A suffocating silence gripped the field. Only the crackling of burning bodies and the howl of wind filled the void where millions once stood.
The blood of the fallen soaked into the soil, their weapons shattered, their flags torn. Victory had never come—only delay.
Suddenly—
A distant, rumbling shriek tore through the sky like a storm splitting heaven apart.
LEVIATHAN had returned.
A blinding crimson flash exploded from the shattered remnants of the tower.
A beam—like hell's lance—ripped through the sky and vaporized everything in its path.
—SSSSSKRAAAAGHHHH—
Entire battalions of Frontier soldiers disintegrated in a blink. Their screams didn't even finish.
The Xianzhou knights, once proud and defiant, were caught in a secondary wave—
Flesh melted from bone.
Metal armor liquefied and fused to skin.
Some combusted, still praying. Others simply ceased to exist.
> Xiao Ling's lieutenant tried to reach her, screaming her name—before his body split in half from pressure alone.
The ground erupted, chasms splitting like Earth's veins bursting open. Fire surged. Death was instantaneous.
Then came silence again. A pause. A breath.
From the charred crater, something moved—rising slowly.
Leviathan stood—not as a beast—but now… as a god.
Ten feet tall. Muscle rippling under blood-red scaled skin. His crimson eyes glowed like molten suns. His tail lashed behind him like a serpent.
> His body radiated pressure of magic and rage.
The last defensive lines opened fire.
Bullets bounced off him like rain.
Magic? Useless.
Martial attacks? Torn to ribbons.
> A Xianzhou knight charged.
"FOR THE CLOUDS!"
He lunged—
Leviathan caught his blade barehanded, snapped it—and crushed his skull like glass beneath a boot.
> Frontier soldiers launched anti-tank rounds.
Leviathan swung his tail, flinging molten debris through their ranks—decapitating ten men in one swing.
Dr. Jin screamed over the comms:
> "FALL BACK! ANYONE STILL BREATHING—RETREAT NOW!"
But it was already too late.
Leviathan moved like thunder.
> Dozens died with every step. His presence alone shattered lungs. One strike—entire trenches vaporized.
He didn't speak.
He didn't roar.
He just moved. And killed. And killed.
One Warrior charges bravely, swinging a massive sword. Leviathant effortlessly dodges and plunges his claw straight through the warrior's chest, blood erupting like a geyser. The man's expression freezes in shock and agony before Leviathan tosses the corpse aside like garbage, leaving a thick, dark trail of blood spattering across the battlefield.
A barrage of magic attacks lights up the air—flames, ice shards, energy blasts—but the Leviathant shrugs them off with only minor scratches. He leaps into the middle of the magic casters and rips a warrior's arm clean off, sending arterial blood spraying in wide arcs.
The severed limb hits the ground with a wet, sickening slap. Screams fill the air. Leviathant grins—a grotesque, bloodthirsty smile.
Another Xianzhou Knight, skilled in martial arts, lands several hits—but the Leviathant's durability is monstrous. With a swift backhand, he crushes the man's skull, the head deforming instantly under the sheer force. The lifeless body drops limply, twitching once before stilling.
The ground is soon littered with broken bodies, shattered weapons, and pools of thick blood, soaking the earth dark red.
The surviving hunters rally for a another final charge. It's futile.
Leviathant impales two frontier warriors at once with his massive clawed hand, lifting them into the air like skewered meat. Their eyes roll back, blood pouring from mouths and wounds before he callously tosses them aside. One slams into a wall so hard that bones audibly snap, the body crumpling grotesquely.
A lone Xianzhou Knight, trembling and wounded, tries to crawl away. Leviathant calmly approaches, stomping down with enough force to crush the man's spine, leaving him paralyzed and gasping.
Leviathant crouches, inspecting his broken prey with a mocking curiosity before finishing him with a swift, brutal stab through the heart—ending his suffering in a spurt of blood.
The ground trembled beneath the massive, thunderous steps of Leviathan, his new humanoid form radiating limitless, ancient malice. The air thickened with the copper scent of blood, ionized steel, and scorched flesh.
The surviving team stood frozen. Their eyes locked on the crimson titan slowly approaching, tail coiling behind him like a god's guillotine.
Adam stepped forward, unflinching.
> Adam: "…A monster… What is it
> Alexander: "Then we fight it! We don't run from this!"
Eve: "Alexander—wait—!"
But before anyone could react—
Adam's fist slammed into Alexander's jaw—
a clean, brutal knockout.
Alexander collapsed like a sack of bricks.
> Eve: "ADAM! WHAT THE HELL—"
> Adam: "He'd was just about to do something stupid."
Ty screamed.
Ty: "STOP WASTING TIME—RUN!!"
Everyone turned. Ty was still on her knees—her half-burnt body shaking, eyes glowing with fury and pain, blood streaming from her lips.
> Ty: "HE'S COMING—AND I'M STAYING—NOW GO!!"
Xiao Ling: "No! We're not leaving you!"
> Ty (screaming): "I SAID GO!!"
Leviathan stepped forward—ground fracturing under him—eyes fixed on them.
Dr. Jin's voice cracked through the comms.
> Dr. Jin: "T-Ty… please don't—"
> Ty (gritting her teeth): "Doctor... just get them out… now."
Dr. Jin choked back emotion, then activated the teleportation signal. A swirling blue field opened behind the team.
Ty stared at everyone one last time.
> "You all better live."
In flashes of cold light, Adam, Xiao Ling, Eve, and Alexander's unconscious body vanished.
Ty stood alone now. Blood trickled from her mouth. Her arms barely held her up. One leg useless.
Leviathan halted. Ten meters away. Watching. Almost… curious.
Ty's lips curled into a defiant grin.
> Ty: "Come on then, big guy… let's dance."
Leviathan's monstrous eyes glared at Ty—but stopped short. The beast lifted its head, sniffed the air.
Ty's eye twitched.
> Ty (gasping): "…what is this smell?"
She coughed blood, then tightened her grip on her broken blade. Her pupils narrowed.
> Ty: "Drop the stealth. You can't completely mask an aura that strong anyway…"
A slow, mocking clap echoed through the air.
From thin air, just behind the smoke and fire… a figure stepped into existence.
She was stunning. Ethereal. Crimson-haired and flawless. Skin pale as porcelain. Dressed in a gothic dress lined with silver runes that pulsed with chaotic energy.
Her eyes—redder than blood—sparkled with delight.
> Victoria: "Awwww… you caught me! Teehee!"
She twirled like a dancer in an asylum, arms out like a child showing off a new dress.
> Victoria: "So rude though… no 'hello,' no 'how do you do?' Just accusations!"
Ty's brows furrowed. Her dagger shook slightly.
> Ty: "Who the hell are you…"
Victoria curtsied deeply, mockingly.
> Victoria: "Victoria! Star Council Seat VII. Demon Queen. But you can call me… mommy~!"
She giggled, eyes wide and unblinking.
> Victoria: "You poor thing… all burned and broken. But still so mouthy! I like you."
Ty's grip tightened.
> Ty: "Star Council? That's impossible… the Council fell during the Great Collapse."
Victoria pouted.
> Victoria: "Ooooh, someone's behind on current events. Sweetie… we never fell. We evolved."
She walked past Ty casually, circling her like a vulture. Then stopped beside Leviathan, who stood obediently—like a tamed beast.
Victoria gently petted the monster's face, then turned and gave Ty a smile so innocent it made her blood run cold.
> Victoria (sweetly): "Find her little friends, Levi. And kill every last one."
Ty's eyes widened.
> Ty: "No—!!"
But it was too late. Leviathan leapt into the air, wings erupting like volcanic flame, vanishing in a thunderous sonic boom toward the fleeing survivors.
Victoria turned back to Ty, her expression shifting from giddy to utterly deranged. A venomous aura oozes from her as her eyes burn with sheer hatred.
> Victoria (voice low, trembling with rage): "Before I kill you, little parasite… I suppose it's only fair I tell you why."
She stepped forward slowly, boots crunching over ash and bone. Her smile dropped—replaced by something… twisted. Her features contorted, once beautiful—now monstrous.
> Victoria (snarling): "Your friend… Alexander."
She spat the name like venom.
> Victoria: "He killed my favorite toy… my one spark of joy in this dull, rotting cosmos."
> Victoria (screeching): "ZADKIEL!"
The ground shook. The air screamed. Even the fire bent away from her fury.
> Victoria (madly): "You called him the Shadow Emperor. But to me, he was art! My little chaos puppet! My blood prince! The only one who could make this cursed, immortal life entertaining!"
> Victoria (voice cracking): "And your pet soldier took him from me!"
She laughed and cried at once, pulling at her own hair. Her crimson blade pulsed erratically, as if feeding off her fury.
> Victoria: "So now, I'll take everything from him. Piece by piece. Friend by friend and blood for blood."
She pointed her blade at Ty, her voice dropping to a whisper:
> Victoria: "And I'm starting with you."
Ty, shaking but unbowed, met her gaze with fire of her own.
> Ty (glaring): "You're insane."
> Victoria (smiling again): "Mmmhm. And you're dead."
Ty stood bloodied, barely able to keep herself upright. Her body trembled—half-burnt, wounded beyond healing. Her vision blurred, but her will never wavered. Across from her, Victoria approached slowly, her red hair fluttering unnaturally as if the air itself recoiled from her presence.
Victoria's childlike grin widened with malicious joy.
Victoria:
"You know… I should thank you, Ty. You've made this moment so very… satisfying."
Ty coughed blood, lifting her blade with trembling arms. "I'm not afraid of you."
Victoria:
"Oh, I know you're not. That's what makes this fun."
Then came the first strike—fast, cruel, deliberate. Ty crashed into the ruins behind her, the bones in her arm audibly cracking. She screamed, not from fear, but defiance.
She stood again.
And again.
And again.
Victoria's laughter turned into quiet rage. Her next attacks were relentless—each blow felt like thunder against Ty's failing body. Ribs snapped, blood pooled at her feet, and her breathing grew shallow.
But Ty never begged.
She never broke.
Instead, she smiled through broken lips.
Ty (weakly):
"If I can die standing… then you can never win."
Victoria's eyes twitched.
Victoria:
"That stupid pride… it's the reason Zadkiel is dead. Your friend murdered the only person who made eternity bearable."
She grabbed Ty by the throat, lifting her off the ground. "This pain… is justice."
Ty could barely speak. But she whispered through the blood.
Ty:
"Then... Just shut up and get it over with…"
A blinding light surged in the far distance—the last of the survivors being teleported away.
Ty's final smile faded with her breath.
And as her body fell, lifeless and broken, the wind around her went still—as if the world itself mourned.
As Victoria loomed over her, Ty's broken body barely clung to life. Her blood seeped into the cracked earth, her breath shallow, ragged.
But her mind drifted elsewhere—to warmth, to moments long lost:
She was a child again, running barefoot through sunlit fields, laughing freely, her father chasing her with a wooden sword. Her mother's voice calling her home for dinner.
She saw herself as a young warrior, first earning her stripes with the Frontier—covered in dust, smiling with pride.
She remembered nights around the fire—Alexander, drunk and loud, recounting his first kill like a legend. Vincent trying to act tough but softening after a few drinks. Commander Cooper nodding silently, approving.
She remembered laughter. Family. Love. Hope.
A tear slid from the corner of her eye.
Then reality ripped it all away.
Victoria's boot crushed her hand.
Victoria (grinning wide):
"Let's make sure you don't ever raise a blade again."
With a cruel twist, she sliced through Ty's arm.
Ty screamed—not just in pain, but in fury. Her eyes locked onto Victoria, still defiant, even with death inches away.
Victoria:
"Goodbye."
She slashed Ty's throat.
The world turned quiet.
Ty's eyes blinked once… twice…
As she collapsed, she gazed skyward—blood pouring from her neck—as if trying to memorize the stars one last time.
And then—
Silence.
The wind picked up.
Her body remained still.