The forest fell silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
General Varek stood before them like an unstoppable mountain.
His killing intent filled the night air.
Elisa felt her heart pounding.
This man was different.
The mercenaries.
The Shadow Knights.
All of them together felt less dangerous than the giant standing before her now.
Varek pointed his sword at her.
“I’m here to kill her.”
The words echoed in the darkness.
Raphael immediately stepped forward.
The silver pendant around his neck shone brightly.
Adrian moved as well.
His sword left its sheath.
The sound alone made the air tremble.
SHING!
Varek smiled.
At last.
A worthy opponent.
“Stay behind me,” Adrian said.
His voice was calm.
Almost too calm.
Elisa frowned.
“What about you?”
The king glanced back.
For the first time since meeting him, his smile disappeared completely.
“I’ll handle this.”
Then he vanished.
BOOM!
The ground exploded beneath his feet.
One moment he stood beside them.
The next, he was already attacking.
Steel met steel.
CLANG!
The collision shook the entire forest.
Trees bent.
Leaves scattered into the air.
A shockwave burst outward.
Everyone stumbled backward.
Elisa shielded her eyes.
The force was unbelievable.
Adrian and Varek exchanged blows faster than she could follow.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Sparks flew everywhere.
Neither warrior gave an inch.
The masked girl stared in disbelief.
“They’re stronger than I saw…”
Rose looked confused.
“You saw this?”
The masked girl nodded slowly.
“But not like this.”
Something in her voice sounded worried.
Very worried. The source of this chapter is g.com.
Meanwhile, the battle intensified.
Varek swung his enormous sword.
Adrian dodged.
A nearby tree was cut clean in half.
The giant trunk crashed to the ground.
BOOM!
Lily stared.
“I officially hate fighting.”
Nobody disagreed.
Adrian suddenly leaped backward.
Golden energy surrounded his sword.
The blade began glowing.
Varek’s eyes widened slightly.
“You finally decided to use it.”
Adrian smirked.
“I was getting bored.”
The golden light intensified.
Elisa felt power radiating from him.
Ancient.
Wild.
Dangerous.
The messenger gasped.
“The King’s Aura.”
Raphael looked confused.
“The what?”
“A legendary ability.”
The messenger swallowed.
“Very few people can use it.”
Adrian raised his glowing sword.
The air itself seemed to tremble.
Then he attacked.
A golden slash ripped through the forest.
Varek crossed his sword.
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion lit up the night.
For several seconds, nobody could see anything.
When the dust cleared, Varek had been pushed backward.
The giant general laughed.
Actually laughed.
“Excellent!”
His gray eyes gleamed with excitement.
“It has been years since someone forced me back.”
Adrian sighed.
“You’re annoying.”
The battle resumed.
Faster.
More violent.
More dangerous.
Elisa watched helplessly.
She wanted to help.
But she couldn’t.
Not against monsters like these.
Then suddenly—
The silver mark on her hand burned.
Again.
Elisa gasped.
The world around her vanished.
Everything became white.
A vision.
Another vision.
She stood inside a giant throne room.
The Empty Throne waited before her.
Ancient.
Silent.
Watching.
And someone was sitting on it.
A shadow.
Its face hidden by darkness.
The figure slowly raised its head.
Red eyes opened.
The same red eyes from her previous vision.
The shadow pointed at her.
Then spoke.
“The king who protects you…”
Its voice echoed through the room.
“…will die.”
Elisa froze.
“No.”
The shadow stood.
“His fate is sealed.”
“No!”
The vision shattered.
Elisa returned to reality.
She fell to her knees.
Raphael caught her.
“What happened?”
Her face was pale.
Terrified.
The masked girl looked at her and immediately understood.
“You saw it too.”
Elisa stared.
“You know?”
The masked girl’s expression darkened.
In all the futures she had seen…
There was one event that never changed.
One event that happened every time.
“No…” the girl whispered.
“What?” Raphael demanded.
The masked girl slowly turned toward Adrian.
And at that exact moment—
Varek’s sword pierced straight through Adrian’s shoulder.
SHUNK!
Blood splashed across the battlefield.
Everyone froze.
Adrian staggered backward.
For the first time…
The Seventh King had been wounded.
Varek smiled coldly.
The masked girl closed her eyes.
Because the future had begun.
And the first step toward a king’s death had already happened.