Last chapter Rook was the first to fall.
In the middle of the clash, when Maelkris revealed his true speed, there was no time to react, no moment to defend.
One strike from his centipede-like tail broke through Rook's guard completely, the impact shattering his dominant arm with a sickening crack before sending him flying across the battlefield.
His body slammed hard against the village wall, the force knocking the breath out of him as everything went still.
When the dust settled, Rook lay there unmoving—his weapon gone, his arm broken, and his body unable to rise.
Just like that, the formation broke.
And the battle turned.
Maelkris stood exactly where he had been, unmoved by the chaos surrounding him, as if the burning village and the fallen warriors meant nothing more than passing noise. Slowly, his head tilted, his gaze settling upon the group once more. His Eternal Eyes—deep, void-like, empty of anything human locked onto them one by one.
There was something deeply unsettling about it.
It wasn't just fear.
It was pressure.
The kind that crept into the spine without permission, sending a cold tingle down the back as the air itself felt heavier. Smoke from the burning buildings filled their lungs, mixing with dust and ash, making every breath feel strained, as if even the atmosphere rejected their presence in this moment.
Still
They stood their ground.
Louis' eyes shifted briefly toward where Rook lay, his body motionless against the wall, his arm bent in a way it should never be. For a split second, something flickered in Louis' expression not fear, but something heavier.
Responsibility.
"Grace," he said firmly, his voice steady despite everything, "Rook needs medical attention. I don't want to face his family and tell them what happened here."
His grip tightened around his spear, knuckles whitening as he forced himself to stay focused. The anger was there—burning beneath the surface but he held it down, refusing to let it control him.
Grace didn't hesitate.
She ran.
Straight toward Rook.
Solarynth moved with her, positioning himself between her and the battlefield, his presence steady as he prepared to defend while she worked. Even now, even in the middle of chaos, there was still a line they refused to let break.
Behind them—
The battle had not stopped.
Maelkris watched it all unfold, a slow, sadistic smile forming across his face as if he found amusement in their struggle.
he gaze back at them and asked, his voice calm, almost curious. "Is this what you want to be, Solarynth?"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"A worthless, weak mortal who dies… or something greater?"
There was a pause, heavy and deliberate.
"…Or be what you truly are—a celestial feared by gods and worshipped by worlds."
Solarynth's jaw tightened. His teeth clenched as his hand slowly curled into a fist, the anger inside him no longer subtle. It was there now—clear, growing, undeniable.
Maelkris' centipede-like tails twitched behind him, the movement sharp and unnatural.
Then—
They struck.
The tails shot forward with explosive speed, aiming directly for Solarynth, their sharpened tips ready to pierce through him without hesitation.
Before they could reach—
A sharp swoosh cut through the air.
Asura's whip-like blade lashed out, wrapping around the incoming tail and halting its path just inches away from Solarynth's body.
"Now!" Asura shouted.
That was all the opening needed.
Steel Beard moved in immediately, stepping forward with raw power as he raised his warhammer high above his head and brought it crashing down toward Maelkris with overwhelming force.
Maelkris reacted just in time.
One of his remaining tails snapped upward, intercepting the hammer mid-swing and stopping its descent with a heavy impact that shook the ground beneath them.
His expression darkened slightly.
"You two are starting to get on my nerves…"
With that, he pulled back.
His tails retracted swiftly into his body as his form shifted again, the centipede appendages disappearing while his abyssal wings burst outward from his back. In a single motion, he leapt backward, creating distance just as Steel Beard's warhammer slammed into the ground where he once stood, cracking the earth from the force.
This time—
He wasn't holding back.
Without hesitation, Maelkris unleashed a barrage of razor-sharp feathers, firing them toward the three with deadly precision.
Asura reacted first, his right arm shifting into a hardened shield as he braced against the incoming storm, blocking as many as he could. The impacts rang out sharply against his defense.
Solarynth moved differently.
Calm.
Controlled.
He weaved through the attack, his body shifting left and right with precise, efficient movements, avoiding each projectile with minimal effort.
Steel Beard didn't move at all.
The feathers struck him directly, but his durability held firm. The attacks barely phased him as he stood there, unfazed, like a wall refusing to fall.
Asura wasted no time.
His shield shifted again, both arms transforming back into claws as he charged forward, building momentum with every step. When he reached striking distance, he launched himself into the air, his claws aimed directly at Maelkris in a downward slash.
Maelkris met him head-on.
He adjusted his stance, wings spreading slightly as he prepared for the clash.
Their attacks collided once again, claw against wing, the impact sending a burst of force outward before both pulled back slightly, resetting their positions.
Asura moved first.
His right claw swung toward Maelkris' side, fast and precise.
Maelkris lean back and dodges it.
Effortlessly.
He countered instantly with a sharp back kick aimed at Asura's head, the impact connecting and throwing off his balance. Before Asura could recover, Maelkris stepped in and delivered a left hook, followed immediately by a right, each strike landing cleanly.
The speed—
The force—
It overwhelmed him.
Asura staggered, his vision blurring as his body failed to respond in time. For a brief moment—
He was completely open.
Maelkris didn't hesitate.
He spun, his body twisting with precision as he delivered a devastating 180-degree tornado kick straight to Asura's chin.
The impact echoed.
Asura's body was sent flying to the side, crashing into the ground before going completely still.
Unconscious.
Maelkris straightened slowly, his wings folding back behind him as he regained his footing.
His gaze moved across the battlefield once more.
"Two down…" he muttered calmly.
His eyes settled on the remaining fighters.
"…and five more to play with."
Maelkris stood there, calm and composed, as if he wasn't standing in the middle of destruction, as if the bodies falling around him were nothing more than numbers being reduced one by one.
Behind Solarynth, Grace was already at Rook's side, her hands trembling slightly as she worked quickly, checking his pulse, stabilizing his breathing, doing everything she could to keep him alive. The panic was there, buried under her focus, but it slipped through in the way her movements rushed just a little too much.
"He's alive… he's still alive…" she whispered to herself, more to stay steady than to inform anyone.
Solarynth stood just ahead of her, his back turned, his presence forming a barrier between her and the battlefield. His eyes never left Maelkris.
Something was building inside him.
Not just anger.
Something deeper.
Something heavier
Louis stepped forward.
Even injured, even knowing what stood before him, he didn't hesitate. His grip on his spear tightened as he planted his foot firmly against the cracked ground.
"We're not done," he said, his voice steady despite the situation.
Omen moved beside him without a word, shield raised, stance ready. The two of them stood together again, even with Rook down, even with Asura unconscious. Their formation was broken but their resolve wasn't.
Steel Beard exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders as he stepped forward as well, his warhammer resting against his grip. The earlier hits had done nothing to slow him down.
"Damn monster…" he muttered. "You're starting to piss me off."
Maelkris watched them.
Then he smiled.
"Good."
In the next instant—
He vanished.
Louis' eyes widened.
"Move—!"
Too late.
Maelkris appeared directly in front of him, his speed tearing through the air between them like it didn't exist. One of his hands shot forward, gripping Louis by the throat before he could react.
The force lifted him clean off the ground.
"O–ugh—!"
Louis struggled instantly, his hands gripping Maelkris' arm, trying to pry himself free. His spear dropped to the ground with a dull clatter as his footing disappeared.
Omen reacted immediately, stepping in with his shield, aiming to strike—
But Maelkris didn't even look at him.
One of his wings lashed out.
The impact slammed into Omen's side, sending him skidding across the ground, his shield barely absorbing the force as he crashed into debris, momentarily taken out of the fight.
Maelkris' attention remained on Louis.
His fingers tightened slightly around his throat.
"You're the leader, aren't you?" he said calmly, his voice almost curious. "The one holding them together."
Louis glared at him, even as his breathing grew strained.
"…Go to hell…"
Maelkris chuckled softly.
"Wrong answer."
His nails shifte dark and sharp, abyss infused.
They pierced into Louis' neck.
The moment it happened
Something changed.
Louis' body tensed violently as a strange energy began to flow out of him, pulled directly into Maelkris. His strength started to fade, his grip weakening, his body growing heavier as if something fundamental was being ripped away.
His life was being taken.
Solarynth's eyes widened.
"Captain—!"
He moved but not fast enough.
Louis' body trembled as the draining continued, his vision blurring as the strength left him piece by piece. Yet even then
He moved.
With what little strength he had left, Louis lifted his hand.
Not to attack.
Not to defend but to stop Solarynth.
"Don't… come closer…" he forced out, his voice weak but firm.
Solarynth froze.
Confusion, anger, fear.
All at once.
Louis looked at him.
Not as a soldier.
Not as a leader.
But as someone passing something forward.
"…Protect them…" he said, his voice fading.
A small, tired breath escaped him.
"…that's what strength is…"
The grip around his throat tightened.
And just like that—
The light in his eyes began to fade.
"No, captain!"
Solarynth's voice broke.
The draining stopped Maelkris released him.
Louis' body fell it hit the ground with a dull, final sound.
Still.
Silent.
Gone.
For a moment everything stopped.
The fire still burned.
The screams still echoed.
But for Solarynth there was nothing.
Just that moment.
His eyes locked onto Louis' body.
Not moving.
Not breathing.
"…Why…?"
The word barely left his li
His chest tightened.
His breathing grew uneven.
Something inside him—
Cracked.
"…Why… wasn't I fast enough…?"
The world around him began to change.
The flames slowed.
The falling ash lingered in the air.
The sounds stretched and distorted.
His heartbeat
Loud and Heavy.
Then
Something broke.
Solarynth stepped forward.
And the world couldn't keep up.
In an instant—
He was gone and suddenly—
He was everywhere.
Afterimages filled the battlefield, each one moving, each one real, each one carrying intent.
They didn't fade like illusions—they lingered, delayed, then struck as if they existed independently.
Maelkris' eyes narrowed.
He saw it.
Every movement.
Every angle.
But even he had to react.
Solarynth appeared in front of him.
Then behind.
Then above.
A strike landed.
Then another.
Then five at once.
Maelkris blocked some, deflected others, but one slipped through—
Then another.
He was being pushed.
"…So this is what you become…" Maelkris muttered, a faint grin forming despite the pressure.
"…when you feel loss."
Solarynth didn't respond.
He didn't speak, he didn't think.
He just moved.
Faster, relentless.
But not controlled.
His breathing was unstable.
His movements raw.
His power overflowing without direction.
And yet—
For this moment—
It was enough to shake the battlefield.
The boy who arrived as something unknown had taken his first step.
Through loss, through pain, through something he never understood—
Until now.