The battlefield had barely settled.
Fragments of destroyed shadows were still dissolving into the black air of the Void of Fallen Universe. Lightning sparks from Luka's previous attacks continued to flicker across shattered terrain, while the lingering pressure of the Shadow Lords' aura slowly faded.
But the silence…
It was wrong.
Too heavy.
Too deep.
Vicky stood quietly in the center of the broken battlefield. His silver hair moved slightly in the cold void wind, and his crimson eyes were fixed on the distant darkness.
Something was moving there.
Something massive.
Luka noticed it too.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his lip and narrowed his eyes.
"Don't tell me… we're not done yet."
Aerito stretched his shoulders casually, though the exhaustion on his face was clear.
"I was hoping for a ten-minute break at least."
Arna slowly stood up, brushing dust off her clothes. Her eyes followed Vicky's gaze.
Then she whispered softly,
"…Master?"
Vicky didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he raised his hand slowly.
"Everyone… get ready."
The moment he said those words—
The void cracked open again.
BOOOOOOOOM!!
A gigantic explosion of shadow energy erupted from the ground.
The broken battlefield trembled violently as dozens of massive portals opened in the sky. Unlike the previous portals, these ones burned with a darker, more ancient aura.
From them—
Armies emerged.
Thousands.
No…
Tens of thousands.
Warriors made entirely of compressed shadow energy poured out of the portals like a black storm.
Each one carried different weapons — spears, blades, chains, massive war hammers.
Their eyes glowed with the same cold white light.
Luka whistled slowly.
"Well… that escalated quickly."
Aerito cracked his neck and laughed.
"Good. I was getting bored already."
The shadow army descended toward them like a tidal wave.
Arna clenched her fists.
"This time… there are too many."
Vicky stepped forward.
His voice was calm.
"Then we won't hold back."
The moment he said that—
The shadow army attacked.
The first wave struck like a hurricane.
Hundreds of shadow soldiers rushed forward simultaneously.
Luka dashed ahead first.
Lightning exploded around his body.
"Storm Step!"
His figure vanished instantly.
The next moment—
CRASH!
He appeared in the middle of the incoming army.
"Thunder Breaker!"
His blade slammed into the ground, releasing a massive circular explosion of lightning. Dozens of shadow warriors were blown apart instantly.
But the army didn't stop.
They kept coming.
Aerito moved next.
He lifted both hands.
Bright flames erupted around his arms.
"Flare Art: Blazing Crescent!"
Two enormous arcs of fire shot across the battlefield, slicing through rows of shadow soldiers. Their bodies disintegrated into smoke as the flames burned through them.
But the numbers were endless.
Arna took a deep breath.
Her eyes glowed softly.
"Spatial Technique… Absolute Mirror Field."
Instantly, dozens of floating crystal-like mirrors appeared around the battlefield.
Each mirror reflected space itself.
When the next wave of shadow warriors rushed forward—
They ran straight into the mirrors.
And were instantly cut apart by spatial distortions.
But even that wasn't enough.
More shadows poured out of the portals.
Luka landed beside Aerito.
"Okay… this is officially ridiculous."
Aerito grinned.
"Perfect time to try something new then."
His aura suddenly flared.
Flames began gathering behind him, forming massive burning wings.
Arna blinked.
"Big brother… are you using that move already?"
Aerito smirked.
"Why not?"
He lifted his sword toward the sky.
The flames intensified.
"Solar Flame Technique…"
The entire battlefield lit up with blazing orange light.
"—Phoenix Reign!"
BOOOOOOM!!
A gigantic phoenix made of pure fire erupted from Aerito's body and soared across the battlefield.
Wherever it passed—
Shadow soldiers vaporized instantly.
Entire sections of the army disappeared in seconds.
Luka laughed loudly.
"Now THAT'S more like it!"
But the shadow army responded.
Suddenly, several massive shadow warriors stepped forward.
They were three times larger than the others.
Their bodies were armored with dark plates, and their aura was far stronger.
Luka's smile faded slightly.
"…Great."
The giant shadows charged.
One of them swung a massive axe at Luka.
He blocked it—
BOOOOM!
The impact threw him backward across the battlefield.
"Okay… these ones hit harder."
Arna stepped forward.
Her expression became serious.
"Then let me handle them."
She lifted both hands slowly.
Space around her began to distort violently.
"Dimensional Art…"
A glowing blue sphere appeared above her palm.
"—Celestial Collapse."
She threw it forward.
The sphere expanded instantly.
When it touched the first giant shadow warrior—
Space folded.
CRACK!
The creature's entire body twisted and compressed into a single point before exploding into fragments.
The second giant shadow attacked her.
But Arna didn't move.
She smiled slightly.
"Too slow."
She snapped her fingers.
"Spatial Chain: Infinite Bind."
Dozens of glowing chains made of pure space shot out of thin air and wrapped around the creature instantly.
It struggled violently.
But the chains tightened.
CRUNCH!
The giant shadow shattered.
Luka stared.
"…Okay that was insane."
Arna giggled proudly.
But suddenly—
A powerful aura descended from above.
Everyone looked up.
The sky had darkened again.
And from the largest portal—
A massive figure slowly stepped out.
This one was different.
Far stronger.
Its body radiated terrifying pressure.
Even Aerito's expression turned serious.
"…That's not a normal shadow."
The creature landed on the battlefield.
The ground cracked beneath its feet.
Then it spoke.
Its voice echoed across the void.
"YOU… ARE THE ONES INTERFERING WITH THE RULE."
Luka tilted his head.
"Rule of Code?"
The creature raised its massive blade.
"YOU WILL BE ERASED."
Then it attacked.
Its speed was unbelievable.
In an instant—
It appeared in front of Aerito.
BOOOOM!
Aerito barely blocked the strike, sliding across the battlefield.
The power behind the attack was monstrous.
Luka immediately joined.
"Thunder Flash!"
Lightning exploded as he slashed toward the creature.
But the shadow warrior caught the blade with one hand.
Luka's eyes widened.
"…Seriously?"
Before the creature could counterattack—
Vicky appeared.
His movement was silent.
He placed one hand on the creature's chest.
For a moment—
Everything became still.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Void Technique… Oblivion Pulse."
A silent shockwave exploded outward.
CRAAAAASH!!
The massive shadow warrior was blasted backward across the battlefield, crashing through several floating islands.
But even then—
It slowly stood back up.
Aerito whistled.
"Well… this one's tough."
Arna stepped beside Vicky.
Her expression determined.
"Then we'll fight together."
Luka cracked his neck.
Lightning sparked again.
Aerito lifted his burning blade.
The four of them faced the gigantic shadow warrior together.
The creature's aura surged.
Behind it—
More portals were opening again.
The battle…
Was far from over.
And somewhere deep within the void—
The mysterious force known as Rule of Code continued awakening.
The real war…
Had only just begun.