​The medics and healers rushed Yuki and 22 into the camp’s infirmary, immediately beginning emergency operations to stabilize them.

​Outside the medical tent, however, the situation was spiraling out of control. Panic was beginning to take root among the troops.

​"It just brought us the mangled bodies of two of our own—and they were both women! It’s a message," one knight said, his voice taut with anxiety.

​"Who the hell cares?!" another soldier barked, trembling in fear. "What about the elite knights who went out into the storm? They can’t all be dead already... that’s just not possible, right?!"

​The surrounding men lowered their heads, unable to offer an answer.

​"Relax, you panicky babies," a commander chided, stepping up to the group. "We are safe behind these walls. The creature is merely using the blizzard to hide itself while the elite squad hunts it down. It’s clearly trying to infect us with fear, but—"

​"Humans!!!"

​A dark, raspy voice suddenly boomed through the camp and echoed across the valley, cutting the commander off instantly.

​"You have ten minutes to evacuate this fortress and bring me the head of your leadership! Those who comply shall be spared. Those who remain will be ripped limb from limb and left to freeze! You may attempt to run, but after ten minutes... I will hunt every last one of you down."

​Silence fell over the compound, followed by a wave of frantic whispers as soldiers debated their next move.

​"An elite knight arrived on the camp’s doorstep half-dead," a soldier muttered nervously. "What chance do we flesh bags have?"

​"Do not panic," a calm, soft voice announced over the camp’s public speaker system. "This is merely a fear tactic. We hold the defensive upper hand. We will not fail."

​"Tch! Of course you can say that," a soldier growled, glaring up at the loudspeaker. "You’re safe inside your reinforced tower, while we’re going to be the first to die when that thing strikes!"

​"Shut your mouth!" another soldier snapped back. "Are we really going to give in to the demands of that filth?! We are men of this nation! We knew the risks when we signed up and deployed to this desolate wasteland, so man up and prepare to fight if that’s what it takes!"

​"All of you need to calm down," another commander interjected, staring intently out into the blinding storm. His blue armor caught the flickering orange light of the mounted wall torches. "The elite knights are still out there hunting that beast down. If they were dead, we would have already fallen to its strength."

​Outside the camp’s perimeter, Bahameth waited patiently to see if any of the defenders would break rank and obey its command. But the soldiers held firm; not a single person fled through the gates.

​Bahameth narrowed its glowing eyes. Time for Plan Two.

​The demon stalked toward the tree line and uprooted the largest spruce it could find. It sank its razor-sharp claws deep into the trunk and ignited its hands, letting dark flames dance across the bark. The intense magical fire rapidly boiled away the moisture and melted snow. Once the wood was bone-dry, it caught fire completely, turning the massive trunk into a log of burning charcoal.

​With a monstrous swing, Bahameth hurled the blazing tree straight into the forest. The fiery trunk shattered against the surrounding trees, setting the dry wood ablaze.

​The demon repeated its pyromaniacal assault, launching burning projectile after burning projectile until the entire forest encircling the camp erupted into a roaring inferno.

​The blistering heat began melting and vaporizing the deep snowdrifts. Thick clouds of steam mixed with heavy black smoke, choking the icy air and obliterating visibility beyond the ramparts.

​"Keep your eyes peeled, men!" a commander shouted along the western ramparts. "The flames can’t reach the stone, but watch for embers! Fire can still take hold!"

​"Right!" his squad barked back.

​The commander turned toward the blazing tree line, clicking his tongue in frustration. Where the hell are the elite knights? They should have returned by now... Did they run into another high-tier monster? No, that’s impossible...

​He shook his head, forcing the grim thought out of his mind.

​Suddenly, far out in the haze, he saw towering trees shudder violently before snapping and flattening all at once.

​"What the—?!"

​RREEEAAARKKK!

​A deafening roar—the sound of hundreds of massive trees being pulverized simultaneously—echoed across the mountain range.

​The commander watched in absolute horror as a colossal wave of white surged through the burning tree line, hurtling toward the camp at terrifying speed.

​"AVALANCHE! GET OFF THE WALLS! TAKE COVER!" sirens blared as the PA system shrieked.

​The commander stood frozen in shock. Rushing toward the stronghold was a 60-foot (18-meter) wall of stone, snow, and crushed timber.

​He let out a heavy sigh, unbuckling his helmet, and sat down on the stone ledge, awaiting the inevitable. He knew there was no escaping what was coming. It was tens of thousands of tons of displacement. He could jump off the ramparts and hope the fall didn’t snap his neck, or try to climb down, but...

​What’s the point? he thought bitterly. I’m just a simple soldier. I’m not a knight. I’m not an elite. This commander title is just a title...

​The avalanche hit a fraction of a second later.

​BLAAMMMM!

​When the massive wave impacted the front rampart, the stone wall didn’t just collapse—it exploded inward. Massive blocks of reinforced stone and heavy wooden beams shattered like glass, raining down into the courtyard as lethal shrapnel.

​The wave crushed and buried everything and everyone caught in the forward quadrant. In a fraction of a second, the front section of the forward camp was transformed from a fortified stronghold into a buried, silent graveyard.

​Out in the snow, Bahameth watched the lights of the forward quadrant flicker and go out.

​The demon grumbled in annoyance. It had wanted to enter the compound and slaughter the survivors slowly, but instead, it had been forced to unleash a wide-scale attack, wasting a massive chunk of its essence.

​Pressing the assault any further was useless now—she had arrived. Its time had run out.

​Bahameth turned its multi-eyed torso to the side, watching as the surrounding burning trees suddenly flash-froze, cracking and shattering into shards of ice-covered bark.

​She was here—much faster than expected.

​Which meant the elite knights had all died without managing to inflict a single scratch on her.

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