The dawn over the Volks Valley did not bring with it the warmth of the sun, but a gloom tinged with an electric violet that seemed to sprout from the very stones of the Walls.
On the outer esplanade, just before the fog thickened until it became impenetrable, the Void army waited in a formation that defied all military logic of the Great Tree.
They were not thousands, not even hundreds, but their eyes and especially their weapons seemed to shine with a murderous intensity. There was no fear, only bloodlust and a fervent desire for glory.
Glory for the Void.
Ethan walked in front of the army, crossing both gates of the wall to face Marcus directly. There were thousands at Marcus's back, each one forming a line that seemed to lose itself in the fog.
Beside Ethan, only three: Goran, Malphas, and Seraphina.
Marcus's eyes fixed with arrogance upon Ethan.
"Do you dare to face us with an army of less than a hundred, made up of trash?" Marcus laughed loudly. "Give this up, Thorne. Do not lead these people to their deaths; you will only be a pity."
Ethan smiled, his eyes loaded with the Void never detaching from Marcus. "How is your hand, Marcus? I had planned to go look for you soon, you know? Seraphina has new boots, and I thought about breaking them in soon."
"Tsk." Remembering the humiliation, Marcus clenched his teeth and spoke with rage: "Last warning, Thorne: let the Tree's people go. If you do it, maybe I'll give you a quick death…"
Seraphina's wings opened, releasing a crushing pressure—strong enough for Marcus to lower his head.
A Class S hero took a step forward, his battle-axe flashing with a spark of electricity that traveled to his legs just before he launched into a powerful battle cry.
"Do you dare to rise against my Sovereign?" Maintaining her pressure on Marcus, Seraphina intercepted the attack with her wing, then pushed him back, lunging with her spear in the same movement.
In the same instant, Ethan advanced and took the Inspector by the neck. "You are wrong. They do not belong to the Tree; now they are part of the Void."
He crushed Marcus's teeth against the rocky ground and threw him unconscious into his own ranks.
Everything happened in a few seconds, so fast that no soldier could react in time. Without knowing what to do, the world fell silent in that brief instant.
Until a cry pulled them out of their stupor. Surprisingly, that cry did not come from their commander but from the enemy leader.
"Finish the Aleskra trash!" roared Ethan.
Soon, in a perfectly united movement, the Void soldiers moved like a sharp spear over the frightened Aleskra warriors.
"What are you waiting for, you damn useless pieces of garbage! They took the Inspector!" shouted the Class S hero, who now found himself clutching a wound on his stomach.
His emerald eyes flashed with electric intensity while he fixed on the powerful Valkyrie in front of him.
On the other hand, Goran advanced with two Wailing Blades; with a downward cut, he sliced the shield of an Aleskra soldier.
For an instant, the soldier's eyes of terror could be seen before the next sword traveled the same path, cutting his body in two.
Elsewhere, the Seekers emerged from the shadows, using their powerful legs to propel themselves forward and tinging their sharp, transparent fangs with the blood of unsuspecting soldiers.
Malphas floated in the air; shadows swirled around him and descended over dozens of enemies like spears of darkness.
His white mask was stained with blood, giving him the appearance of a smiling demon that struck terror into his enemies.
The steel resonated, mixed with battle cries and screams of pain, plunging the world into a song of death that the Valley will remember for all eternity.
Those young people who before were treated as trash now brandished powerful swords and armor which, under the leadership of the Void Sentinels, they used to finish those who had mistreated and humiliated them.
A strange purple glow enveloped their eyes and veins while they swung their swords, devouring their enemies as if they were demons moved by a will of steel.
Of course, the Aleskra soldiers were not going to stay with their arms crossed. Despite being arrogant and pampered by the Tree for a long time, they remained a powerful force that had fought against abominations for years.
Recovering from the initial surprise, ten Class A warriors and one Class S took the lead, stopping the lunging force of the Void army. Six of them surrounded Malphas while the rest focused on stopping the attack of Goran and his army.
A Class S heroine jumped as if walking on air with a greatsword in her hands, intercepting a bolt of electricity that flew over the field just before it crashed against her companion.
Seraphina's electric blue eyes widened in surprise upon realizing that the woman carrying the greatsword did not back down, even though Seraphina clearly surpassed her in power.
Both stopped in mid-air, one wrapped in electricity with wings deployed, the other—despite her arms and legs trembling—remained firm with a straight back.
In the next moment, an axe flew through the air, hitting Seraphina's side. The heroine's pressure was released; still floating in the air, she fell to her knees.
"Careful!"
The Valkyrie was already back on her, pointing with her spear in an upward attack and completely destroying the vambrace that protected her.
Blood fell from the sky like rain while she observed the warrior moving to attack her companion again.
'What kind of demon is that?'
She turned to look as her army took the lead, pushing the Void warriors back little by little.
'They are strong, but they are still few. Aleskra's victory is guaranteed.'
She clenched her teeth, enduring the pain of her bleeding forearms, and kicked the air in the direction of the Valkyrie.
Above the gates of the wall, Ethan was dragging Marcus by the hair; the Inspector was only recently recovering consciousness.
His eyes opened with terror; blood still fell from his nose and destroyed teeth.
"Wha—What are you doing? Stop! STOP RIGHT NOW!"
Ethan walked without saying a word, passed through the gates, and began to climb a staircase on the wall. Marcus's body hit each of the steps as he twisted violently.
His nails scratched and dug into Ethan's hands.
Ethan's arms were tinged with blood; however, he did not react. Instead, he looked at Marcus sideways, smiling.
"Due to our grand camaraderie, I will take you to see a wonderful view, Marcus."
Moments later, Marcus's battered and bloodied body was displayed atop the valley walls as a pitiful, living trophy of war.