The falling sphere of celestial energy lit up the entire sky.
It looked like a second sun crashing down on the valley.
The soldiers froze.
No one ran anymore.
There was nowhere to run.
Akari slowly stepped back as Hiroto walked forward.
The shadow around him had changed again.
No longer wild.
No longer unstable.
It moved like a calm storm circling his body.
Behind him, the ancient sentinel raised both of its massive arms.
Its runes burned brighter than ever before.
The Watcher whispered in disbelief.
"…They're synchronizing."
Yui looked between Hiroto and the giant sentinel.
"…It's listening to him."
Hiroto looked up at the descending sphere.
"…Then listen."
He raised his hand.
The shadow surged upward.
At the same moment—
The sentinel slammed its massive arms into the ground.
The valley roared.
Stone pillars erupted everywhere like mountains rising from the earth.
The shadow climbed those pillars instantly, turning them into a massive shield reaching toward the sky.
Above them, the Herald's voice echoed once more.
"Resistance remains futile."
The sphere crashed downward.
And then—
Impact.
The entire world exploded in light.
The collision shook the mountains surrounding the valley.
Stone shattered.
Shockwaves blasted across the land like a hurricane.
The resistance army was thrown across the battlefield.
Akari slammed into the ground, barely able to breathe.
The Watcher shielded Yui from the flying debris.
The Enforcer dug his blade into the ground to keep from being blown away.
"…That kid is insane."
At the center of the explosion—
Hiroto stood beneath the massive shield of stone and shadow.
The celestial sphere pressed downward like an entire sky trying to crush him.
His arms trembled.
Blood ran down his face again.
The sentinel behind him pushed upward with its enormous strength.
Runes burned like blue fire across its body.
The ground beneath them cracked deeper.
Hiroto gritted his teeth.
"…Not… yet…"
The shadow surged again.
The pillars grew thicker.
The sentinel roared and pushed harder.
The sphere began to slow.
High above them, the Herald's wings spread wider.
"Unexpected resistance detected."
Hiroto screamed as he forced more power into the shield.
The scar beneath the valley burned like molten fire.
"…BREAK!"
The shadow exploded upward.
The stone shield shattered forward like a spear.
The celestial sphere cracked.
A massive fracture spread across its surface.
Then—
The sphere shattered.
The explosion lit the sky like lightning tearing the clouds apart.
Fragments of celestial energy scattered across the valley like falling stars.
The battlefield fell silent.
Dust slowly drifted through the air.
The sentinel lowered its arms.
Hiroto dropped to one knee, exhausted.
High above The Herald hovered motionless.
For the first time since it arrived, It had been stopped.
The Enforcer looked up and laughed quietly.
"…Well I'll be damned."
Akari slowly stood again.
"…He actually did it."
But the Watcher wasn't smiling.
"…No."
Everyone looked at him.
He pointed at the sky.
The Herald's wings slowly spread again.
And the energy around it began gathering once more.
"…That wasn't its limit."
The Herald spoke calmly.
"Correction attempt failed."
"Escalating response."
The war wasn't over.
Not even close.
To be continued…