Later at night, Jin summoned his soldier, Koru, and told him about the captured spy.
Jin stood up fast. "Bring him. Now."
A few minutes later, the captured spy was brought in. His hands were tied. His face was calm but pale.
Jin raised one hand. A soft blue light floated in the air. "This is truth magic," he said. "It will force your mouth to speak only truth. You cannot lie."
The man's eyes widened, but he did not fight. The magic touched his lips.
"Who sent you?" Jin asked.
"The Kingdom of the East," the man said, his voice shaking.
"Why?"
"To watch you. To weaken you. To prepare for attack."
"When is the attack coming?"
The man looked up, tears in his eyes. "They are already on the way. The knights will strike at dawn. They will break your walls. Kill your people. Take your power."
Jin clenched his fists. The room was still. Then he gave his order:
"Ring the alarms. Prepare everyone. The storm is coming."
---
The city bell rang loud.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The sound shook the air. People ran out of their homes. Warriors grabbed their weapons. Mages lifted their staffs. The people of Garnolith had trained for this—but not many had seen real war.
Jin stood at the front wall with kuro and Orin.
"Keep calm," Jin said. "Tell everyone to move to battle positions. We hold the wall."
Kuro shouted commands. Soldiers ran fast, getting into lines. Archers climbed towers. Rune masters started drawing magic lines on the stone.
But it was too late.
A loud BOOM shook the ground. The sky above the trees turned red.
"Enemy fire!" a guard screamed.
From the woods, something huge moved. Trees fell down. And then—CRASH! A giant iron beast rolled out. It was a siege weapon, shaped like a dragon, glowing with red runes.
"It's enchanted!" Kuro yelled. "The knights used magic to make it stronger!"
The siege beast opened its mouth and fired a burning ball of fire at the wall.
BAAAANG!
Stone cracked. Dust flew into the sky.
"Repair team! Move now!" Orin shouted, but another blast came fast.
The enemy did not wait.
From the trees, hundreds of knights charged forward. They wore black armor with red markings. Their leader had a long white cape and a glowing sword.
"They brought elite knights," Jin said, his eyes narrowing.
Archers on the towers fired arrows, but the knights moved fast. Some had magic shields. Others deflected arrows with swords.
Then came the flash.
A team of knights jumped high into the air. Their boots glowed with flight magic. They landed on the wall, blades ready.
"Enemy on the wall!" a warrior shouted.
Lena rushed forward. "I'll hold the left side!" she yelled.
Kuro and his lizardmen charged the right.
Jin stayed in the middle. He closed his eyes and drew in mana from the air. The sword on his back began to glow. With one step, he vanished—and reappeared before three knights.
Slash!
All three knights fell before they could move.
More enemy squads climbed the wall.
Magic blasts lit up the sky. Fire, wind, and lightning exploded on both sides.
Even with all their training, the people of Garnolith were struggling. The enemy was strong, fast, and prepared. This was not a test.
This was war.
Jin stood tall in the chaos. His coat flapped in the wind. His blade shone bright.
"We do not fall," he said to himself.
And with fire in his eyes, he charged into the next wave.
---
The wall shook again.
CRACK!
A loud sound came from the left side of the city. The enchanted siege weapon fired another magic blast. It hit the same spot on the stone wall.
The rock groaned. The runes glowed for a moment… then shattered.
BOOOOM!
The wall broke. Stone flew in every direction. Dust covered the air. Soldiers near the wall were thrown back. Some screamed. Some did not get up.
"The wall is down!" someone yelled.
Orin turned fast. "To the breach! Everyone to the breach!"
Jin's eyes were cold. He ran with speed faster than wind. Kuro followed him with fifty lizardmen warriors. The enemy saw the hole in the wall and charged in.
Dozens of black-armored knights ran through the broken stone. Their eyes were full of bloodlust. They shouted battle cries. Magic shields covered their bodies.
Jin reached the breach first.
He stood alone.
One knight laughed. "Only one man?"
But then Jin raised his sword.
BOOM!
Wind exploded from his blade. Five knights flew back.
Then Jin moved. Too fast for the eye. Slash! Slash! Slash!
Three more knights fell. One tried to stab him. Jin turned his body slightly and cut the knight's sword in two.
The knight froze.
Jin looked him in the eye. "Leave now… or die."
The knight ran.
Behind Jin, kuro roared. "FOR GARNOLITH!"
The lizardmen slammed into the enemy line. Their axes crushed shields. Their teeth tore armor. Fire mages behind them launched fireballs.
The battle at the breach was fierce.
Mira joined with her squad. She used wind magic to push knights back. Elen healed the wounded and protected the archers.
But the enemy kept coming.
More knights arrived from the forest. Some carried new tools—dark crystals. They threw the crystals near the breach.
KA-KRACK!
Chains of black magic came out. They grabbed soldiers and pulled them down.
Jin narrowed his eyes. "Dark mana…"
He dashed forward and slashed the crystals apart. The black chains vanished. He looked up and saw a knight in red armor watching him.
This knight had no sword—only a staff. His eyes glowed blue.
"You're the one they fear," the red knight said softly.
Jin raised his blade. "And you're the one they sent to die."
The red knight smiled. "We'll see."
They clashed.
BOOOM!
Mana burst in every direction. Stone broke. The wind screamed. Jin and the red knight vanished into the dust.
Soldiers on both sides stopped and looked.
The true battle had begun.
---
The battle continued with violence and fear.
Jin's sword moved like lightning. Each strike brought down more knights. The red-armored knight, however, was not easily defeated. They clashed again and again, each blow ringing out like thunder. Jin's strength was unmatched, but the red knight's staff was a dangerous weapon, using powerful magic to block and counterattack.
"Why do you fight for a king who fears the truth?" Jin asked, blocking a powerful strike from the staff.
The red knight smiled coldly. "The king sees you as a threat, 'Stone King.' But you are just a golem. And all golem can fall."
Jin's eyes narrowed. He felt the weight of the knight's words, but he knew he couldn't let the army break through the city.
At that moment, he heard Orin voice behind him. "Master, more knights are coming!"
Jin glanced over his shoulder. The lizardmen and soldiers were holding back the flood of enemies at the breach, but they were losing ground.
"We need to stop them now!" Kuro shouted, joining Jin at his side. Her magic protected the soldiers behind her, but she knew they couldn't last long.
Jin took a deep breath. "We have no choice. I will finish this."
With a powerful roar, Jin summoned his mana. His sword glowed bright blue with energy. He struck at the red knight's staff, breaking it in two.
The red knight fell back in surprise, but he quickly summoned dark magic to protect himself.
"You are strong, Stone King," he said, his voice now a whisper. "But even you cannot stop the will of my king."
Jin's eyes burned with anger. "I will stop him. And I will stop you."
With one final, powerful swing of his blade, Jin cut through the knight's dark shield. The red knight fell, defeated.
But even as the red knight collapsed, the sound of more enemies echoed in the distance. The siege weapons continued to attack the outer walls.
Jin turned to his soldiers. "Regroup! Hold the breach!"
His voice was full of command and strength. Despite their fear, the soldiers and lizardmen obeyed him without question.
Mira stepped forward, holding his Wand. "We will fight, master. For Garnolith!"
Elen nodded, her eyes full of determination. "We're with you."
The enemy was relentless. More knights charged into the city. But now, Jin had made up his mind. The city would not fall.
Jin ran back to the breach, his sword glowing even brighter. His soldiers and lizardmen followed him, fighting with everything they had.
The battle was far from over, but Jin's spirit was unbroken.
As long as he stood, Garnolith would stand.
And the storm was far from finished.