CHAPTER 337: CHAPTER 336: THE FIRST STRONGHOLD

The four city lords move like a single will.

Ruk steps forward first, voice shaking the night sky with a deep, warlike roar.

"ALL UNITS—ADVANCE!"

Erel’na follows, all four arms slicing through the air with crisp precision.

"ARCHERS, FORM LINES! SPELLCASTERS, PREPARE COVERING FIRE!"

Varesh bares his fangs, pupils narrowing to deadly slits.

"FRONTLINE—CHARGE! BREAK THEIR FORMATION!"

Vordon raises his massive halberd and slams the butt into the ground.

"FOR OUR FUTURE! ATTACK!"

The monster army surges forward like a living tidal wave.

---

On the walls of Nam city.

Chaos.

Pure chaos.

The soldiers who remain on the walls—barely a few hundred—scramble in desperation.

"DRAW! DRAW BOWS!"

"ENEMIES APPROACHING FAST!"

"WHERE’S THE CITY LORD?!"

"WHERE THE HELL IS GENERAL DU?!"

No answer.

Those who knew the truth grit their teeth while firing down at the approaching horde.

General Du had already evacuated—taking civilians and loyal soldiers with him before Mol could drag them into a pointless death.

A young soldier, barely more than a teen, trembles as he fires his crossbow.

"D-Damn it... there’s so many..."

"Hold the line!" an older officer yells.

He doesn’t finish.

A shadow drops from above—

SHKRRRK!

Erel’na’s blade-like arm pierces him cleanly from above the wall, lifting him off his feet before tossing him aside like trash.

"Your wall," Erel’na says calmly, her voice soft but deadly, "belongs to us now."

Soldiers scream.

"INSECT! KILL IT!"

"FIRE! FIRE!"

Arrows fly, Erel’na dances through them, four arms slicing, blocking, deflecting with inhuman precision.

A squad of soldiers charges her.

She only smiles.

Her lower arms cross.

Mana crackles.

"Tier 6: Piercing Spiral."

A whirling blade of green energy erupts outward, soldiers collapse in pieces.

Her section of the wall falls into panic instantly.

---

Ruk lets out a deafening roar, horns glowing faintly.

"BREAK THE GATE!"

Dozens of minotaurs slam into the wooden gate with earthshaking force.

"AGAIN!"

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Human defenders atop the wall desperately hurl spears, oil, and fire—

Ruk raises an arm, dark aura swirling.

"Tier 5: Stonehide."

He grips his massive waraxe with both hands.

"Stand aside."

The minotaurs move back.

Ruk twists his torso, aura flaring.

"Tier 6: Cleave Mountain."

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!

The gate doesn’t break—it EXPLODES, scattering splinters across the courtyard. Soldiers behind it scream as they’re thrown back.

Ruk steps into the city like a walking catastrophe.

Any soldier in his path is swatted aside, their shields snapping like toys.

"Fall if you must," Ruk growls, "but do not hinder our advance."

---

Varesh moves without sound.

One moment the soldiers are firing arrows—

The next, a blur of white and blue stripes cuts through them like lightning.

"W-WHERE DID—GAHHH!"

Varesh’s claws slice through a shield.

Then armor.

Then bone.

A squad tries to surround him.

He leaps onto the wall with effortless grace, tail whipping aside an incoming spear.

His voice is low, almost disappointed.

"Your commander abandoned you. Why do you still fight?"

A trembling soldier stares up at him. "W-We... We have to defend—"

Varesh steps past him and chops the spear shaft with two fingers.

"Then die defending."

---

Vordon barrels forward with brute force, a living bulldozer of muscle and scaled armor.

"KEEP FORMATION!" he roars. "DON’T LET THEM REGROUP!"

A group of human infantry braces their shields.

Vordon laughs.

He spins his halberd and slams it into the ground.

"Tier 6: Earthburst!"

The ground cracks—

A shockwave erupts—

The entire shield line is thrown skyward like leaves in a storm.

"Advance!" Vordon orders. "Push them deeper!"

---

Within an hour, the defense collapses.

The walls are overrun.

The gate is gone.

Soldiers throw down their weapons and flee.

Alix steps down from the carriage, boots landing softly on the paved street.

Nam City is quiet.

Apart from the obliterated city gate—reduced to splinters and twisted metal—the rest of the city stands almost untouched. Buildings are intact. Houses unburned. Streets undamaged except for scattered debris from the battle.

The four city lords stand waiting for him.

All straighten the moment they see him.

Alix nods once in approval. "Nicely done. None of the infrastructure is damaged."

Vordon answers immediately, bowing slightly. "Yes, my lord. Just as you ordered. We told our troops to restrain themselves."

Alix scans the city. "Good. Once we move forward, this place will become our first land. Ruining it would be pointless."

Before anyone can reply, heavy footsteps rush toward them.

A monster soldier arrives, dragging a trembling, pudgy human by the back of his collar.

"My lord!" the soldier shouts, lowering his head. "We found him hiding in a wine cellar. This is the city lord of Nam City."

Vordon’s eyes narrow.

He steps forward, sneer forming. "Well... look who survived. Long time no see, Mol."

Mol is shaking so hard his teeth chatter—until he recognizes Vordon.

Then his face twists into desperate anger, the kind born from terror.

"V-Vordon?! YOU—YOU DAMN BEAST!" Mol screams, struggling as the soldier holds him tighter. "Why are you attacking my city?! Have you lost your mind?!"

He points a trembling finger directly at Vordon’s chest.

"Are you not afraid of the kingdom’s retaliation?! DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’VE DONE?!"

His voice cracks, rage clinging to him like a shield.

Vordon’s expression doesn’t change. "Still arrogant, Mol. Even at death’s door."

Mol tries to lunge at him, but the soldier yanks him back.

"I— I am a noble of the kingdom!" Mol roars. "If you kill me, they will hunt you to extinction! Do you hear me?! EXTINCTION!"

Alix finally speaks.

His voice is calm.

Alix finally speaks.

His voice is calm, steady.

A quiet blade sliding through Mol’s panic.

"Vordon."

Vordon straightens immediately. "Yes, my lord?"

"You can do whatever you want with this human."

Vordon’s grin spreads slow and wicked, sharp teeth showing.

"Thank you, my lord."

Mol’s eyes widen.

"W-Wait—WAIT! NO! NO, PLEASE—!"

Vordon doesn’t even look at him as he gestures with one hand.

"Take him."

Two monster soldiers grab Mol by both arms.

Mol thrashes, kicking wildly.

"NO! YOU CAN’T— I’M A CITY LORD! LET GO! LET—"

Vordon’s voice booms over him, amused and cruel.

"Send him to a cell. I’ll deal with him later."

"Yes, General!" the soldiers bark.

Mol’s screams echo down the street as he’s dragged away.

"NO! YOU CAN’T DO THIS! THE KINGDOM WILL—AAAAAH—!"

His voice disappears around a corner.

Silence settles.

Alix turns back to the four city lords.

"We’re not done here."

Baruk steps forward first. "Give your orders, my king."

Alix sweeps his gaze through the city — the intact buildings, the wide roads, the potential.

"I want this city running within a week."

The four tense in instinctive readiness.

Alix continues, "You’ll take care of the soldiers. All of them. Make sure there’s order, make sure the humans don’t panic, and make sure our forces don’t harass anyone."

Erel’na places one lower arm over her chest in a disciplined salute. "Understood. I’ll organize the logistics."

"Good," Alix says.

"Next, any monster soldiers, families, or refugees who want to settle here, allow them. Register them. Sort out housing. Keep the streets calm."

Varesh nods, tail flicking. "I’ll handle security and patrol rotations."

Baruk cracks his knuckles with a low rumble. "I’ll make sure the troops behave."

Alix’s gaze sharpens.

"And one more thing."

The four lean in slightly.

"This city is our foothold on human territory. The first. It must look stable, organized, and strong. By the time the kingdom hears of this, Nam City should already be a functioning stronghold."

A spark of fierce pride flashes in the eyes of the city lords.

Erel’na clicks her mandibles lightly. "We’ll make it happen, my lord."

Ruk steps forward, voice booming with certainty.

"A week is generous. We can do it in five days."

Alix lifts a brow. "Then do it."

All four bow deeply, their voices uniting.

"As you command, my lord."

Alix turns away, cloak brushing lightly against the stone street.

Behind him, the monster army spreads throughout the city, beginning the transformation of Nam from a fallen city...

Into the monsters’ first foothold on the continent.

The conquest has officially begun.

The news travels faster than any soldier can march.

By sunrise the next day, Nam City is no longer quiet.

It wakes.

Rumbling footsteps shake the roads as monster families begin moving in through the broken gate, tribes, and clans from the wilderness.

Some come on foot.

Some on wagons pulled by massive horned beasts.

Some fly overhead, wings casting shadows across the city streets.

Children peek from behind their parents’ legs, pointing at the stone buildings with wide eyes.

A pair of goblin kids tug at their mother’s fur skirt.

"Ma! Ma! Is this where we live now?!"

"Stay close," the mother mutters, but her voice carries awe. "This... this place is huge."