The shadow exploded outward.
It spread across the battlefield like a dark storm swallowing the ground itself.
Cracks formed everywhere Hiroto stood. Stone shattered under the pressure as the scar beneath the valley pulsed wildly.
Hiroto grabbed his chest.
"…I can't… hold it…"
His voice sounded different.
Deeper.
Almost like something else was speaking through him.
Akari ran straight toward him.
"Hiroto!"
The Watcher shouted from behind her.
"Don't get close! The scar is destabilizing!"
But she didn't stop.
Hiroto's shadow surged upward like spears, ripping through the broken pillars of the valley.
The ancient sentinel turned its glowing eyes toward him again.
The runes on its massive body began glowing brighter.
It wasn't attacking.
It was reacting.
Meanwhile, high above the battlefield The Herald hovered silently.
Energy gathered between its wings, forming a massive sphere of celestial light.
Even the Enforcer looked up with concern.
"…They're actually doing it."
Yui grabbed his arm.
"Doing what?"
The Enforcer answered calmly.
"…Wiping the entire valley."
The sphere above the Herald grew larger and brighter.
The air began to vibrate.
Akari finally reached Hiroto.
His eyes had turned completely black with shadow.
"Hiroto!"
He didn't respond.
The shadow around him lashed violently like a living creature.
Akari grabbed his face with both hands.
"Look at me!"
For a moment Nothing happened.
The shadow kept surging.
The sentinel raised one massive arm again, preparing to strike the sky.
But the Herald's attack was almost ready.
The Watcher screamed:
"If that attack lands everything dies!"
Akari leaned closer to Hiroto, refusing to let go.
"You're not alone in this!"
The words finally reached him.
Hiroto's shaking stopped for a second.
His eyes flickered.
"…Akari…?"
The shadow storm slowed slightly.
But above them The Herald finished gathering its power.
The massive sphere of celestial energy pulsed once.
Then the Herald spoke:
"Final correction initiated."
The sphere began descending toward the valley.
A falling sun.
The soldiers stared upward in terror.
"…We're dead."
The sentinel roared and launched its arm toward the sky again.
But the attack was too large.
Too fast.
Akari tightened her grip on Hiroto.
"Hiroto… listen to me."
The shadow around him trembled.
"You decide what this power becomes."
For a moment, The storm of shadow stopped.
Hiroto's breathing steadied.
His eyes returned to normal.
Slowly.
"…Then I decide…"
He stood.
The shadow gathered around him again but this time it was calm.
Controlled.
He looked up at the falling sphere of destruction.
"…that this ends here."
The sentinel behind him raised both arms.
The Herald's attack continued descending.
And the valley was about to witness the largest collision yet.
To be continued…