It was deep into the night when, without warning, the Corpse Eaters in Sylia Forest suddenly turned as one toward Fort Posein in the southwest corner of the woods, as if driven by an unseen force. They shuffled forward in unison, converging on the frontier fortress in a slow, relentless tide.

The Hunter Settlement north of Fort Posein fell first. Most villagers slept soundly as doom descended without warning. A frenzied horde of Corpse Eaters stormed the village, roaring to shatter the peace of slumber.

Unflinching, the monsters tore into unarmed villagers—ripping, butchering, devouring. Flames engulfed the tranquil hamlet. Panicked screams pierced the air. The grievously wounded groaned. Those gripped by Corpse Eaters thrashed desperately. Hell had come to earth, served on a platter of corpses.

Bodies littered the ground—shattered, gutted, mangled beyond recognition. Blood pooled beneath half-devoured torsos. Eyes rolled in the dirt. Entrails spilled like discarded rope. Marrow gleamed from splintered bones. The stench of raw meat hung thick. Limbs tangled with strangers’ remains. It was a Corpse Eater’s feast: an all-you-can-eat buffet of the dead.

Yet some knew hell well. Kadin, Kes, and seasoned hunters and craftsmen sensed the invasion a heartbeat before it struck. Judging the horde unbreakable, they seized ready weapons, fighting a bloody retreat toward the fort to join the night watch. Horns blared, summoning reinforcements.

The first wave of soldiers arrived as promised. Hunters and craftsmen joined them, forming a frontline midway between settlement and fort, ready to counterattack.

Veteran soldiers and hardened hunters held the line. Arrows and spears repelled the first Corpse Eater surge, trapping the horde amid the settlement’s carnage.

“The fort’s second wave is almost here! Today, we carve our names in glory! Cavalry—advance!”

A silver-armored warrior impaled the last Corpse Eater breaching the line. He vaulted onto his warhorse, rallying the cavalry to reclaim the settlement.

“Holy shit, is this new captain *trying* to get us killed?” Kadin muttered, checking fallen Corpse Eaters and finishing off the twitching ones.

“Who knows? Second and third waves should be moving soon. Let the hotshots have their fun,” Kes shrugged, watching soldiers charge into the settlement.

Then—silence. The fort’s clamor died abruptly, as if time froze. From the forest, a fresh roar erupted. A pale Tearmarked Ghoul leaped from the shadows, soaring under the crimson moon. It slammed into the charging cavalry, dragging the silver-armored captain from his saddle and savagely tearing out his throat.

More Corpse Eaters poured from forest and ruins, swarming the leaderless, panicked cavalry.

“Get back here, you idiots, unless you want to die!” Kadin nocked poison-tipped arrows, felling Corpse Eaters lunging at riders.

Soldiers and hunters raised spears and bows, bracing against the second wave.

“Damn it, we’re almost out of arrows!”

“What’s happening at the fort? Where’s the backup?”

“Hell—they haven’t even sent archers or mages since this started!”

“You’re soldiers of the kingdom! Hold the line!”

The Corpse Eaters pressed harder, sensing weakness. With no second wave arriving, the soldiers’ spirit crumbled. They retreated step by bloody step to the fort’s edge, trampling fallen comrades.

Just as the line buckled, two figures emerged from the eerily silent fort.

“Brave warriors drenched in blood—I apologize for the wait.”

A young girl’s voice, amplified by magic, echoed from the fort’s watchtower.

“I am Yulia-Flanrensa-Ais-Gulenna, scion of House Gulenna. Beside me stands my first Knight: Alice, of the Ghostkind. Tonight, my Knight and I shall gift you flawless victory.”

Her confident, childish voice filled the moonlit battlefield—but the soldiers remained grim.

“Great. Our ‘rescue’ is that noble brat the nanny coddles.”

“We can’t hold much longer! Where’s the real backup?”

“Spare us the games! We need arrows. We need warriors. Stay out of the mud, nobles!”

They parried Corpse Eaters while grumbling.

“Watch closely, soldiers. Kneel before my Knight’s power.”

Yulia raised her hands. Moonlight flared as she and the pale Ghostkind girl unleashed magic. Hundreds of fiery arrows blazed across the sky, igniting the night. Alice smiled faintly, claws slicing the air. The arrows rained down, impaling every Corpse Eater charging the fort.

Soldiers stared, stunned, as the monsters fell mid-lunge. Only Yulia’s voice snapped them back:

“This isn’t over. Hold the line. My Knight and I will reclaim the Hunter Settlement from these filthy beasts.”

Yulia levitated, cradling Alice. They soared above the ruined village under the full moon. Then she dropped the Ghostkind girl into the heart of the Corpse Eater horde.

The fiery barrage bought the soldiers precious moments. They regrouped, shoring up the crumbling line.

In the settlement’s center, Alice crashed down, bone blade gleaming. She scanned the sea of corpses and monsters, then let out an eerie cackle. With fluid grace, she swung her massive blade, carving through Corpse Eaters like wheat.

Beneath the blood-red moon, on a stage swarming with monsters, stood the only Ghostkind fighting for humanity: a silver-haired, crimson-eyed hybrid. Gentle yet feral moonlight spotlighted her like a stage beam.

The crimson disc of the moon—and the soldiers below—witnessed Alice’s masterpiece: a slaughter performed to perfection.