.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: SOLDIER'S WILL]
His strength surged.
Destiny sprinted toward the monster and leaped onto its damaged armor.
He climbed toward the upper back.
The core was exposed.
"FOR WOLF FORTRESS!"
He drove his knife into the core with all his strength.
The core cracked.
The Abyssal Destroyer released a deafening roar.
A bright explosion spread across its body.
Then the enormous monster collapsed.
[ C-RANK ABYSSAL DESTROYER ELIMINATED ]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 8,000]
[MILITARY POINTS RECEIVED: 6,000]
[MONSTER CORE ACQUIRED]
The remaining monsters began retreating.
The soldiers continued firing until the battlefield was clear.
Destiny fell to one knee.
Daniel reached him.
"Commander, you did it."
Destiny looked toward the fallen monster.
"Not alone."
***
The battle had ended, but Wolf Fortress had suffered heavy damage.
The energy shield was almost depleted, several defensive towers had been damaged, and the northern wall had developed large cracks.
The medical station was crowded with injured soldiers.
Isaac approached Destiny with a serious expression.
"The fortress survived, but the defensive systems need repairs. We'll need more materials before we can face another attack like this."
Destiny nodded.
"Use the monster cores we collected to increase our energy reserves. Repair the walls and reinforce the northern gate."
Isaac saluted.
"Understood, sir."
A system notification appeared.
[MISSION PROGRESS UPDATED]
[OPERATIONS COMPLETED: 5/5]
[MAIN MISSION OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: COMPLETE 5 MILITARY OPERATIONS]
[REWARD RECEIVED: 10,000 MILITARY POINTS]
[NEW REWARD AVAILABLE: ADVANCED MILITARY VEHICLE]
Destiny opened the reward interface.
[ADVANCED MILITARY VEHICLE]
[TYPE: ARMORED COMMAND VEHICLE]
[FEATURES:
- HEAVY ARMOR
- ADVANCED COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
- MONSTER TRACKING RADAR
- REINFORCED ENGINE]
[VEHICLE UNLOCKED]
Destiny smiled faintly.
The new vehicle would be useful for future operations.
Another notification appeared.
[LEVEL UP!]
[CURRENT LEVEL: 11]
[FREE ATTRIBUTE POINTS: 5]
Destiny distributed the points between Strength, Agility, and Vitality.
[HOST STATUS]
[NAME: DESTINY]
[RANK: FIRST LIEUTENANT]
[LEVEL: 11]
[STRENGTH: 21]
[AGILITY: 25]
[VITALITY: 17]
[INTELLIGENCE: 12]
[MILITARY POINTS: 38,000]
[SOLDIERS: 30/100]
[BASE: WOLF FORTRESS - LEVEL 2]
Destiny looked at the damaged fortress.
They had won the battle, but the victory had revealed the limits of their current strength.
He needed to reach Level 15, recruit more soldiers, and upgrade Wolf Fortress to Level 3.
The system displayed a new message.
[WARNING: MONSTER KING HAS OBSERVED THE BATTLE]
[UNKNOWN MESSAGE RECEIVED]
The interface flickered.
A familiar voice echoed through Destiny's mind.
"Well done, little commander. You have defeated another of my generals."
Destiny's expression hardened.
"Monster King."
The voice laughed.
"But every victory brings you closer to the truth. Your system cannot protect you forever."
Destiny clenched his fist.
"Then I'll become strong enough to defeat you without it."
The Monster King fell silent.
Then his voice returned, colder than before.
"The next force I send will not be a scouting army. I will send a true invasion force, and your little fortress will be reduced to dust."
The connection ended.
Destiny stared at the system interface.
[NEW MAIN MISSION]
[PREPARE FOR THE MONSTER KING'S INVASION]
[OBJECTIVES:
- REACH LEVEL 15
- RECRUIT 50 SOLDIERS
- UPGRADE WOLF FORTRESS TO LEVEL 3
- UNLOCK ADVANCED MILITARY TECHNOLOGY]
Destiny looked toward Daniel, Naomi, Kane, and the other soldiers.
They were exhausted, injured, and surrounded by the ruins of their own defenses.
But they were alive.
And they had survived another attack.
Destiny slowly stood.
"Repair the fortress. Treat the wounded. Every soldier will receive proper rest before the next operation."
Daniel saluted.
"Understood, sir."
Destiny turned toward the horizon.
Far away, a strange red light illuminated the clouds.
He knew the Monster King was preparing something much worse.
But Wolf Fortress would not surrender.
Not while Destiny was still standing.