The roar of thousands shook the battlefield.
Metal clashed, magic flared, and the once quiet land was consumed by chaos. Dust and blood filled the air as the warriors of Victoria and Utopia surged forward like tidal waves, crashing into one another with brutal force.
Swords met shields. Arrows rained like death from the skies. Spells lit the field in blinding bursts—ice, flame, thunder.
Kai was the first to break formation, moving like a phantom among enemies. His twin blades sang as they danced, cutting through armor and bone alike. He didn't scream, didn't speak. His silver mask gleamed under the sun, his movements precise, deadly, and silent.
Behind him, Emma fought with strategic precision, her movements fluid and fast. She shouted commands to her division, holding the left flank steady with fire magic and steel.
William and Lucious Fang held the right side—brute strength and raw power. Their battle cries echoed like war drums, rallying warriors around them.
At the center, Princess Yuhi advanced, her silver armor stained with blood, her golden sword glowing with divine energy. She fought with beauty and ferocity, a symbol of hope for the Victoria Army. Her blade cleaved through shadows, never faltering.
But in the heart of the battlefield, something darker moved.
Azrael.
His black cloak flowed behind him as he walked through corpses like a god of death. Every step he took corrupted the ground. Utopia warriors cleared the path for him—not out of respect, but fear. His eyes, glowing crimson, locked onto Kai from across the field.
The moment their gazes met—something shifted.
A pressure.
Time slowed for a heartbeat.
Azrael smirked slightly. Kai said nothing, but one of his blades tilted forward… an unspoken challenge.
Suddenly, Lufi dashed toward Emma, her speed blinding, her blade coated in blood magic. She aimed for Emma's neck with deadly precision.
Emma blocked, metal screaming against metal.
Their battle had begun.
Azrael stood still, his crimson eyes watching the chaos like a bored predator. His gaze locked on Kai, but after a moment, he tilted his head and smirked.
"I didn't come for you," Azrael said, his voice calm but cruel. "I came for her—the one commanding this army."
He didn't sense any power from Kai. No divine aura. No threat. Just silence.
But Yuhi… she burned like a star in the middle of shadows.
Divine energy rolled off her like waves crashing against stone, bold and proud.
She stepped forward, her armor glinting, blood staining the gold.
"If you've come for me," she said, her tone steady, "then you've already made your first mistake. You will lose on this battlefield."
Azrael laughed—a quiet, haunting sound.
In an instant, he vanished.
And appeared right behind her.
Blade drawn. No hesitation.
His sword came down like death itself—but it never landed.
Clang!
A flash of silver. A wall of steel.
Kai stood between them, blades crossed in defense, stopping Azrael's strike cleanly.
His mask gleamed in the sunlight. Still no words.
Only a deadly calm in his stance.
Azrael's eyes widened just slightly. For a moment, something cracked in his confidence.
He had felt nothing from Kai.
But now, standing this close…
Something ancient and monstrous stirred behind that mask.
Azrael's smirk faded.
Azrael took a step back, eyes narrowing as he studied Kai.
"Not bad," he said with a grin. "But you're not strong enough to stop me."
His blade lit up with a dark, twisting energy—Black Flame, a cursed magic that devours both flesh and spirit.
With a swift motion, Azrael slashed forward, sending a wave of black fire surging toward Kai and Yuhi.
Kai didn't flinch.
He moved like wind and shadow, vanishing from the flame's path, reappearing in front of Yuhi just as Azrael appeared for another strike.
Blades clashed again.
Kai blocked.
Azrael's attacks became relentless—each strike faster, heavier, sharper. Again and again, he went for Yuhi, but Kai blocked every blow with cold precision, protecting her without a single word.
Azrael growled, frustration breaking through his smirk. "Why protect her so desperately, masked knight?"
Before Kai could respond, Yuhi stepped forward, golden sword raised.
"She doesn't need to be protected."
With divine force, she slashed across Azrael's chest—her blade glowing bright.
The attack connected. Blood sprayed.
A cut formed, deep and clean, right across his armor.
But then… the wound began to close. Slowly, unnaturally.
Azrael looked down at it, unfazed.
"Impressive," he muttered. "But still meaningless."
His eyes lit up with greater hunger.
Yuhi tightened her grip on the sword. Kai remained silent, but his posture shifted—ready to fight for real.
Something was coming.
Azrael's smirk turned into a sneer.
"It's not good…" he said coldly, his crimson eyes locked onto Kai. "You keep disturbing me."
He stepped back, raising his hand toward the sky.
Dark mana surged around him, crackling and howling like a storm.
Above the battlefield, the sky began to twist—clouds spinning unnaturally as a massive black magic circle formed in the heavens. Its size eclipsed the sun, drowning the land in an eerie twilight.
Then… wings.
Two gigantic, shadowy wings emerged from the circle, their tips slicing through the sky.
The roar that followed shook the world.
A black dragon—massive, ancient, covered in obsidian scales that shimmered with cursed runes—descended from the circle, its eyes glowing red, its mouth breathing out a fog of death.
Every warrior—Utopia and Victoria alike—froze for a heartbeat. The weight of its dark aura crushed their spirits like iron chains.
Azrael looked at Kai, eyes filled with cruel amusement.
"Hey, Mask…" he called out, voice echoing like thunder.
"My pet will play with you."
He pointed at Kai.
"Go, Black Dragon. Kill him."
The beast let out another terrifying roar and dived down, wings spreading wide like a storm made flesh, heading straight for Kai.
Yuhi took a step forward, but Kai raised his hand to stop her. His silver mask tilted up slightly as he stepped into the dragon's shadow.
No fear.
No retreat.
Just silence.
The battlefield braced for the storm.
The black dragon dived, jaws wide open, and unleashed a torrent of black flame—a cursed inferno that swallowed everything in its path.
Kai didn't flinch.
He unsheathed one of his side swords in a flash, slashing through the flame with a burst of energy. The fire split—but even as it parted, the dark magic within it lashed out, clinging to Kai's coat and skin like living shadows.
He skidded back slightly, his boots dragging across the blood-soaked ground, smoke rising from his shoulders.
The black flame left burns—not deep, but cursed, pulsing with pain.
He gritted his teeth under the silver mask.
"Tch… annoying."
From the right flank, Lucious Fang looked toward the chaos, eyes narrowed.
"Will," he growled.
William turned to him, his sword soaked with blood.
"I'm heading to Emma's side," Lucious said. "Her line's shaking. You go help the Masked Bastard before that damn lizard turns him into ash."
William gave a sharp nod.
"Got it."
Without another word, they split—Lucious thundering toward the left to reinforce Emma, while William charged toward the center, racing toward the shadow of the massive black dragon.
And still, Kai stood alone, staring up at the monster as it circled back, preparing another breath.
The real fight was just beginning.