Five Grand Commanders descended like judgement given form.

They moved in perfect coordination—forty-plus years of experience each, decades of fighting alongside one another, a unified tactical mind made manifest through five bodies.

They didn't charge recklessly or issue individual challenges. They simply formed a defensive line across the approach to the third wall and waited.

Liam watched them deploy with the cold assessment of someone who understood exactly how dangerous coordinated expertise could be. These weren't warriors who would make mistakes or fall for obvious tactics. They were the Radiant Empire's absolute best, and they knew it.

"Center formation," Liam said to Lilith, his voice low. "The one with the spear and shield—that's their anchor. He's coordinating their positioning."

"Commander Arcturus," Lilith confirmed. "Not to be confused with our traitorous Lord Arcturus. Different spelling, worse temperament. He's been a Grand Commander for thirty-one years. Master tactician. He'll adapt to whatever we throw at them."

"Then we throw something he can't adapt to," Liam said.

The demon army was advancing now—not in a reckless charge, but in organized formations that Commander Koth and the other legion commanders had drilled into them. Shield walls, ranged support, rotating assault waves designed to maintain pressure without exhausting troops too quickly.

It was professional, efficient, and ultimately futile against Grand Commanders who could each hold off thousands of regular soldiers.

"HOLD THE LINE!" Commander Arcturus's voice boomed across the battlefield. "LET THEM COME TO US! CONSERVE ENERGY!"

Smart. Make the demons come through the killing ground where elite Radiant troops waited in prepared positions. Force them to exhaust themselves while the Grand Commanders remained fresh.

"We can't let them dictate the engagement," Liam said. "Lilith, you're faster than me. Can you break their formation?"

"I can kill one, maybe two before they adapt," Lilith said. "But five coordinated Grand Commanders? They'll adjust before I can eliminate them all. We need simultaneous pressure from multiple angles."

Liam's mind raced, calculating possibilities. His Phase Shift could put him anywhere on the battlefield, but it had cooldown periods between uses. Lilith's raw speed was devastating but predictable after the first strike. The demon army could provide numbers but lacked the individual power to threaten Grand Commanders.

Then he saw it—the solution that was obvious once he stopped thinking like a warrior and started thinking like an actor.

"We don't break their formation," Liam said. "We make them break it themselves."

"Explain."

"They're defending a specific position—the approach to the third wall. What if the approach becomes irrelevant?"

Lilith's golden eyes widened slightly. "You want to bypass them entirely?"

"Not entirely. I want them to think we're bypassing them." Liam turned to look at the third wall's structure. "The eastern approach is their prepared killing ground. But the northern section—where we infiltrated earlier—their defenses there are lighter because most forces are concentrated here."

"So we feint at the Grand Commanders, then shift our main assault to the north," Lilith said slowly. "Force them to choose between maintaining their defensive line or redeploying to stop a breakthrough somewhere else."

"Exactly. And when they redeploy—"

"Their coordination breaks down," Lilith finished. "Five Grand Commanders defending a single position is insurmountable. But five Grand Commanders scattered across multiple crisis points becomes manageable."

It wasn't a perfect plan. It was barely a functional plan. But it was better than charging directly into a coordinated defense.

"Commander Koth!" Liam called out.

The scarred veteran appeared immediately, his expression suggesting he'd been expecting orders. "Lord Azra?"

"I need you to take Legions Two and Three on a flanking maneuver. Northern approach, where we infiltrated earlier. Hit them hard and loud—I want the defenders to think that's our main assault."

Koth's expression was skeptical. "That's forty thousand troops across unfavorable terrain. If the Grand Commanders redeploy to stop us—"

"They won't have time," Liam said. "Because I'm going to keep them busy here."

"You're going to keep five Grand Commanders busy," Koth said flatly. "Alone."

"Not alone," Lilith corrected. "I'll be helping. And the Nameless Litany—Kael'thra, gather your forces. I want every Fourth Order soldier creating chaos wherever the enemy looks most stable."

Kael'thra materialized from shadows, her expression zealous. "It will be done, my Queen. Lord Azra's will shall be made manifest."

The orders rippled outward. Legions Two and Three began their redeployment while the remaining forces—Legions One, Four, Five, Six, and Seven—prepared for what looked like a direct assault on the Grand Commanders' position.

"This is insane," Commander Torven muttered, appearing to receive his orders. "We're splitting our forces in the face of superior defensive positions."

"Yes," Liam agreed. "But insane is what's worked so far. Conventional tactics failed at the outer walls. Desperate improvisation breached them. So we improvise desperately some more."

Torven stared at him for a moment, then actually laughed—a harsh, exhausted sound. "You're either going to be remembered as the greatest military mind in demon history or the most spectacular failure. There's no middle ground."

"I can live with that," Liam said. "Can you?"

"I followed you this far, didn't I?" Torven saluted and moved off to coordinate Legion One's assault.

Lilith stepped closer once they were relatively alone. "You know this plan only works if you and I can actually hold five Grand Commanders' attention long enough for Koth's flanking maneuver to threaten their position?"

"I know."

"And you remember that Grand Commander Valerius almost killed you in single combat?"

"I remember," Liam said. "Which is why I'm not fighting fair anymore."

He closed his eyes, focusing inward on the System interface that had become second nature over the past months.

[Evolution Points: 40]

[Available Upgrades:]

[Phase Shift Enhancement: Reduce cooldown, increase range - Cost: 2 EVP]

[Infernal Conflagration Mastery: Increase damage, add area denial - Cost: 20 EVP]

[Sovereign's Dominion Evolution: Extended range, deeper psychological impact - Cost: 30 EVP]

[Abyssal Plate Reinforcement: Increased durability, partial damage reflection - Cost: 20 EVP]

Fourty points. Not enough for the Sovereign's Dominion evolution, but enough for two of the other upgrades.

Liam made his choice.

[Evolution Points: 40 → 0]

[Phase Shift Enhanced: Cooldown reduced 40%, range increased 60%]

[Abyssal Plate Reinforced: Durability increased, 15% damage reflection active]

Power flooded through him—not dramatic like his previous evolutions, but subtle, fundamental. He could feel Phase Shift responding faster to his mental commands, feel Abyssal Plate solidifying into something more substantial than before.

[Synchronization Index: +1%]

"What did you just do?" Lilith asked, her eyes narrowing. "Your mana signature just... shifted."

"Prepared," Liam said simply. "I'm done being reactive. Time to be proactive."

He turned toward the Grand Commanders' position and let Sovereign's Dominion pulse outward—not as an attack, but as an announcement. A declaration that the Primordial Demon was coming, and conventional defenses wouldn't be enough.

The five Grand Commanders felt it. Liam saw them shift, saw Commander Arcturus issue orders that tightened their formation.

"Ready?" Liam asked Lilith.

"This is still insane," she said, but she was smiling—that rare, genuine expression that suggested she was actually enjoying the challenge.

"Good thing we specialize in insane," Liam said.

Then they moved.

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