The battlefield shifted once again.
Not because of a devastating skill, nor because another terrifying monster had appeared.
This time, it changed because of a single presence.
Auram stood between Rio and the circle of armed players surrounding her.
The shattered dungeon stretched around them like a graveyard. Cracked stone covered the ground, while broken pillars and collapsed walls bore witness to the brutal battle that had just ended. The air remained heavy with dust and lingering mana, and smoke drifted through the ruined chamber in slow waves.
At the center of that destruction stood a lone knight.
Auram held a sword in each hand, both blades lowered at his sides. His posture appeared relaxed, almost casual, but there was something deeply unsettling about the stillness surrounding him. He did not look defensive. He did not look worried.
He simply stood there.
And somehow, that calmness was far more frightening than aggression.
Behind him, Rio struggled to remain upright.
Blood stained her clothing, and her injured leg trembled beneath her weight. Every breath sent pain through her body. The backlash from Bloodmoon's Resonance was finally catching up to her, leaving her exhausted and barely able to stand.
Even so, her eyes remained sharp.
Watching.
Calculating.
Waiting.
Magumo stared at Auram for several long seconds before an incredulous laugh escaped him.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Around the battlefield, the surviving members of Eternity Lions and Burning Pride shared similar expressions.
Fayzan blinked several times before letting out a breathless laugh.
"Wait... she has a summon too?"
Despite the pain written across his face, he shook his head in disbelief.
"You're telling me she still had something like that hidden after everything we've seen today?"
Kiraya wiped blood from the corner of her mouth and narrowed her eyes.
"After fighting Allure... after nearly dying..." she muttered. "She never used him once."
The realization was difficult to accept.
Elias remained silent.
His sharp gaze studied Auram carefully.
As a guild leader, he had encountered powerful players, hidden classes, unique skills, and rare summons before. Yet this felt different.
If Auram possessed this level of strength, why had Rio never summoned him during the battle against Allure?
Why choose to fight that nightmare with her own strength instead?
The amount of restraint required for such a decision was difficult to comprehend.
Meanwhile, Magumo's laughter grew louder.
The sound echoed throughout the ruined chamber.
"Don't tell me that's supposed to scare me."
He pointed lazily toward Auram.
"Look at him."
A grin spread across his face.
"Level 1."
For a moment, silence followed.
Then several of his followers burst into laughter.
"Seriously?"
"That's her trump card?"
"He looks impressive, but he's only Level 1!"
"Summon or not, we'll kill him just like we're about to kill her!"
The mocking continued.
The men laughed confidently, believing victory was already within their grasp.
Auram did not react.
Not to the insults.
Not to the laughter.
Not even to the dozens of rifles aimed directly at him.
Instead, he calmly took a single step forward.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The shift was subtle, yet impossible to ignore.
The air felt heavier.
The laughter weakened.
An instinctive warning crawled up the spine of every player present.
Auram slowly raised one of his blades.
Then he spoke.
His voice was calm.
Steady.
Ancient.
"Primal power hidden within the depths of the ancient world..."
The battlefield fell silent.
Every eye turned toward him.
"Lay judgment upon the souls I deem my enemy."
A faint glow appeared high above the ruined chamber.
At first, it seemed insignificant.
Then it grew brighter.
Larger.
Heavier.
"Unloose the wrath that the eons have long stilled."
The light expanded further.
Ancient energy gathered overhead.
It did not resemble mana.
It did not resemble any known skill.
It felt older.
Far older.
Like a force that had existed long before the game itself.
Auram raised his sword fully.
"Their foolish fate has already been sealed."
The glow erupted.
"[Sword Skill: World Legacy Awaken.]"
For one brief heartbeat, the world stopped.
Then the sky descended.
A colossal pillar of energy crashed downward like a falling star.
The impact was instantaneous.
Light swallowed the battlefield.
Vision vanished.
Sound vanished.
Even thought itself seemed to disappear.
Then the explosion arrived.
The ruined dungeon shook violently.
Massive fissures spread through the ground. Stone exploded into fragments. Dust and debris surged outward like a tidal wave.
The pressure alone felt capable of tearing reality apart.
When the light finally faded, silence followed.
A horrifying silence.
Where Magumo's men had stood moments ago, nothing remained.
No bodies.
No armor.
No weapons.
No traces of existence.
Only scorched earth and devastation.
Magumo stood frozen.
His face had gone pale.
"What..."
His voice shook.
"What the hell was that?"
No one answered.
Because nobody knew.
Fayzan slowly lowered his jaw.
"Okay..."
A low whistle escaped him.
"That's just unfair."
Kiraya stared at Auram with open disbelief.
"Level 1? What a joke..."
Even Elias looked disturbed.
"That wasn't normal."
For the first time since his betrayal began, uncertainty appeared in Magumo's eyes.
And that hesitation proved fatal.
The earth prison holding Ryota exploded apart.
Stone fragments burst outward as Ryota erupted from the wreckage like a cannonball.
"FINALLY!"
Before Magumo could react, Ryota crossed the distance between them.
His fist slammed directly into Magumo's face.
CRASH!
Blood sprayed through the air.
Magumo staggered backward.
"You—!"
He attempted to retaliate.
Then he felt it.
A gaze.
Cold.
Sharp.
Merciless.
Rio stood there.
Barely able to remain upright.
Yet somehow more terrifying than ever before.
The Crimson Bloodmoon rested in her hand.
Blood dripped from her wounds.
Her body trembled from exhaustion.
But her eyes never wavered.
"You're not touching me again."
The words were quiet.
Yet they struck harder than any weapon.
For the first time since his betrayal began, Magumo felt genuine fear.
Not enough to stop him.
But enough to make him hesitate.
With a roar, he swung his massive weapon.
The attack carried every ounce of desperation and panic he possessed.
CLANG!
Rio blocked it effortlessly.
The Crimson Bloodmoon didn't move an inch.
Magumo's eyes widened.
Gunfire erupted from the remaining survivors positioned around the battlefield.
Bullets raced toward Rio.
They never reached her.
Auram moved.
His twin blades became flashes of silver.
Every bullet was cut apart before it could travel even halfway toward its target.
Not one passed him.
Not one came close.
Then Auram lifted his gaze.
There was no anger in his eyes.
No hatred.
No emotion.
Only judgment.
He began walking toward Magumo.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Certainly.
For the first time, Magumo genuinely believed he was about to die.
Then several voices interrupted.
"Boss!"
Seven survivors rushed forward.
The strongest members of his remaining group.
Bruised.
Exhausted.
Terrified.
"We need to leave!"
"We already got enough loot!"
"About fifty copper worth!"
"This isn't worth it anymore!"
Magumo clenched his jaw.
The battlefield had completely turned against him.
Everything he had planned had fallen apart.
"Tch."
He stepped backward.
Then another step.
"This isn't over."
Ryota immediately moved forward.
"Running already?!"
Auram shifted his stance, prepared to pursue.
Prepared to finish it.
Then Rio spoke.
"Don't."
Her voice cut through the battlefield.
Calm.
Firm.
Absolute.
Ryota stopped instantly.
Auram stopped as well.
Neither questioned her.
Neither argued.
Everyone else stared in confusion.
Fayzan blinked.
"Wait. What?"
Kiraya frowned.
"You're serious?"
Rio ignored the questions.
Instead, she looked toward the distant forest beyond the ruined dungeon.
Then she quietly whispered,
"She's here."
Nobody understood what she meant.
But Auram did not appear surprised.
And somehow, that was more unsettling than the words themselves.
Several hours later, deep within a moonlit forest far from the dungeon, Magumo and his surviving followers fled through the trees.
The mood among them had improved dramatically.
They laughed.
Celebrated.
Counted their stolen loot.
"We actually pulled it off!"
"Fifty copper!"
"We can start our own guild!"
Magumo smirked confidently.
"Not just a guild."
His voice lowered.
"We'll rule Floor One."
Their scouts continuously monitored the surroundings.
No pursuers.
No enemies.
No danger.
Or so they believed.
Eventually, they entered a moonlit clearing.
And stopped.
A lone girl stood there.
Crimson hair swayed gently in the night breeze.
Violet eyes reflected the moonlight.
A blood-covered dagger rested casually in her hand.
She slowly polished the blade while softly whistling.
As though she had not a single concern in the world.
Without looking up, she spoke.
"Took you long enough."
Magumo frowned.
"Who the hell are you?"
His gaze immediately locked onto her weapon.
Greed flashed across his face.
"Hand over that dagger."
The girl finally looked at him.
Her expression remained relaxed.
Almost amused.
His men quickly surrounded her.
Weapons drawn.
Rifles raised.
The numerical advantage was overwhelming.
The girl laughed softly.
"You guys really talk a lot."
One of the men scoffed.
"Kill her."
The girl laughed again.
Louder this time.
Then she pointed toward a nearby river.
"You really don't understand."
Her smile widened.
"I killed all of you thirty minutes ago."
Confused, the men turned toward the water.
Then froze.
Floating downstream were human hearts.
Fresh.
Bloody.
Still beating.
Horror spread across their faces.
Slowly.
Terrifyingly.
They looked down at their own bodies.
At the massive wounds in their chests.
At the missing organs.
At the blood pouring from injuries they had never noticed.
One by one, they collapsed.
Dead before they even understood what had happened.
Magumo stumbled backward.
"No..."
The girl calmly approached.
"No!"
He lunged desperately.
Panicked.
Terrified.
The girl smiled.
"You talk way too much."
Her voice turned cold.
Final.
"The moment you left the dungeon..."
She tilted her head slightly.
"I already cut your head off."
Reality finally caught up.
A silver flash crossed the clearing.
Magumo never saw it.
His head separated from his body.
His corpse collapsed moments later.
Silence reclaimed the forest.
The girl checked the time.
"Five hours until respawn."
Stretching lazily, she sat atop a nearby rock.
Moonlight illuminated her smile.
"Rio..."
A quiet laugh escaped her lips.
"Such a shame."
She looked toward the distant horizon.
Her violet eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"Next time..."
A smile spread across her face.
"I'm looking forward to it."
Around her lay weapons, armor, and stolen loot worth a small fortune.
She barely glanced at any of it.
There was no need to rush.
No reason to hurry.
No competition left.
Leaning back beneath the moonlit sky, Sayanaki closed her eyes and relaxed.
Completely at ease.
Completely unbothered.
After all—
she had all the time in the world.