Just as Ethan was about to step through the portal, a sudden attack struck him from behind without any warning, and the force of it shook him to the core. His body staggered forward, and a sharp pain spread across his back as the energy tore through the space around him.

"Damn—!"

Before he could stabilize himself, the portal flickered violently and then collapsed.

The spatial passage twisted into chaos, and the unstable energy surged outward, threatening to tear everything apart. For a moment, Ethan felt his body being pulled in different directions, as if space itself was trying to rip him apart.

But he reacted quickly.

He forced his mana to stabilize himself and pushed forward with all his strength, and in the next moment, he broke free from the collapsing portal and reappeared outside, breathing heavily.

Behind him the battlefield was already gone.

What remained was a land of slaughter.

The ground was dyed red with blood, and broken weapons and bodies were scattered everywhere, while the air was thick with the smell of death. The chaos that had unfolded in just a short time had completely overturned everything.

For the past six months, the human side had been advancing and winning, and their momentum had seemed unstoppable.

But now a single defeat has shattered everything.It had dragged them down from their peak and thrown them into despair.

Ethan stood there for a moment, then turned as the remaining portals opened one after another and the survivors stepped out.

Han and Hale appeared soon after, and both of them looked exhausted, their armor damaged and their faces pale.

As they stabilized themselves, one of the officers nearby suddenly shouted in panic.

"What about Sir Aaron?!"

The question echoed in the air.

Ethan frowned slightly as he heard it.

"I don’t know... but maybe he escaped," he replied after a brief pause.

No one answered.

An uncomfortable silence spread among them.

Han slowly sat down on the ground, his body clearly drained, and he let out a tired breath before looking at Marvrick.

"I didn’t know you had such a figure with you," he said, his voice low but sincere. "Without him, we might have died."

Hale nodded slightly.

"Yeah... thanks."

Marvrick did not respond, and instead glanced at Ethan.

Ethan shook his head slightly and spoke in a calm tone.

"Thank me later after we survive... we still need to return."

His words brought everyone back to reality.

The soldiers who had survived looked broken and tired, and many of them carried injuries, while their morale had dropped to its lowest point.

Ethan looked around once, then made a quick decision.

"We will move now," he said.

No one objected.They could not afford to stay here.

With what remained of the army, they began their march back toward their territory, and although their pace was steady, the exhaustion and tension were clear in every step.

However fate did not give them a chance to recover.

After some time, as they approached what should have been their defensive line, Ethan’s expression suddenly changed.

He raised his hand slightly and signaled everyone to stop, while his gaze remained fixed on the distance ahead.

Something was wrong.

Instead of the expected human forces guarding the return route, a completely different presence filled the horizon, and the air itself felt heavier than before. Ethan narrowed his eyes and focused carefully.

"That’s not ours," he said quietly.

The dust in the distance slowly settled, and as the view became clearer, the scene that appeared made everyone’s heart sink.

An Orc army stood ahead.

They were arranged in a dense and brutal formation, and their massive bodies, rough armor, and heavy weapons created a wall that felt impossible to break through. Some held gigantic axes resting on their shoulders, while others carried spiked clubs stained with old blood, and their sharp eyes were locked onto the approaching humans with cold killing intent.

The ground beneath them was already scarred and cracked, as if they had been waiting there for a long time, preparing for this exact moment.

Han’s face turned pale as he looked at them.

"They were waiting for us..." he said slowly.

Hale clenched his fists, and his jaw tightened.

"This was planned... we walked straight into it," he added.

Before anyone could process further, a deep horn sound echoed from behind them, and the sound carried a chilling weight that made everyone’s body stiffen.

Ethan turned his head sharply, and his eyes immediately darkened.

Behind them more forces appeared.

The demons had caught up.

Their figures surged forward like a tide, and their chaotic and violent aura spread across the battlefield, completely closing off any path of retreat.

The realization hit instantly.

"Pincer attack," Ethan muttered, and his voice turned cold.

They were trapped.

The Orc army blocked the front, and the demon army pressed from the back, and there was no gap left between them.

The remaining soldiers began to panic.

"Sir.. what do we do?!" one of them shouted, and his voice carried fear.

"We are surrounded!" another added, and his grip on his weapon trembled slightly.

The formation began to loosen as fear spread, and some soldiers instinctively took a step back.

Then the Orc army moved.

A loud roar erupted from their ranks, and it shook the entire field.

"Kill them!" one of the Orc leaders bellowed, and his voice was filled with savage excitement.

In the next moment, they charged.

The ground trembled under their heavy steps, and their massive bodies surged forward like a crushing wave. Their weapons rose high into the air, and the moment they reached the human line, the first clash happened.

BOOOOM!

The impact was brutal.

Shields shattered under the force, and soldiers were thrown back as if they were weightless. The Orcs did not hold back, and their attacks were wild, direct, and filled with overwhelming strength.

One Orc grabbed a soldier and slammed him into the ground with such force that the earth cracked, while another swung his axe and cut through armor and flesh together, sending blood spraying into the air.

The battlefield turned chaotic in an instant.

From the back, the demons also surged in, and their attacks were no less vicious. Dark spells erupted, and sharp claws tore through defenses as they closed in on the retreating humans.

Cries of pain and shouts of command mixed together, and the sound of metal clashing filled the air.

The soldiers were caught between two forces, and the pressure from both sides pushed them into disorder.

Han gritted his teeth and struck down an incoming Orc, but the recoil made his arm tremble.

"This is insane..." he muttered.

Hale stepped beside him and blocked a heavy blow, but his feet sank into the ground under the force.

"We can’t break through like this," he said, breathing heavily.

Amidst the chaos, Ethan stepped forward.

His eyes hardened, and his presence rose sharply, cutting through the panic around him.

"Hold the line," he said, his voice low but firm, yet it carried enough weight to reach those nearby.

His words steadied a few soldiers, and they tightened their grip on their weapons.

Even in this situation, there was no space left for hesitation.

Ethan looked ahead at the charging Orcs and then briefly glanced back at the advancing demons.

There was no way out.

Only forward or death.