The sky of the Spirit Realm darkened as if night had fallen in a single breath.
Liora had never seen a sky like this before.
It was vast and colorless, stretching endlessly above them like an empty canvas cracked with silver veins of light. Floating ruins drifted slowly through the air—pieces of ancient temples, broken staircases, fragments of towers that no longer had foundations.
It felt wrong.
Not dangerous exactly.
But ancient.
Like a place that had existed long before the world she knew.
Wind swept across the broken platform where they stood, carrying faint whispers that sounded almost like voices.
The witch hunters stood rigidly in formation, though several of them had clearly lost their composure.
One muttered quietly, "Commander… this place isn't supposed to exist anymore."
The commander's eyes scanned the floating ruins.
"The Spirit Realm was sealed after the fall of the Witch Empire."
Her voice was tense.
"…No human has stepped here in centuries."
"Lucky us," Liora murmured.
But no one laughed.
Because Azhrael was still watching them.
The ancient entity hovered above the ruins like a dark star. His shadowy form had grown larger now, the darkness around him thickening into shifting armor.
Golden eyes burned through the gloom.
All of them focused on Liora.
"Strange," Azhrael said softly.
"You look so fragile now."
Liora crossed her arms.
"That's incredibly rude."
The entity tilted his head.
"In your previous life, you stood here as a queen."
He gestured toward the drifting ruins surrounding them.
"The Star Witch who ruled this realm."
Liora frowned.
"That sounds like something you made up."
Azhrael laughed.
The sound echoed through the broken sky.
"You destroyed my body with a single spell."
The witch hunters exchanged uneasy glances.
Even Cairis's expression hardened slightly.
Azhrael continued calmly.
"You commanded storms that shattered mountains."
He extended a shadowed hand toward the ruins.
"You rewrote the laws of magic itself."
Liora felt a strange tightening in her chest.
"…I don't remember any of that."
"Of course you don't."
Azhrael's eyes gleamed.
"Your empire burned."
The wind picked up suddenly.
Fragments of marble shifted through the sky around them.
"And you died with it."
Silence followed.
Liora felt something uncomfortable settle in her stomach.
She looked around at the ruins again.
Broken towers.
Collapsed temples.
Ancient symbols carved into stone.
The strange thing was—
None of it felt unfamiliar.
Cairis stepped forward.
His wings spread wider behind him, casting long shadows across the platform.
"That history is irrelevant."
His voice was calm but cold.
"Azhrael."
The entity's eyes turned toward him.
"You came here to kill her."
Cairis's shadows spread across the platform like living ink.
"…Try."
The air around him twisted violently.
Black energy spiraled upward from the ground.
The witch hunters instinctively stepped back.
They had seen powerful demons before.
But this—
This was different.
Cairis's presence alone made the air feel heavier.
His horns were fully visible now, long and curved like obsidian blades.
Crimson markings appeared faintly along his arms.
The shadows surrounding him grew denser.
Azhrael observed him with interest.
"Royal blood indeed."
He raised one hand slowly.
Darkness gathered above the ruins like storm clouds.
"Show me how strong the demon king's heir has become."
The sky erupted.
Hundreds of black shards appeared overhead, each one shaped like a jagged spear.
They shot downward instantly.
The witch hunters shouted.
"Shields!"
Holy barriers flared into existence.
But the spears were not aimed at them.
Every single one targeted Liora.
Cairis moved before they could fall.
His wings snapped forward.
Shadows exploded outward from his body like a tidal wave.
The incoming spears shattered against the dark barrier he formed.
Explosions rippled through the air.
Fragments of energy scattered across the ruins like falling stars.
The platform trembled.
One of the hunters staggered and nearly fell from the edge.
"Commander—!"
"Hold formation!" she snapped.
Above them, Azhrael seemed unimpressed.
"You defend her well."
His golden eyes narrowed.
"But how long will that last?"
Darkness surged around him again.
This time it was thicker.
More violent.
The floating ruins began shifting as if pulled by his presence.
Cairis's expression hardened.
"Stay behind me," he told Liora.
She looked at the sky nervously.
"…I wasn't planning to run toward the angry shadow god."
Azhrael's voice echoed again.
"You truly do not remember."
He pointed toward the ruins surrounding them.
"Look carefully."
Liora frowned.
But she obeyed.
Her eyes scanned the drifting temples and broken towers.
At first she saw nothing unusual.
Then—
She noticed the carvings.
Symbols etched into the stone.
Strange patterns forming long spirals across the ruins.
They looked familiar.
Too familiar.
Her heart skipped.
"…Wait."
Something inside her mind stirred.
A faint memory.
A whisper of recognition.
The symbols.
She knew them.
She didn't know how.
But she understood what they meant.
"They're… spell circles."
Azhrael smiled slowly.
"Yes."
The ruins trembled slightly.
"These were your spells."
Liora stared.
"Impossible."
"You ruled magic itself."
His voice lowered.
"Every structure in this realm responded to your power."
The wind carried dust across the platform.
"And when you destroyed me…"
Azhrael's golden eyes flared.
"…you destroyed this world as well."
Liora felt dizzy.
"That doesn't make sense."
Azhrael leaned forward slightly.
"It will."
His voice dropped into a cold whisper.
"…when your memories return."
Suddenly—
Something moved in the distance.
A low, echoing cry rolled across the Spirit Realm.
The witch hunters turned quickly.
Shapes were emerging from the floating ruins.
Large ones.
Creatures made of pale silver light.
Their forms resembled wolves, but their bodies flickered like spirits.
Dozens of them leaped across the drifting platforms, moving toward the group.
One hunter gasped.
"Spirit beasts…"
Another whispered nervously.
"…Why are they coming here?"
Azhrael watched them calmly.
"They remember."
Liora blinked.
"Remember what?"
The first spirit wolf landed on the edge of their platform.
Then another.
And another.
Soon dozens of glowing eyes stared at Liora.
But they didn't attack.
Instead—
The creatures slowly lowered their heads.
The commander's eyes widened.
"…They're bowing."
Liora stared in disbelief.
"…Why are they bowing?"
Azhrael answered quietly.
"Because they recognize their queen."
The spirit wolves knelt completely.
The wind fell silent.
Even Cairis looked momentarily surprised.
Liora's voice came out faint.
"…This is insane."
But before anyone could react—
Azhrael moved.
His shadow expanded violently across the sky.
A massive blade of darkness formed in his hand.
Longer than the entire platform.
The spirit wolves immediately jumped back in alarm.
Azhrael's voice thundered across the Spirit Realm.
"Your guardians cannot save you this time."
He raised the blade.
"This world remembers the witch who destroyed it."
The weapon fell toward Liora like a collapsing mountain.
Cairis's eyes burned crimson.
His power erupted.
The shadows around him exploded outward like a storm unleashed.
Black flames spiraled around his body.
The air cracked under the pressure of his aura.
And for the first time—
The full strength of a demon prince appeared.
Cairis looked up at the descending blade.
His voice was quiet.
"Then I'll destroy you again."
He raised one hand.
The shadows behind him condensed.
Forming something enormous.
A massive demonic claw erupted from the darkness and slammed into Azhrael's attack.
The collision shook the entire Spirit Realm.
Shockwaves ripped across the floating ruins.
Ancient towers shattered.
Fragments of stone rained from the sky.
Liora shielded her eyes from the explosion of light and darkness.
And in that moment—
A single thought flashed through her mind.
Not a memory.
But a feeling.
A battlefield.
A sky filled with fire.
A shadow god screaming in fury.
And her own voice whispering a spell powerful enough to tear the world apart.
Liora gasped softly.
"…What did I do…?"
Above them, Azhrael's voice echoed with cold amusement.
"Yes."
His golden eyes burned brighter than ever.
"…Remember."
The battle for the Spirit Realm had truly begun.