The sky was burning.
Darkness spread across the land as if the earth itself were breathing death.
Mark was gasping for breath. His body was exhausted, and his eyes searched desperately for an end that never came.
Nero could barely remain standing, carrying Kartithia in his arms. Blood covered nearly half of his body.
Suddenly...
A cold breeze swept through the burning battlefield.
A clear blue light slipped through the thick smoke, bringing with it an unfamiliar sense of calm.
Then—
BOOOOM!
A single strike split the ground apart.
The monsters were thrown into the air like dry leaves caught in a storm.
Someone stood in the middle of the battlefield.
A royal cloak fluttered behind him.
His eyes gleamed with a brilliant golden light.
The Commander of the Kingdom's Knights.
Mark's eyes widened.
His voice came out weakly:
"Sirvan...!"
Sirvan did not answer.
He simply moved his water-infused spear with incredible speed.
With a single motion—
WHOOSH!
A spiraling wave of water erupted from his spear, slicing through an entire line of monsters.
Then...
Sirvan drew a long water-forged sword from behind him.
He slammed it into the ground.
BOOM!
Sharp waves of water mixed with radiant light erupted across the battlefield, tearing through monsters in every direction.
And behind him...
An entire army of kingdom soldiers appeared.
They charged forward, shouting as they raised their weapons.
The sounds of swords clashing and soldiers roaring filled the battlefield.
It was as though...
Hope had finally returned.
Villagers emerged from the ruins.
Children ran toward the soldiers.
Mark smiled.
Nero finally laughed.
Kartithia looked toward the glowing sky with peaceful eyes.
For one brief moment...
Everything felt safe.
But the joy did not last.
A strange sound suddenly echoed through the sky.
"VVOOOOOOM..."
Everyone looked upward.
A purple portal appeared.
Then another.
Then a third.
And then—
Twenty portals tore open across the sky.
They appeared in every direction, above the village and far beyond it.
From each portal emerged strange creatures unlike anything the soldiers had seen before.
Claws.
Wings.
Skulls.
Even gigantic skeletal monsters.
The sheer number of creatures caused the ground to tremble beneath their feet.
Sirvan tightened his grip around his spear.
Mark raised his sword again despite his injuries.
The soldiers stood their ground...
But fear had begun appearing in their eyes.
Then—
RIIIIIP!
A tremendous tearing sound echoed across the heavens.
The entire sky seemed to tremble.
A gigantic portal appeared at the very center of the sky.
It was larger than every portal that had appeared before.
Everyone looked upward.
The soldiers fell silent.
The villagers froze.
Yet...
Nothing emerged from it.
The portal simply remained open.
Darkness poured from its depths like endless smoke.
Aether, still trapped among the ruins, slowly looked toward the sky.
His heart began pounding.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Something was coming.
Something was terribly wrong.
Aether didn't know what it was.
No one did.
But deep inside his heart...
He already knew.
Something was about to descend from that portal.