Reidar offered no further words; the time to talk was over. He gave a silent command.

The sky ripped open as the horde of ravens dove screaming like a black torrent that blotted out the sun. Below them, the ground shook under the paws of tens of thousands of creatures.

Judas stumbled backward, the color draining from his face as the wall of doom approached.

His hand reached for his weapon, but his actions were slow and uncoordinated. As he realized the extent of his stupidity, the arrogance that had tinged his voice minutes earlier vanished, replaced by pure horror.

"Aaron! Do something!"

The other War Hounds broke rank, scattering in fear as panic swept through their ranks. Some brandished their weapons in defense, while others stood frozen in place, paralyzed by the overwhelming sight of tens of thousands of monsters closing in on their position.

The first monster got close enough to warrant Aaron acting. He threw his hands out, palms open toward the charging tide.

A dome of energy burst from him, crackling as it swelled to encase every War Hound.

The lead bear smashed into the barrier; wolves and bears behind it tore at the glowing surface. Reidar's creatures hammered the shield with enough force to shatter the ground, but they bounced off like stones hitting a fortress wall.

The skeletal warriors slammed their weapons into the barrier, but the result was the same as before.

Only the Spectral Legion could somehow do something, since their blades phased through the surface. The problem was that they dissipated before they could reach the War Hounds inside.

The barrier held, but it was shaking.

Reidar noticed how the barrier's surface rippled and flexed but never quite broke.

He understood the reason. Reidar didn't have a skill that concentrated explosive fire in an area.

All his might came from his creatures, so the millions of tons of strength they could generate wasn't focused at a point but shared among the creatures, and they couldn't all attack simultaneously.

Physical constraints limited the number of creatures that could simultaneously strike the same section.

Those in melee range hammered at the dome while ranged attackers from his Spectral Mages and Rift-Sprites poured fire and lightning into it, but the attacks came in waves rather than one overwhelming surge.

It was easy to see that those who were faring better were his titans.

Reidar's gaze sharpened as his creatures fell back into formation. Inside the dome, the War Hounds yelled and brandished their weapons, but not one of them ventured past the barrier. They understood, just like he did, that without Aaron's shield, they were dead.

Aaron stood at the center of the glowing dome, completely unfazed by the storm of attacks crashing against it. He kept his hands raised, channeling a steady stream of mana into the barrier as it endured each hit.

"Impressive show of power, Reidar," Aaron said. "You are using sheer numbers to test the barrier's limits. However, I'm sure you recognize the issue at the core, correct? Only so many can strike at once. The rest just wait their turn."

Reidar didn't answer. He just lifted a hand, and the Twin Boulderbacks rumbled forward, stone fists rising like hammers. Shadow Guardians drifted in behind them, lances humming with dark energy.

As Reidar made another gesture, the Twin Boulderbacks moved into position to close in the dome on two sides while the Cinderheart Efreeti descended.

Judas watched the shield hold against the clawing tide of creatures, and as his fear melted away, he stepped closer to the barrier while a sneer spread across his face. He searched for Reidar.

"Is that all you have, Miller?" Judas said. "A million monsters, and they can't scratch the paint! With all this power, how can you not break through even one barrier? You turned out to be quite the legendary summoner! You're just a coward hiding behind your toys!"

The laugh Judas made grated on Reidar's ears. It was harsh and contemptuous, something that Judas had no right to be.

Reidar felt a spike of irritation at the sound, though he forced his expression to remain an unreadable mask.

Watching the War Hounds stir behind the barrier, he noted with disdain how quickly their courage rekindled.

As several stepped forward to add their taunts to the commotion, the noise clawed at his patience, but he buried the annoyance deep, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing it.

With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed the full fury of his forces.

The Spectral Mages launched synchronized bolts at the barrier's weakest point. Rift-sprites swarmed across the shield's surface, scouring it with elemental fury.

Aaron's jaw tightened as he poured more mana into the dome. Some cracks spider-webbed outward with each new impact.

The shield began to flicker, its edges wavering. Aaron's calm expression fractured as cracks appeared along the dome's surface.

"There it is," Aaron said, and despite the strain, amusement colored his voice. "The real Reidar. Tell me, how is Lena? I haven't seen her with you. Did she finally wise up and leave?"

"Lena's fine."

"Is she?" Aaron tilted his head.

"Keep talking," Reidar said. "It won't change what's about to happen."

"What is about to happen?" Aaron raised his hand and pointed at the barrier. "You throw your army at me, and I stand here safely behind this shield. Your creatures can't break through, and you know it. So what's your plan? To wait until I run out of mana? We both know I can maintain the fight longer than you can sustain this circus show, and even if you somehow enter, what's the worst that's going to happen—that these morons die?"

The Twin Boulderbacks prepared to bring their full weight down on the barrier. The Cinderheart Efreeti circled around, its flames building to white-hot intensity as it gathered power for a concentrated beam.

"You can try to make it look like these guys are inconsequential to you, Aaron, but I know the truth. You are inside the barrier just to protect those morons," Reidar said. "If it wasn't the case, you wouldn't even have wasted time to protect them. You would have just attacked me, but you didn't."

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