At the Northern Fortress, located within one of the cities of the continent of Erthina, chaos had already arrived.
Countless monsters stood before the massive outer wall.
Some resembled giant apes. Others looked like lions. A few were creatures beyond
understanding ...twisted beings with octopus-like limbs and
grotesque forms that defied reason.
Even the weakest among them radiated an aura of A-rank.
If Raven were here, he would not survive even a fraction of a second.
"Damn it... what caused the Rift to break?"
One of the soldiers standing atop the enormous wall muttered nervously.
The fortress wall stretched nearly eighty meters high, yet even that felt insignificant before the horde below.
"They say that foreign monster was one of the
causes," another soldier beside him replied.
"Enough talking. Stay focused."
A cold, rough voice interrupted them.
A military general approached, his short blond hair swaying lightly in the wind. His silver eyes remained fixed on the battlefield below.
Ryan... when are you coming?
He narrowed his eyes
Then
ROOOAR!
The earth trembled violently.
The ground split apart as if struck by divine wrath.
A terrifying aura erupted from beneath the surface ...madness, killing intent, and something far worse.
The land cracked wider.
Something black began to rise.
First came two arms.
Then its head.
Then the rest of its colossal body.
"What the hell...?"
A suffocating pressure spread across the battlefield as dense mana flooded the air. Several soldiers on the wall nearly collapsed from the weight alone.
The creature was a giant of darkness.
It stood over one hundred meters tall.
Even taller than the fortress wall itself.
"#%$&@!"
The monster uttered incomprehensible words before lowering its crimson gaze toward the beasts below.
Many died instantly from the pressure of its presence.
Those who survived did not mourn their fallen kin.
Instead
They all knelt.
Every last one of them.
Before the black giant with its thin, unnatural limbs.
The creature looked down upon them with
emotionless red eyes.
As though staring at insects.
"%$#."
It opened its mouth once more and turned toward the fortress.
The blond general let out a dry laugh.
"Ryan... you bastard. You really need to hurry."
"Oh? Did you call for me, dear friend?"
A voice echoed across the entire fortress.
Then it suddenly clicked its tongue.
"This is annoying."
The tone shifted into irritation.
"Huh?!"
"He's—!"
Every soldier instinctively looked upward.
Above the giant monster's head
A man stood in the air itself.
His long black hair reached his shoulders.
His eyes were the color of blood.
"Open."
"Dimensional Space."
Two words left his lips.
Black and violet energy poured from his body and spread outward like a rising tide.
The black giant froze.
It could not move.
As if the very space around it had imprisoned it.
The monsters below were too terrified to make a sound.
The violet aura continued to expand.
Until it engulfed
The fortress.
The nearby forest.
Even the distant city beyond.
Snap.
The sound of fingers snapping shattered the silence.
BOOM
Without warning, blood burst into the air like rivers.
The sight was horrifying.
Every monster.
All of them.
Their heads exploded at once.
As though the surrounding space itself had crushed them.
"How...?"
For the first time, the black giant spoke clearly.
Confusion formed on its face.
"You—"
"Annoying."
The voice interrupted it.
Snap.
Another snap echoed.
Stronger than the last.
The giant's head exploded instantly.
The black giant had been S- rank.
The difference between A-rank and S-rank was like heaven and earth.
Yet such a monster
Had died from a snap of fingers.
"Much better."
The voice spoke again.
The man slowly descended from the sky.
As if he were walking down invisible stairs.
Even the empty air beneath his feet gave off faint footsteps.
The blond general burst into laughter.
"Ryan, you bastard... you really are something else."
For the first time, the scarred man's rough face broke into a bright grin.
"Jeff."
The black-haired man landed lightly atop the wall.
His crimson eyes gleamed with unnatural depth.
He was handsome.
Dangerously so.
"Has it begun?"
He asked with complete indifference, ignoring the fear radiating from the surrounding soldiers.
He had long grown used to being treated like a monster.
"Yes. Only one day remains."
Jeff answered.
"Come with me, Ryan."
"Staying here any longer will only make things worse."
Jeff glanced around in annoyance at the terrified stares of the soldiers.
"Fine."
Ryan smiled faintly at his friend's concern.
With calm footsteps, the two men walked away.
"Monster..."
One soldier muttered in horror.
"Shut up! Do you want us killed for saying that?"
Another silenced him immediately.
The handsome man with crimson eyes
Ryan Kizas
Was one of the peaks of humanity.
He was not the strongest.
But he was the most dangerous.
The Prince of Crimson Eyes.
The Mad Ruler.
And above all else—
The Director of Erthina Academy