𝙀𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙
𝘼𝙧𝙘 𝟭: 𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝘼𝙬𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘼𝙧𝙘
𝘾𝙝 𝟭𝟯 – 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙤.
𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱
𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮’𝘀 hand remained buried deep inside 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗸’𝘀 chest.
The battlefield had fallen strangely silent.
Not because the fighting had stopped.
Not because the monsters had disappeared.
But because every creature present understood something simple.
Life and death currently rested in the grip of 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻.
Around them, countless monsters stood waiting.
Some growled.
Some scraped their claws against the ground.
Others stared with bloodshot eyes that never blinked.
A sea of predators surrounded them from every direction.
Yet none moved.
Not a single one.
They were waiting for Varok’s command.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹.
That was all it would take for them to throw themselves at Indra like starving beasts.
Yet surprisingly…
Varok slowly raised a trembling hand.
The monsters immediately froze.
Even through the pain, a small smile appeared on his face.
“𝘗-𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴…”
His breathing hitched.
“… 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥.”
Blood trickled down the corner of his mouth.
“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘬?”
His voice sounded strained.
𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗸.
But there was still 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵.
The pride of a man who believed he was holding secrets nobody else could understand.
Indra studied him calmly.
His expression never changed.
𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 slightly around Varok’s heart.
𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵.
Just enough to remind him who truly held control.
Varok’s smile twitched.
Indra noticed.
Then he spoke.
“𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴…”
His voice was quiet.
Almost casual.
Yet every word carried weight.
“𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦.”
His eyes drifted briefly toward the battlefield.
𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝘀𝗲𝘀.
𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱.
Toward the endless war he had spent his life surviving.
“𝘔𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦.”
A memory flashed through his mind.
His father’s sword.
His mother’s lessons.
The smell of smoke.
The screams.
The countless battles.
The countless funerals.
He pushed the memories away.
Then his gaze sharpened.
“𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥.”
He leaned closer.
His voice dropped lower.
Dangerously lower.
“𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦.”
Varok’s smile faded slightly.
“𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴.”
The pressure around his heart increased.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘭.”
𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘺.”
Varok’s breathing became unstable.
“𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴.”
𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.
A dangerous silence.
Indra’s eyes narrowed.
“𝘚𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦…”
His voice became a whisper.
“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶?”
For a moment—
𝗩𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝘇𝗲.
It lasted less than a second.
Most people wouldn’t have noticed.
Indra did.
His pupils shrank.
His heartbeat changed.
His breathing stopped.
𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸.
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸.
𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿.
𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿.
𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸.
The expression disappeared quickly.
Far too quickly.
Varok immediately forced a smirk onto his face.
“𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵.”
Indra said nothing.
“𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.”
Still silence.
Varok continued.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭.”
Indra stared.
Then smiled.
A cold smile.
The kind that made experienced warriors uncomfortable.
The kind that appeared whenever he already knew the answer.
His grip tightened.
Varok nearly choked.
Pain shot through his chest.
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥?”
The words came out softly.
That somehow made them more terrifying.
Varok’s smile cracked.
Indra leaned closer.
“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢?”
Varok’s eyes widened.
“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵?”
Another question.
“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘪𝘵?”
Another.
“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵?”
Varok remained silent.
Sweat rolled down his forehead.
Indra’s eyes never left him.
Then came the final question.
The one that mattered most.
The one that transformed Varok’s fear into genuine panic.
“𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥…”
His fingers tightened.
“…𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦?”
Silence.
Pure silence.
The battlefield itself seemed to stop moving.
Varok stared.
And Indra knew.
That expression alone told him everything.
𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵.
𝗙𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵.
Whatever secret existed behind this war…
He had gotten close.
Close enough to become dangerous.
Varok understood it too.
And that was exactly why—
His body exploded.
Thousands of black particles burst outward.
Indra’s eyes widened.
“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵—”
A dark slash erupted from nowhere.
𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗠!!
Pain exploded across his chest.
His body flew backward.
The ground shattered beneath him.
Trees blurred past.
Dirt erupted into the air.
He crashed.
Rolled.
Skidded.
Yet before his body even stopped moving—
He forced himself upright.
Both daggers were already in his hands.
Combat instincts.
𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹.
𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗮𝗿.
Across the battlefield, black particles gathered together.
𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗥𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗵.
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗲.
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻.
Varok slowly emerged from the darkness.
Breathing heavily.
Much heavier than before.
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦…”
He inhaled sharply.
” …𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥”
Indra’s eyes narrowed.
There it was.
𝗔 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.
Small.
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲.
𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘃𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲.
𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗮𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
The demonic mana was taking its toll.
He smiled.
So that’s it.
Using that power drains him.
Useful information.
Very useful.
The next second—
Indra vanished.
The ground exploded beneath his feet.
He forward like an arrow.
“𝘋𝘐𝘌!!”
𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗚!!
Steel met steel.
Varok blocked instantly.
The impact created a shockwave.
Before Indra could follow up—
A fist slammed into his ribs.
𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗞!
Pain shot through his side.
His body flew sideways.
Yet he twisted midair and landed safely.
The monsters finally moved.
Thousands of feet thundered across the battlefield.
The waiting horde had been unleashed.
Indra looked at them.
Then laughed.
“𝘈 𝘮𝘰𝘣”
The monsters charged.
Indra grinned wider.
“𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺?”
The first creature lunged.
𝗛𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗱.
𝗦𝗽𝘂𝗻.
And drove a dagger through its skull.
The monster dropped instantly.
Before the corpse even hit the ground—
Indra grabbed it.
Then hurled it straight into two charging monsters.
𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗦𝗛!!
All three collapsed.
More monsters rushed him.
𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲.
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲.
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲.
An endless wave.
Yet Indra only smiled.
“𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐’𝘮 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥𝘴?”
A claw swung toward his head.
He ducked.
Slid beneath it.
Swept the creature’s legs.
The monster crashed face-first into the dirt.
Three more attacked from behind.
Indra didn’t even turn around.
𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛!!
One strike.
Three corpses.
Blood sprayed across his face.
Warm.
Sticky.
Familiar.
The battlefield seemed to disappear.
𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱.
𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹.
Another monster charged.
Indra walked forward calmly.
His breathing was growing heavier.
But his eyes still burned.
“𝘐 𝘢𝘮…”
His dagger pierced a throat.
Blood erupted.
The monster collapsed.
He stepped over the corpse.
And roared.
“𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘖𝘕𝘎𝘌𝘚𝘛!!”
The declaration echoed across the battlefield.
For a moment—
Even the monsters hesitated.
Even Varok frowned.
Because despite the wounds.
Despite the exhaustion.
Despite the blood loss.
The man standing before them still looked impossible to kill.
But reality remained reality.
And Indra could feel it.
His mana reserves were dropping.
𝗥𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗹𝘆.
Every movement hurt.
Every breath burned.
His body was approaching its limit.
Still…
His eyes drifted toward the distant wormhole.
Only for a second.
Just one second.
His grip tightened around his dagger.
A rare expression appeared on his face.
Not confidence.
Not arrogance.
𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲.
“𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺…”
His voice was barely audible.
“…𝘈𝘬𝘪𝘳𝘢.”
Because for the first time in a long while—
Indra wasn’t sure he could win alone.
𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲, 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱
Silence had died here long ago.
Now there was only screaming.
The battlefield that had once been a place of desperate resistance had become a graveyard.
Broken staffs littered the ground.
Shattered magical circles glowed faintly before fading away.
Blood soaked the black earth.
𝗕𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.
𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀.
𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀.
𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀.
People who had stood their ground despite overwhelming odds.
People who had believed they could buy enough time for everyone else to escape.
Now they were dead.
Most of them.
The monsters had shown no mercy.
𝗡𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
𝗡𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.
𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿.
𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘁𝘆.
𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Among the ruins, seven witches remained alive.
𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻.
𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗼𝘇𝗲𝗻𝘀.
And even calling them “alive” felt generous.
Their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
Their mana was nearly depleted.
Some couldn’t even stand anymore.
Some had wounds that should have killed them already.
Yet fear kept them 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀.
Fear kept them 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.
Fear kept them 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.
Around them, monsters fed upon the fallen.
The sounds alone were enough to make them sick.
𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗖𝗵𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴.
The horrifying noises echoed endlessly across the ruined battlefield.
One witch buried her face in her hands.
Another cried quietly.
A third stared blankly at nothing.
Their spirits had broken long before their bodies did.
Not far away lay the brave witch who had first challenged the monsters.
The one who had stood before everyone else.
The one who had refused to run.
Now…
She was barely recognizable.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗲.
𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀.
𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗿.
Her breathing was shallow.
Pain no longer mattered.
Fear no longer mattered.
Everything felt distant.
Everything felt numb.
Her vision blurred.
The world faded in and out.
Only one thought remained.
A simple thought.
A desperate thought.
“𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦…”
Tears mixed with dirt on her face.
“𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘮𝘦…”
Her voice barely existed.
“𝘖𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦…”
She laughed weakly.
A broken laugh.
“𝘈𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦…”
Death sounded merciful now.
Death sounded kind.
Then suddenly—
Something moved.
One of the monsters had noticed the survivors.
Its head twisted.
Too far.
Far beyond what should have been possible.
𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱.
𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗱.
𝗜𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆.
Then it smiled.
A disgusting smile.
𝗔 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲.
The kind of smile that only existed on things that shouldn’t exist.
𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘆.
𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆.
It began walking toward them.
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽.
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽.
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽.
The witches didn’t even notice at first.
They were too exhausted.
𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱.
𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻.
Until—
𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗦𝗛!!
The boulder hiding them exploded apart.
Stone fragments flew everywhere.
The witches screamed.
Their heads snapped upward.
And immediately froze.
The creature standing before them looked wrong.
Everything about it looked wrong.
Its eyes sat where its mouth should have been.
Its mouth stretched across its forehead.
Its tongue dragged across the dirt.
Sharp teeth protruded outward like broken knives.
The thing smiled wider.
One witch instinctively crawled backward.
“𝘚-𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬…”
The monster tilted its head.
Then lunged.
Its claw grabbed one witch by the leg.
Before anyone could react—
𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗠!!
Her body smashed against a rock.
Blood splattered instantly.
The witches screamed.
Another attempted to cast a spell.
A magic circle appeared.
The monster moved faster.
It caught her wrist.
𝗧𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱.
𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗞!
Then threw her across the ground like garbage.
The spell vanished.
The witch cried out in pain.
The creature laughed.
Actually laughed.
As if this were entertainment.
As if suffering amused it.
Then its claws reached toward another witch.
The youngest one.
Her eyes widened.
Fear overwhelmed everything.
She couldn’t move.
Couldn’t breathe.
Couldn’t think.
The monster grabbed her clothing.
She screamed.
“𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦—!”
Tears flowed freely.
“𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱!”
For a moment…
Nothing happened.
The battlefield remained unchanged.
The monsters continued feeding.
The dead remained dead.
Hope remained absent.
Then—
𝗦𝗛𝗛𝗛𝗛𝗞!!
Something flashed.
𝗔 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗼𝗳 l𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁
𝗔 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗱.
The monster froze.
Confused.
Slowly…
Its severed wrist fell to the ground.
Silence followed.
Nobody understood what had happened.
Not even the monster.
Then came the fire.
𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁.
𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹.
𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴.
Flames erupted from the wound instantly.
The creature screamed.
Not an ordinary scream.
A scream filled with genuine terror.
The fire spread across its body.
Eating everything.
Destroying everything.
The monster rolled across the ground.
It clawed at itself.
Tried to extinguish the flames.
Nothing worked.
The fire ignored reason.
Ignored logic.
Ignored resistance.
Within seconds…
The creature vanished beneath the flames.
The witches stared.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Then they noticed something else.
The fire wasn’t disappearing.
It was spreading.
Not toward them.
Around them.
Flames rose from the earth.
𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿.
𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿.
𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿.
Forming a wall.
𝗔 𝗰𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗲.
𝗔 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿.
A protective ring surrounding every survivor.
The witches panicked initially.
Until one accidentally touched the flames.
Her eyes widened.
She blinked.
Then touched them again.
“…𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵?”
The others looked at her.
She stared at her unharmed hand.
“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘵.”
Another witch cautiously reached forward.
No pain.
No burning.
No heat.
The flames simply flowed around her fingers.
𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿.
𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗸.
Like they recognized her.
Outside the circle, however—
The monsters screamed.
The moment they touched the flames, they ignited instantly.
One after another.
The fire consumed them mercilessly.
The witches watched in stunned silence.
For them, the flames felt gentle.
For the monsters…
It was hell.
One witch whispered.
“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴…”
Another nodded slowly.
Then everyone heard voices.
Human voices.
Voices from the distant hill.
“𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴!”
Several figures appeared.
𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀.
𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀.
𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗼𝗿𝘀.
They stumbled forward through exhaustion.
Some supported injured companions.
Others leaned on broken weapons.
Most were covered in blood.
Yet they were alive.
And they had followed the flames.
Because wherever those flames appeared—
Monsters died.
One exhausted mage immediately shouted.
“𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭!”
The witches froze.
Then realization struck.
The mission.
The retreat.
The reason everyone had sacrificed themselves.
Quickly, they began casting.
Magic circles appeared.
𝗢𝗻𝗲.
𝗧𝘄𝗼.
𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲.
𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻.
Mana surged through the air.
Space twisted.
Reality cracked.
And then—
The wormhole reopened.
A massive portal appeared before them.
The surviving soldiers smiled.
Some cried.
Some laughed.
Some simply collapsed from relief.
One witch looked toward the dancing flames.
Tears filled her eyes.
A grateful smile appeared.
And she whispered—
“𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰…”
The flames flickered.
As if listening.
As if understanding.
“…𝘈𝘬𝘪𝘳𝘢.”
𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗠!!
The fire launched forward.
𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲.
𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿.
Like a hero answering a call.
Straight into the portal.
Everyone followed behind it.
𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 —
Indra finally dropped to one knee.
The battle had taken everything.
His body felt heavier than iron.
Every muscle screamed.
Every wound burned.
Blood dripped from countless injuries.
Even breathing hurt.
Across from him—
Varok slowly approached.
His sword dragged across the ground.
Sparks followed behind the blade.
A cruel smile stretched across his face.
“𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭…”
Step.
“𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭…”
Step.
“𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭…”
Another step.
His grin widened.
“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸?”
Indra spat blood.
His vision blurred.
Yet somehow—
He still smiled.
Varok’s eye twitched.
“𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵?”
The mockery echoed across the battlefield.
Indra laughed weakly.
“𝘚𝘩𝘶𝘵…”
Blood dripped from his chin.
“… 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩…”
His grin widened.
“… 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢—”
“𝙀𝙉𝙊𝙐𝙂𝙃!”
Varok roared.
Dark mana exploded outward.
The pressure alone shattered the ground.
Spiderweb fractures spread in every direction.
The monsters backed away.
Even they feared the attack forming before them.
Varok raised his sword.
Dark energy gathered around the blade.
𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲.
𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲.
𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲.
Until the weapon looked like a piece of night itself.
His voice thundered.
“𝘿𝙄𝙀𝙀𝙀𝙀𝙀𝙀!!”
The sword descended.
Indra couldn’t move.
Couldn’t dodge.
Couldn’t block.
His body had finally reached its limit.
For the first time—
Death stood directly before him.
Then—
𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲.
𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲.
𝗕𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲.
The wormhole exploded.
𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗠!!
A crimson inferno erupted from the portal.
The entire battlefield turned red.
Varok turned.
Too late.
The flames struck him head-on.
The impact sounded like thunder.
His body launched backward.
One tree shattered.
Then another.
Then another.
Three massive trees collapsed behind him.
Blood erupted from his mouth.
He crashed across the ground.
Rolled.
Stopped.
Silence followed.
Slowly—
Varok stood.
His hands trembled.
His eyes darted everywhere.
And what he saw destroyed his composure.
The monsters were burning.
Everywhere.
Thousands of them.
Screaming.
Dying.
The flames hunted them relentlessly.
𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀.
𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀.
𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳.
Varok’s voice cracked.
“𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦…?”
Fear appeared.
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿.
𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿.
𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿.
“𝘕𝘰…”
His breathing became unstable.
“𝘕𝘰…”
His eyes widened.
“𝘕𝘖!”
Panic took over completely.
“𝙉𝙊! 𝙉𝙊! 𝙉𝙊!”
Then he saw him.
Standing between himself and Indra.
The source of everything.
The answer to every question.
𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲.
𝗔 𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱.
𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲.
A burning mark glowed across his neck.
And despite everything—
𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱.
𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱.
𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
He smiled.
That same familiar smile.
𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗺.
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁.
𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.
The smile that made impossible things seem possible.
Indra stared.
For a moment—
His exhaustion vanished.
Then he laughed.
𝗢𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲.
Of course it was him.
Who else could make an entrance like this?
Akira stood there.
Yet something had changed.
Something had awakened.
The fire surrounding him felt alive.
𝗔𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁.
𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹.
As if it recognized him as its rightful master.
Varok stared as though death itself had arrived.
Akira slowly lifted his katana.
The flames responded instantly.
Dancing around him.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗺.
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗺.
He smiled lightly.
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸…”
His voice remained calm.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦.”
One step forward.
The fire followed.
“𝘐𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴…”
His stance lowered.
His eyes sharpened.
The battlefield grew silent.
Even the flames seemed to listen.
Then Akira pointed his blade directly at Varok.
And spoke.
His voice carried across the entire battlefield.
𝗔𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲.
𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻.
𝗨𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲.
“𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺, 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴…”
𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗢𝗠!!
The flames erupted behind him like 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘅.
Indra grinned.
The surviving soldiers stared in awe.
The monsters trembled.
Varok stepped backward.
And the world itself seemed to hold its breath.
Akira smiled.
Now fully awakened.
Now truly arrived.
Now finally standing where he was meant to be.
“𝙉𝙊𝙒 𝙏𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝙄 𝘼𝙈 𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙀!!!”