The sky changed.
Not merely dark—absolute black, as if all light had been erased from existence. There was no sun. No shadows. Only a suffocating void pressing in from every direction.
Above the battlefield, a massive magic circle formed.
Its color was black.
But not ordinary black—it was alive. Pulsating like a colossal heart, radiating a pressure that made souls tremble. It spanned the heavens, rotating slowly, inscribed with foreign runes beyond comprehension.
The air grew heavy.
Every breath felt like swallowing stone.
The ground trembled faintly—as if the world itself was straining to bear something far too great.
As if… judgment was about to fall.
Beneath it—
Leo stood.
His body was on the brink of collapse. Wounds tore across him, blood flowing endlessly. His breathing was ragged, broken, on the verge of stopping. Each heartbeat slammed against his chest like a blow from within.
And yet—he did not step back.
Not even once.
His gaze remained lifted, piercing the black sky—defying a power that made soldiers tremble without realizing it.
The aura around him trembled.
At first, it was weak.
But slowly… it grew stronger.
Not from what strength remained—
But from something deeper.
Will.
Resolve.
And one thing that could not be broken—
The desire to protect.
Behind him, Anna lay weak. Her body barely able to move. Her breathing was faint, yet her eyes remained open—fixed on the figure standing between her and destruction.
Leo.
The only one still standing at the front.
The last shield.
This was the end of the Rodieck bloodline.
And Leo knew it.
If he fell here—everything would end.
His family.
The people he protected.
Everything that had ever given his life meaning… would vanish.
The sky pulsed.
The magic circle stopped spinning.
Then—
Something formed from the darkness.
A hand.
Gigantic. Massive. Forged from dense, pulsating black mana. Its fingers stretched long, carrying a pressure beyond comprehension.
The hand rose—
And fell.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The sky collapsed.
Black light descended like divine punishment—crushing the air, splitting space, devouring everything in a single, unavoidable strike.
Leo did not move.
He raised his sword.
His aura exploded.
All the energy he had left was forced outward, forming a violently trembling barrier around him.
The impact came.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A shockwave swept across the battlefield. The earth was torn upward, stone shattered, the air itself hurled away by a force that nearly froze time.
The black light swallowed Leo whole.
He vanished.
Only destruction remained.
Dust and darkness covered everything.
For a moment—
Silence.
No sound.
No movement.
Only the void left behind by a power too great to comprehend.
Then—
The dust began to fall.
Slowly.
And within the devastation—
Someone still stood.
Leo.
His body was nearly destroyed. His wounds had deepened, blood still dripping endlessly. His clothes were barely intact. His shoulders trembled, his breathing fractured, his legs on the verge of giving out.
Yet he remained standing.
His sword was still in his grasp.
And his eyes—
Still burning.
From afar, Anna saw him.
Tears fell uncontrollably. Her body couldn't move, yet her gaze never left him.
The one who stood alone.
Against the world.
"Leo…"
Her whisper was barely audible.
Yet it echoed—
Not through the air.
But within the soul.
Time seemed to stop.
Soldiers on both sides halted. Raised swords froze. Advancing steps ceased.
All eyes turned to one point.
Leo.
The symbol of something that refused to fall.
In the distance—
Veil Basten ran.
His steps were swift, barely touching the ground. His eyes locked onto one point—Leo.
Then he heard it.
"Leo…"
His pace slowed.
And when he saw—
Leo's broken body… still standing.
Something inside him cracked.
Memories surged.
A dark past.
Loneliness.
Rejection.
A meaningless life.
And then—
Rodieck.
A family that accepted him without condition. Without question. Without judgment.
His eyes trembled.
Sadness surfaced—
But only for a moment.
Because what came after—
Was rage.
Not ordinary rage.
Something deeper.
Darker.
Wilder.
Something long sealed—
Now shattered.
An aura erupted from his body.
Black—
Laced with flashes of silver, like a cold light piercing through darkness.
The aura spun. Faster. Denser.
The air trembled.
The ground cracked.
Soldiers nearby stepped back unconsciously.
"I…"
His voice was low. Shaking—yet unstoppable.
"I owe my life to you…"
The aura exploded.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A wave of energy blasted outward, carving an empty space in the battlefield.
His eyes changed.
Cold. Sharp. Absolute.
"I will not let anyone…"
One step.
The ground shattered.
A second—
The air split.
"…lay a hand on my family."
In an instant—
He vanished.
His speed surpassed sight. His body became a shadow, slipping through the gaps of time, heading straight toward the center of destruction.
The Grand Executor turned.
For the first time—
His expression changed.
Not fear.
But interest.
Because he felt something newly born.
And it was dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
Veil appeared before Leo.
Without sound. Without warning.
Only presence.
A black-and-silver aura wrapped around him, pulsing with a power never seen before.
He did not turn.
He said nothing.
But it was enough.
As a shield.
As a blade.
As something that would never fall.
The Grand Executor smiled faintly.
"Interesting…"
This time—without mockery.
Because he knew—
This battle had changed.
Behind him, Leo still stood—but barely. His breathing was heavy. His vision fading.
He looked at Veil's back.
Firm. Unshakable.
For the first time—
Leo was no longer on the front line.
And strangely… it brought him peace.
Family.
That was why they still stood.
His vision darkened.
The sounds of the battlefield faded.
All that remained—
Was Veil's silhouette.
Facing the Grand Executor.
Two forces.
Two destinies.
Leo drew one final conscious breath.
"…don't lose…"
His whisper was faint.
And the world—
Turned black.
His body collapsed.
His consciousness faded.
And at that moment—
The true battle…
Finally began.