The System Reincarnator: From Zero to Shadow King

The Alliance's first true campaign had started.

Their raids were quick, cutting deep into the Council's defence.

But now, it was time for open warfare.

Kaelen had chosen the Eastern Garrison, a stronghold city called virehold, as the first to fall.

Not simply a sign, but a statement.

A proclamation that the Shadow King's Alliance was more than just a temporary insurrection.

It was a burgeoning empire.

The Fortress of Virehold

Virehold sat on a mountainside, its walls covered with divine runes and guarded by almost 10,000 Council troops.

It controlled the trade routes to the eastern kingdoms and acted as the Council's bastion in the region.

No army had ever breached its defence.

But Kaelen did not bring an army.

He made war incarnate.

The Alliance's Strategy

Kaelen and his generals stood together in the battle camp outside Virehold.

Valen plunged a dagger into the map.

"The eastern wall is their weak link. Supply lines travel through it, with minimal security during shift changes."

Nyssa's eyes narrowed. "I will infiltrate and disable the rune anchors." Without them, their wards will crumble."

Eira stroked her finger across the mountains. "I will bring the storm." Cut off their reinforcements with a blizzard that they can't handle.

Raze grinned. "And I will obstruct the river. If anyone attempts to run, they will be met by my fleet's cannons."

Kaelen nodded.

"Good. We hit hard. We struck quickly. And we won't stop till Virehold burns."

The Night of the Assault

The action began under cover of darkness.

Nyssa went first, sliding through shadows, past guards, and into the heart of Virehold's rune network.

[System Skill—Rune breaker]

Effectiveness against divine runes: 95%

The rune anchors cracked one by one, causing the sacred wards to flicker and die.

The Wall Breach

Valen commanded a group of Shadow Legionnaires along the eastern wall.

[Ability—Shadow Charge]

They charged forward, shadows obscuring their movements until the final second.

Valen's dark-forged blade blasted the gates with a loud boom, knocking Council warriors to the ground like rag dolls.

The Blizzard's Wrath

Eira called an icy and windy storm from the mountains.

[Domain Magic — Frost bound Tempest]

Avalanches buried the enemy camps.

Reinforcements stopped in their tracks.

The entire northern pass was a frozen graveyard.

The Battle Within the Walls

Kaelen personally led the charge through the breach.

Council soldiers rallied, with their commanders yelling orders.

"Hold the queue!" "The Shadow King must not pass."

But Kaelen was already present.

[Domain Ability: Shadow Dominion Pulse]

A wave of suffocating blackness swept outward, draining the warriors' vitality and drowning them in fear.

Kaelen moved like a phantom, his blade ripping through armor and coiling around opponent weapons, rendering them ineffective.

He was a force they couldn't contain or withstand.

The Duel with Commander Albrecht

At the center of Virehold's square stood Commander Albrecht, a Council champion known for his divine spear and unbreakable defence.

"You defy the will of the Council, Kaelen!" Albrecht yelled, his spear ablaze with holy light.

Kaelen confronted his charge head on.

Light encountered shadow.

They clashed, sending shock waves through the stone beneath their feet.

Albrecht's spear lashed forth, striking precisely, and sanctified by the Council's gods.

But Kaelen was quicker. His shadow-infused blade cut through Albrecht's defence, chipping away at his aura.

Albrecht surged forward in a desperate gamble, and Kaelen let the spear to scrape his side.

The commander's eyes widened.

"Why—"

Kaelen said coldly, "Because I'm not afraid of your gods."

Kaelen's blade went through Albrecht's heart, accompanied by a flood of shadow.

The champion fell.

The Fall of Virehold

With their commander killed, the remaining Council forces broke.

Valen's legion pursued the remainder.

Nyssa's operatives had seized the armories.

Raze's flotilla bombarded fleeing soldiers on the riverbanks.

Eira sealed the passes with ice.

By morning, Virehold had burnt.

Aftermath — A World Shaken

[System Announcement — Global Event]The Fortress of Virehold has Fallen to the Shadow King's Alliance.Council Influence in the Eastern Region Severely Weakened.Shadow Alliance Control +45% in Eastern Territories.

Kingdoms who once cowered behind the Council's authority now reconsidered their allegiance.

The Shadow King wasn't a fugitive.He was a conqueror.

The Council's Fury

Sephira confronted the high lords in the Council's Grand Hall.

"The Shadow King dares to challenge us directly."

An elder slammed his staff. "He must be erased." His shadow blight must not be permitted to spread!"

Sephira's eyes blazed with deadly hatred.

"Then we will answer… with holy war."

The Shadow King's Declaration

Kaelen stood atop Virehold's highest tower, gazing down at the blazing city below.

Valen approached.

"The Council will come for us harder than ever."

Kaelen nodded.

"Let them."

Nyssa appeared alongside him. "What now?"

Kaelen's eyes blazed violet.

"Now… we move on the next fortress."

He turned to face his army, which was now tens of thousands strong, and their cheers echoed like thunder.

"The Shadow King's war… has truly begun."