Darkness spread over the barrier like a shroud.
Night… was devouring the day.
For the first time in a thousand years, the sky of the Angel Realm darkened.
The king gripped the spear with both hands.
His teeth clenched.
His voice tore through the sky:
"Prince Kaito!""Soldiers of the Angel Realm!""This is no longer a battle—it is a matter of existence!""Stop that being… no matter the cost!"
Kaito clenched his jaw.
His eyes were locked onto the darkness surrounding Shinju.
The attacks…
weren't working.
"Stop!"
The spells in the sky extinguished one by one.
The soldiers were left gasping for air.
Kaito's voice came again—clearer this time.
Sharper.
"This won't work.""All units… redirect your power to the sealing formation."
A brief silence.
No one objected.
The soldiers took position.
They knelt.
Pressed their hands against the ground.
All of them focused on the sealing formation.
The earth trembled from deep below.
Shinju had his hand raised.
The darkness was still wrapping around the barrier.
But—
The ground beneath his feet… changed.
At first, it was subtle.
A pressure.
Then…
heavier.
Shinju's brows furrowed.
Golden lines rose from beneath the ground around him.
They spread like a web.
And—
began to close.
Kaito's voice echoed:
"Now! Lock it!"
Light was drawn from the soldiers' bodies.
Their faces turned pale.
Their breathing faltered.
Shinju's body trembled for a moment.
The darkness in his right eye flickered.
The black veil in the sky wavered.
Shinju gritted his teeth.
Tried to hold his hand steady.
But the pressure was increasing.
The golden net fully closed.
A cocoon-like golden seal formed around Shinju.
The seal began to compress inward.
Shinju's breath caught.
His knees bent slightly.
And—
The darkness in the sky…
tore apart.
The black shroud around the barrier dissipated.
Shinju's technique…
was broken.
The golden dome shone once more.
The soldiers lifted their heads.
In disbelief.
"We did it…"
Kaito stood up.
Breathing heavily.
But his eyes were sharp.
"The seal is holding…"
Shinju was on his knees.
Head lowered.
Motionless.
Silence.
For a moment…
it felt like it was over.
Then—
Shinju's shoulder twitched.
Barely.
Kaito's eyes narrowed.
"…no."
Shinju slowly raised his head.
His right eye—
darkened again.
Deeper.
Heavier.
Cracks began to spread across the golden seal.
A thin sound—
Crack.
Then another.
Crack.
The hope on the soldiers' faces froze.
Kaito shouted:
"Hold the formation!"
Too late.
The seal around Shinju…
expanded.
Then—
It exploded from within.
BOOOOM!
Golden lines shattered.
The soldiers were thrown back.
The ground split open.
Shinju stood up.
Darkness rose around him once more.
This time—
denser.
Heavier.
More furious.
A thin line of blood ran from the corner of his lips.
He lifted his head.
"I warned you…"
His voice was calm.
"You are not my concern."
Kaito clenched his teeth.
Rushed forward in fury.
His blade filled with Aurora.
It shone like a star.
"That doesn't matter to me!"
He charged.
The distance closed.
Just as he reached Shinju—
Shinju raised his hand.
Everything stopped.
Truly stopped.
Darkness expanded in an instant.
It swallowed Kaito.
For a moment—
light flickered.
Then—
it vanished.
The remaining soldiers collapsed without understanding what had happened.
Silence… was heavier than fear.
Meanwhile, the king had completed his spell.
The rings of light around his hands merged.
The symbols on the spear burned like flames.
Before Kaito's light faded completely…
he looked at him one last time.
There was no fear on the king's face.
Only pride.
He whispered within:
"You bought me enough time, Kaito…""This country will never forget your courage."
His eyes filled with tears.
But his grip did not loosen.
He looked to the sky.
His voice tore through the air:
"Spear of Mikail!""Until now, we have protected you…""Now… protect us!"
A brief silence.
"Or… there will be no tomorrow!"
He raised the spear.
And hurled it with all his strength.
The sky split.
A golden trail carved through the air.
It struck Shinju's dark barrier—
and shattered it.
The spear—
pierced Shinju's chest.
Shinju's body shook.
He lowered his head.
Golden light leaked from his chest.
But the darkness in his right eye…
did not fade.
His expression didn't change.
"Even if I die…"
He took a breath.
"…I will destroy that cursed barrier today."
Darkness began to leak from his right eye.
Dense.
Heavy.
The essence of the Void.
And—
it began to burn.
Like ash, it scattered into the air.
But it didn't fade.
It grew denser.
Shinju closed his left eye.
Reached toward the barrier.
"Ankoku Enmei…"(Darkness' Final Breath)
A black flame ignited within his eye.
At that moment…
he was burning the essence of the Void he had accumulated for years.
He clenched his fist.
Darkness was unleashed.
Like a flood.
Like a storm.
It wrapped around the entire golden dome.
And devoured it.
Completely.
The golden dome… vanished.
Shinju staggered.
The spear was still embedded in his chest.
He stepped back.
Slowly.
Reached the rocks.
His knees gave out.
He fell.
He lifted his head.
Looked at the sky.
The clouds of the Void had dispersed.
Sunlight…
touched the earth for the first time.
The ground shone.
After a thousand years.
Shinju's lips moved slightly.
A faint smile.
"I was right…""That barrier…""…was a curse."