The air was suffocating.
Smoke choked the streets of Dichondra City, thick and heavy, coiling through the ruins like a living thing. The once vibrant plaza was now unrecognizable—cracked stone, burning structures, and shadows crawling unnaturally across every surface. Flames devoured what remained of nearby buildings, their glow flickering against the oppressive darkness that radiated from Zagan.
At the center of it all—
He stood.
Towering. Monstrous. Unstoppable.
Zagan's massive form shifted, tendrils of shadow writhing like living serpents around him. His presence alone warped the air, turning every breath into a struggle for those unfortunate enough to remain nearby.
Slowly, he raised one of his massive limbs.
Dark energy gathered instantly at its tip, spiraling inward, compressing into something dense… violent… catastrophic.
The ground beneath him began to crack.
A low hum filled the air—deep, unnatural, like reality itself was trembling.
Civilians froze.
Some stared.
Some screamed.
Others dropped to their knees in pure despair.
"There's… nowhere to run…"
"It's over…!"
Tears streamed down soot-stained faces as hope crumbled completely.
The energy swelled—
And then—
Zagan released it.
The projectile tore forward like a collapsing star, ripping through the air with a deafening roar. Everything in its path disintegrated. The ground split open, buildings ignited instantly, and shockwaves blasted outward, hurling debris in all directions.
The city itself seemed to cry out.
People ran—but it wasn't enough.
They weren't fast enough.
The attack was already upon them.
"No—!"
And then—
A flash of silver cut through the chaos.
One blade.
Then two.
Then dozens.
Razor-sharp, gleaming weapons spun through the smoke-filled air, scattering across the battlefield like fragments of light. Each blade hovered briefly, suspended in impossible positions, before shifting again as if guided by an unseen force.
The moment stretched.
Then—
Movement.
Ethan Port appeared.
Not running.
Not falling.
But standing—perfectly balanced on one of the spinning blades.
His eyes were sharp, calculating every angle in an instant.
And then—
He moved.
In a blink, he vanished—only to reappear on another blade meters away.
Step.
Flash.
Step.
Flash.
Each teleport was instantaneous, precise, fluid. He wasn't moving through space—he was rewriting it, jumping between fixed points that only he could see.
The blades became his path.
His battlefield.
His domain.
Within a fraction of a second, he reached them.
Leo barely had time to react before Ethan's hand gripped his shoulder—
Reality twisted violently.
Rein tightened her hold on Helmond's lifeless body as the sudden shift nearly pulled him from her grasp—
Alice's sharp gaze widened—
Two terrified civilians cried out—
And then—
Everything disappeared.
The attack hit.
A violent explosion consumed the space they had occupied, fire and shadow colliding in a catastrophic eruption. The ground collapsed inward, forming a blazing crater as debris rained down like a storm of destruction.
Nothing could have survived that.
But they weren't there anymore.
They reappeared several blocks away.
The shift was abrupt—jarring—but safe.
The air was still thick, but thinner than before. The immediate threat was gone, replaced by distant destruction and echoing chaos.
The two civilians collapsed instantly, their bodies shaking uncontrollably as adrenaline drained from their systems.
"Th… thank you…!" one of them gasped, barely able to form words. "We thought… we thought we were done…"
His voice broke.
The other grabbed his arm, pulling him up with urgency. "Come on! We can't stay here!"
They didn't wait.
They ran—disappearing into the crowd of fleeing survivors, their relief as visible as their fear.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Rein slowly lowered Helmond's body onto her cloud, adjusting him carefully, almost gently—as if afraid that rough movement would somehow disturb him.
Her fingers lingered.
Her voice, when it came, was quiet.
"He… sacrificed himself for us…"
It trembled—but she held it together.
Alice exhaled sharply, stepping forward, her expression hardening.
"Everyone! Stop staring and start thinking!" she snapped, her voice slicing through the silence. "The city is still in danger! We don't have time to stand here—we need a plan!"
Her words snapped everyone back to reality.
Leo dropped to one knee, his breathing uneven, his body still recovering from the earlier battle. His rapier flickered beside him, light pulsing faintly as he closed his eyes.
Focus.
Think.
Win.
Nearby, Ethan sat beside Helmond's body, uncharacteristically still.
Princess Katelyn knelt beside him, her hand hovering just above Helmond's chest. It trembled slightly, as if expecting something—anything—to prove he wasn't truly gone.
But there was nothing.
No breath.
No warmth.
Just silence.
Ethan gently placed his hand over hers.
"He saved us…" he said quietly, his voice tight with restrained emotion. "All of us."
Katelyn swallowed hard, tears slipping down her cheeks.
"We'll make sure of it…" she whispered. "Helmond… farewell."
Her voice faltered—but she steadied it.
"We'll avenge you. We'll protect this city… and your death will mean something."
Ethan's gaze lifted slowly.
Far in the distance, through the smoke and fire—
Zagan stood.
A looming shadow of destruction.
"You were supposed to live…" Ethan muttered, his eyes hardening. "Now it's on us to finish this."
Resolve replaced grief.
"And we won't fail."
Alice clapped her hands once—sharp, commanding.
"Enough," she said.
Everyone looked at her.
"Time to move. Leo—make your plan. Ethan, Katelyn—you're with me. Zagan isn't waiting for us."
One by one, they rose.
Grief still lingered—but it had changed.
Now it burned.
Meanwhile—at the center of the city…
Zagan stood alone amidst ruin.
The streets were shattered, buildings reduced to smoldering remnants. Fires burned unchecked, their glow reflecting off his shifting, shadowy form.
But there was something missing.
No screams.
No movement.
No prey.
His expression twisted.
"They're running…"
Darkness gathered in his hand.
It stretched, lengthened, solidified—
Forming a massive blade of pure shadow.
Without hesitation—
He swung.
The sword carved through the city with terrifying force, slicing through buildings, streets, anything in its path. Structures collapsed instantly, severed cleanly as shockwaves blasted outward, sending debris flying across the ruins.
Zagan's fury surged.
"They think they can hide…?"
His tentacles slammed into the ground, lifting his massive body as he began to move, each step crushing what remained beneath him.
"I'll find you…"
Meanwhile…
Ethan crouched slightly, his gaze fixed toward Zagan's direction.
"We can't fight him head-on," he said. "Not yet."
Leo opened his eyes.
"I know."
Ethan continued, "I'll create a diversion—something big enough to pull his attention. The moment he commits, I teleport us in."
Leo's grip tightened around his rapier.
"And I strike."
"Hard," Ethan confirmed.
A glow began to build along Leo's blade.
"I'll use my Light Force," Leo said. "If I land it properly, I can damage him."
"We don't need to kill him yet," Ethan added. "Just weaken him."
Above them, Rein moved swiftly, her clouds weaving through the sky as she pulled civilians away from danger.
"Keep moving! Don't stop!" she called, guiding them away from Zagan's path.
Each rescue added to Zagan's frustration.
He couldn't locate them.
Couldn't track them.
Alice stood nearby, her mind racing.
"There's something else…" she murmured.
Then—
Realization.
"Zagan isn't complete."
Everyone turned to her.
"He's using Prince Keane's body as a host," she said. "If we separate them…"
Her eyes sharpened.
"He becomes weaker."
Katelyn's expression shifted.
"That means we have a chance…"
"We don't just fight him," Alice said. "We dismantle him."
Zagan moved closer.
Each step sent tremors through the ground.
Ethan straightened.
"He's coming."
Leo rose slowly, light gathering around him, stronger now—focused.
Rein descended, landing beside them.
"All civilians are clear," she said.
Alice stepped forward slightly, watching the distance carefully.
Timing.
Everything depended on timing.
Zagan's presence grew heavier.
Closer.
Closer.
The ground trembled with each step he took.
Ethan's fingers twitched—ready.
Leo exhaled slowly, steadying himself.
Energy gathered.
Condensed.
Prepared.
Alice watched.
Waiting.
Calculating.
Then—
Her eyes sharpened.
"Now."