"Attack and kill all of them, but do not kill the two humans, Arthur (Jai) and Clement (James).

  Lenard questioned the order telepathically.

  Zeron physically turned, facing Lenard. His green hairblue eyesZeron leaned in, his voice dangerously low. "I am not scared of , Lenard. I am terrified of their protector: Queen BeatriceZeron stood amidst the chaos of his command center, the tactical displays swirling with data, the shouts of his officers a constant drone. He was orchestrating the trap, watching as the human and dwarven resistance forces were lured into his carefully laid snare. A flicker of satisfaction, cold and sharp, ignited in his chest. Soon, the leaders would be in his grasp.

  But then, amidst the calculated precision of his thoughts, an unsolicited image seared itself into his mind. It was a face from a memory so distant it felt like a dream, yet vivid and terrifying in its clarity. A woman. Her features were sharp, aristocratic, framed by a cascade of dark, unbound hair that seemed to writhe with a life of its own. Her eyes, though seen only in the hazy recall of childhood, held an unnerving intensity, a deep, unsettling calm that spoke of immense, untamed power.

  Beatrice.

  The name resonated like a thunderclap in his skull. He hadn't seen that face since he was a small boy, huddled beside his father, listening to hushed, fearful stories. His father, a man of iron will and unshakeable resolve, had trembled when he spoke of her.

  "" Zeron could still hear the reverence, followed by the chilling fear in his father's voice. ""

  The memory faded, leaving Zeron with a lingering chill that had nothing to do with the cold efficiency of his command center.

  "Sir?"

  Lenard, Zeron's second-in-command, approached cautiously, sensing the shift in his leader's demeanor.

  Zeron blinked, forcing himself back to the present. "It's nothing, Lenard. Just... a memory."

  Lenard, ever perceptive, sensed the lingering tension. "A memory of what, if I may ask? You seem... troubled."

  "Beatrice," Zeron finally said, the name tasting like ash on his tongue.

  Lenard's brow furrowed. "Beatrice? The legendary 'Hell Queen' from the Elder Wars? She was a legend, wasn't she? A propaganda figure used by the humans and dwarves to inspire fear."

  Zeron shook his head slowly. "No myth, Lenard. She was very real. And very dangerous. My grandfather faced her in that war."

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  Lenard's eyes widened. "Your grandfather? The legendary 'Stonebreaker'? The one who shattered the Siege of Eldoria with his bare hands? He was a Tier 2, wasn't he? A 'God Seeker'!"

  "Precisely," Zeron affirmed, a bitter taste in his mouth. "He was one of the strongest, a true paragon. And she... she was barely past her ascension to Tier 2 herself when they met. My father told me the story. I remember seeing the fear in his eyes, even years later, as he recounted it."

  Zeron's gaze drifted to the tactical display, but he wasn't seeing the current battle. He was seeing the shadows of a past war, a single figure dominating the field.

  "In that war," Zeron continued, his voice low and heavy, "she didn't just fight. She . She moved through the battlefield like a storm of death, an unstoppable force. It was said she looked like the Hell Queen herself had come to take life directly from the world.

  A grim silence settled between them, the distant shouts of their triumphant soldiers momentarily dulled by the weight of history and the chilling power of a name. If she came to eliminate us it is going to be end for us.

  Zeron leaned in, his voice dangerously low. "I am not scared of , Lenard. I am terrified of their protector: Queen Beatrice

  Zeron released Lenard, the silence of the marsh amplifying the chilling revelation.

  As Zeron finished his warning, the air thickened with oppressive, hostile elemental energy. The terrifying Tier 5 MastersDark Master, the Ice/Storm Master, the Earth/Metal Master, and the Void/Time Master

  Jai, despite the pressure, instantly recognized the strategy from the King’s Traverseour ambush!" Jai roared, his voice cutting through the suffocating spiritual pressure. "We walked into trap! He used the intelligence we stole as bait

  The four young heroes—Jai (Tier 9), James (Tier 8), Zayn (Tier 8), and Brokk (Tier 6)

  Zayn, seeing the Void/Time MasterDark Masterwanted us to come here.....".

  The situation was instantly hopeless. James strained, trying to find a gap to use his Space Magicbrown hair

  Brokk rallied the last of his focus. "We must break the formation! Aim for the Ice/Storm Master

  Jai grasped the Tide WeaverEarth/Metal Master

  The heroes plunged into the impossible fight, but their combined efforts were useless against the concentrated force of four Tier 5 Masters. The Ice/Storm Master

  Suddenly, a massive, utterly paralyzing Tier 3 spiritual force

  The pressure was absolute. All the trees in the surrounding forest were instantly crushed and flattenedcompressed and evacuatedpinned to the ground

  Only Zeronblue eyes

  "It is my father," Zeron snarled, his voice tight with hatred. "That old bastard always trying to disturb my plans and always trying to make me look like the villain!"

  Lenard, pinned next to the four heroes, turned his head to see Jaimocking smile

  Jai used the critical moment of shared paralysis to quickly explain the true situation to Zayn and James. He strained to speak, the words barely audible.

  "Zayn... I told you what happened in the King's room. Remember? When you asked your father... how we were going to find Zeron?"

  Zayn, pinned to the ground, groaned in understanding and pain.

  "I told the King that I would make you think about eliminating your brother, and when you came, Zeron would appear like bait... and that's when King Borin could come and save us."

  James, pinned next to Jai, quickly added the conclusion, his brown hairTornado BreakerTide Weaver

  Zayn's resentment instantly dissolved into crushing shame. His father hadn't abandoned him; he had played the perfect role to draw out Zeron.

  The crushing spiritual pressure suddenly receded, allowing Zeron a moment of desperate action.

  "Father is not coming to fight," Zeron telepathically relayed to his Masters and Lenard. "He is only coming to drive us out of the Dwarf Kingdom territory."

  Zeron’s eyes flashed with calculation. He looked down at the recovering heroes, their escape imminent.

  "The waiting is over," Zeron announced to his troops, his voice ringing with absolute finality. "The war starts now. Tier 5 Elemental Masters: Initiate the mass advance!"

  Lenard and the other Tier 5 Masters, recovering from the King's surprise attack, immediately sent telepathic orders and magic-sealed messages to the Shadow Ledger leaders across the region.

  The message was clear and immediate: Advance toward the main capital of the Dwarf Kingdom.

  The war everyone had been dreading—the massive, cataclysmic war—had begun, triggered by the arrival of a father seeking to protect his sons. The heroes remained pinned in the marsh, helpless witnesses to the start of the conflict.