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Ranks of soldiers with large shields blocked the way as they dug in, confident that they could hold the creatures back until the last citizen has boarded.

As the ghouls approached, archers sent volleys of arrows over the wall, striking them down. General Hallbjorn reached into his storage ring and retrieved a war axe, preparing for the impending battle.

Holding it high into the air as he gave his last speech, everyone in the harbor could hear, including the Empress and her royal guard.

"My fellow men and women of Aevum, we stand here today on the ashes of a once-great continent, Placidia, now reduced to ruins and with billions of lives snuffed out. Darkness has descended upon us, threatening to swallow us whole, but we will not go quietly into the night. The Empire has stood firm against this darkness, and we have managed to save our beloved Empress and her precious son, the Imperial Prince. Our Emperor, my son-in-law, gave his life so that my daughter, could carry on his legacy. Now, it is our turn to give everything we have, even our very lives, so that our people may live on. Let us stand together one last time, with courage and valor, and fight for the survival of our people. For Aevum and for the fallen!''

Everyone cheered as they heard the general's speech. With renewed vigor, every soldier rushed to stem the tide of ghouls.

Alfhild boarded the ship with her maids and guards. They pushed off and waited behind the other ships.

She ran to the back of the boat and watched as her father charged into the fray, swinging his mighty axe and pushing back the ghouls.

Hours passed by, and the fighting never ceased, but the soldiers stood firm with Hallbjorn leading them.

As the last ship was loaded, large boulders crashed into it, shocking everyone. Alfhild looked in the direction the boulder came from and paled at what she saw.

Giant, hideous humanoid creatures appeared, creeping out every living soul as they charged through the gaps in the walls.

General Hallbjorn saw this and issued his last command to the lieutenant as he gripped the man's shoulder.

''Stigandr, you are in command of the archers, make sure they continue to fire.''

The man nodded as the general ran towards the shield wall, joining the defenders in their attempt to stop the vile creatures.

Meanwhile, his daughter watched from the sea as the giants smashed into the Aevum ranks.

With sweeping arms and stomping feet, they put a quick end to the last defense of the southern castle.

Alfhild was in shock, but knew she had to stay strong for her son and the people.

She ordered the ship to sail westwards as the ghouls ravaged the castle. Despite the chaos and destruction, Alfhild remained determined to protect her loved ones and fight for their survival.

[Deepforge City, Capital of The Mountainhelm Kingdom]

[Eastern Passage Fortress]

Deep underground, a fierce battle raged on as dwarven gunners repeatedly fired their mana cannons. The eastern passageway to Deepforge was blocked off by a dwarven fortress.

The soldiers were ordered to hold the line while the army evacuated citizens on the underground river that led to Darkstone Island in the west.

"Keep firing! Don't let them through!" the commander ordered.

Heavy soldiers stood firm at the entrance, their powerful shields and large war hammers at the ready.

They effortlessly repelled every wave of enemies until larger creatures appeared. Even then, the gunners tore through them with ease.

The commander noticed that the vile creatures had stopped coming, so he quickly shouted out an order.

"Hold your fire! Clean the cannons and get some rest!"

He made his way down the wall and approached the rest area. As he sat down, a boar rider came speeding down the tunnel with bad news.

The soldier skidded to a halt as he informed the commander of his new orders.

"General, the king has commanded that all outer fortresses pull back to the second line of defense. Ghouls have broken through the northern and southern fortresses, and the west is barely holding on."

Everyone who heard this paled.

The commander quickly made up his mind and shouted, "All soldiers, pull back and blow up the entrance. Heavies, use the remaining boars to get to the city as fast as possible."

[Deepforge city]

King Thror Silverbeard stood by the river, watching as his citizens boarded the ships. The queen and his children were already onboard.

The ships were a marvel of engineering, without sails and capable of carrying many more dwarfs than any human vessel. They were powered by mana stones, of which they had an abundant supply.

One of the king's generals ran up to him and reported the situation.

"We have blown up all the outer fortresses, and the cave-ins have bought us another day at most. But they will burrow through like every other time."

Thror nodded his head as he spoke.

"Send reinforcements to the fortresses, and when we are ready to leave, get them to retreat here."

The dwarf nodded and ran off to complete his orders. A day passed as they evacuated most of the civilians, and now the army was getting ready to leave.

However, something went wrong as the ghouls quickly tunneled through much faster than anyone had anticipated.

The king started issuing orders. "Retreat to the docks! The last ships are ready to board!"

All dwarven forces pulled back from the fortresses, Thror's brother Brokk came rushing up to him on a boar.

He leaped off his mount and hurried over to the king.

"Thror, let's board the last ship. The Ironclad Legion wants the honor of holding the line."

The king nodded and made his way to the ship. As he stepped aboard, he turned to see a hundred heavy dwarfs standing before him.

The commander of the famous dwarven Ironclad Legion turned around and saluted him before shouting, "Long live the King! May his hammer break skulls and shatter shields!"

He turned back around and with another shout.

''Form up! This is our last dance boys. Let's make it the best!''

In a moment of bravery, The Ironclad Legion stepped forward, their beards and muscles rippling with determination as they formed an impenetrable wall of metal and flesh.

Their eyes blazed with fierce determination as they held the line, their small but sturdy bodies absorbing the ghoul onslaught.

The ground shook beneath their feet as they stood firm, unyielding in their resolve to protect their king at all costs.

Their weapons glinted in the mana light, their muscles straining as they fought with every ounce of strength they possessed.

The enemy surged forward, their shoddy weapons clashing against the Ironclad Legion's shields and armor with a deafening roar.

But they held fast, their determination unbreakable, their loyalty to their king unshakable.

And in the end, their sacrifice was not in vain. They held on for long enough for the army to board the remaining ships.

As the last of the Ironclad Legion fell, their king escaped to safety, his heart heavy with grief but his spirit unbroken.

Their names would be remembered for years to come, their bravery and sacrifice were an inspiration to all the races.

Following the fall of the Mountainhelm kingdom, the survivors split into two groups. One settled on the Frostwood continent in the north, while a smaller group settled on Avidia to the south.

Years later, the remaining members of the Travunia royal family merged with the Avalon imperial family when Princess Chloe Travunia married Prince Osoric Avalon.

The Aevum Empire invaded a small kingdom in Frostwood, and the Kashgar settled to the east of the Avalon Empire.

After the invasion, the continent was plunged into darkness, and the remaining survivors were mercilessly slaughtered and dragged into the depths of the earth.

However, in the years that followed, treasure hunters and thrill-seekers ventured into the ruins of the continent's kingdoms and fallen empires, only to disappear into the mist that cloaked the land.

The survivors who managed to escape claimed that they had fought their way to the shore, battling a horde of terrifying creatures along the way.

All kinds of hideous creatures attacked them.

The only thing known about these creatures is that they came from below, thirsting for blood and hunting every living being, dragging them off to their underground kingdom.

As the years passed, the once-great continent became a distant memory, spoken of only in hushed tones by treasure hunters and the few survivors who had managed to escape its horrors.

The ghouls, as they came to be known, inspired fear and revulsion in all who knew of them. They were an unstoppable flood that drowned an entire continent, leaving only a few survivors in their wake.

Despite years of investigation, their origins remained shrouded in mystery.

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