Nova woke with a sharp gasp, his hand reaching instinctively toward the ceiling as if to grab something that wasn't there. His palm trembled in the dim light, fingers shaking, air catching in his lungs. Beads of sweat rolled down his temple. His breathing was ragged — uneven. He blinked, vision clearing slowly. The sterile ceiling above him gave no answers.
His body jerked upright. The sheets around him were twisted, the faint smell of antiseptic clinging to the room. He looked around — clean walls, pale light, the hum of a medical monitor nearby.
"Where… am I?" he muttered under his breath, voice hoarse.
The door clicked open. A familiar silhouette entered — tall, composed, a face that always carried the same sour expression. Neo.
"So," Neo said flatly, "you're up."
Nova blinked twice, confusion breaking into urgency. "What… happened? Where's Miwa? Where are the others?"
"Calm down," Neo said, his voice quiet but clipped. "Let me explain."
And he did. Every word came out like it weighed a ton — the test, the simulation, the illusion of chaos. The fact that none of it, not a single moment of that terror, was supposed to cause them real harm.
When Neo finished, silence filled the room for a second — before a dry laugh broke it.
Nova laughed. It started small, then louder — cracked and strange — until his voice rasped into something between disbelief and hysteria.
"So what you're saying…" he managed between breaths, "…is that the entire thing was a test? That we wouldn't even have gotten a scratch?"
Neo's expression didn't change. "Yes."
Nova kept laughing — louder now, until the sound turned hollow. Then his eyes darkened. He stopped laughing and stared straight at Neo, something unsteady flickering in his expression. He took a step forward.
"Is this a game to you?" Nova said, voice low, trembling with anger. "To all of you? This entire life — just a game?"
Neo frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What?"
Nova kept walking closer, his tone rising with each word. "Putting everyone through that — all that screaming, the blood, the fear — don't you think you're insane?"
Neo didn't hesitate. "I'm beyond that," he said simply. "But it was what the situation demanded." His tone carried no emotion, just a flat statement of fact.
Nova stopped right in front of him. "Alright," he said slowly, voice shaking, "for once, let's say I accept that. Then tell me — where's Jennie? Where's Zazm?"
Neo lifted his gaze. His eyes sharpened. "You read my mind?" he asked.
Nova didn't answer.
"Then go ahead," Neo said coldly, "read the rest. Read the whole thing if you're that curious."
Nova's expression twitched, anger boiling under his skin. "How about you tell me about your failure — from your own mouth?"
Neo's jaw tightened. "…They took Jennie. Along with Supreme Commander Myterl. And Zazm fell somewhere. We're not sure where."
Nova's face went blank — then dark. His tone shifted, quieter, more dangerous. "And what are you doing right now?"
"Nothing," Neo said sharply. "We're attending to students."
Neo's voice rose. "There's nothing we can do. But trust that dead eyed brat."
Nova's voice cracked with fury. "You have to be kidding me! What happened to Rhyes' words about protecting everyone?! Why the hell did you even conduct that exam if you were expecting an attack?" His voice echoed off the walls. "Why didn't you cancel it and evacuate everyone when you knew this could happen?!"
Neo said nothing, his gaze hardening.
Nova's steps grew heavier, circling him, trembling with anger. "Why don't you answer?" he shouted, veins rising on his neck. He grabbed Neo by the collar and pulled him close, his breath hitting Neo's face. "How about you stop being selfish and think about others for once—"
Neo snapped.
His fist shot forward.
Crack.
Nova's head snapped to the side, the sound of impact echoing through the room. His body stumbled, but before he could recover, Neo's fist met his jaw again, sending him crashing to the floor.
Nova tried to fight back — swinging, clawing, wild — he managed to land a hit on Neo's cheek, another on his ribs. Neo stepped back, blocked one punch — but Nova came again, faster, mockingly spitting out through blood, "You trained me—"
Neo caught his wrist, twisted it, and slammed him into the floor so hard the tiles cracked beneath.
In a blur, Neo was on top of him. His fists came down like thunder.
"We made everyone go through this psychological torture—" punch
"—because here—" punch
"—they'll have a chance! Unlike the battlefield!" punch
Blood sprayed against Neo's sleeve.
"Go and call us insane—" punch
"—but don't tell me—" punch
"—you were fucking expecting rainbows and sunshine—" punch
Each impact was heavier than the last. Nova's head snapped sideways, teeth cutting into his own lip, blood flooding his mouth.
"It's better to make them quit now—" punch
"—than uselessly send them to their deaths—" punch
"The test was conducted—" punch
"—because if we hadn't—" punch
"—they would've attacked the entire nation!" punch
Neo's voice grew hoarse, words laced with fury and grief all at once.
"Selfish, right?!" punch
"Yeah, just because we chose hundreds of millions—" punch
"—over a few thousand!" punch
"We tried our best—" punch
"Commander Myterl went with them—" punch
"And you call us selfish!" punch
"TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU EXPECTING?!" punch
"WAR IS NOT SOME GODDAMN JOKE!" punch
"Think about others?" punch
"You asshole—when you're being selfish yourself—" punch
"You have no right to complain—" punch
"—about others being selfish." punch stopped, trembling above the face.
Neo's fist hovered over Nova's face — shaking, covered in blood. His breathing was heavy, his glare raw with something deeper than anger guilt.
Nova lay beneath him, barely conscious. His face was unrecognizable — swollen, streaked in blood, nose crooked, eye nearly shut. His breathing rasped, catching on each inhale.
Neo looked down, eyes trembling faintly. Then he exhaled, turned away, and stood up. His hands — dripping with red — fell limp at his sides.
He clicked his tongue, voice bitter. "Pathetic."
Then he walked out, the door slamming behind him.
The room fell silent. Only the dripping of blood from Nova's mouth to the floor broke the quiet.
Nova stayed there, breathing weakly, staring up at the cracked ceiling.
Then — he chuckled. Softly, brokenly.
"Oh…" he whispered, voice shaking. "…I understand now."
His chest rose and fell sharply as he laughed again — this time quieter, almost like sobbing. "I deserved that… every single punch."
He rolled onto his side and crawled toward the wall, smearing red behind him. His hand pressed against the surface, and he slowly lifted himself up, his back leaning against it.
His reflection in the mirror across the room was a stranger. His eye was nearly swollen shut, his lips cracked, his face a canvas of bruises.
He sighed — a weak, trembling sound — and muttered, "The only one who's selfish… is me."
His voice was hoarse, small, empty.
He lifted a hand and conjured a small mirror in his palm. He stared at his reflection — the blood, the broken face — before smirking faintly.
"Pathetic," he whispered.
Then he raised his other hand, touched his face lightly — and the bruises vanished. The blood disappeared. The skin healed, smooth once more.
He exhaled, empty and tired, before sinking down on the bed again. His eyes stared at the floor, unblinking.
"I'm not done," he muttered. "I'll do something myself."
The room fell silent again. Only the quiet hum of the lights remained — and the faint, dried stain of blood on the floor that even healing couldn't erase.
---
Myterl jumped back.
Her breath hitched, the air in her chest tight and trembling.
She thought, My instincts are screaming at me to run... to just get away from her...
Zephyra stood a short distance away — still, almost eerily still. Her bored expression hadn't changed in the slightest. Her purple hair swayed in the wind, loose strands fluttering across her half-shadowed face. The oversized hoodie and loose trousers she wore hung off her frame as if she didn't belong to the battlefield at all.
Jennie's voice came trembling, "Who is she…?"
Myterl didn't look back.
"That doesn't matter," she said, her tone clipped and hard. "However… her purpose does."
Zephyra tilted her head, her voilet eyes glowing faintly.
"It's weird," she said slowly, her voice calm, almost lazy. "You can share your Vana with everyone… and they'll all be just as strong as you."
She paused, tapping her chin as though contemplating something mundane.
"No doubt you were given the title Invincible Commander."
Myterl's eyes sharpened. Her stance lowered, blades drawn.
I have enough Vana… she thought, however, I don't know how much fighting her will consume…
A cold realization crept through her — they couldn't sit around.
They needed to deal with this purple-haired girl, and fast.
Myterl lunged forward, the wind slicing around her as both her swords glimmered with silver light. The clash that followed was sharp and metallic — her twin blades met a steel rod Zephyra held with one hand.
Myterl's eyes widened.
'Where did she get that—?'
Her gaze darted to the rubble beside them — twisted beams, shattered building — and she understood. Zephyra had simply pulled the metal from the debris, casually as if plucking a flower from a field.
Zephyra pushed off, landing several meters back. "Hold on for a minute."
She tossed the rod away, then casually began tying her hair into a loose knot.
But no one waited.
The girls surged at her all at once — Myterl leading the charge, Jennie close behind. The cubes in their eyes burned dark, almost black, as coordinated assaults filled the air like a storm — waves of barrier forces, barriers, spears, swords, daggers , and chunks of shattered stone flying in perfect synchrony.
Yet Zephyra didn't even flinch.
She ducked beneath a slash so close it grazed her hair, pivoted, sidestepped another, then weaved between two energy bursts that exploded behind her, her movements so fluid it looked like she was walking through water.
"Wait, wait," she said, voice steady and disinterested, slipping under a punch and pushing the attacker aside with one hand. "Let me tie my hair — it gets on my face otherwise."
Her tone was matter-of-fact. Her face remained bored.
She bent backward, narrowly evading a barrage of blades that skimmed past her neck. The ground behind her split open from the pressure. She spun mid-air, landed lightly on one hand, flipped, and evaded a rain of debris without even looking.
"Now I'm ready," she murmured, finishing the tie and flicking her gaze upward.
But she froze.
Hundreds of boulders — each several meters wide — came soaring toward her, blotting out the sky. They glowed faintly, wrapped in Myterl's energy.
Jennie exhaled sharply, sweat rolling down her cheek. "That oughta do it…"
The avalanche descended — the sound was deafening.
The boulders were just centimeters from crushing Zephyra when she exhaled softly.
Her lips parted.
"Incinerate."
A whisper.
Every single boulder — hundreds of them — turned to ash in the same instant.
The explosion of gray dust filled the air, scattering in a blinding haze.
Lisa's eyes widened in horror. "What happened…?" she breathed.
The smoke cleared — Zephyra stood unharmed.
Her right hand burned with flames that weren't flames — black, with a violet edge that shimmered like oil in light.
Myterl's pupils dilated.
"Don't stop!" she shouted, "Keep attacking!"
Zephyra raised her hand, and a tidal wave of black fire erupted outward.
It consumed everything — air, stone, steel, and light itself. The fire didn't roar; it hummed, low and steady, like a void breathing.
Screams echoed — a few girls had been caught in it. They fell, writhing, the flames spreading like living shadows that clung to their skin.
Myterl rushed toward them, attempting to deploy her barrier — but Zephyra's calm voice cut through the chaos.
"You must be wondering," she said softly, "why your barrier didn't protect them."
Her palm rose again, fire swirling within.
"Well… it's simple."
The black fire danced higher, cold and alive.
"My flames are different from normal ones. They're hotter.. sometimes colder. But what makes them unique is this...."
She pointed toward the burning figures "they burn everything they touch. Once they catch you…" her gaze flicked to Myterl.
"…there's no escaping them. Even if they just graze your skin, they won't go out… until they burn you completely."
The screams tore through the field. The sound clawed at Myterl's mind.
But she didn't stop.
Rage took hold.
"GO!" she yelled, and she charged straight in.
The ground cracked under her feet.
The girls attacked again — hundreds of coordinated movements, perfect rhythm. But Zephyra was a blur.
She slid forward, swept a kick under one girl's legs, spun, and slammed an elbow into another's chest. The air cracked from the impact. She deflected a strike from behind with her wrist and backhanded the attacker across the face.
Myterl appeared above, blades glowing, descending from the air — but Zephyra stepped forward, caught both swords between her palms, and twisted, kicking Myterl in the stomach.
The Invincible Commander crashed into the ground, dirt splitting under her body.
Zephyra exhaled slowly, looking down. "You're coordinated," she said, bored again, "but you rely too much on rhythm."
Jennie shouted, "Now!"
Dozens of boulders erupted from the ground — Myterl had commanded every shard of stone to rise. Zephyra looked up.
Hundreds again.
They hurled down like meteors.
But Zephyra didn't retreat.
She jumped — leaping from one boulder to another mid-air, every step leaving trails of black flame. Each rock she touched burst into flame and turned to ashes behind her.
She twisted in the air, landed on a boulder, kicked off another — her body blurred, weaving between falling stone and fire blasts.
Jennie sent a boulder with sharp edge from the side; Zephyra tilted her head, letting it skim past her cheek as she slightly touched it before she spun, grabbed a falling fragment.
The fragment started burning black and she hurled it back. The stone hit the ground and exploded.
The others rushed again — Zephyra met them hand-to-hand.
A punch to the ribs — a spin — she ducked under a blade and threw the attacker over her shoulder. Another came from behind; she caught the wrist mid-swing, twisted, disarmed her, and kicked her back into the air.
Dust, sparks, and heat exploded across the field.
Zephyra dashed — her movements were almost non-human. One moment she was inches from Myterl, the next she was behind her, sweeping her legs.
Myterl blocked the kick with both blades crossed — but Zephyra's next strike came from above, a straight downward punch that shattered the barrier Myterl conjured just in time.
'She's… fighting bare-handed and still overpowering all of us…' Myterl thought, jaw clenched.
Zephyra ducked, parried, and kicked another girl across the field. She moved like she was dancing — graceful, brutal, efficient. No wasted motion.
The ground shook. The air shimmered with heat and black light.
She caught Myterl's next slash barehanded — the edge inches from her face blood dropped from her hand covering Myterl's blade.
"You're not bad," she murmured, pressing the blade back, "but not enough."
Her knee slammed into Myterl's gut. The commander coughed blood, skidding back.
Jennie and Lisa moved in simultaneously, barriers flaring. Zephyra rolled aside, using one of the barriers as a foothold — kicked off it mid-air — then spun and slammed both heels into the ground. The shockwave knocked them all back.
The battlefield was fire and dust, bodies barely standing.
And Zephyra stood in the middle, hoodie's sleeves-burned, hair slightly loose again, black fire crawling up her arm like a living creature.
Her expression didn't change.
"Now," she said softly, "shall we continue?"
Zephyra stood among the scattered bodies, her calm expression unchanged, though the faint heat of her flames still danced across the shattered ground.
For a brief second, the battlefield fell silent. The wind carried the smell of charred dust and metal, brushing strands of her violet hair across her face.
Then—
Myterl's gaze dropped to Zephyra's right arm, and her breath caught.
Her eyes widened, the words escaping her lips in disbelief.
"It can't be…"
A mark—dark and sharp—was etched across Zephyra's skin. It began near her elbow and extended to her wrist: a moon pierced by a blade, its center bound in heavy chains that shimmered faintly against her pale skin. The design pulsed, black and violet light coursing through it like veins.
And then… the mark began to fade.
The air rippled around Zephyra's arm as light condensed in her hand. Particles swirled upward, gathering, forming—
A sword.
As it materialized fully, the mark disappeared, as if it had never existed.
The blade that now rested in Zephyra's hand was unlike any weapon they had seen.
The sword was a masterpiece of elegance and authority—its long, slender blade gleamed with a faint violet sheen, as though it had been forged beneath twilight itself. Intricate silver patterns ran down its edge, resembling moonlight trapped in metal. Its hilt curved into the shape of a crescent moon, the centerpiece of its beauty. From certain angles, the crescent seemed to cradle the blade, giving it a regal, almost divine presence. The handle, wrapped in dark silk, radiated quiet dignity.
When Zephyra lifted it, it didn't reflect light—it reflected grace.
Her fingers tightened on the hilt.
In the next second—she moved.
The air cracked.
Four girls fell before anyone registered what had happened, each one sliced perfectly in half, their faces frozen mid-expression. Zephyra's speed was beyond perception—faster than thought, faster than light.
Jennie's heart pounded in her chest. Her breath trembled. We can't beat her, she thought, terror surging through her veins. There has to be something I can do—
And then—her mind flashed.
A memory.
The scent of metal. Sweat on her hands. A sword clutched tightly in her grip.
"You're done already?"
A cold voice echoed, laced with irritation.
Jennie looked up.
Neo stood there, arms crossed, his expression unreadable, his tone sour.
He clicked his tongue. "You're already behind the others."
Jennie gasped for breath. "L–let's go again…"
She charged forward, her sword trembling from exhaustion. Neo shifted his stance easily, dodging every strike with fluid precision.
"Your attacks are getting sloppy," he said.
Jennie attacked again, faster this time.
"Too predictable."
Her blade whistled past his shoulder. In frustration, she feigned a strike and punched instead—Neo caught her fist with one hand, his expression unimpressed.
"Tell me," he said quietly, "why aren't you using your abilities?"
Jennie, panting hard, whispered, "My powers… they're not exactly useful in combat, are they…?"
Neo sighed. "I've seen people with the most dogshit powers use them in creative ways."
"What?"
He stepped forward, gaze sharp. "Your power's similar to mine. That means you can be at my level—if not stronger."
Jennie blinked, stunned. "How?"
"You can phase through matter, can't you?"
She nodded, hesitant. "Yes…"
Neo smirked slightly. "Then you can also phase through attacks."
"What—?"
Before she could finish, Neo's foot swung toward her in a blur. The kick missed on purpose, the air pressure from it creating a small burst that knocked her back.
"Get ready," he said, his tone calm but firm. "We're making you invincible."
The memory shattered—
—and Jennie's eyes snapped open.
The battlefield. The flames. Zephyra standing tall, her blade dripping violet light.
Jennie gritted her teeth and reached for her barrier sword, the one glowing faintly in her hand. "It's not perfect," she muttered, "but I have no choice."
She sprinted across the field.
"Myterl!" she shouted.
Myterl turned, barely blocking a slash from Zephyra. "Jennie! What—"
"Let me fight on the front!" Jennie yelled, voice steady despite the chaos.
"Have you gone insane!?" Myterl's blades crossed, catching another strike.
Jennie shook her head firmly. "Please—trust me. Just cover me up."
For a brief moment, their eyes met. Myterl's brow furrowed, but then—she nodded.
"…I hope you succeed in whatever you're trying."
The next wave began.
Two girls charged Zephyra from both sides. Zephyra turned her wrist, her sword moving like water—one effortless swing deflected both their attacks. She grabbed one by the collar and slammed her into the ground, the impact shattering stone. The other was thrown back, unconscious.
Myterl lunged forward, her twin blades glowing. Zephyra met her head-on—the clash rang like a bell. Sparks exploded.
"Where did you get an AMI mark from!?" Myterl demanded, pressing her attack.
Zephyra smirked faintly. "I'm an inside agent. Wasn't hard to get it."
Myterl growled, kicking toward her midsection. Zephyra blocked with her elbow, deflecting the blow, but Myterl twisted and swung low. Zephyra parried with her sword—at that exact moment, three more girls appeared from behind.
Zephyra was trapped.
She dropped her sword mid-motion, flipped backward, and extended both arms.
Twin bursts of black flame erupted from her palms, spiraling outward in massive waves. The three girls barely managed to retreat behind barriers before the fire consumed the space where they stood.
Zephyra landed lightly, retrieving her sword from the air with one smooth motion.
Then she charged Myterl again.
Myterl countered by summoning dozens of barrier projectiles—shimmering, translucent spears—and launched them all at once. Zephyra's sword clashed with hers again; she twisted, dodging each projectile mid-air, her body floating as if gravity had forgotten her.
"You can fly?" Myterl said, astonished.
Zephyra nodded lazily, descending in a slow glide. "Once you reach a certain level of Vana… it becomes as simple as walking."
She landed gracefully—and turned sharply.
Her blade met another.
Jennie.
"I didn't see you there," Zephyra said, her tone unbothered.
Jennie's eyes narrowed. "And you won't."
She phased through her stance, and before Zephyra could react—the barrier sword slid clean through Zephyra's blade.
"What—?" Zephyra whispered, the disbelief flickering across her face.
She aimed a thrust straight at Jennie's neck—but it passed through harmlessly.
Jennie reappeared behind her, swinging. The sword caught Zephyra's side, slicing through her clothes and skin. Blood splattered onto the dirt.
Zephyra jumped back, one hand clutching her side where a crimson stain grew rapidly.
Myterl's eyes widened. "She… she hit her?"
Jennie exhaled, her eyes glowing faintly. "It's not lethal."
Zephyra looked down at her wound, expression unreadable. Then, almost quietly: "She can phase through matter… I see."
Jennie dashed forward again, her form flickering in and out of visibility. Zephyra raised her sword, ready this time—but as Jennie vanished again, the rest of the girls attacked simultaneously.
It became chaos.
Zephyra moved like lightning, blocking Myterl's twin blades, kicking one girl back, twisting another's arm and slamming her into the ground—but Jennie's attacks kept slipping through, nicking her shoulder, her arm.
Zephyra parried another strike—only to feel a sharp pain along her leg. She glanced down; Jennie stood behind her, phasing back into view, sword dripping with a thin line of blood.
Zephyra gritted her teeth, sweeping her leg to knock Jennie away—but Jennie phased right through it and struck again, grazing Zephyra's thigh before vanishing back into smoke.
Myterl took advantage of the opening. She caught Zephyra's sword arm mid-swing, locking her movement for a fraction of a second—long enough for Jennie to appear again, slicing across Zephyra's forearm.
Blood flew.
Zephyra hissed, twisting free, however her movements remained calm the bored look still there on her face. She spun her blade in one hand and unleashed a black arc of flame that forced them back.
The battlefield was chaos—Vana light clashing with dark fire, shockwaves breaking stone and steel.
"Jennie…" Myterl breathed, gripping her blades. "Keep going."
Jennie nodded once. "I'm not stopping until she falls."
The ground trembled beneath their feet. Shattered stone, fractured barriers, and dying embers littered the battlefield like the ruins of a forgotten world. Myterl's blade clashed against Zephyra's again and again, sparks scattering in all directions as the dull, metallic sound echoed across the silence that followed every impact.
Zephyra moved with detached precision, her body bending and weaving through the impossible rhythm of attacks. Dozens of girls surrounded her, their movements synchronized, their eyes glowing with darkened cubes pulsing in perfect unity.
She parried one strike, twisted around another, then ducked beneath a wave of barrier shards that sliced through the air like glass.
Her eyes—deep violet, cold as winter—watched everything.
'They're coordinating perfectly…' Zephyra thought mid-motion, slipping past a spear's edge that grazed her sleeve. She kicked off a crumbled wall, twisting midair, narrowly avoiding a focused burst of barrier energy that ripped through the air.
' I can dodge attacks, yes… but not something that phases through matter itself.'
A punch from Jennie came flying to her face. Zephyra shielded her face with her arm, sliding backward through dust and smoke, her hood flaring with motion.
'It's a perfect plan. They've calculated everything. Dodges, counterangles, even my landing points…'
Her gaze flicked to Myterl, who was already dashing in from the side, twin swords glimmering with condensed vana.
Hundreds of zeroes against me alone.
Zephyra's lips parted slightly, her tone bored but heavy with unspoken fatigue. "Tiring…"
She raised her hand—and slammed her palm into the ground.
A thunderous boom rippled outward. Flames of black and violet tore through the battlefield, the air convulsing under the eruption. Every girl, including Myterl and Jennie, jumped back as molten wind consumed the ruins.
The ground cracked like glass.
Lisa, standing a few meters beside Jennie, raised her hand to heal one of the wounded girls. The soft light glowed faintly across her palms.
Zephyra's gaze turned toward her. Her expression remained unchanged, but her eyes sharpened ever so slightly.
'That girl… is she healing them?'
Lisa stood beside Jennie now, her expression strained but resolute. "You need to explain things now, Jennie."
Jennie's voice trembled. "I—I'll. It's… a little complicated."
Lisa smirked softly despite the chaos. "Don't worry. I'll always support yo—"
Her words died.
A wet choke echoed through the smoke.
Jennie's breath froze as her eyes widened.
Lisa was lifted into the air, blood spraying from her mouth like crimson rain. The tip of a blade protruded clean through her chest—Zephyra's sword, driven straight through from behind.
Time slowed.
"Li… sa?" Jennie's voice cracked as her pupils dilated.
Lisa's eyes were trembling, glassy, and overflowing with tears. Blood flowed down her chin, mixing with the dust and heat.
Zephyra stood behind her, one hand gripping the hilt, her expression as indifferent as ever—bored, detached, but with something hollow in the silence that followed.
Lisa's hand twitched weakly, reaching back toward Jennie as if trying to grasp her one last time.
"Jen…" Her voice broke as blood filled her throat. The light in her eyes began to fade, flickering through fragments of memory—her first day at EIAA, her laughter with Jennie late at night, the feeling of belonging she'd never known before.
Zephyra withdrew the blade effortlessly, letting Lisa's body fall limp.
Jennie darted forward, catching her before she hit the ground. "Lisa—! Lisa, no no no no no, please—please stay with me!"
Her trembling hands pressed against the wound, blood slipping through her fingers like sand.
Myterl's expression hardened. Her grip on her swords tightened.
'Her emotions… even while I'm suppressing them… they're overflowing.'
Jennie's sobs echoed. "Lisa!! Please—wake up!"
The battlefield's air was still—broken only by the distant crackle of purple fire.
Nirin stumbled into view, her eyes widening in pure horror. The daggers in her hands slipped, clattering against the ground as she dropped to her knees.
Her lips quivered. "Lisa…?"
She crawled forward, her breath hitching, her eyes fixed on the blood pooling beneath Jennie's hands. "No… no no no—"
Tears streamed down her face, uncontrolled, raw, and childlike.
"Get back on your feet!" Myterl's voice cut through the air like a whip. "Both of you—Now's not the time to mourn!"
But even she gritted her teeth, the corners of her eyes trembling.
Jennie didn't move. She just held Lisa's lifeless body, her tears falling like rain on the blood-soaked earth.
Nirin rose slowly, her hands shaking. She picked up her daggers again, gripping them so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Her breath was uneven.
"I'll kill her," she whispered. Then louder—screaming—"I'LL KILL HER!"
Before Myterl could react, Nirin was already running.
"STOP! That's too reckless!" Myterl shouted, dashing after her.
But Nirin didn't listen.
Her eyes were red with fury, her vision blurry with tears as she swung her daggers wildly at Zephyra.
Zephyra turned just in time to parry, her sword moving like liquid metal. The blades clashed, sending bursts of wind through the burning field.
Nirin screamed, striking again and again. "WHY!? WHAT DID SHE DO TO YOU!?"
Zephyra's bored gaze met hers, silent, empty. She said nothing—only moved with mechanical precision.
Nirin's rage boiled over. She screamed louder, tears flying from her face. "ANSWER ME!"
Zephyra sidestepped, countering with a kick that Nirin narrowly avoided.
"What did any of us ever do!?" Nirin cried, slashing again. "We're just—innocent people trying to live! She didn't even want to fight! She wanted to be a healer!"
Her final words were swallowed by a shockwave as Myterl kicked her away, saving her from a deadly counterstrike.
"Calm down!" Myterl barked.
But Nirin didn't. She pushed forward again, blinded by grief.
Zephyra dropped her sword into the ground with a metallic clang, disarming her own stance.
Before Nirin could react, Zephyra moved—a blur of motion. She struck Nirin's wrists, knocking her daggers away, then seized her by the throat and lifted her into the air effortlessly with one hand.
"HEY!" Myterl shouted, but it was too late.
Zephyra's other hand rose, and in an instant, black flames erupted from the ground, encircling them in a dome of voidfire.
The world outside became a haze of purple and black, devouring the very air itself.
"Don't get close!" Myterl shouted. "Those flames… they'll burn through your barrier!"
Inside the inferno, Zephyra's bored expression returned. Her grip on Nirin's neck tightened slightly, her tone soft, eerily calm.
"You asked me," she said, voice low, each word like a drop of mercury in still water. "What did she do?"
She threw Nirin down hard, the ground cracking beneath her impact.
"The greatest sin," Zephyra continued, "that humans and remnants alike have committed…"
She looked down, her eyes shadowed by her hood.
"…is to be born into this hell."
Her voice carried a cold, sad emptiness that almost didn't belong to her.
"There is nothing here but suffering. And they have only themselves to blame."
Outside, Jennie's tears had dried into silence. Myterl's hand reached toward her. "Jennie—"
But Jennie was already moving. She created multiple barriers, layering them, her vana surging wildly as she broke through the wall of fire.
Inside the flames, Nirin was trembling, her body battered but her spirit burning brighter than ever.
"So that's your answer?" she said weakly, pushing herself up.
Zephyra didn't respond. She simply raised her left hand—her palm glowing faintly with black fire.
Jennie burst through the last flame barrier, her voice breaking. "NIRIN, NO!"
Nirin turned slightly, her hair disheveled, her face covered in dirt and tears. Despite everything, she smiled—softly, brokenly.
The sunlight filtering through the flames caught her face, and for a fleeting moment, it looked as if the world itself mourned for her.
"This is farewell," Nirin said, her voice gentle. "Now please… live and take care, Jennie."
Jennie's barriers burned as she reached out—
—and Zephyra's flames ignited.
A blinding flash of black and violet.
Nirin vanished. Not a scream, not a sound—just ashes drifting through the burning air.
Jennie stopped mid-step, her hand still outstretched.
The world fell silent.
Her eyes were empty—hollower than death itself. The reflection of Zephyra's flame danced in them, like a dying candle inside a cracked glass.
Myterl stood in the distance, her fists trembling, her own heart clenching with the weight of what she had just witnessed.
The battlefield was now quiet. Only the sound of burning remained—soft, endless, consuming.
And Zephyra, standing amidst it all, lowered her hand, her expression returning to its usual still boredom.
Yet in her eyes—if one looked closely—there lingered something faint. Something that looked a lot like sorrow.
The battlefield had gone eerily silent.
Only the distant hiss of burning stone and the sound of black flames licking through the ruins remained.
Jennie sat still, her mind hollow, her trembling hands resting on the ashes where Nirin once was.
Zephyra stood a few meters away, her figure outlined in faint violet fire, expression as calm and unreadable as ever.
The sky above her had turned the color of dying stars.
Myterl, Jennie, and the surviving girls surrounded her in a loose circle—each breathing heavily, their weapons trembling in their grip.
Zephyra exhaled softly, a quiet sigh that carried no rage or triumph—just emptiness.
Her violet eyes flicked toward Jennie for a second, then slowly toward Myterl and the others.
She lifted her hand.
Her sword, which had vanished earlier, shimmered back into existence, its blade forming like liquid shadow.
Zephyra gripped it with both hands.
Her voice was quiet, almost whisper-like, bored yet coldly absolute.
"This is taking too long."
The air distorted around her blade.
Jennie remained frozen, too lost in grief to even move.
Myterl's gaze sharpened—her instincts screamed. Something was coming.
"What's the attack?" she muttered aloud, her voice caught between disbelief and realization.
Black flames began swirling up Zephyra's sword, coiling together like serpents, weaving into a braid of pure destruction. The space around her warped and twisted, and even the air seemed to scream under the immense pressure.
At the sword's tip, a small, pulsing sphere of black flame began to form—dark, dense, silent.
Myterl's pupils contracted.
"What is the concentration of Vana…?"
The sphere grew denser, its light devouring everything around it. It wasn't mere fire—it was collapse itself, an abyss condensed into a single point. The braid of flame around her sword burned so hot it left trails of distortion wherever it moved.
Then Myterl realized it.
Her breath caught. A soft, defeated smile appeared on her face.
"Oh… I see."
Her voice broke slightly, but there was peace in it.
"It's over."
The other girls didn't understand. They still stood with their weapons drawn, some clutching their wounds, still believing their commander could lead them to victory.
Myterl looked around at each of them.
Her expression softened—gentle, almost motherly.
Is there nothing I can do? she thought.
And then a memory bloomed in her mind—soft, warm, and distant.
---
A younger Myterl stood under a gray sky, hair shorter, face rounder, her green eyes bright with youth and defiance. Both eyes still intact.
"This is insane!" she shouted. "We don't stand a chance against an Omega-class threat! Why are we even going there? Can't you do something?"
The wind blew dust across the barren training field.
A woman turned toward her—a tall, graceful figure with green hair and kind eyes that mirrored Myterl's own. Her mother.
She smiled. "We're not betting on losing, Myterl. We're betting on what we can protect."
"What? That's nonsense!" Myterl argued, frustrated. "You really think we can beat something like that?"
Before her mother could reply, heavy footsteps echoed behind them.
A man walked in—broad-shouldered, black-haired, his face stern but warm. Myterl's father.
"Yes," he said simply, his voice deep and calm.
Myterl looked at him, her anger faltering. "But, Dad…"
He placed a hand on her head, smiling gently. "You worry too much."
"I don't," she muttered.
He chuckled softly. "Do you know what role a Supreme Commander truly plays?"
She blinked up at him. "They command the entire faction under them."
"True," he said. "But that's not all. We control the battlefield, yes—but our duty isn't just to win."
He knelt down to meet her eyes. "It's to protect."
"Protect?"
He nodded. "Even if it costs you everything."
Myterl frowned. "But it's useless. Even if we fight to protect them, they'll die after we're gone. What's the point of such a dumb sacrifice?"
Her father smiled faintly. "It's not useless. We fight so that they can retreat. Even if they lose us, they can live another day."
Her mother stepped forward, her soft voice joining his. "For a person, their own life and loved ones are everything… but for a leader—"
Her father finished, "—for a king or commander, everyone under them becomes their closest. Their responsibility."
Myterl stared at them, quiet now.
Her mother leaned close, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "There's your answer, my little commander."
---
The memory faded as Myterl's gaze lifted toward Zephyra.
Zephyra's voice, calm and detached, cut through the silence.
"Inferno."
The word echoed once—and the world stopped.
The tiny sphere at the tip of Zephyra's sword pulsed once, then detonated outward silently.
The next instant, the sound hit—an eruption that shattered reality itself.
The explosion didn't spread like a normal blast; it expanded like a living thing. Black flames roared outward, devouring everything in their path. The air itself burned, the sky tore apart, and the ground melted like wax.
Every mountain, every building, every stone—gone in an instant.
The very crust of the planet peeled away under the sheer force.
The black fire consumed not just matter, but essence—turning everything it touched into nothingness. The girls screamed for a second before vanishing in blinding light. The boulders, the barriers, even the remnants of their vana—obliterated.
The inferno spread faster than thought, engulfing the atmosphere, searing through the mantle and into the core.
In seconds, the world beneath them became a sun of black flame.
Jennie looked up at the consuming inferno, her face pale and trembling. She couldn't move. There was no escape—just acceptance.
Her eyes softened as realization set in.
'So this is it…'
But then—
a shadow fell over her.
She looked up—and saw Myterl.
The Supreme Commander stood above her, both arms spread, her body surrounded by radiant white barrier light.
Jennie's eyes widened, tears instantly flooding her face. "Why…?"
Myterl smiled, her face calm despite the chaos, her hair whipping wildly in the heat. "I'm leaving everything to you, Jennie."
"What? No—I don't understand!"
"Live on."
Those were her last words before another memory struck her mind.
---
Smoke and fire everywhere.
Her father lay on the ground, his armor shattered, blood pouring from his chest.
"Myterl… get out of here," he rasped.
Her own left eye was gone, blood streaming down her cheek. She shook her head, screaming, "I can't leave you and Mom here!"
Her father smiled faintly, placing his hand on her cheek. "I'm not telling you to leave us. Carry our souls with you. As long as you live, we'll live too."
"Dad—"
"And not just us," he said weakly. "Carry the names and souls of everyone we fought beside. Protect them in memory."
He raised his hand weakly, forming a puppet of solid barrier light. "You have all the records of what happened today. Use them well."
The puppet wrapped her in a barrier sphere and began running as her father's form disappeared behind her, swallowed by fire.
Her screams echoed into silence.
---
Back to the Present
Myterl's arms trembled, her barrier cracking under the apocalyptic pressure.
The inferno raged around them, melting mountains into rivers of light. The barrier began fracturing—cracks spreading like veins of light across its surface.
Jennie screamed, "NO! PLEASE STOP! YOU'LL DIE!"
Myterl's smile didn't fade. She turned slightly, her single green eye soft and full of warmth.
"I already did," she whispered.
The barrier shattered—
—and Myterl's body began to burn.
The flames consumed her slowly, turning her armor to ash, her flesh to light. Yet she didn't scream. She simply kept her arms spread over Jennie, shielding her with the last of her vana.
Jennie fell to her knees beneath the collapsing dome of fire, sobbing uncontrollably.
The world turned white, then black.
And then—silence.
The inferno had devoured everything.
The planet itself cracked open, its surface glowing like molten glass. Then, as the fire reached the core, the entire world imploded—swallowed by its own burning heart.
When the fire finally faded, there was nothing left.
No sound. No wind. No earth.
Only drifting embers of black flame in a void of silence.
In the middle of it all, Jennie knelt in a field of ash—alive, protected within a faint flickering barrier that had once been Myterl's.
She stared forward, her tears dry, her eyes vacant.
A whisper carried on the fading wind.
"Live on…"
And Jennie's body shook as she clutched her chest, the weight of every soul that had fallen pressing down on her.
The Planet—gone.
Her commander—gone.
Her friends—gone.
Only one remained.
Jennie.
The last survivor of a world turned to flame.
_____________________