Is this really a Game?!

The battlefield stretched out before Reign and the others, the horizon dominated by the giants that continued their seemingly slow, menacing march toward the fortress. Each giant, as monstrous as it was, paled in comparison to the auras that could be felt behind them, the powerful abominations who were waiting for their turn to attack them.

There were all kinds of abominations behind the giants, some were small, some were big, bigger than the giants even. Only two were slightly taller than the giants, but there were a couple that were longer, as well as wider, each step causing the ground to shake heavily.

The air grew thicker with the weight of the approaching enemies, their collective auras making it clear to Reign and the others that the true battle was just beginning.

"Six minutes … can we truly make it?" Reign asked under his breath, gripping his swords tightly as he surveyed the situation. His gaze flicked toward the abominations in the back, the powerful creatures whose strength dwarfed the giants, and that was without even taking into consideration the four strongest, who were still a long distance away.

"The way things are progressing … we'll have to use our marks soon," Reign stated in a low voice as he stared at the fortress and the horde that continued approaching them.

"Defeating the giants without the marks is feasible, but our mana will be nearly drained and our stamina depleted after that, even the marks won't be able to help us that much at that point."

"Do we then try it, do we try to take the battle outside of the fortress, to go with full force, aiming at the abominations and the four most powerful creatures amongst them?" Reign asked himself as he stared at the monsters.

"Is that maybe what the system wants us to do?"

"From what we have noticed till now, the monsters don't seem to be that interested in the fortress itself, but us!" Wolf shouted his voice, which was reinforced with mana, echoing through the fortress, eclipsing even the sound of rumbling coming from the giants.

Reign's mind raced as he processed Wolf's words. The monsters seemed to be targeting them specifically, not the fortress. This realization could change everything. They had assumed that protecting the fortress was their primary objective, but now it seemed like the true challenge was surviving the onslaught aimed directly at them.

He could sense the truth in it—these creatures, especially the abominations, were drawn to their power. The fortress was just a stage; they were the real targets.

"He's right," Reign said, his voice steady despite the tension. "They're not here for the fortress. They're here for us."

"The goal of the trial is to make sure the fortress doesn't fall to the monsters, but … we are the ones who conquered it, so doesn't that mean that as long as we are alive, the fortress will still be ours?"

"That changes things. If we fight defensively, we'll burn out before the end. But if we go on the offensive, target the biggest threats first, we might just turn this in our favor." Jin stated as he walked to the edge of the platform and stared at the approaching monstrosities.

The others heard him and nodded in agreement, preparing themselves for what was to come. There was no longer any doubt—they would have to use their marks, not just to defend the fortress, but to meet the abominations head-on.

"We take the fight to them," Reign continued, his eyes narrowing as he looked toward the advancing giants and the monstrous figures behind them. "We'll use our marks to tear through the giants quickly, then push forward and hit those things in the back. We don't have the luxury of waiting for them to reach us. We need to eliminate the biggest threats before they overwhelm us."

Mia, her face tense with focus, took a deep breath. "Agreed. The longer we wait, the more vulnerable we become. The giants are slow, but those abominations will close the distance fast. If we hit them first, we stand a chance."

"No need to focus on the giants, just move through them and get to the ones behind, we'll have to get rid of those before moving toward the strongest ones, they are the true threat, and I have a feeling that as long as we take them down, the army will no longer be a threat at all," Jin added as he stood straight and stared at the horde.

"We have 6 more minutes, in that period of time, we need to make sure to get to those bastards and kill them."

"If we simply charge, the abominations can use that chance to hit us from behind, which is something we cannot allow to happen."

Reign felt a ripple of tension surge through the group. They were all exhausted, their bodies aching from the relentless fighting, but there was no room for hesitation now. This was the final push, the moment where they would have to give everything.

"Get ready," Reign said, his voice filled with resolve. "We're going to move soon, go all out, use the marks." Discover stories with empire

As one, Reign and his companions reached deep within themselves, calling upon the latent power of their marks. The familiar burning sensation spread through their bodies, a surge of energy unlike anything else. Their marks flared to life, glowing brightly on their skin as their bodies transformed.

Wolf's flames, already powerful, became a roaring inferno of chaos. His transformation turned him into a draconic human, wings suddenly sprouting out from his back, his sword becoming covered by purple flames.

Mia's ice became sharper, colder, as her body shimmered with frosty energy her hair turned bluish-white and her skin paled. She exuded a deadly calm, her frost now so cold it could freeze the air itself. Jagged ice crystals swirled around her as she prepared for the next attack.

Jin's body crackled with explosive power, his muscles bulging with raw energy. His fists glowed with intense yellow light, ready to deliver blows that could decimate even the toughest enemies. His mark gave him an unshakable confidence, his aura a force of sheer destruction.

Shadow's transformation was subtle yet terrifying. The darkness around him thickened, becoming a cloak that seemed to swallow the light. His form flickered in and out of existence, before he stood at the edge, a cloak of darkness covering his body. His daggers glinted with deadly precision as he moved, turning into darkness itself.

Greenie's muscles swelled to monstrous proportions, his skin turned red while long white hair fell to his back as his strength reached new heights. His hammer, already deadly, became even more powerful, crackling with energy as he prepared to unleash devastating blows.

Tank's body transformed into a demonic ogre, growing taller and larger, his shield and armor growing even more impenetrable. His presence alone was enough to make the ground tremble, his mark amplifying his defensive prowess to near invincibility.

Beast's mark turned his hair green as the wind blew around him, his eyes becoming even sharper than they were as he stared at the monsters before jumping forward and flying with the help of the wind that he could now control with greater ease.

It was not the main power of his mark, but after using it for a while, it seemed as if the mark itself had changed a bit, now it didn't only improve his archery to an astonishing degree, but it also improved his control over the wind element by a lot.

Laura didn't use a mark, as she didn't have one. Instead, she used all the life force present in the area and poured it into herself. The life force started spilling out of her as it proved to be a bit too much, but then, she used it all to augment herself.

She also used her demonic arts, transforming her limbs into demonic limbs before charging forward, her strength increased by a tremendous amount as this kind of battle was where her powers could truly shine.

As much as she hated it, her demonic powers were perfect for battlefields as she would never run out of energy as long as the slaughter was present.

Aelrinder, on the other hand, used his power of stars, his body glowed with yellow light as he gained immense power for a period of time, power that didn't only strengthen himself, but also his wind manipulation.

Reign used his mark as well, lightning erupting around him as his hair rose straight up while he held his swords and stared ahead.

He smirked, stared at the monsters, and then charged.

The giants closest to them suddenly stopped before Reign and the others unleashed their powers, annihilating the ones in front of them. Right now, with their marks activated, they were much more powerful than before, which meant that they didn't need to channel a long time for an attack in order to destroy a giant in one hit.

It was much easier for them now.

They were going toward the four monsters, forming groups, with Reign being the only member of his own group as he wouldn't need any help upon transforming into his Nephilim form, which he was saving for later.