The sky… has not returned to normal.
The crack is still there.
It does not close.
It does not fade.
Instead—
it slowly widens.
At first, it is barely visible. Like a thin fracture on glass.
But second by second, the line becomes clearer… longer… deeper.
As if something behind the sky—
is pushing its way out.
And this world…
is not ready to withstand it.
Beneath the fractured sky—
something begins to change.
The body of the Grand Executor.
Black cracks appear all over his body.
Not wounds.
Not marks of an attack.
There is no blood. No torn flesh.
Rather… something growing from within.
Those dark lines move slowly, spreading like roots. Alive. Breathing. Squirming beneath the surface of his skin.
As if that body is merely a vessel—
and now, what lies inside it…
is beginning to awaken.
—THUMP… THUMP… THUMP…
The sound echoes.
Soft—
yet clear.
Not from outside.
Not from the ground.
But from within that very body.
Like a heartbeat.
And yet…
not one that belongs to a human.
Each pulse carries pressure.
Each beat releases waves of dense, nauseating dark mana.
The air changes.
Cold.
But not ordinary cold.
This is a chill that pierces bone.
Creeps into the blood.
Freezes the breath.
The cold of death.
"Leo…!"
Anna's voice shatters the silence.
She runs without hesitation.
Her steps are unstable, nearly stumbling over the ruins of the battlefield. Her breath is uneven. Her eyes filled with panic.
She doesn't care about anything.
Not the sky.
Not the creature.
Not the danger that is clearly approaching.
There is only one thing she sees—
Leo.
His body lies still.
Unmoving.
Pale.
As if all life has been stripped away.
Anna drops to her knees beside him.
Her trembling hand touches his face.
Cold.
Too cold.
"Wake up… please…"
Her voice breaks.
"Don't be like this…"
Tears fall uncontrollably.
But—
There is no answer.
No reaction.
No sign of life.
Behind her—
Veil Basten stands.
Silent.
But not unguarded.
His sword is slightly raised. Enough to strike… or defend in a fraction of a second.
His aura spreads wide.
But not to destroy.
To protect.
He creates an invisible boundary around Anna and Leo.
A formless shield.
His gaze is sharp.
Locked entirely onto the Grand Executor's body.
Unblinking.
Unwavering.
He will not step back.
Not this time.
Not for anyone.
Elsewhere—
Far from the battlefield—
Within a hidden refuge—
Silence.
Khan lies still.
Motionless.
As if dead.
No sound.
No movement.
No sign of life.
Then—
—GASP!
His breath returns.
Deep.
Heavy.
As if he has just been pulled back from unreachable depths.
His eyes open.
Glowing gold.
"…Khan?"
Lily is startled.
She instinctively steps back.
Lilith rises immediately.
Her gaze sharp.
Both approach—
but stop.
Something is different.
Very different.
His aura.
Khan does not speak.
Does not turn.
Does not react.
He simply…
rises.
Slowly.
His movements are calm. Too calm.
As if every motion has already been decided.
As if he does not need to think.
Then—
he stands.
Golden aura envelops his body.
Dense.
Calm.
Yet—
oppressive.
Its weight cannot be seen.
But it can be felt.
Like a mountain suddenly appearing inside the room.
Lilith narrows her eyes.
Her breath tightens.
"…This isn't just power…"
She whispers.
Her tone shifts.
"…this is something else."
Khan steps forward.
One step—
BOOM!
Pressure explodes outward.
The ground cracks.
The air trembles.
Lily and Lilith are thrown back, unable to resist.
"KHAN!"
They try to rise—
but cannot approach.
That aura…
rejects them.
Not attacking—
but refusing.
As if their very existence is not permitted to come closer.
The guards are pushed back as well.
Their feet drag against the ground—
yet they cannot move forward.
There is an invisible boundary.
A formless wall.
And Khan—
does not stop.
He keeps walking.
Step by step.
Without turning.
Without hesitation.
As if he already knows—
where he must go.
Back to the battlefield—
The mysterious figure stands.
Still.
Observing.
His gaze fixed upon the Grand Executor's body.
The cracks deepen.
Grow wilder.
The dark mana surges.
Unstable—
yet precisely because of that—
more dangerous.
Sirius feels it.
His instincts scream.
Danger.
Not just an ordinary threat.
Something far greater.
He turns.
"ALL UNITS!"
His voice echoes.
Loud.
Firm.
Without doubt.
"PREPARE FORMATION!"
The forces of Almenia and Rodieck move at once.
No questions.
No hesitation.
They have been on the battlefield long enough to understand one thing—
if their commander gives such an order…
then the situation has already surpassed normal limits.
Sirius walks toward Anna.
He places a hand on her shoulder.
"Calm down."
His voice is low—
but steady.
"Leo will be fine."
Anna does not respond.
But her breathing slowly steadies.
Her hands still grip Leo's body—
but not as desperately as before.
Sirius stands.
Moves beside Veil.
They stand side by side.
Two great forces.
Two final guardians on the front line.
Their gazes are the same—
fixed forward.
That body…
moves.
—CRACK… CREAK…
The sound is horrifying.
Like bones being forcibly rearranged.
The cracks on the Grand Executor's body begin to close.
Slowly.
But surely.
As if time itself is being reversed.
The broken skin—
restores.
Without scars.
Without wounds.
Without flaws.
As if nothing had ever happened.
But—
what now stands there…
is no longer human.
Veil narrows his eyes.
His aura sharpens.
More ready.
"…What is that?"
Sirius asks quietly.
Without looking away.
Without blinking.
The mysterious figure finally speaks.
Short.
Flat.
Yet heavy with meaning.
"…Outer God."
Silence.
No one moves.
No one speaks.
Even the wind seems to stop.
One second.
Two seconds.
Then—
the being opens its eyes.
Black.
Without light.
Without bottom.
As if to look into them is to fall into endless void.
The world…
seems to pause.
As if that existence itself—
should not exist in this world.
And then—
it laughs.
—HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
The laughter echoes.
Loud.
Wild.
Unnatural.
As if the sound comes from something that has no fixed form.
"Foolish humans…"
Its voice is heavy.
Deep.
Layered.
As if many voices speak at once.
Its gaze moves.
Slowly.
Then stops.
On one figure.
Its eyes narrow.
"…Dragon."
A smile forms.
But stiff.
Unnatural.
Like something mimicking a human expression without understanding it.
"Are you trying to stop me…"
Its head tilts.
The movement is jagged.
"…you oversized lizard?"
The smile widens.
Too wide.
"I have already slaughtered your kind…"
Its voice turns colder.
"…thousands of years ago."
No response.
The mysterious figure remains silent.
But—
his aura changes.
Heavier.
Denser.
Older.
More… ancient.
As if it comes from an era even history has forgotten.
Suddenly—
the creature's laughter stops.
Its smile vanishes.
Its eyes narrow.
"…Who are you?"
The figure steps forward.
One step—
The ground cracks.
The air splits.
Pressure spreads in all directions.
Yet he stands firm.
Unmoved.
Unshaken.
"I am Arkhavel."
His voice is calm.
Yet absolute.
Each word feels like law.
Undeniable.
Unrejectable.
"Leader of the dragons."
He pauses.
His eyes ignite.
Ancient light.
A light that carries immeasurable history and power.
"And descendant of Ouroboros."
Silence.
True silence.
Even the soldiers' heartbeats sound like the loudest thing in the world.
Then—
without warning—
Arkhavel disappears.
BOOM!!!
A shockwave detonates across the battlefield.
The cracked sky—
shudders once more.
The earth shatters.
The air ruptures.
And in that instant—
everyone understands one thing.
This is no longer an ordinary battle.
This is no longer a war of humans.
This is a clash of existence.
A collision between something that should not exist—
against something that has existed since the beginning of time.
And the true war…
has finally begun.