"What’s the status of the main battle?"

"Third Line is nearly secured, sir. We control eastern sector completely, central gates area is ours, western wall is contested. The thirty Fallen Heroes we deployed there are... they’re devastating settlement defenders, sir. Killing everything in their path. But they’re also killing some of our own soldiers—collateral damage from their mindless aggression."

Elric nodded grimly. "Acceptable losses. How many of the enemy’s defenders remain?"

"Approximately three hundred twenty effective fighters, down from six hundred forty-three at dawn. They’ve taken nearly fifty percent casualties. But sir..." Hendricks hesitated.

"What?"

"They’re still fighting. Organized withdrawals. Coordinated resistance. Whoever’s commanding their defense is exceptionally skilled. They should have broken and routed by now with those casualty numbers, but they’re maintaining cohesion."

"That’s the work of a brilliant tactical commander," Elric acknowledged. "Probably the same person who organized the champion duels that killed all my field commanders. What’s our casualty count?"

"Approximately nineteen hundred fifty soldiers effective, down from twenty-three hundred at dawn. We’ve taken approximately thirteen hundred total casualties over four days of siege. Plus some losses to Fallen Hero friendly fire today."

Elric calculated rapidly.

Settlement: 320 defenders remaining. Human forces: 1,950 soldiers remaining. Ratio: Approximately six-to-one advantage.

Mathematically, the humans should win through sheer numbers.

But there was Demon Lord Seraphina.

If she returned to the battlefield at full power—if Gattychan was too wounded to maintain Villain’s Bane suppression—she could slaughter hundreds of soldiers before anyone could stop her.

"How long until the heroes are combat-effective again?" Elric asked the healing priests.

The lead priest—Father Marcus—shook his head grimly. "Sir, Gattychan’s injuries are catastrophic. Seventeen wounds, broken arm twice over, punctured lung, severe blood loss. Even with our combined healing, he needs at least twelve hours of rest before combat readiness. Seraphelle’s healing magic is disrupted by corruption in her shoulder—we need to cleanse that before she can heal herself or others. Mikazelle is magically exhausted—her spatial manipulation won’t return until tomorrow. Rindelle’s arm can be healed in two hours, but she’s also exhausted."

"Twelve hours minimum before the heroes can fight again?"

"Yes, sir."

Elric looked toward Third Line, where his soldiers were pushing deeper into settlement territory despite resistance.

Then he made a command decision that would determine the battle’s outcome.

"Sound withdrawal."

Captain Hendricks looked shocked. "Sir? We’re winning! Third Line is nearly ours! The settlement defenders are down to three hundred fighters! We have overwhelming numerical advantage!"

"And we have no effective counter to Demon Lord Seraphina," Elric replied coldly. "The heroes are incapacitated for twelve hours minimum. If Seraphina returns to the battlefield while our heroes can’t suppress her power, she’ll kill hundreds of our soldiers before we can respond."

He gestured toward the wounded heroes being treated by priests.

"Look at them. All four, nearly killed by one demon lord. She was suppressed to one-tenth power by Villain’s Bane and still almost executed Gattychan. If she fights at full power, without heroes to suppress her..."

Understanding dawned on Hendricks’s face. "...we’d be slaughtered."

"Exactly. So we withdraw. Pull back all forces to siege positions surrounding the settlement core. Establish defensive perimeter. Rest our soldiers, treat our wounded, prepare for final assault."

"When do we resume the attack?"

"Dawn tomorrow. By then, the heroes will be recovered enough to provide Villain’s Bane suppression again. We assault with full force—nineteen hundred fifty soldiers, four heroes, plus any remaining Fallen Heroes that survive tonight. We end this siege decisively."

"What about the settlement receiving reinforcements? Intelligence suggests Demon Lord Loki might send forces to support them."

"Then we end this before those reinforcements arrive," Elric said firmly. "We have tonight to rest and prepare. They have tonight to do the same. But tomorrow at dawn, we finish this. Total assault. No mercy. We break the settlement core and eliminate Demon Lord Seraphina permanently."

He raised his voice to address all officers.

"ALL FORCES! SOUND WITHDRAWAL! PULL BACK FROM THIRD LINE! ESTABLISH SIEGE PERIMETER AROUND SETTLEMENT CORE! REST POSITIONS FOR THE NIGHT!"

Horns blew across the battlefield, signaling withdrawal.

Human soldiers, hearing the order, began pulling back from contested positions, retreating to siege lines surrounding the settlement.

The thirty Fallen Heroes rampaging through settlement territory were harder to control—they couldn’t understand complex orders, just mindless aggression.

But soldiers used blessed chains to restrain the surviving Fallen Heroes, dragging them back to containment.

Across Third Line, combat gradually ceased as human forces withdrew and settlement defenders, exhausted and wounded, didn’t pursue.

—-------

Eastern Sector

The eastern sector of Third Line had been contested ground for hours—human soldiers pushing through the artillery-created breaches, settlement defenders conducting fighting withdrawals, both sides bleeding in close-quarters urban combat.

Then the Fallen Heroes arrived.

Corpse-white figures moving with supernatural speed, glowing yellow-white eyes fixed on targets, attacking everything that moved with mindless aggression.

A goblin warrior named Kress was defending a rubble barricade when he first saw them approaching.

"More enemies incoming!" he shouted warning to his companions—fifteen goblin defenders holding this position against advancing human infantry.

But as the figures got closer, Kress realized these weren’t normal soldiers.

Their skin was wrong—bloodless white like corpses. Their eyes glowed with sickly light. They moved too fast, covering ground with supernatural speed that exceeded even demon warriors.

And they were attacking the human soldiers as readily as they attacked settlement defenders.

"What in the hell are those things?!" Kress screamed.

The first Fallen Hero reached the goblin position and attacked without hesitation.

A goblin fighter named Tesh stepped forward, his spear ready—

The Fallen Hero grabbed the spear shaft with one hand and yanked it from Tesh’s grip with strength that shouldn’t have been possible.

Then it grabbed Tesh by the throat with its other hand.

Tesh struggled, his small goblin hands trying to pry away the corpse-white fingers—

The Fallen Hero squeezed.

Tesh’s throat was crushed. Bones shattered. He died in four seconds, his body dropped carelessly.

Kress attacked the Fallen Hero with his sword, a solid strike that cut across its back.

The wound bled—these things were flesh and blood, not undead—but the Fallen Hero didn’t react to pain.