The clash of the battle outside thundered above as Roland and his strike team ascended from the storage area deep underground.

The holy spear now in his right hand glowed faintly in his grip; its sharp, radiant, pointed tip was used to light the way through the narrow stairwell, as Roland did not care for any demons that came his way.

He had already killed a few dozen so far that spotted them, easy kills with his new weapon.

As for his new armor, the polished metal was amazing; it seemed to not only feel like it did not weigh anything when he injected mana, but he felt like it added a few buffs.

It was truly an astounding relic that Roland would have loved to have received before he had lost his powers.

As for where they were currently, the stairwell leading up was narrow as they climbed slowly, and yet there was no way they would have known that they walked into a trap.

From the dark passage overhead, armored figures emerged, their forms seeming to be of knights who had once sworn to defend Elris. Their armor bore the sigil of the kingdom, but their eyes burned crimson, and their movements were somewhat stiff. But Roland knew what had happened to them.

"Wights…" Namar whispered, as he saw the dead look in their eyes, only brought back by vampiric powers.

The first of the undead knights charged forward, its blade dripping with the same corrupted energy that reminded Roland of his sword.

Roland met the strike with the spear, the radiant edge piercing through both the dark sword and the knight's steel armor as though it were tin.

Light exploded from the wound, sending the corrupted knight sprawling to the floor while screeching, its body convulsed slightly before it stayed still. Only smoke was produced he knight was cleansed.

The others closed in.

Doblin raised his staff, causing the earth beneath the other knights to open up as they fell through to the room underneath before closing back up.

No one stayed still, even Stephon darted through the chaos, his twin daggers flashing as he cut through gaps of the rest, leaving them without limbs to properly hold themselves upright.

Roland pressed forward, the cloak around his shoulders finishing off any opponent that remained with ease.

When one knight lunged at him from behind, the cloak lashed out on its own. Its shadowed tendrils wrapped around the attacker's helm, twisting violently until bone and metal gave way, then tore the head clean off in one gruesome motion.

The others froze for a moment at the sight, even his allies. Roland said nothing, only kept moving, spear in hand, cloak curling like living smoke around his form.

When the last of the guardians fell, silence filled the stairwell once again. The strike team won easily, and he wondered if this was the best the demons had for them.

Roland looked at the fallen knights, his expression grim. "Even the dead were enslaved."

He did not linger in this part for long.

With a flick of the spear, he cleansed the body of the undead and blew the smoke away while pressing onward, his team following close behind.

The stairwell kept going higher, the air seemed to be strangely growing hotter and more oppressive as the scent of brimstone and blood seeped through the windows.

The sight of the battle outside was plain to see from where they were now. The tremors of siege weapons shook the stone, and dust drifted from the ceiling as if the fortress itself feared what was coming.

At last, they reached a landing where the narrow stairs widened into a long corridor.

Shadows could be easily made out ahead of them, and Roland immediately sensed the presence waiting for them.

Demons.

A squad of them crouched at the far end of the passage, snarling as they caught sight of intruders. Their skin was just as blue as Moragg but there was something more to them, a wild, feral look in their eyes, not because they were related to vampires, but Roland could feel the mana that circulated their bodies.

They did not hesitate to start attacking Roland as soon as they were spotted. Roland lowered the spear to let the cloak do most of the work.

Within seconds, the demons were torn apart, their bodies left broken and unrecognizable along the corridor.

Roland lowered the spear, the cloak flapping sinisterly as if to clean the blood of the fabric.

It looked strange, but Roland could faintly tell the piece of cloth was somehow pleased with itself.

For a moment, even he second-guessed keeping the thing draped over his shoulders, yet he could not deny the truth; it had dispatched nearly twenty demons in less time than it took him to breathe.

Brutal, yes, but undeniably effective in its way of dealing with enemies.

He exhaled slowly, forcing the thought aside. "We keep moving," he ordered in a flat tone.

His companions simply nodded, though unease lingered in their eyes as they followed him up the long passage.

The stairwell climbed ever higher, each step drawing them closer to the heart of the fortress. Above, part of the wall suddenly disappeared as the siege weapon tossed a volley of metal towards the castle.

Outside, the gates of Elris finally collapsed under the relentless assault.

Stella's light shields held steady, preventing any attack towards those behind her as she marched forth towards the forefront.

She led her forces into the blood-soaked courtyard, where both ally and enemy perished at times.

Her shield healed those who were close, but they were just not enough.

They did, however, dissolve the cursed weapons and projectiles the demons held or threw towards the army.

Stella kept edging them forward; she wanted to reach Roland as soon as possible.

"Hold the line! Press forward!" she commanded, her aura wrapping around the hurt soldiers. The halo above the battlefield still gleamed, empowering those who marched with her as the light spirits kept aiding them.

Renar, who was close by, called out while giving orders to those under him as he directed the arrowhead formation to finally reach the castle's inner gates that would lead them inside to help Roland. "Shields forward! Spearmen give them hell, drive them back while staying in safety! Casters, cover them, make it so there is no hole with your wards!"

Zavar formed earth walls to further protect them from projectiles. He even retaliated with shards of stone that pelleted in every direction, keeping the enemy blinded.

As for the demon princess, Morrag, she kept her flames up, cutting a path through the defenders with powerful blasts that seemed like flamethrowers coming from her hands far ahead of everyone.

Step by step, the humans, half-breeds, and spirits' chosen drove deeper into the heart of the fortress.

The battle for Elris was far from over, but the defenders were already breaking while thousands of demons died in mere seconds through the combined teamwork of the various races.

The clash thundered louder as Stella's vanguard pressed into the castle's inner gates. At last, the heavy doors burst open under Renar's formation, and the army spilled into the corridors. The air was thick with smoke and blood, the cries of demons echoing down the stone halls.

They found Roland not far within.

He stood in the middle of a ruined chamber, the holy spear blazing in his grip, the dark cloak writhing around his shoulders like a living cloth.

Dozens of demons lay broken at his feet, their twisted bodies strewn across the floor. More surged in from every entrance, feral vampires and blue-skinned demons kept coming through.

There was no longer a sign of order within the demons' ranks; they were merely trying to survive.

Roland's strike team fought at his back, but they were being pressed hard. Namar's illusions flickered under the strain, Stephon's daggers dripped with cursed black blood, and Doblin's staff trembled as he tried to hold up a collapsing wall.

"Fall back!" one of the soldiers cried, but Roland did not move an inch. His cloak lashed out, snapping the neck of a demon who lunged too close, while his spear's radiant thrust impaled a vampire mid-incantation. He fought like a wall of light and shadow combined, unyielding even as the tide threatened to swallow him.

"Roland!"

Stella's voice rang through the chaos as she burst into the chamber, her shield blazing with radiant light as her aura wrapped around the wounded.

Her light clashed with darkness, washing over the battlefield like a tide. Lucien was at her side, his blade finishing any demons that still tried to rise to attack her.

He also worked through those that barred their way, while Renar's formations crashed through the defenders with ruthless precision.

Zavar's stone walls slammed into the few that could hold out, making fists out of the floor and walls, which struck away anyone still standing while closing off the rear entrances.

Finally, Morrag's firestorm consumed the corridor behind them, making sure no one would come to aid the demons.

Roland was glad his companions had arrived.

The demons who had cornered Roland faltered, their cries twisting to fear as the full force of Elris's liberators crashed into them.

Roland's spear lowered for a moment. Stella got next to him to heal him, making him almost choke his mantle to keep it from hurting his wife due to the light the girl was producing.

And yet, Roland could help but feel relief, if only for a breath. He straightened himself after a quick hug as he gripped his cloak to keep it from hurting his wife.

"You sure took your time, my dear."

Stella's lips pressed into a determined smile. "We're here now. Together, we will finish this."