The wind moved quietly across the Garden of Silver Blossoms.
But the silence there was not peaceful.
It was tense.
Two warriors stood facing each other.
One was the ruler of the Yun Clan.
Yun Meiying.
A woman whose spear had conquered battlefields across multiple realms.
The other…
Was Luna.
The silver-haired warrior whose calm eyes carried centuries of war.
Around the garden, disciples and warriors watched from a distance.
No one dared to step closer.
Because the aura radiating from the two women was enough to make even seasoned fighters uneasy.
Yun Meiying slowly lifted her jade spear.
Her gaze was sharp.
"I underestimated you earlier."
Luna gave a faint smile.
"That's usually how battles begin."
A gust of wind passed through the garden.
Then—
CRACK!!
The stone ground shattered as Yun Meiying lunged forward.
Her spear shot through the air like lightning.
The strike was so fast that the air screamed.
Luna stepped sideways.
The spear tip brushed past her cheek, slicing a strand of silver hair.
But before the strike even ended—
Yun Meiying twisted the spear.
A second attack exploded upward.
"Moon Piercing Spiral!"
The jade spear spun violently, creating a vortex of energy.
The surrounding trees bent under the pressure.
Luna raised her hand calmly.
Blue flames ignited around her fingers.
"Half-Core Flame Technique."
She swept her arm.
The blue fire formed a crescent arc.
BOOM!!
The vortex shattered.
Flames scattered across the battlefield like falling stars.
The watching disciples gasped.
Both women stepped back simultaneously.
Yun Meiying smiled slightly.
"Beautiful technique."
Luna tilted her head.
"Elegant spear control."
The compliment sounded genuine.
But the next moment—
Both warriors vanished again.
CLANG!!
Spear and flame collided midair.
Shockwaves spread through the garden.
Yun Meiying spun her spear with breathtaking skill.
Her attacks were like a storm.
Fast.
Precise.
Relentless.
Luna moved like flowing water.
Every strike she made was minimal.
But deadly.
A small flame flicker here.
A gentle palm strike there.
Yet each move forced Yun Meiying to retreat.
The duel became faster.
More intense.
BOOM!
Another spear strike crashed into the ground.
Luna jumped back lightly.
The ground beneath her feet melted slightly from her flames.
Yun Meiying's eyes narrowed.
"That flame…"
She whispered.
"It feels familiar."
Luna didn't answer.
Instead—
Her flames suddenly intensified.
Blue fire spiraled around her body.
The temperature in the garden skyrocketed.
"Fourth Cycle."
The air trembled.
Even the strongest warriors watching felt pressure building in their chests.
Yun Meiying's expression finally turned serious.
"So you were still holding back."
She raised her spear.
Golden energy spread along the jade weapon.
"Then I won't either."
Her aura exploded.
"Imperial Spear Art — Heavenly Descent!"
She leaped into the sky.
The spear glowed like a falling star.
Then it descended toward Luna.
A strike powerful enough to crush a mountain.
But Luna only lifted her hand slowly.
Her blue flames condensed.
Forming a single small sphere.
"Half-Core Art."
Her voice was calm.
"Silent Flame."
She flicked her finger.
The tiny flame sphere shot upward.
And touched the spear.
For a moment…
Nothing happened.
Then—
BOOOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted in the sky.
Flames and energy scattered across the garden like a storm.
When the dust cleared…
A figure fell from the sky.
Yun Meiying landed on one knee.
Her spear was still in her hand.
But the weapon trembled slightly.
Luna stood before her.
Unharmed.
Calm.
Yun Meiying looked up slowly.
Her eyes fixed on the blue flames surrounding Luna.
Then something clicked in her mind.
Her pupils shrank.
"Half Core…"
She whispered.
"Blue flame…"
Her breathing became uneven.
"No…"
Her mind raced.
There was only one warrior in the ancient war who used such flames.
One of the commanders who fought beside the Lord of Death.
Her voice trembled slightly.
"You…"
Luna tilted her head slightly.
But before she could speak—
Yun Meiying suddenly lowered her spear.
Then…
She bowed deeply.
The entire garden froze.
"I greet…"
Her voice echoed across the courtyard.
"The Second Lieutenant of the Supreme Darel."
Silence exploded across the garden.
Every soldier.
Every disciple.
Every elder.
Their eyes widened in shock.
Then realization hit them.
Blue flames.
Half-core.
The war four years ago.
One name whispered across countless battlefields.
Luna.
One of the legendary commanders who fought beside the man who ended the multiversal war.
The warriors around the garden immediately dropped to one knee.
Weapons struck the ground.
CLANG
CLANG
CLANG
One by one…
Every soldier bowed.
"I greet Lieutenant Luna!"
The sound echoed across the entire sect.
Even the Supreme Master arrived, watching silently.
But Luna raised her hand.
Her expression was calm.
"No."
Everyone looked up.
Her voice was quiet.
"But firm."
"I have already resigned."
Silence fell again.
"I am no longer the Second Lieutenant."
Her blue flames slowly faded.
"I now serve…"
She paused slightly.
"As the Third Elder of the Elder Council."
The warriors froze.
Shock turned into anger.
Not anger toward Luna.
But anger toward fate.
Because everyone knew the truth.
Serving as an Elder of the Council was not a peaceful role.
Every elder carried immense burdens.
Strange disasters.
Constant threats.
And countless sacrifices.
The warriors clenched their fists.
One soldier slammed his sword into the ground.
"Damn it…"
Another lowered his head.
"We weren't there when you needed us…"
More voices followed.
"We couldn't help you…"
"We couldn't stand beside you in that war…"
The guilt in the air was overwhelming.
Then suddenly—
The Supreme Master stepped forward.
His expression became solemn.
He raised his sword slowly.
CLANG!
He drove the blade into the ground.
Then he spoke.
"If the battlefield appears again…"
His voice carried absolute authority.
"I will stand at the front."
Yun Meiying raised her spear.
She struck it against the stone.
CLANG!!
"I will serve as your shield."
The soldiers followed.
Thousands of weapons struck the ground simultaneously.
The sound echoed across the mountains.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Their voices roared together.
"If war returns!"
"We will fight beside you!"
"As the sword and shield of the battlefield!"
The atmosphere exploded with emotion.
Many soldiers had tears in their eyes.
For warriors like Luna…
They would gladly charge into hell itself.
Luna looked at the kneeling warriors silently.
Then she smiled softly.
Not the smile of a commander.
But the smile of someone who finally felt understood.
Meanwhile…
Far away in the Ancient Library…
Sylvarielle and Emilie stared at the glowing inscription.
The Fifth Book.
The Abyssal Codex of Eternal Night.
Sylvarielle whispered slowly.
"There is another line…"
Emilie leaned closer.
"What does it say?"
Sylvarielle's voice became uneasy.
"The one who awakens the Fifth Book…"
"The one who breaks its seal…"
"Will become the Gate of the Abyss."
The lantern flame flickered violently.
Emilie swallowed.
"Who would want something like that?"
Sylvarielle slowly turned toward the distant mountains.
Her expression became dark.
"That's the terrifying part."
She whispered.
"Someone already does."