Chapter 20: Rise of the Force Vanguard
Swamp Kingdom – Citadel Barracks, Three Days Later
Morning dew clung to the fortress walls, glistening with a soft emerald shimmer under the twin moons. Inside the newly constructed [Force Barracks Lv. 2], the air was tense—charged with determination. The sound of synchronized drills, weapons clashing, and spell bursts filled the compound.
Ashen stood on the raised observation platform, arms folded, eyes fixed on the 4th Company of Force-Knight initiates. Their armor bore the sigil of the Swamp Kingdom—a dragon's eye wreathed in vines—and their spears hummed with unstable Force energy.
Below, Michael's voice boomed:
"ON MY MARK! [Force Step]—INTERLOCK FORMATION—[Burst Wall]!"
The 20-man unit moved like one being. Boots shimmered with bluish light, blinking forward in a V-shaped pincer. As they collided with the projection target—a simulated Tier IV ogre made of condensed mana crystals—Ashen's system window flashed:
