"Thank you for coming so quickly, High Master Cyrus."

The Duke's party arrived just before nightfall, their horses exhausted from a relentless pace. They had traveled non-stop to answer the urgent summons, the weight of the emergency letter clear in every word.

And it seemed the warnings were not exaggerated.

The main outpost was on the brink of collapse. The knights stationed there, among the strongest and most skilled in the entire kingdom, were struggling against an unrelenting onslaught. For weeks, the monsters had surged in waves, their attacks growing fiercer and more frequent with every passing day. The defenders were valiant, but their strength alone was not enough.

They needed their leader.

For Duke Cyrus Grai Thamel, the strongest man in the world, this was his true purpose. His duty was not only to rule but to protect his people and bring swift order to chaos. He had come with reinforcements, an elite force tasked with stabilizing the outpost and holding the line. The stakes were high. The survival of this stronghold, which had stood unwavering for nineteen years, depended on him.

Nineteen years since the tower appeared.

Near Thamel's eastern coast, a mysterious white tower had appeared without warning, a monolith of unimaginable scale that seemed to pierce the heavens. Its sublime and flawless architecture defied mortal comprehension, stretching so high that its peak vanished into the sky.

It was, in every sense, a paradox of existence.

No storm could shake it. No siege could breach it. No spell could harm it. Even Vindur, the green dragon king, had unleashed his devastating lightning upon it, only to leave no trace. For years, the tower stood untouched—silent, unyielding, and inscrutable—a source of awe and terror for those bold or foolish enough to draw near.

Then, one day, its gates opened.

And from within poured a nightmare.

A horde of monsters, vast and grotesque, surged forth, leaving ruin in their wake. Entire cities were annihilated in days. The devastation was so complete that it forced an unprecedented alliance. Knights, mages, and soldiers from every corner of Avantgar—and even beyond—came together to face this new threat.

Failure was not an option. If Avantgar fell, the rest of the world would follow.

The lands surrounding the tower had once been under the care of a marquis. But when the first siege began, the marquis perished alongside his people. In the aftermath of the war, King Legios rewarded Duke Cyrus for his unmatched heroism and unwavering defense of the realm. He granted him dominion over the ravaged lands, solidifying his authority as one of the kingdom's most powerful figures.

It was during that war that Cyrus earned his title: the strongest man in the world.

The Duke's top priority was to maintain control over the tower. If he were to fall in battle, there would be no hope for the kingdom to withstand another siege from the monstrous hordes.

At present, the danger of a full-scale rampage seemed dormant. Yet something was amiss. The activity of the monsters emerging from the tower had surged inexplicably over the past weeks. And though the Duke was not one to believe in coincidences, he couldn't help but notice that this surge began shortly after his daughter's accident at the lake.

Surely... that girl had brought him nothing but misfortune.

"Your report, Rudolf," the Duke commanded.

"We've repelled the first five anomalous waves, High Master Cyrus," replied the knight, his voice edged with fatigue. "But our men are nearing their limit. The number of those creatures keeps increasing. At this rate, we'll be completely overrun within a few days."

"And what of that bastard?"

"No movement, High Master. He hasn't stirred, not even with the spike in activity."

Among the horrors that emerged with the tower, one stood above the rest. A creature unlike any other, it was colossal, towering over five meters even when crouched. Its grotesque, humanoid shape exuded menace, and its very presence was a blight to all who gazed upon it.

Horses and soldiers alike quailed in its presence, unable to suppress their instinctive terror.

Especially when it smiled.

This creature possessed a cunning far beyond the other monsters. It displayed a disturbing intelligence, enough to make it a greater threat than the rampaging beasts that spilled forth from the tower.

The creature never strayed far from the tower's entrance. It acted as a shepherd, controlling the flow of monsters and ensuring they did not clog the horde's path. It remained eerily still, its massive form standing sentinel, even as the chaos unfolded around it. Though it wielded a colossal axe, it showed no interest in using it, nor did it react to provocations or direct attacks.

It simply watched.

The knights learned quickly to avoid its domain, directing their efforts toward the other creatures. Confronting it was a risk too great. Over time, they began to call it The Watcher, a name that reflected its unnerving stillness and unyielding vigilance.

But to the Duke, it was something far worse. A creature that embodied captivity and punishment.

He called it The Jailer.

"My spyglass," the Duke ordered.

"Here you are, High Master." One of his men quickly handed over the item.

Raising the spyglass to his eye, the Duke focused on the tower. As always, the massive creature remained in its usual position, motionless but imposing. Despite its inactivity, the sight of it made the Duke's brow furrow deeply in disgust.

He loathed that abomination.

"High Master Cyrus, don't you think it's time to kill that creature?" one knight asked, his voice eager. "It might be the root of this entire crisis."

"Yes, High Master," another chimed in. "With you leading us, it won't be difficult to finish it off once and for all."

"The legions stand ready," added a third knight. "Just give the order. The commanders would gladly march into battle at your side."

The Duke lowered the spyglass with a measured sigh. "This isn't about whether we can kill that creature."

"What do you mean, High Master?" asked one of the knights, puzzled.

The Duke fixed them with a hard gaze. "Why do you think it never moves beyond the entrance?"

The knights exchanged uneasy glances before offering their theories.

"Because it's too cowardly to attack us directly," one suggested.

"Perhaps it's waiting for the right moment to charge with the rest of the horde," said another.

"Maybe it's bound by some limitation that keeps it stuck there," a third ventured.

"Or because it's the one ordering the monsters to keep attacking us, grinding us down until we're too exhausted to resist."

The Duke nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting theories. All valid." He raised the spyglass again, gazing at the creature as he spoke. "But I suspect... it's trying to prevent something."

"Prevent?" The knights exchanged confused looks. "What could it be preventing?"

The Duke's voice dropped, weighty with grim speculation. "Have you noticed? It allows the monsters to leave the tower. But when any of them attempt to return, it slaughters them without hesitation. That axe isn't just for show."

"So it doesn't want anything going back inside?" one knight asked. "Is it like a gatekeeper?"

"Perhaps," the Duke replied, his tone darker now. "Or perhaps it's trying to stop the monsters from causing havoc within the tower... and unleashing something far worse into the world."

Somehow, the Duke knew. He could feel it in the marrow of his bones. The most dangerous thing lurking within that cursed tower had yet to reveal itself to the world. And it was his mission to ensure it never did.

Yet, no matter how relentlessly he sought to obliterate the abyss, the creatures born from it seemed fully aware of the kind of enemy they faced. And still, they felt no fear. The towering monstrosity at the entrance moved its grotesque eyes until they met the Duke's unflinching gaze.

And then... it smiled.

Before anyone could draw breath, the ground erupted in a massive earthquake. The tremors split the earth, shaking the outpost to its core.

"Take your positions! The horde is on its way!" the Duke commanded.

"High Master, behind you!" a knight shouted in alarm.

From the shadows, a hulking monster resembling a horned beast charged at the Duke with breakneck speed. It moved so swiftly that the air seemed to tear around it, and no sound could catch up to its deadly pace.

But when it struck, the impossible happened.

"What insolence is this?" the Duke growled.

With an effortless motion, he raised his hand and stopped the beast mid-charge. The impact was deafening, a clash that sent a shockwave rippling outward, forcing soldiers and knights to stumble back in awe.

Yet, the Duke stood still as stone, his arm unwavering.

The beast, however, did not fare as well. Its massive skull caved under the sheer force of its failed attack, cracking apart and spilling a grotesque spray of blood.

The Duke glanced at his soiled garments. His expression darkened with unbridled fury.

"You dare stain me, wretched creature?"

In one swift motion, he drew his sword. The weapon gleamed with an otherworldly light as he raised it high. Then, with a single stroke, the Duke sliced the monster cleanly in two. The slash didn't stop there—it tore through the air and carved a path of destruction several kilometers long, cleaving through the dense forest that lay between the outpost and the tower.

Silence followed. It wasn't until the mangled remains of the beast hit the ground that the onlookers remembered to breathe.

"Marcus."

"Y-Yes, High Master!"

"I seem to have overdone it a bit. How's the witch?"

Quickly, the knight checked through another spyglass.

"There's nothing to worry about. The witch is elsewhere. She has suffered no damage, nor does she seem to have noticed the cut."

"Good," the Duke sighed, sheathing his sword. "It would have been quite a nuisance to find a replacement for her."

Among all the creatures that emerged from the tower, there was one that even the Duke dared not strike down: the "witch." Though weak and frail compared to the others, she wielded an inexplicable control over the surrounding flora.

Her mere presence had brought the land back to life. Wastelands turned verdant once more, and her influence spread like a balm over the ravaged valleys. For that reason alone, she was left untouched. The Duke understood that while she was still a monster, her existence brought a fragile balance to an otherwise desolate region.

"The monsters seem to be responding to your presence, High Master Cyrus," commented one of the knights.

"Then let them come," the Duke replied, stepping forward into the open field. "Finally, I'll have something to take it out on."

"Problems with the Princess again?" a soldier muttered under his breath.

The Duke glanced away. His expression hardened.

"That girl... it seems she's finally learned how to speak her mind."

The battle began.

The monstrous horde surged forward, a tide of grotesque shapes and primal violence. The Duke's forces moved in disciplined unison, steel meeting claw and fang with unrelenting resolve. The knights and soldiers fought with the knowledge that failure here meant doom for their families and all humanity.

And at the head of it all was Cyrus Grai Thamel.

The strongest man alive.

A beacon of hope.

With him, not even the Sovereign Dragons were insurmountable.

But far above, in the unreachable heights of the White Tower, something stirred. Watching. Waiting. For all his strength, Cyrus knew one unshakable truth: this battle was not the end.

It was only the beginning.

And when the true calamity struck, not even the strongest man might be enough.

Thank you so much for reading this extra chapter! I really enjoyed diving into Duke Cyrus's perspective and exploring his overwhelming power and his role as humanity's strongest protector. It's fascinating to see his inner conflict as both a leader and a father, as well as the looming threat of the White Tower and its terrifying secrets.

What do you think of the Duke's priorities? Do you believe he could ever reconcile with Daira, or will their strained relationship only grow worse under the weight of these monumental dangers?

If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to vote and share your thoughts in the comments! Your support helps keep this story alive and evolving. Thank you, and see you in the next chapter! 🌟