A shout cut through the battlefield's noise. The ceilings vibrated with each impact from the spells, dust drifting from the walls like fine snow.

One of the War Hounds' scouts burst into the war room where Aaron and Judas stood over a map of their base.

"Sir!" The scout gasped. "They're attacking the eastern wall! The Spriggans! They've got summoned creatures by the thousands! We're taking heavy losses!"

Judas didn't move. His eyes flicked to the map, then to Aaron, and back to the scout. "How many are attacking?" he asked.

The scout swallowed. "At least 4000. Maybe more. They're using summoning skills, and they've got some kind of healer keeping them going. Our summons are falling apart, and—"

Judas cut him off with a raised hand. "Casualties?" Of course, Judas didn't refer to the summoned creatures' deaths. He didn't care about them.

The scout hesitated. "250 dead, plus forty wounded. And that's just the first wave."

A muscle in Judas's jaw twitched. He turned to Aaron. "Well?"

The man didn't answer. His fingers tapped against the table. Finally, he looked up.

"They're playing to their strengths," he said. "They know they can't match our numbers, so they're trying to make it up with summons, but this is a game we can both play. But I must admit, it's a sound strategy."

Judas scoffed. "A sound strategy that's getting my people killed."

Aaron's gaze hardened. "If you want to win, you need to stop thinking like a thug and start thinking like a general. They're trying to draw you out. They want you to charge in and get yourself killed. Don't give them the satisfaction."

Judas's eyes narrowed. "You think I'm that stupid?"

Aaron didn't flinch. "I think you're emotional. And emotion gets people killed."

Judas felt the reflex before he could stop it. The itch in his palm, the sudden twitch of his fingers toward the hilt. He let the silence hang there, using the moment to weigh the satisfaction of violence against the cost. Finally, he exhaled. He pushed the urge down, physically turning away from the confrontation to lock his eyes back on the scout.

"Get me an update on the western wall. And send reinforcements to the east. Tell them to hold the line."

The scout nodded and bolted from the room.

Judas sighed. "This is the Spriggans' and Reidar's doing, isn't it?" he said. "He's the one behind this."

Aaron nodded. "They are a problem. But not an insurmountable one."

Judas's lips curled into a cold smile. "Good. Because I'm not in the mood to lose today."

Aaron was already weighing the options. This was clearly a war. One he didn't start, although he very much wanted to. Those who adapted won wars.

"Aaron…" Judas said. "You should do something. If they breach the base, we're done! All our months of careful planning would go down the drain."

Aaron turned to the War Hound leader, a sneer curling his lip. "Calm down, Judas. Fear is for the bound."

He walked toward the exit, his coat flaring behind him. "They brought an army of ants to fight a god. I'll show them why that was a mistake."

From their position in the shadows, Lena and Seraphine watched the war room. The place was large enough for them not to be seen, at least a dozen meters in height, with catwalks cornering the entire building and people going about, shouting orders or bringing stuff in.

"I'll go take care of this," Aaron said. "You stay here."

Lena shifted beside Seraphine, breath still, eyes locked. "He's really that arrogant," she said.

"He's dangerous," the other woman replied. "And a traitor of humanity…"

At that point, Aaron left.

Judas remained still, watching the maps of the base and thinking about the best move to make, then exhaled through his nose like a bull before a charge. He reached for the horn hanging at his belt and blew one short blast. Boots thundered in the hall. Three lieutenants burst in.

"Move the reserves to the east," Judas said. "Pull the archers from the south gate, and drop them on the rooftops and ramparts there. And get the lightning mages in. Their spells will affect more people at the same time."

One man stammered, "But the south is vulnerable—"

"They are not focusing on the south," Judas said. "And besides, if they want to play with fire, we give it to them. Burn anything that moves. And if the healers can't keep up, leave the wounded. We don't carry deadweight."

Lena felt Seraphine stiffen. <What a bastard…>

Another soldier came in shouting, "The north trench is collapsing! Our people are dying!"

Judas grabbed the man by the collar and dragged him close. "Then tell them to die on their feet. I want those trenches turned into pyres. And send the Frenzied Squad in. If they want a massacre, give them one."

He shoved the man away and turned to the others. "There won't be any retreat. No surrender. If any man turns tail, I'll kill him myself."

The lieutenant fled.

Judas stalked back to the map, jaws working, fingers dragging lines across the parchment. He wasn't Aaron. There were no cool calculations, no measured tone with him. Just violence wrapped in orders. He was trying to keep everything under control, but all he had was fear and force.

Lena's breath fogged the glass as she watched Judas bark another order.

"He's being stupid," Seraphine said. "Reidar must scare him quite a lot if he is acting this recklessly."

Lena's fingers flexed around her blade. "He doesn't need to be smart. He just needs to buy time. That's what he's doing. Delaying us. Besides, most of our forces are at the east walls, so his choice is not wrong. There are still many defenses between the trenches and the gates. Losing the trenches in other places is an excellent trade-off considering we are almost at the gates in the east. Besides, Aaron is the real threat. Judas is just the puppet."

Seraphine glanced at her. "You've seen this before, uh?"

A fresh wave of screams rose from outside, lightning arcing through the sky, followed by the wet crack of bodies hitting stone.

Lena nodded. "Back in Havenwood, where I met Reidar." Her eyes tracked a group of War Hounds dragging a wounded comrade away. "We went through these things many times. It was just that we were the ones defending back then."

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