[Last Episode: Ralphasias: Works for me..]
Chapter 145, Episode 145
『SEASON 5 BEGINS』
[The World of Space]
[Zuvarage and Haschwalth stepped out of the rift]
[Cold air hit them first. It smelled like ozone and old metal. The black sky above Ivarak's throne never changed. No sun. No wind. Just stars that looked like they were watching]
[Two people were already standing next to the throne]
[On the left stood a man with messy black hair and calm dark eyes. His hands were behind his back. He looked like he was waiting for a meeting to start]
[Kronos]
[On the right stood a woman with light brown hair and red-amber eyes. She wore a red kimono with a gold sash. She had a big smile with a little too much fang in it]
[Milivia]
Milivia: Look who's back!, Did you break anything fun
[She waved with both hands.]
Zuvarage: Busy fighting the eight Pillar Kings.
Milivia: And you didn't invite me?
Zuvarage: You were busy.
Milivia: I was bored. Those are different things.
[Kronos stepped forward. Slow and steady. He never wasted a movement]
Kronos: Welcome back, Haschwalth. Zuvarage.
Haschwalth: You two are late.
[He crossed his arms.]
Kronos: We were undercover for four weeks. Fake names. Disguises. The whole package.
Milivia: I was a baker for nine days. I was great at it.
Kronos: She got fired on day ten.
Milivia: Come on Kronos, you dont have to say that, but although Creative differences!
[Haschwalth almost smiled. Almost.]
[Ivarak sat on his throne. He hadn't said a word yet]
[He raised one hand. Everyone went quiet]
Ivarak: Kronos. Report.
[He bowed his head once]
Kronos: Yes, Majesty. The full audit is done. We mapped every guild in the Chaos Universe. We tracked all six universe rulers. We found fourteen defensive gates around the Primus World."
Ivarak: Weak points?
Kronos: Nine. They're organized and strong. But they're scattered. They can't respond fast.
Ivarak: Scattered is good.
Kronos: Resistance should be moderate. Nothing in the data changes your plan.
Ivarak: And the five?
Kronos: Mercurius, Xuantian, Jaxx, Isadora, Galacik. Still being rebuilt. They won't be ready for the opening move.
Ivarak: They don't need to be.
[Ivarak stood up]
[The air got heavy. Like walking into deep water]
Ivarak: Zuvarage.
Zuvarage: Majesty.
Ivarak: Haschwalth..
Haschwalth: Your Majesty.
Ivarak: Kronos. Milivia.
Kronos: Here.
Milivia: Always!
[Ivarak looked at all four of them.]
Ivarak: The board has finished arranging itself.
[Nobody moved]
Ivarak: It's time to play.
[The Gates of the Kingdom]
[The doors were black stone. Taller than a mountain]
[Ivarak pushed them open with one hand]
[Outside, the sky was full of people]
[Five million Hyper Beings. Standing in perfect rows. Every one of them looking at one man]
[Then the cheering started]
"MAJESTY!"
"MAJESTY!"
"MAJESTY!"
[The sound shook the ground. Five million voices at once. Like thunder that never stopped]
[Ivarak walked down the steps. Kronos took his left side. Haschwalth took his right. Zuvarage and Milivia followed one step behind.]
[He stopped at the edge of the platform and raised one hand]
[The cheering cut off. Instantly]
Ivarak: Listen carefully.
[His voice wasn't loud. It didn't need to be.]
Ivarak: For ages, this cosmology ran on a lie. It said the Hyper Gods built everything, so the Hyper Gods would protect everything.
Ivarak: Voriath believed that lie. It killed him.
[A few Hyper Beings smirked.]
Ivarak: I don't believe it. I carry what came before it.
Ivarak: Today, we fix the mistake.
[He lowered his hand.]
Ivarak: This is the final step of the Grand Empire Final War. We take the Primus World. Every universe. Every law. Every rule.
Ivarak: And then we rewrite all of it.
[The Hyper Beings roared]
Zuvarage: They're ready, Majesty.
Kronos: Every squad has a commander. Formations are locked in.
Milivia: Can we go now? I'm dying here.
[Ivarak almost smiled.]
Ivarak: Begin
[The Primus World]
[It started with the sky]
[A crack opened above the main settlement. Thin as a hair. Then it spread]
[Five million Hyper Beings poured through like a flood]
[They didn't use swords. They didn't use big spells. They used one thing]
『Hyper Beings - Concept Erasure』
[First, they erased the idea of "up.]
[Buildings fell toward the sky. Roofs peeled off. People screamed and grabbed anything nailed to the ground]
[Then they erased "distance.]
Streets that were a mile long shrank to one step. Whole districts folded in on each other like wet paper.
[Then "walls." Then "floors." Then "doors.]
[Everything people used to feel safe stopped existing]
[The air smelled like burnt metal. The ground shook so hard it hurt to stand]
[A baker ran down the street with his daughter on his back. The street he was running on stopped being a street]
[He fell nobody was close enough to catch him]
[The Outer Wall]
[Ten knights stood on the last wall still standing]
[Armor. Banners. Real swords. They were called the Ten Knights of the Outer Wall. Each of them had trained for a hundred years]
[Sir Aldric used fire. Dame Veyra used ice. Sir Caio used lightning. Dame Elowen used earth. Sir Fenn used wind. Dame Isolde used water. Sir Garrick used light. Sir Hale used shadow. Dame Brienne used metal. Sir Joren used gravity]
Aldric: Hold the line.
Veyra: There are five million of them.
Aldric: Then we'll be the ones they remember.
[Ivarak walked toward the wall alone. Slow. Coat moving in the wind. Hands loose at his sides]
[He looked bored]
Aldric: That's him... that's the leader
[He pointed with his sword.]
Garrick: Take him down and the rest might fall apart.
Joren: That's the plan.
Aldric: On three. One.
Veyra: Two.
All ten: THREE!... Let's erase him from existence... Victory is ours!!
[They charged together]
『Aldric - Flame Lance , Veyra - Frost Spear』
『Caio - Thunder Strike, Elowen - Stone Hammer』
『Fenn - Cutting Gale, Isolde - Tidal Crash』
『Garrick - Radiant Blade , Hale - Shadow Bind』
『Brienne - Steel Rain, Joren - Gravity Crush』
[Every attack hit Ivarak at the same time]
[BOOM!!]
[A column of smoke shot into the sky]
[For a second, nobody breathed, then the smoke cleared]
[Ivarak stood in the same spot. Not a scratch. Not even a wrinkle in his coat]
Aldric: How... how is he still standing?
Ivarak: Are you finished?
[He raised one finger]
"Ivarak - Alpharus"
[The Alpharus activated]
[Aldric's fire turned around and burned him as Veyra's ice froze her own armor solid and Caio's lightning went straight through his own chest]
[Elowen's stone buried her]
[Fenn's wind sliced him open and iIsolde drowned in her own water]
[Garrick's light blinded him]
[Hale's shadow swallowed him as Brienne's steel crushed her]
Hale: NOOOO!!
[Joren's gravity folded him in half]
[It took one second as all the ten knights were erased by the Alpharus]
[Their swords hit the stone Clang. Clang. Clang]
[Nobody on the wall said a word]
[Ivarak looked down at the swords]
Ivarak: A hundred years of training each... thats impressive for something that lasted on second.
[He nudged one with his boot.]
[He turned and kept walking on the next wall, a soldier dropped his spear]
Soldier: No. No, no, no.
[A second soldier grabbed his arm.]
Soldier James: We can't fight that thing!
Soldier Crawford: He's too strong! RUN!
[The whole line broke. People dropped their weapons and sprinted. Behind them, the sky kept cracking. Concepts kept disappearing Up. Down. Left. Right]
[The Primus World was coming apart]
[On the other side of Siriusniyo's World]
[The ground started to rumble]
[Siriusniyo's courtyard was warm like always. The air smelled like cooled magma. Orange light glowed from the walls]
[But the dragons on the rooftops were all standing now. All of them were staring at the sky]
Zeovar: My lord. Something is wrong.
Siriusniyo: I feel it.
[The Manipulator stood next to him with his arms crossed and his eyes closed]
The Manipulator: That's not one presence. That's millions of them.
[Meltryllis stood by the fountain with her hand on her katana]
Meltryllis: About five million. All Hyper-class.
Zeovar: How is that even possible?
Meltryllis: This must be Ivarak's doing... dammit, damn him..
[Nobody answered.]
[Ralphasias had been quiet since he arrived. He leaned against a pillar with his hands in his pockets]
[He opened his red eyes]
Ralphasias: That's him. First move.
Siriusniyo: Ivarak.
[Suddenly Ralphasias steps forward]
Ralphasias: Yeah. Before we plan anything, you need to know something. He doesn't work alone.
The Manipulator: Go on.
Ralphasias: He runs a group. They call themselves the Army of Chaos.
Siriusniyo: Never heard of them.
Ralphasias: Nobody has. That's the whole idea.
Ralphasias: Ivarak is at the top. Under him are his lieutenants. Zuvarage. Haschwalth. And two more I only know by name. Kronos. Milivia.
Siriusniyo: They must be stronger than the War of Justice group..
Ralphasias: Your absolutely correct, but then five million soldiers underneath them.
The Manipulator: The most feared group in existence.
Ralphasias: The most feared group in existence.
[Zeovar turned to Siriusniyo]
Zeovar: My lord. We just survived Voriath. We were told that was the worst.
Siriusniyo: It was a warm-up.
Meltryllis: Voriath was a side quest. This is the real campaign.
Zeovar: So the final boss is...
Ralphasias: Standing in the middle of the Primus World right now. He is the real deal!
[Nobody laughed.]
[The Manipulator clapped his hands once. Sharp]
The Manipulator: Alright. Everyone listen up.
[He started pacing.]
The Manipulator: We're not panicking. We're running this like a project. First we define the objective. Then the constraints. Then resources and timeline.
Siriusniyo: A project?
The Manipulator: A project. If we do it properly, we survive it.
[He pulled up a floating map of the Primus World.]
The Manipulator: Objective is to stop the Army of Chaos. Biggest constraint is five million enemy units. Second constraint is civilians. We have to get them out.
The Manipulator: Which means our first problem is logistics. We can't stop five million at once. So we split up.
Meltryllis: Divide and conquer.
The Manipulator: Divide and survive. Conquering comes later.
[Siriusniyo leaned over the map]
Siriusniyo: Resource allocation. Who goes where?
The Manipulator: You and Zeovar run the evacuation. You have dragons. They're fast, they're huge, and they're perfect transport.
Siriusniyo: Done. Zeovar?
Zeovar: I'll split the dragon wings into three groups. One group per sector. We pick a safe zone and move civilians in waves.
The Manipulator: Good. Meltryllis, you take the front line. Hit the strike teams.
Meltryllis: Finally. Something to cut.
[She grinned]
The Manipulator: Don't get cocky. They get stronger every minute their boss is awake.
Meltryllis: Understood. I'll be fast.
[The Manipulator looked at Ralphasias]
The Manipulator: And you?
[Ralphasias didn't answer right away.]
Ralphasias: I told Zuvarage I don't pick sides in wars that aren't mine yet.
The Manipulator: You did.
Ralphasias: I also said I'd know when it became mine.
[He turned toward the sky.]
Ralphasias: It's mine now.
Meltryllis: Welcome to the team.
Ralphasias: Don't make it weird.
The Manipulator: I'll handle liaison. I'll contact the rulers and keep everyone on the same page.
Siriusniyo: And Leo?
The Manipulator: He'll find us.
Siriusniyo: How can you tell?
The Manipulator: Because that's what he does.
[In a mix of destruction the rulers heard the commotion in the Primus world]
[Six crystals lit up across the multiverse]
[Each one showed a different face]
[Sagris sat in the ruler's hall. Kai stood in a dark corridor. Stella Rose was in the middle of a library. Nebula Liam looked up from a star chart. Apollo Starlight held a scroll full of fate-lines. Cyra Silver watched a floating cube]
[All six wore the same worried look]
Kai: The Primus World's integrity just dropped forty percent.
Stella: Forty-two.
Nebula: I'm reading Hyper-class signatures. Millions of them.
Apollo: Fate-lines are shaking everywhere.
Cyra: My cube shows space deleting itself.
Sagris: Everyone breathe. Let's get the facts first.
Sagris: Stella. What's the pattern?
Stella: They're not attacking. They're removing.
Nebula: Removing what?
Stella: Concepts. One at a time... what!!
[Nobody spoke for a few seconds.]
Apollo: That's not a war. That's an edit.
Kai: My shadow can reach the Primus World. Give me a minute.
Sagris: Do it. Everyone else, hold your universes. We meet again in one hour.
[The crystals went dark one by one.]
[Meanwhile, the Hyper Beings kept pouring through the sky]
[Every district. Every universe. Every sector of the Primus World]
[They didn't stop for anything]
[The Lieutenants Split on a cliff above the destruction, five people watched the world fall apart]
[Ivarak. Zuvarage. Haschwalth. Kronos. Milivia]
Kronos: Phase one is on schedule. Eleven percent ahead.
Ivarak: Good.
Milivia: Okay. Can we go play now?
Ivarak: Go.
[Milivia grinned and jumped off the cliff first]
Milivia: See you later, boys!
[Kronos watched her fall.]
Kronos: She'll find the loudest fight and start there.
Zuvarage: She always does.
Kronos: I'll find the quiet ones. Strategists. Planners. Anyone who thinks they're safe.
Haschwalth: I'll go for the guild kids.
Zuvarage: The ones you grew up with.
Haschwalth: Exactly.
[He didn't smile.]
Zuvarage: Then I'll take the rulers.
Ivarak: Do as you like.
[They split in four directions. Four storms.]
[Ivarak stayed on the cliff. Alone. Watching]
[The Chaos Universe — Three Months Later]
[Warm air as it smelled like fresh paint and wet stone. The Force Light Guild courtyard had finally been rebuilt]
[Leo stood in the middle of it. Black coat. Hands in his pockets. Luna stood next to him]
[A portal flickered open on the far side]
[Isaac stepped out. Taller. Sharper. Quinn walked beside him]
Leo: Its been three months.. long time no see Issac
Isaac: Three months.
[They looked at each other for a long second.]
Leo: You look different.
Isaac: So do you. You grew your hair out.
Leo: It happened on its own.
Isaac: Sure it did.
[They bumped fists. Hard. Both of them winced.]
Leo: You still hit like a truck.
Isaac: You still dodge like a coward.
Quinn: Here we go again.
[She rolled her eyes.]
Luna: Give them a minute. They've been saving up insults.
Leo: So how was the training?
Isaac: Long story. I'll tell you later.
[He shrugged]
Leo: That's not an answer.
Isaac: It's a delay. Totally different thing.
Luna: How's your mom, Isaac?
Isaac: Great. She says hi. She also wants to meet you properly.
Luna: I'd love that.
Quinn: She's scary when she's nice.
Isaac: Don't tell her I agree
[The ground trembled]
[Leo stopped smiling]
[Satanael]
「Leo. Something is wrong.」
Leo: Yeah. I feel it.
[Cinder]
「Isaac. Look up.」
Isaac: I see it.
[The sky above the courtyard looked normal. But far away, past the horizon, something huge was pressing down on the world.]
Leo: That's coming from the Primus World.
Isaac: New Hyper Beings.
Leo: A lot of them.
[Isaac turned toward the portal]
Isaac: We should go.
Leo: Right now.
[They both took one step]
[Luna stepped in front of Leo. Quinn stepped in front of Isaac]
Luna: Stop.
Leo: Luna, we don't have time—
Luna: Sagris called an emergency meeting. Everyone has to be there.
Quinn: He sent three messages. We got them an hour ago.
Isaac: You didn't say anything.
Quinn: You were busy hugging Leo.
Isaac: That wasn't a hug.
Leo: It was a manly fist bump.
Luna: Both of you. Guild Hall. Now.
[Leo created a portal to the chaos universe]
[As they reached there every seat was full]
[All five guilds sat together. Ice Knights in front. Dark Lords on the left. Solar Dragons on the right. Black Phoenix in the back. Force Light in the middle]
[The room smelled like sweat and nerves. Two hundred people whispered at once]
[Sagris stood on the stage. He looked tired. Not scared. Just tired]
[He raised one hand]
[The noise died]
Sagris: Thank you for coming. I'm going to give you the truth. Short version first. Details after.
[He waited until every eye was on him.]
Sagris: The Primus World is under attack.
[A ripple went through the room.]
Sagris: The attackers are Hyper Beings. Five million of them. And one man leads them all.
Sagris: His name is Ivarak Luyuveae
Isaac: Never heard of him.
Leo: Me neither.. sounds like the Hyper Gods themselves
Sagris: You wouldn't have. He's worked in the background for a very long time. Think of Voriath as the mid-game boss. Ivarak is the final boss.
Sagris: Ivarak built the Nexus. The power that corrupted Voriath. He gave it to him on purpose. Voriath was never the real threat. He was a test.
[The hall went silent.]
[Leo leaned toward Isaac]
Leo: So the whole war was a beta test.
Isaac: Great. That makes me feel so much better.
Sagris: There's one more thing.
[He took a breath.]
Sagris: Ivarak runs a group called the Army of Chaos. We've confirmed some of its members. One of them is someone we know.
[He looked straight at the Dark Lords section.]
Sagris: Haschwalth Reeliio.
[The room exploded]
Leon: What?!
Aries: No way!
Christo: That's impossible!... that fool
[Nox Llyord jumped to his feet]
Nox: That's a lie.
Sagris: I wish it were.
Izar: He said he was going on a trip. He said he needed to clear his head.
Cetus: He sat at my table. We played cards.
Mael: He told me to keep his seat warm.
[Rose Beatrice didn't say anything. She just stared at the floor.]
[Isaac didn't move]
Isaac: Haschwalth? The quiet guy?
Leo: Infinity Magic. He never raised his voice once.
Isaac: He watched us the whole war.
Luna: He wanted to be stronger than both of you.
Leo: And Ivarak handed him a shortcut.
[Quinn grabbed Isaac's arm.]
Quinn: Hey. This isn't on you.
Isaac: Sure.
[He didn't sound sure at all.]
[The side door banged open as everyone turned]
[A woman in an oversized coat walked in. Hands in her pockets. Brown hair half falling out of its tie. A paper bag tucked under her arm]
[She was chewing something]
Beatrice: Hi! Did I miss the briefing?
[Nobody breathed.]
Sagris: Who let her in?
Marx: Nobody.
Angela: She just walked in.
Beatrice: The door was open, sorry long trip
[She shrugged.]
[Leo grinned]
Leo: Beatrice!
Beatrice: Leo! Isaac! You look terrible.
Isaac: We just got here... is that how you greet people
Beatrice: is a joke Issac for God Sake...
Sagris: You know her?
Leo: She's a friend. A really strong one.
Beatrice: I'm not just strong. I'm punctual. Mostly.
[She walked to the front and dropped her bag on a table]
Beatrice: I felt the pressure from my village. It took a few hours to get here.
Sagris: What did you sense?
Beatrice: Five million. All organized. It's not a mob. It's an army with a chain of command.
Beatrice: And they don't fight like Voriath did. They don't attack. They take things apart.
Leo: What does that mean?
Beatrice: They delete stuff. Ideas. One at a time. Up. Down. Walls. Doors.
Isaac: That's insane.
Beatrice: That's efficient. Which is worse.
[Sagris cleared his throat]
Sagris: Thank you, Beatrice. That helps.
[He turned to the hall.]
Sagris: Okay. Here's the plan. Listen carefully.
Sagris: First, every guild member stays inside the Chaos Universe. We protect our home before anything else.
Sagris: Second, anyone who volunteers can go support the other universes. Small teams only. Move fast and report back.
Sagris: Third, nobody goes solo. Everything gets reported to me.
[He looked around the hall.]
Sagris: Questions?
[Christo raised a hand]
Christo: What about the Primus World itself?
Sagris: That's the hard part.Somebody has to go find out what's really happening
[He said as he looked at Issac and Leo]
[The hall went quiet]
[Isaac stood up]
Isaac: We'll go.
[Leo stood too]
Leo: We have the most experience with this kind of thing.
Sagris: You two just got back.
Leo: Better than letting everything crumble
[Sagris almost smiled.]
Sagris: Fine. Recon only. Don't start a war.
Leo: It already started.
Sagris: Then don't start a worse one.
[Luna caught Leo's sleeve]
Luna: You're leaving again.
Leo: It's a short trip.
Luna: You always say that.
Leo: This time I mean it "I'll check in every hour.
Luna: Every thirty minutes.
Leo: Every thirty.
[Quinn grabbed Isaac by the collar.]
Quinn: "Same rule for you. And if you die, I'm bringing you back just to yell at you.
Isaac: Deal
[Leo and Isaac walked out together. Beatrice followed with her bag of snacks]
[At the doors, Leo stopped]
Leo: So. Ivarak.
Isaac: Final boss.
Leo: Think we're ready?
Isaac: Not even close.
Leo: Same here... but let show he what we got
[They shared a grin.]
Isaac: Good. Let's go anyway.
[A portal split open in front of them. Beyond it, the Primus World burned]
[They stepped through]
To be continued...