The horizon...
Became black.
Not because darkness deepened.
But because countless figures emerged from every direction.
They came without haste.
Without disorder.
Without a single unnecessary movement.
Like rivers naturally flowing toward the sea.
Each step was perfectly measured.
Each formation perfectly maintained.
Entire battalions marched across the endless plains.
Others emerged directly from the shadows beneath the earth.
Some descended silently from floating mountains hidden within the darkness.
Others crossed the black rivers as though walking across solid ground.
No commander shouted.
No orders echoed.
Yet every legion knew exactly where to stand.
I watched quietly.
"So many..."
I muttered.
The leader of the Seven smiled faintly.
"This..."
"...is merely what lies closest."
I slowly turned toward him.
"Closest...?"
"The Shadow Realm is larger than most worlds."
"Our people are spread across countless territories."
"Those arriving now..."
"...answered first."
I looked back toward the horizon.
The numbers continued growing.
Hundreds of thousands...
Became millions.
Millions...
Continued increasing.
Even with my eyesight...
I could no longer see where the endless army ended.
For the first time...
I understood something.
When Nyxaroth called himself Patriarch...
It wasn't merely a title.
He truly ruled an entire civilization.
A civilization built upon strength.
Discipline.
And absolute loyalty.
...
Father quietly stood beside me.
Even his expression became slightly solemn.
"I've seen this before."
His voice carried an unusual weight.
"But..."
"...never from this side."
I understood what he meant.
Years ago...
When Father challenged Nyxaroth.
He had stood against this Realm.
Today...
He stood beside it.
What a strange turn of fate.
...
The Seven stepped aside together.
Creating space before me.
Their leader lowered his head.
"You should stand here."
I looked toward the empty ground ahead.
There was nothing special about it.
Just another stretch of black earth.
Yet...
It stood directly before the countless gathered legions.
I slowly walked forward.
Stopping alone.
Father remained several steps behind.
The Seven did the same.
None of them intended to stand beside me during this moment.
This...
Belonged to me.
A cold breeze drifted across the plains.
Black particles floated gently through the air.
Silence swallowed everything.
No footsteps.
No breathing.
Nothing.
Millions of eyes rested upon me.
Not with hostility.
Not with fear.
Not with curiosity.
Only acknowledgment.
The acknowledgment of warriors.
...
I slowly looked across them.
Faces...
Some familiar.
Some unknown.
Many...
I had fought.
Many...
Had defeated me.
Many...
Had been defeated by me.
Many...
Had fallen during the tribulation.
Only to return because I dispersed the Authority surrounding their souls.
Without realizing it...
The memories began surfacing one after another.
The first day.
The endless defeats.
The impossible training.
The countless lectures.
The silent observations.
Seven years.
Every hardship...
Every lesson...
Had happened alongside these warriors.
Perhaps...
Without noticing...
The Shadow Realm had become another home.
...
Then—
Without warning...
The commander standing at the very front slowly raised his right fist.
BOOM!!
The sound echoed across the heavens.
Not from an attack.
But from millions of armored fists striking their own chests simultaneously.
The impact shook the entire Realm.
The mountains trembled.
The rivers rippled.
The air vibrated.
Yet immediately afterward...
Silence returned.
Every fist remained pressed against its owner's chest.
Every head remained raised.
Every gaze remained steady.
No one bowed.
No one knelt.
No one lowered themselves.
Warriors...
Did not kneel to warriors.
Instead...
They offered the highest respect their people possessed.
Recognition.
One heartbeat later...
Every fist slowly opened.
Both hands came together before the chest.
The ancient greeting of the Shadow Realm.
The same greeting the Seven had offered me.
The same greeting every resurrected warrior had made after returning from the edge of erasure.
Now...
Millions performed it together.
No voice accompanied the gesture.
No proclamation followed.
Only silence.
Absolute silence.
The Realm itself seemed to hold its breath.
...
I remained standing quietly.
Looking upon the countless warriors.
Then...
I smiled.
Not proudly.
Not arrogantly.
Simply...
Gratefully.
I slowly raised both hands.
Placing them together before my chest.
Then lowered my head.
Not as their superior.
Not as the True Pure One.
Not as someone destined to surpass them.
But...
As a fellow warrior.
Someone who had bled upon the same land.
Someone who understood what it meant to fight until nothing remained.
Someone who had earned this acknowledgment.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
...
The moment my head lowered...
The entire Shadow Legion lowered theirs as well.
The movement spread endlessly.
Like black waves flowing across an infinite sea.
Beautiful.
Orderly.
Perfect.
Father quietly closed his eyes.
A faint smile appeared upon his face.
"They've accepted you."
His voice was almost inaudible.
The leader of the Seven answered softly.
"No."
"They accepted him..."
"...long before today."
"This..."
"...is merely their farewell."
...
Several moments passed.
No one wished to disturb the silence.
Eventually...
The commander at the front slowly straightened.
The millions behind him followed.
Once again...
Perfectly synchronized.
Then...
Without speaking...
The first legion turned around.
They began walking back toward their stations.
The second followed.
Then the third.
Then the fourth.
Millions of soldiers dispersed exactly as they had gathered.
No confusion.
No delay.
No lingering.
Within minutes...
The endless plains became empty once again.
Only drifting Shadow Energy remained behind.
As though nothing had happened.
I watched until the final soldier disappeared into the darkness.
Only then did I quietly exhale.
"I'll remember this."
The leader of the Seven smiled.
"We know."
Father stepped beside me once again.
"So..."
He looked toward the endless darkness where the army had vanished.
"What now?"
Before anyone could answer...
A familiar voice echoed within my mind.
Ancient.
Calm.
Filled with wisdom earned through countless regrets.
"Come."
"There is one final lesson I wish to leave you."
The voice belonged to only one being.
The White Dragon.
The Seven looked toward me.
They sensed nothing.
Father sensed nothing.
Only I heard that voice.
Only I understood its meaning.
Without another word...
I lifted my gaze toward the distant mountains hidden beneath eternal darkness.
A faint smile appeared.
"My final lesson..."
"I suppose..."
"...it's time."
Far away...
Hidden beyond every perception except my own...
Two silver-white eyes slowly opened within the darkness.
One...
Contained two faint concentric circles.
The other...
Contained the indistinct outline of an ancient dragon.