The moment the thunderclouds gathered above the army of 700,000 legions, the air grew thick with tension. The daughters of the Abyssal Dominion, once amused, now exchanged wary glances. This was no ordinary opponent.
Queen Selene Infernara, ever the battlefield tactician, immediately barked orders to her officers. "Mages, shields up! Prepare for a magical assault!" Her voice was calm but authoritative, slicing through the rising wind. The soldiers, disciplined and well-trained, obeyed without hesitation. Arcane shields shimmered into existence, protecting the front lines as lightning crackled ominously above them.
**General Lyria Shadowblade** narrowed her eyes at the man. She felt something sinister lurking behind his calm demeanor. Her instincts, honed from countless battles, told her this was no idle threat. She melted into the shadows, disappearing from sight to ready a strike from an unexpected angle.
**Princess Seraphima Bloodthorn** stepped forward, her voice smooth yet commanding. "Who are you to speak of surrender? You stand alone, yet dare to challenge the Abyssal Dominion's might?" Her words were meant to unsettle the man, to break through his composure, but the simple man only smiled wider.
His voice, deep and booming, echoed across the battlefield. "You misunderstand, princess. I am but the herald of what is to come. Surrender now, and perhaps some of you will live to see the next dawn."
The air grew colder, the clouds darker. Lightning danced through the swirling tempest, growing closer with each passing moment.
**High Priestess Lilithra Doomweaver**, sensing the magnitude of the magic at play, began chanting softly, calling upon dark forces from the Abyss to counter the growing storm. Black tendrils of energy emerged from the ground, intertwining with the storm clouds above, clashing violently with the forces at play.
As the first bolt of lightning struck the ground, narrowly missing the front lines, the man's smirk widened. The daughters were done with his games.
Selene raised her hand, signaling the cannons and siege engines to open fire. "Let's see if your arrogance protects you from steel and fire!" The ground shook as the first volley of cannonballs and enchanted projectiles roared toward the simple man.
With a flick of his wrist, the air around him shimmered. The cannonballs froze mid-air, disintegrating into dust as they approached. The daughters stared in shock. This was no ordinary sorcerer.
The man chuckled, his voice echoing like thunder. "Very well. If you wish for destruction, I shall oblige." He snapped his fingers again.
A deafening crack resounded as the clouds above released a massive surge of lightning. Bolts rained down, striking the army's defenses, overwhelming the magical shields. Soldiers screamed as the ground erupted in flame, and chaos spread through the ranks.
But the daughters were not deterred.
Lyria reappeared in a flash of shadow, her blade aimed directly at the man's throat. Yet as she closed in, he effortlessly sidestepped, his movements unnaturally fast. She cursed under her breath and vanished again, knowing this would be a much harder battle than anticipated.
Selene raised her sword high, rallying her troops despite the magical onslaught. "Hold the line! Protect the siege weapons! We will not fall to a single man!"
Seraphima, her voice as cold as ice, shouted her own command, "Summon the abyssal beasts! Bring forth everything we have!"
Lilithra's dark rituals intensified, the sky above her head swirling with demonic energy as monstrous figures began to rise from the earth, their claws and fangs glinting in the eerie light. The daughters were ready to unleash hell upon this man and whatever forces he commanded.
But even as the legions prepared to charge, the man stood there, hands still behind his back, unbothered, as if he were watching a show designed to amuse him.
"You'll regret this," Selene hissed through gritted teeth. "We are not to be underestimated."
The man's eyes gleamed. "Neither am I."
As the monstrous beasts from the abyss rose and the legions of the Abyssal Dominion prepared to charge, the man's smirk remained unfazed. His calmness only seemed to intensify the growing storm overhead. He raised his hand slightly, and from behind him, the thunderclouds parted. What appeared from them was more terrifying than the daughters had anticipated—massive silhouettes emerged from the darkness, titanic winged creatures with scales that shimmered like black metal.
Wyverns.
But these were not ordinary wyverns. Their eyes glowed with the same eerie light as the man's, and their bodies pulsed with dark energy. Their screeches pierced the sky, sending waves of fear rippling through even the most hardened soldiers.
The first strike came swift and unexpected. One of the abyssal beasts that had been summoned roared and charged forward, its claws reaching out to tear the man apart. Before it could even get within striking distance, one of the wyverns swooped down from above, grabbing the beast in its massive talons and tossing it aside like a rag doll. The beast hit the ground with a sickening thud, lifeless.
Queen Selene's grip tightened on her sword. "Damn it," she cursed. "These creatures... they aren't normal."
Seraphima glanced upward at the beasts circling in the sky. "We need to ground them. Our soldiers will be slaughtered if those wyverns are left unchecked."
"Agreed," Lilithra said, her voice echoing with the dark energy she had summoned. "I'll call on the abyss to bind them."
Selene nodded, but her eyes were fixed on the man. "You focus on that. I'll deal with him."
With a fierce battle cry, Selene charged toward the man, her blade glowing with fiery enchantments. She swung her sword with deadly precision, but as her blade neared the man, he raised a single hand, stopping it mid-air with an invisible force. Selene gritted her teeth as she pushed harder, trying to break through his magical barrier.
"You're persistent," the man mused, his voice calm despite the effort it took to hold her at bay. "But ultimately, futile."
Suddenly, a massive shadow descended over the battlefield. One of the wyverns, commanded by the man, landed behind him, its glowing eyes fixated on Selene. The beast let out a roar, the sheer force of it sending shockwaves through the ground.
But before it could strike, Lyria reappeared from the shadows, her blade aiming for the wyvern's neck. She moved like a wraith, her strikes swift and deadly, but the wyvern was faster than anticipated. It swung its tail, catching her mid-air and sending her crashing to the ground.
"Lyria!" Seraphima shouted, but she couldn't move to help. Her attention was drawn to the wyverns in the sky, which were now descending upon the troops. She needed to ground them, or the entire army would be obliterated.
Channeling her diplomatic and magical training, Seraphima began weaving an intricate spell. The air around her shimmered with power as dark tendrils rose from the ground, aiming to ensnare the wyverns and drag them down. One by one, the beasts found themselves entangled in the abyssal magic, their wings struggling against the force.
But it wasn't enough. The man smirked and snapped his fingers again, and the wyverns roared, breaking free from the binding magic with ease. They ascended once more, their talons poised to strike.
The battle seemed to be slipping from their grasp. The daughters of the Abyssal Dominion, once confident, now found themselves outmatched by this strange figure and his wyverns.
Selene, still locked in her struggle with the man's barrier, snarled in frustration. "Who are you? What do you want?"
The man finally lowered his hand, releasing the magical hold on her blade, and Selene stumbled forward, her balance momentarily thrown off. He stared at her with cold, calculating eyes.
"I am simply the beginning of the end," he said, his voice dark and foreboding. "You and your army are nothing but stepping stones on a path that leads to ruin."
Selene regained her footing, fury burning in her chest. "We are the Abyssal Dominion! We do not fall to men like you!"
He raised an eyebrow. "We'll see."
Before Selene could react, the man's eyes glowed with an ominous light. Dark energy pulsed around him, and suddenly the ground beneath her feet cracked and shattered, throwing her off balance once again. The energy surged outward, enveloping the battlefield in a wave of destruction. Soldiers were thrown back, the abyssal beasts recoiled, and even the mighty siege engines were toppled.
The daughters were reeling, their forces scattering under the relentless assault.
But Selene wasn't ready to give up. She gripped her sword tightly and shouted to her sisters, "Regroup! This isn't over!"
Lilithra, now fully immersed in her rituals, conjured more dark energies to contain the chaos. Seraphima, focusing her magic, aimed to summon reinforcements from the Abyss itself.
As the storm raged on and the wyverns circled above, the battle was far from over.
And the simple man—this harbinger of doom—had only just begun to reveal his true power.