"Aren't they great at giving massages?" Hestia remarked.

Medea cleared her throat. "Maybe we should focus on the imminent threat?"

"Right," Lilith said. "An entire army? Sounds like fun."

Ava, leaning on her staff, smirked. "Nothing we can't handle, right?"

"This is it, everyone. The moment we've all been preparing for," Adrian said. His eyes shone with determination as he surveyed the gathered warriors. "This battle may be long and bloody, but I have faith in all of you. You've trained and worked hard, and now is the time to put those skills to the test."

The goddesses nodded.

"What is the plan, my lord?" Hera asked.

"Our goal is simple: protect the civilians and hold the line," Adrian replied. "If the Shadow Court breaches the walls, the entire city will fall. We cannot allow that to happen."

The goddesses shared a glance, their eyes hardening as they all nodded.

"Ready?" Adrian's gaze met each of them---Lilith, Medea, Selene, Ava, Abyss, Eris, Hestia and Hera---his gaze lingering a moment on Hera's before looking away from her.

"Ready." They chorused.

"Then let's move."

The goddesses began moving toward the wall, the ground rumbling under the weight of the approaching Shadow Court's forces.

"Adrian, the golem is the least of our problem right now but keep an eye on it. You three can provide cover," she gestured at Eris, Hestia, and Ava. "Lilith, you can take the eastern side. And Hestia, the western. Make sure the archers and summoners can't get a clean shot. Hera, can you coordinate the rest of the troops and protect the civilians?"

Hera nodded. "Of course."

"Medea, Selene, Abyss... be ready."

Medea cracked her knuckles. "You know we are."

The goddesses began their ascent, each taking up a position along the city walls.

As the army came into view, Adrian drew a sharp breath. 'I've been waiting for this day.'

The Shadow Court's army was vast, their shadowy forms spreading across the horizon.

Ava whistled. "That's a lot of asses to kick."

"Don't worry, I have the perfect spell for this."

Medea raised her hands, a ball of energy forming in her palms. With a yell, she hurled the orb into the crowd, the energy expanding into a massive cloud of darkness.

The Shadow Court's soldiers scattered, their shouts and cries echoing through the night.

Adrian couldn't help but smile at the chaos.

"Now that's what I call a party."

As the smoke cleared, the battle began in earnest.

Arrows flew from the shadowy ranks, their purple flames illuminating the night.

Ava and Eris conjured barriers, shielding the defenders from the deadly projectiles.

The Shadow Court's archers continued their volleys, their arrows striking the walls and bursting into violet flame.

Abyss and Hestia conjured blasts of fire, sending the arrows up in smoke.

Hera and Medea directed the other troops, keeping them protected as the battle raged on.

The Shadow Court's army crept closer, their ranks an overwhelming tide of darkness against the fiery glow of Zarpha's walls. Beneath the moonlight, their banners rippled, marked with symbols of chaos and despair.

As the frontline drew into view, Adrian's sharp eyes took stock of the enemy's composition.

Swordsmen clad in blackened steel formed a vanguard, their shields polished to mirror the firelight of the city. Behind them, shadow archers notched arrows laced with toxic energy, their bows humming ominously.

Further still, summoners chanted in unison, their ritualistic motions opening dark rifts in the air. From these empty spaces came terrifying creatures—large four-legged animals with bright, fiery eyes and drooling teeth.

Abyss squinted down from the wall, her violet blade already unsheathed. "Nightmare beasts. Lovely. I hate those things."

"They're just the appetizer," Lilith quipped, her whip snapping faintly in anticipation. "Look behind them."

The group turned their gaze farther back.

There, shrouded in roiling mist, were shadow magicians. Dressed in robes inscribed with runes of power, they hovered inches above the ground, their staffs crackling with dark energy.

"Magicians, summoners, and beasts," Adrian muttered, his fiery chains coiling around his arms. "They're throwing everything at us."

"We're up for it," Hestia said, her blue flames flickering to life as she cracked her knuckles. "Let's burn them out."

Hera, standing next to Adrian with her golden spear, frowned. "This isn't their main force. It's too scattered. They're testing our defenses."

"Then we give them something to think about," Adrian said sharply. "Medea, Lilith, take the beasts. Ava and Eris, hold the walls and keep the archers from getting a clear shot. Abyss and Hestia, neutralize the summoners. Hera, coordinate the troops and keep the magicians off our backs."

"And you?" Lilith asked with a sly smile.

Adrian's fiery chains ignited, lighting his face with an intense glow. "I'm going for their leader. Once he's down, he entire assault crumbles."

Adrian leapt from the wall, his chains extending and latching onto a nearby parapet to slow his descent. He hit the ground running, heading straight for the enemy vanguard.

On the walls, chaos erupted.

The Shadow Court's arrows rained down in shimmering waves of violet light, forcing Ava to raise her staff. Her golden shields expanded, deflecting the deadly projectiles with an audible hum.

"They just keep coming!" Ava shouted, her staff glowing brightly.

Eris dashed between defensive lines, her emerald daggers spinning as she intercepted soldiers who managed to breach the walls. "Let them come!" she yelled back.

Hestia and Abyss were a blur of movement, their combined flames tearing through summoners like a storm. Hestia's blue fire scorched the ground, creating molten pathways that trapped their enemies, while Abyss's violet blade dispatched them with great precision.

Lilith and Medea descended onto the beasts, their coordination fluid and devastating.

Medea unleashed a torrent of black flames that consumed a pack of nightmare beasts, their roars of agony shaking the ground. Meanwhile, Lilith's whip lashed out, coiling around the legs of one beast and toppling it into a smoldering crater.

"I thought they'd be tougher!" Lilith shouted, dodging a snapping jaw.

"Don't tempt fate," Medea retorted, her flames rising higher.

Adrian weaved through the battlefield, his fiery chains lashing out at every shadow soldier that dared approach. He focused on the commander, a tall figure in elaborate black armor, with a helmet adorned with curved horns.

The commander raised a hand, and the ground beneath Adrian erupted in spikes of shadow. Adrian vaulted upward, his chains wrapping around a tree branch to propel him forward.

"I've got you," Adrian muttered, his eyes narrowing.

The commander turned, his red eyes glowing beneath the helm. With a flick of their wrist, he summoned a towering shadow golem that blocked Adrian's path.

The golem swung a massive fist, its size blotting out the moon for a brief moment.

Adrian dove to the side, rolling to his feet and retaliating with his chains. The fiery links coiled around the golem's arm, burning deep into its shadowy flesh.

The golem roared, shaking Adrian loose. He landed hard, his breath knocked from his lungs.

"Not today," Adrian growled, pushing himself up.

Above, Solis let out a piercing screech, swooping down with Hera aboard her back. The griffin's talons raked across the golem's face, blinding it momentarily.

"Adrian, move!" Hera called, hurling her golden spear with deadly precision.

The spear struck the golem's core, causing it to collapse into a heap of dissipating shadows.

Adrian nodded in thanks, his chains lashing out to clear his path. "Let's finish this."

The battle seemed to shift in their favor as the Shadow Court's forces began to falter. The summoners' beasts were decimated, the magicians forced into retreat under Hera's relentless coordination.

But just as hope began to rise, a deep, guttural rumble shook the battlefield. Adrian froze, his chains slackening as he turned toward the source of the sound.

From the darkness emerged a new threat—a massive shadow wyrm. Its serpentine body coiled through the battlefield, its scales shimmering with an unnatural light.

Its glowing eyes locked onto Zarpha, and it let out a deafening roar that sent shockwaves rippling through the air.

"Adrian!" Lilith's voice cut through the chaos. "What the hell is that?!"

"A wyrm," Adrian said grimly. "And it's heading straight for the walls."

The wyrm surged forward, its massive form barreling through friend and foe alike. Its jaws snapped shut around a section of the wall, tearing through stone as if it were paper.

Ava's shields buckled under the force of the attack, her face pale with strain. "I can't hold it!"

Hera and Solis swooped in, Hera's spear striking the wyrm's side. But the creature shrugged off the attack, its focus unyielding.

Adrian's mind raced. "We need to bring it down now, or the city is lost!"

Medea's black flames engulfed the wyrm's tail, but it lashed out, sending her sprawling. Hestia and Abyss launched simultaneous attacks, but the wyrm's thick scales deflected their strikes.

Adrian clenched his fists, his fiery chains sparking with intensity. "Focus everything on its head! We have to blind it!"

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