The letters announcing what seemed more like an open challenge than a declaration of war had finally reached the rulers of every kingdom.
Preparations began immediately. Everyone was accepted. Numbers were needed.
Not everyone would be fighting on the frontline. Some were assigned to support, some to standby, some to backup, while others were given completely different roles.
The pressure was immense.
Even the strongest could feel it.
From the very day the letters arrived, every kingdom picked up its pace.
Although almost every kingdom had been united until then, the letter made one thing clear.
From this point onward... Every kingdom was on its own.
Countless questions remained unanswered.
What was waiting inside?
What exactly did the enemies want?
Why twelve dungeons?
And why now?
But everyone slowly came to the same conclusion.
Those questions were far less important than what they were about to face.
The rulers of every kingdom continued discussing their strategies with one another, sharing information and providing resources whenever necessary.
The royal armies and adventurers trained together.
Everyone prepared. Everyone waited.
Three days had passed since the letters were received.
The dungeons had grown considerably larger. And more dangerous. Their corrupted presence continued spreading around them.
But another important discussion had begun among the rulers. Where was Zortheus?
Everyone had eventually decided to trust him.
Not because they had completely forgotten his past... But because they trusted King Arthur. Yet Zortheus and his companions seemed to have disappeared. There had been no contact from them.
No information. No indication of where they were.
The trust everyone had slowly developed began to waver.
But King Arthur continued to place his complete faith in Zortheus.
He convinced the others to remain patient.
"Zortheus and his companions will be of great help when the time comes."
That was all he could say.
And for now... Everyone had to trust him.
---
Day 4
Multiple platoons were formed.
Each platoon was carefully balanced with frontline fighters, support members, medics, scouts, and several other specialised roles.
But simply placing people together wasn't enough.
Everyone was immediately instructed to build chemistry within their platoons.
They had to understand one another.
Learn each other's strengths. Learn each other's weaknesses.
And most importantly... Learn how to fight as a unit.
The Rising Heroes were assigned to Platoon A-1.
Unlike many other groups, they weren't merged with several different adventurer parties.
Their platoon had actually been formed first.
Their members were among the easiest to organise.
The Rising Heroes were merged with The Golden Paradox.
Adrian became the common link between both sides.
He was also the commander of The Golden Paradox.
So naturally, he took charge of the platoon.
Despite his age, Adrian approached the responsibility with remarkable maturity.
A total of 27 people were present in the platoon.
The majority of The Golden Paradox, however, were kept aside for backup and other responsibilities.
---
Day 5
While most of the fighters continued training, preparations elsewhere continued.
Resources were being transported.
Supplies were being distributed.
Blacksmiths worked continuously, refining existing weapons and creating new ones.
Every useful material that could potentially help during the upcoming battle was prepared.
There was no room for carelessness.
---
Day 6
The armies and adventurers began marching toward the dungeons.
Before the day ended, camps were established around them.
Nobody knew how long the battle would last.
A day? Several days? Perhaps even longer.
So massive amounts of food and other supplies were prepared.
The dungeons were surrounded from every side.
Scouts constantly monitored them, searching for any signs of further growth or movement.
The rulers, however, had to remain inside their castles.
Not because they wanted to... But because they had to.
The public was still unaware of the true situation.
Eventually, people would notice something.
Questions would arise. And when that happened, the rulers needed to be present to address them.
King Arthur was in no condition to do so. Therefore, the First and Second Princes of Cero had decided to remain behind. One would handle the public. The other would remain with King Arthur and take care of him.
That left only the Third Prince and Adrian actively involved in the preparations. Everything was ready.
---
Day 7
The final day had arrived.
Nobody knew what to expect.
From the moment the sun rose, everyone remained on their toes.
Hearts pounded. Unease filled the minds of even the strongest warriors.
Everyone waited.
The afternoon arrived. The sun appeared brighter than usual. The heat became almost unbearable.
And beneath it all... The corrupted dungeon seemed alive.
It had grown to an enormous size by then.
Yet nothing happened.
The sun slowly began to set. Eventually, darkness covered the land. A strange sense of disappointment began spreading throughout the camps.
Some people even began feeling relieved.
Perhaps it had been a distraction. Perhaps it had been a bluff.
As night deepened, conversations about the strange possibility began spreading throughout the camps.
Maybe the dungeons were simply decoys. Maybe the entire thing was a distraction.
The nature of the dungeons themselves was unnatural enough to make such possibilities seem believable.
But nothing serious came of those discussions.
Everyone continued following orders.
Everyone remained at their assigned positions.
Everyone stuck to the plan.
Then... The moon reached its highest point in the sky.
The ground began to vibrate.
At first, it was barely noticeable.
Then the vibration grew stronger. And stronger.
The entire camp could feel it.
Orders were immediately given.
Everyone was called to their positions.
Weapons were prepared.
Platoons formed.
Scouts reported back.
Everyone got ready.
The vibration continued increasing.
Then... The dungeon moved.
Its enormous structure began opening.
Hearts began racing again.
A massive opening slowly appeared within the dungeon.
The sight was horrifying.
It looked less like an entrance... and more like the mouth of something waiting to devour everything that entered.
Nobody spoke. Everyone stared.
For seven days, they had prepared for this moment.
For seven days, they had wondered what awaited them.
Now there was no more waiting.
The entrance was open.
The enemy was waiting.
And they had to move forward.
The countdown... was over.