Eternal Night: Building an Empire from Scratch

Hera’s eyes widened the moment the hand wrapped around her ankle.

She barely had time to react before the creature beneath the ground pulled with tremendous force.

"Ah!"

Her body suddenly dropped several inches as the stone beneath her cracked.

Two nearby soldiers immediately turned toward her. "Lady Hera!"

The closest Soul Guardian moved faster than either of them.

Its skeletal hand grabbed Hera’s arm while another Guardian swung its sword toward the hole.

CLANG!

The blade struck something beneath the ground.

A horrible screech echoed from below as the creature released Hera’s leg.

The Soul Guardian immediately pulled her backward while another soldier stepped between her and the hole.

Hera stumbled but quickly regained her balance. "What was that?"

Nobody had an answer.

The small hole suddenly became larger as the ground around it began collapsing.

CRACK!

Several stones disappeared into the darkness beneath them.

A long, twisted arm suddenly emerged, and the soldiers attacked immediately.

CLANG! CLANG!

Several blades struck the creature, forcing it to retreat beneath the ground.

But before anyone could celebrate, another hole appeared several metres away.

Then another and another.

Hera’s expression turned grim. "They’re everywhere."

The creatures hadn’t simply entered the Fortress. They had been digging beneath it.

---

Outside, Edgar suddenly stopped when he felt a tremor.

His eyes widened as a sharp disturbance passed through the Soul Network.

One of the Guardians inside the Fortress had been attacked.

Then another signal disappeared.

’They’re inside.’

Edgar’s expression turned cold as he immediately looked toward the little girl standing on the distant Nightmare.

She was watching him, and she was smiling at him. "You figured it out."

Edgar clenched his fist. "You sent them underground."

The girl tilted her head. "They don’t need to break your walls if your walls can’t protect what is beneath them."

The little girl raised one hand, and at that exact moment, several Nightmares suddenly stopped attacking the outer wall.

Instead, they began digging into the ground.

Their enormous claws tore through the earth, creating deep holes around the Fortress.

’This bitch is mocking us.’ Edgar’s expression became darker.

The plan was far more intelligent than he had expected.

The outer walls, the trench, the spikes, and the Watch Towers were almost useless against an enemy that simply went beneath them.

Edgar looked toward the distant little girl. "You’ve been studying us."

The girl smiled. "You have the bride, and as the first general, it’s my obligation to study the place."

Something about those words made Edgar uncomfortable.

She understood how Edgar’s defenses worked despite never having attacked them before.

’How long has she been watching us?’ Edgar didn’t have time to think about it.

A massive Nightmare suddenly leapt toward him, and Edgar’s Sword-Club swung upward.

BOOM!

The creature was launched into the sky, but before it could fall, the second Sword-Club struck it from above.

BOOM!

Its enormous body crashed into the ground.

Edgar immediately turned toward the Fortress.

’I need to get inside.’

He raised his hand, and the four Sword-Clubs moved together.

WHOOSH!

They swept through the surrounding Nightmares, clearing a path toward the gate.

The two Commander-level Soul Guardians followed closely behind him.

The Gorilla Commander grabbed an enormous Nightmare by the arm and threw it into another creature.

Edgar rushed toward the Fortress, but the moment he reached the trench, something enormous erupted from beneath the ground.

BOOOOM!

A massive Nightmare emerged directly in front of him.

Its body was covered in thick layers of hardened black flesh.

Unlike the other creatures, it had no eyes or mouth.

Instead, its entire head was covered in a strange bone-like shell.

Edgar immediately attacked, and the Sword-Club struck its chest.

BOOM!

The creature barely moved.

Edgar’s eyes narrowed. ’Its defense is ridiculous.’

The Nightmare raised both arms and swung them downward.

Edgar jumped backward as its claws smashed into the ground.

BOOM!

The impact sent dirt and stone flying in every direction.

Edgar landed several metres away, and the creature immediately charged.

The air around the Nightmare suddenly became heavy.

Its enormous body was forced downward from the weight of its own body.

’...What the hell is wrong with this thing?’

Edgar took the opportunity and raised his other hand.

Golden energy gathered around his palm.

"Sun Blast."

BOOOOOOM!

The golden beam struck the Nightmare directly in the chest, and the creature’s hardened flesh began burning.

For several seconds, it resisted before its body finally collapsed.

Edgar didn’t wait as he immediately rushed through the opening.

---

Inside the Fortress, the situation had become chaotic.

The soldiers were fighting creatures that had emerged from beneath the ground while workers were desperately trying to move toward safer areas.

The Soul Guardians were holding the streets, but the Nightmares were appearing too quickly.

Hera stood near the center of the courtyard as she was surrounded by several Guardians.

Her expression was nervous, but she hadn’t panicked. "Where is Edgar?"

A soldier answered while blocking another creature.

"He should be coming!"

Hera looked toward the outer gate, and then she suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Hera!"

Her eyes immediately brightened as Edgar appeared at the end of the street.

His clothes were covered in dirt and blood, but he was moving quickly.

"Edgar!"

Hera immediately ran toward him, and Edgar caught her by the shoulders.

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head.

"No."

Edgar carefully looked her over before finally relaxing.

"Good."

Hera grabbed his arm. "They’re coming from underground."

"I know."

Edgar looked around the courtyard as several more holes were beginning to form.

His expression became serious.

"We need to move everyone to a safe place."

A soldier immediately nodded. "Yes, my lord!"

Orders spread through the settlement.

Workers began moving toward the inner buildings while soldiers formed defensive lines.

Edgar looked toward the ground as his face turned ugly.

He took in a deep breath and began to calm his chaotic mind.

With a gentle flick of his hand, one of his Sage Hands picked up Hera and wrapped itself around her.

The girl yelled, but knowing it was Edgar, she calmed down.

Edgar then began to find a suitable position, and he quickly found one.

He rushed over to the central Watch Tower and stood at the extended platform.

Edgar then looked at Hera and told her, "Stay here."

He immediately made six of the Soul Guardians guard the place with their lives.

Edgar moved back toward the top of the Fortress Wall and looked down at the battlefield.

The two Commander-level Soul Guardians were still fighting against the Nightmare horde, their movements becoming increasingly violent as more creatures surrounded them.

The Gorilla Commander smashed one Nightmare into the ground while the Headless Commander cut through another before immediately turning toward the next enemy.

Edgar tightened his grip as he watched the battlefield. ’There are too many.’

No matter how many Nightmares they killed, more continued appearing from the darkness.

His gaze slowly shifted toward the little girl.

She was still sitting on the shoulder of the enormous Nightmare, calmly watching the Fortress.

A faint smile remained on her face, almost as if she already owned the place.

And Edgar couldn’t deny that she had a good reason to be confident. ’How am I supposed to win against this?’

The Fortress defenses were helping, but the enemy had already found a way around them.

Edgar’s expression became grim as he tried to think of another strategy.

It was at that moment--

ROOOOOOOOOOOAR!

A terrifying roar suddenly echoed across the entire Fortress.

The sound was so powerful that the ground itself seemed to tremble beneath their feet.

Several soldiers immediately covered their ears as fear spread across their faces.

Even the Nightmares stopped moving.

Edgar’s eyes widened. ’What the hell was that?’

The roar continued for several seconds before finally fading into the distance.

The little girl’s expression had completely changed.

The confidence that had been present moments ago was gone.

Her face was filled with panic.

"Everyone, retreat!"

Her voice echoed across the battlefield, and the Nightmares immediately obeyed.

Even the creatures that had been digging beneath the Fortress immediately stopped and escaped.

Edgar stood frozen for a moment. "...They’re retreating?"

The little girl didn’t even look toward him anymore.

She simply urged the Nightmares to move faster as they disappeared into the darkness.

Within moments, the battlefield became strangely quiet.

Edgar looked toward the direction from which the roar had come. "What could possibly scare them that much?"

A faint movement suddenly appeared between the distant trees.

Someone was walking toward the Fortress.

Edgar immediately became alert as the figure slowly emerged from the darkness.

A woman calmly stepped into the light.

Her crimson eyes reflected the glow of the Watch Tower while her long hair moved gently in the cold wind.

Edgar immediately recognized her. "...Semele?"

The mysterious woman stopped several metres away from the Fortress.

She looked around at the destroyed battlefield before raising her eyes toward Edgar.

Semele’s smile widened as she glanced toward the direction where the Nightmares had fled.

"They really are troublesome creatures."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!