The smile was creepy as hell.
It stretched across a face that had no business existing twisted, unnatural, carved from centuries of hatred and imprisonment.
The voice that emerged from the womb of the earth, from its deepest depths where the fallen demonic angels had been chained, was silk wrapped around a blade.
"Fine. I'll do it myself."
Another voice rose from the darkness a brother's voice, broken and desperate.
"Free us from this hell, little sister. We want to trample on humanity and those biased gods."
The sister replied, her tone sweet as poison.
"I will, my brother. My sister. I have set everything in motion. It's all according to plan."
A pause. Then a giggle creepy, unhinged, echoing through the abyss.
"And in bonus... I'll kill the puppet Warherald of Goddess Aria."
She started crying. Creepily. Tears of blood streaming down a face that had never known mercy.
Then she waved a finger.
Across every corner of the earth, the dungeon gates responded.
Inside them, the monsters once mindless, once chaotic suddenly began to scream.
Not in pain. In obedience.
They turned toward the gates, their eyes burning with new purpose, and charged.
The floodgates opened.
Monsters poured out in numbers never seen before. Not hundreds, not thousands, millions.
They swarmed across every battlefield, every kingdom, every empire.
The Holy Paladins and knights who had been holding the line were suddenly overwhelmed their formations shattered, their lines broken.
In the Clover Kingdom, knights screamed as they were dragged into the horde.
In the Spade Kingdom, paladins fought back-to-back, their divine power flickering as the dark mana thickened.
In the Holy Empire, Ezra Violet's Divine Fist blazed but even she was being pushed back.
The world was drowning.
In the Eastern Territories, the alliance had just been forged.
Gabriel Velk stood with the Fist King, the barrier orbs humming overhead.
The message had been sent all civilians were to be moved inside the barriers. They would be safe there. For now.
Messages reached the other sect leaders.
The Tang Clan. The Namgoong Clan, they arrived with their warriors, their faces grim, their weapons drawn.
Gabriel ordered his units to distribute healing potions to every injured Murium warrior. Those who needed serious attention were rushed to the healers.
Then
The sound came.
It was the loudest sound a human ear could tolerate a trembling, earth-shaking roar that seemed to come from everywhere at once.
Everyone on every battlefield, in every corner of the world, was forced to cover their ears. Even the civilians in the bunkers, safe behind the barrier orbs, heard it.
A small boy in one of the bunkers hugged his mother's leg, his tiny body trembling.
"When will this get over?" he whispered. "Am I going to die? I don't want to be eaten by the monsters, Mother."
The mother's helplessness was written across her face. She grabbed her son and held him tight.
"The goddess will save us from all this evil," she said, her voice barely steady. "And don't forget she has sent her chosen Warherald."
The child looked up. "Is the Warherald very powerful, Mother?"
She nodded, forcing a smile.
"Yes. He is. "
In Great Presia, the situation was critical.
The monsters were running toward the knights and paladins with terrifying speed and they were targeting Roman.
He was still unconscious, his body broken, his divine aura flickering weakly.
The knights and paladins formed a desperate shield around him, but they were being overwhelmed.
The Shadow System's voice echoed in Roman's mind.
Wake up, Warherald.
The people of this world need you. You have to wake up.
Silence.
Wake up.
Roman's consciousness stirred.
Somewhere deep within the darkness, he heard the call.
He reached for it.
The Shadow System noticed.
Welcome back, Warherald.
Roman's voice, weak but determined, echoed in his mind.
"Yeah. Let's finish this job once and for all."
Slowly increase your power.
Not suddenly. Slowly. Understood?
"Understood."
In the physical world, Roman's finger moved.
It was a small movement barely noticeable. But Selena saw it.
Her eyes widened.
Her heart surged with hope and fury all at once.
She leaned down, her voice cracking with emotion.
"Get up, you brat!" she screamed.
"How long are you going to sleep in this situation?!"