I Built a Beast Empire After Reincarnation-Chapter 41: Blades in the Shadows

The gates of Greystone creaked open just before midnight.

Lucas, Kaela, and Elira rode through the moonlit path, their cloaks weighed with dust, their expressions carved from steel. The sounds of hammering steel and shouted drills still echoed within the fortress. The fires of the forge burned like defiance in the night. Greystone was awake and ready.

Lucas dismounted, pulling off his helm. Sweat stuck to his brow, but it wasn’t fatigue that tightened his jaw.

Angel’s voice rang softly in his mind.

{System Notification: You have returned to Greystone. Enemy army detected: Estimated distance – 9 miles. ETA – dawn. Prepare your forces.}

Lucas clenched his fists. "They’re coming with the sunrise."

Kaela nodded, scanning the stars as if she could already see them marching. "They think fear will shake us."

Elira’s tone was frost-sharp. "Let them try."

Inside the war hall, lanterns flickered over maps and ledgers. Lucas called forth the status logs Angel had saved during their last confrontation.

[Enemy Status — Stonewatch Commanders]

Lord Agram, Warhound of StonewatchLevel: 45

Class: Blood Warlord

Beast Companion: Ironjaw — Armored Hellhound (Level 44)

Special Traits: [Overwhelm Aura], [Blood Rituals], [Brutal Tactics]

Passive: +20% morale for all surrounding troops

Active Skill: Ravage — Boosts attack and movement speed for 30 seconds

General Darion BraggLevel: 40

Class: Eagle Knight

Beast Companion: Skyrend — Highwind Eagle (Level 40)

Traits: [Sky Dive], [Aerial Supremacy]

Weakness: Ground combat in tight spaces

General Corven,

Beastmaster of the WestLevel: 40

Class: Alpha Tamer

Beast Companion: Gorefang — Earth Rhino (Level 41)

Traits: [Stampede], [Earthquake Slam]

General Nera Valen,

Silver FangLevel: 40

Class: Phantom Archer

Beast Companion: Moonstalker — Ghost Wolf (Level 39)

Traits: [Phase Step], [Piercing Arrows], [Camouflage]

Lucas’s voice dropped low, firm with fire.

"They’re not just commanders. They’re apex predators. Each was built for devastation. Agram is a war machine. Darion rules the skies. Corven is a living avalanche. Nera... a ghost with a bow."

He looked at the war council. Kaela, Elira, Reynard, Malrick, Ilyra—all waiting.

He raised his hand and pointed to the map. "But monsters have weaknesses. And I plan to exploit them."

...

Lord Agram – Assigned: Lucas & Kaela

Lucas pointed to the southern sector of the inner wall.

"Agram will lead from the front. His beast Ironjaw will tear through gates if we let him. But brute strength becomes clumsy in tight quarters."

He turned to Kaela. "Me, you, and Thunderfang will lead our vanguard defense. Use the side alleys and chokepoints—trap him inside our streets. When he swings wide, we’ll take his legs. Bring him down."

Kaela grinned, a savage light in her golden eyes. "I’ll make him regret every step into our city."

Darion Bragg – Assigned: Elira

Lucas circled rooftops along the wall’s northern spire.

"Darion’s strength is in the air. His eagle gives him an advantage, but if you ground him, he’s finished."

He faced Elira. "You and Luna are faster. Lure him low. Clip the wings. End the threat."

Elira nodded. "I’ll take his feathers. One by one."

Corven – Assigned: Reynard and the Militia

"Corven will try to break our flanks with stampedes. His beast is massive. But big beasts stumble."

Lucas jabbed his dagger into the central courtyard schematic. "We set pike traps. Layer our formation. Spear walls, reinforced bracers, and oil pits. Let him charge—and bleed."

Nera Valen – Assigned: Malrick’s Arcane Division

"She’s our biggest threat from the shadows. Assassination, disruption, fear."

Lucas looked at Malrick. "You’re setting mirror wards. We double-layer illusions. Place mana mines on tower blind spots. She appears—we lock her down and burn her out."

Malrick gave a slow smile. "She wants ghosts? I’ll give her a haunted house."

GUERRILLA TACTICS:

Lucas turned to the group, eyes gleaming with conviction.

"I want to use what we call guerrilla warfare. It means ambush. Deception. Hit hard and vanish before they retaliate. It’s how a weaker force outsmarts a larger army."

He drew swift lines around their perimeter. "Small squads. Night maneuvers. Smoke cover and misdirection. Every alleyway becomes a knife. Every corner, a trap. We use the terrain—this city is our home."

Kaela crossed her arms, nodding. "A fight like that, we win with every scream they let out in the dark."

...

At dawn, the enemy arrived.

The valley thundered under the march of two thousand armored troops. Siege beasts stomped forward. Standards of Stonewatch flared in the breeze, black and gold like fangs against the sky.

Lord Agram stood atop a black steed, Ironjaw growling at his side.

"Greystone! You still have time to surrender!" his voice boomed magically across the battlefield.

Lucas stood atop the walls, helm in hand, wind tearing at his cloak. The first light glinted off his enchanted armor.

"We don’t kneel to cowards and conquerors," he replied, voice clear and defiant. "Come if you crave ruin."

Agram’s eyes narrowed. "Then bleed."

He raised his hand.

The enemy surged forward—

And the earth betrayed them.

...

Malrick triggered the glyph system from the inner tower. The sigils flared to life.

The ground split. Crimson glyphs flared beneath their feet—then exploded.

Firestorms tore through the first ranks. Sonic bursts shattered the plate. Mana mines flung beasts into the air. Pit traps swallowed whole squads.

Screams filled the air.

"Now!" Lucas roared.

Arrows rained from the walls—flaming bolts that screamed through the air.

Kaela laughed atop her tower. "Welcome to Greystone!"

Malrick emerged, smoke trailing from his coat. "That’s three hundred dead. Maybe more. And we’re just warming up."

Lucas gripped the edge of the wall, voice cold with fire.

"They thought we’d play fair. They came expecting a lamb—what they’ll get is a lion’s roar."

The flames of the first trap wave died down, leaving scorched bodies and twisted armor behind. The acrid stench of burnt leather and blood wafted up into the air, drifting over the battlements like an omen of vengeance.

Lucas stood unmoving, staring down at the battlefield now littered with the remains of 300 enemy soldiers. The enemy’s momentum had been shattered—but not stopped. The army still surged forward, reorganizing in the smoke, drawing into fresh ranks.

He turned to Malrick, whose hands still glowed faintly from magical exhaustion. "That was just the beginning. Are the second and third trap lines primed?"

Malrick nodded, wiping sweat from his brow. "Ready. The moment they push again, I’ll light them up."

Lucas looked over the war table nearby, his eyes narrowing. "Then we need to bleed them with every step. Make them regret every inch they try to take."

Angel’s voice echoed softly in his mind.

{Lucas, momentum is now on your side. They’ve underestimated you, and you’ve shown them pain. Use that shock—strike their morale again before they regroup.}

"Exactly what I intend," Lucas murmured. He pointed to a section on the flanking ridges. "Send two strike teams through the side tunnels—Kaela leads one. I’ll signal the next trap line, and while they’re distracted, we’ll harass their rear with hit-and-run attacks."

"Guerrilla tactics," he added, turning to the commanders gathered. "It’s not about meeting them head-on—it’s about hitting where they’re not looking. We’re not the hammer. We’re the blade in the dark."

Kaela, having returned to the tower, grinned wide. "Finally. A fight worthy of the teeth."

Elira joined them, wind-tousled and sharp-eyed. "And I’ll make sure Darion doesn’t get another chance to fly."

Lucas placed his hand on the map’s center—Greystone, the heart of their world.

"They think we’re a backwater outpost. A stone they can kick out of the way. But we’re more than that. We’re survivors. Builders. Warriors. And tomorrow, we show the world that no one breaks Greystone."

Behind him, the drums of war continued to echo.

But Greystone had already struck its first blow.