The battlefield erupted.
No longer a mere clash—it became unrestrained destruction.
Two armies collided like devouring waves. Steel crashed with deafening force, magic lashed wildly across the darkened sky, and human screams fused into a symphony of death. The once-solid ground cracked, sinking beneath the endless flow of blood.
There were no formations left.
No strategies remained.
What endured… was only the instinct to survive.
The soldiers of Rodieck fought desperately, their bodies pushed beyond their limits. Before them, the Noble Council's forces advanced without mercy—cold, precise, and lethal.
Every second was a struggle.
Every breath… could be the last.
And in the midst of that chaos—
Two figures stood.
Unshaken.
Unavoidable.
As if the entire battlefield revolved around them.
Leo Rodieck stepped forward.
Each step was heavy—not from weakness, but from the pressure building within him. His aura pulsed, growing denser, wilder, like something that had finally stopped holding back.
The sword in his hand trembled.
Not from fear.
But from… hunger.
His gaze locked onto a single figure.
The Grand Executor.
Everything else faded. The sounds of war, the screams, even the pain in his body—gone. Only one truth remained:
If that man did not fall… everything would end.
Leo's breath burned. His chest tightened.
But he did not stop.
His Swordmaster aura erupted completely. The pressure it released swept across the field, forcing ordinary soldiers to collapse before they even understood what was happening.
Yet before him—
The Grand Executor stood still.
Calm.
Unshaken.
Like a mountain that had witnessed countless wars… and had never once fallen.
"Surrender now," he said flatly, devoid of emotion, "and I might let some of them live."
Leo fell silent.
Not out of doubt.
But because he knew—there was no such choice.
Slowly, he raised his sword.
An answer without words.
In an instant—
They moved.
The first collision shattered the air.
Leo's blade struck an invisible barrier—and the world seemed to crack at that very point. The explosion of energy surged outward, tearing the ground apart and hurling nearby soldiers away.
Leo didn't stop.
One strike.
Two.
Three.
Each blow was powerful enough to split stone, crush steel, and tear through any defense.
Yet—
All of it… was blocked.
Not just blocked.
Read.
The Grand Executor moved minimally, almost lazily. Every attack Leo launched—it was as if he had already seen it coming.
Like reading the final page of a book he had long memorized.
"You are… somewhat troublesome."
A faint change flickered in his eyes.
Small.
But noticeable.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Rodieck's defensive line began to collapse.
The sky filled with forming magic circles. Fire fell like rain. Ice froze the ground. Explosions erased bodies without a trace.
Screams filled the air.
Yet they did not retreat.
They could not.
Because they all knew—
If Leo fell… nothing would be left to protect.
"You are strong," the Grand Executor continued quietly. "But strength without meaning… only prolongs suffering."
Leo stepped in.
Closer.
Deeper.
He twisted his body—and swung his sword with everything he had.
The air split apart.
A wave of pressure surged straight toward his opponent.
But—
The Grand Executor simply raised one hand.
And stopped it.
Easily.
"Still… not enough."
His other hand moved.
Slowly.
Far too calm for something meant to kill.
Black magic circles opened around him.
Dark.
Deep.
As if they did not belong to this world.
The air froze. Breathing became heavy. Even those far away began to tremble without knowing why.
Leo felt it.
Danger.
His instincts screamed.
He stepped back—
One step.
Too late.
Dozens of magic spears formed.
Dense. Sharp. Alive.
And in a single pulse—
They launched.
Leaving trails of darkness in the air.
Leo inhaled deeply.
One swing.
BOOM!
All the spears shattered in a single strike. The explosion shook the ground, sending dust soaring into the sky.
But Leo was no longer there.
He vanished—
And reappeared right in front of the Grand Executor.
The second collision.
Stronger.
Deeper.
The shockwave destroyed everything around them. Soldiers were thrown away. The ground collapsed. Even the air felt torn apart.
Yet—
The Grand Executor held it.
Without effort.
And then—
His left hand moved.
The spell he had prepared… was released.
An explosion.
No time to react.
Leo's body was hurled away, slamming into the ground with enough force to create a massive crater. Stone and dust erupted into the air.
For a moment—
The battlefield fell silent.
Blood flowed from Leo's mouth.
His body did not move.
Silence.
Then—
He laughed.
Softly.
Hoarse.
Not the laughter of madness.
But something deeper.
More dangerous.
"I see…" he muttered.
His hand gripped the ground as his body slowly rose from the crater.
"Now it's starting to feel real…"
The blood flowing from him did not weaken him.
On the contrary—
Each drop…
Was like fuel.
His eyes shone sharper than before.
In the distance, Anna watched everything unfold.
Her face remained calm.
But her eyes… did not.
There was something in them.
Absolute trust.
Unshaken.
Inside the shelter—
Lily held Khan tighter.
The tremors from outside grew stronger. Each impact made her heart pound uncontrollably.
"Khan… please wake up…"
Her voice trembled.
But there was no answer.
Khan remained still.
Lilith, standing beside them, narrowed her eyes.
She could feel it.
Something had changed.
This was no longer just a battle.
This was the beginning—
Of something far greater.
Back on the main battlefield—
The Grand Executor looked at Leo, who now stood once more.
Something was different.
For the first time—
He was intrigued.
"You're still standing…"
Leo raised his sword.
His breathing was heavy.
But steady.
"Of course."
The aura around him changed.
Denser.
Sharper.
More… alive.
As if his blood and will had fused into a single, inseparable power.
The Grand Executor exhaled slowly.
"Then…"
Magic circles formed again.
This time—
Larger.
Darker.
Deeper.
"…let's see how long you can last."
Leo did not retreat.
He stepped forward.
One step.
The ground cracked.
Second step.
The air trembled.
Each step carried greater pressure, more violent—like the world itself rejected his existence.
Then—
He stopped.
Silence.
For a fraction of a second.
Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
Leo vanished.
And in an instant—
He was already in front of the Grand Executor.
His sword came down.
The Grand Executor—
For the first time—
Raised both hands.
That collision—
Shook the sky.