"For every god that bleeds, a man must die twice."
— Fragment of the Book of Hollow Light
Eastern Front – Near the Abyss of Dar'Hem
The wind screamed louder than bullets.
The soldiers were ready. Hundreds of units in black armor, their rifles glistening with chemical rounds designed to pierce priestly flesh. And beside them—thousands of dogs, standing in perfect silence, ears twitching to frequencies only Adam could hear.
Mike stood at the command line, beside General Marcus.
"You sure they'll come?" Mike asked.
"They're already here," the general replied, pointing toward the dark fissure in the valley.
And then—they rose.
A wave of pale, robed bodies emerged from the ground like a swarm of insects. Their faces were bone-white. Their eyes burned with the hunger of ages.
The priests didn't speak.
But the dogs barked—feral, unified, almost divine. A sound like thunder rolled across the battlefield. The priests staggered.
And then, all hell broke loose.
The War Begins
They were mortal—yes.
The dogs proved it. Their teeth tore flesh, their claws ripped robes soaked in curses.
But the priests were still strong.
One sweep of a priest's hand could break a human's spine.
Their screams could make men vomit blood.
They moved unnaturally fast—zigzagging like phantoms across the field.
Dogs died.
Soldiers fell in lines.
Flames rose from the dirt, black and eternal.
But the earth did not yield.
Adam, standing in a guarded tower, screamed through the speaker system, letting out tones only the dogs understood. His voice was a weapon.
"To the heart!" he shouted.
"Go for the heart!"
And they did.
The dogs began leaping higher, striking not at limbs—but at the chest.
One by one, priests fell and didn't rise.
The tide shifted.
For the first time in centuries… the priests were losing.
Aftermath – Twelve Hours Later
Silence fell.
The field was soaked in blood and ash.
Bodies of priests lay stacked like fallen trees. Their faces frozen in expressions of shock—of pain.
General Marcus limped across the field, wiping blood from his helmet.
"We did it…"
"We actually did it."
Mike didn't answer. He knelt beside a dog—Cerberus-91—its body lifeless, chest torn open.
"They were never just dogs," he whispered.
That Night – 3:06 AM
Sarah stared at the sky.
She hadn't slept.
Then… she heard a chant. Low. Whispered. Familiar.
From the far hilltop… figures rose.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
Then thousands.
And then… the impossible:
The priests. Alive. Again.
Their wounds sealed. Their robes restored.
But they were not alone.
Beside them stood others. Not priests.
New ones. Taller. Leaner. With glowing veins and gold masks.
Adam gasped.
"They weren't the army…"
"They were the invitation."
Last Lines of the Chapter
The war had not ended.
It had only summoned something older.
Something buried beneath the priests themselves.
And this time… the dogs were the hunted.