The calm didn't last.
Reports came in from around the globe—Ravagers were no longer attacking in scattered waves. They were organized, coordinated. Entire cities fell in hours. Russia, Germany, Canada, the U.S.—gone. The world map was shrinking by the day.
Eighty percent of the planet was under Ravager control.
Only Southeast Asia remained.
Skyspire HQ moved its operations to Kuala Lumpur, reinforcing defenses. The last great bastion of humanity.
And that's when we lost her.
Yuki was leading a mission in Japan to destroy a Ravager production core—an energy spire that birthed monsters directly from the rift. Her squad vanished mid-transmission. All we saw was static.
I refused to believe she was gone.
Not her.
Not Yuki.
Weeks passed. The world was crumbling. And then… he arrived.
The Monster King.
He didn't speak. He didn't need to. His presence crushed the air itself. He floated above the ocean horizon, wings like blackened galaxies, his eyes burning like dying stars. Behind him… an army of Ravagers.
And leading the charge—her.
Yuki.
But not the Yuki I knew.
Her once-bright eyes were empty. Her uniform was torn and corrupted, pulsing with dark energy. She floated beside the Monster King like a puppet. A weapon.
"Prepare all forces," the Commander said grimly. "Malaysia is next."
I didn't speak. I couldn't.
Because when the invasion began, and the skies turned black—she was the one standing in front of me.
---
The battlefield was chaos.
Explosions rocked the city. Ravagers tore through buildings. But I didn't see any of it. All I saw was her.
Yuki floated above the burning skyline, her expression blank, eyes glowing violet.
I stepped forward, shaking.
"…Yuki?"
She didn't respond.
And then she charged.
I barely blocked the strike. Her movements were sharper than ever—faster, more lethal. My body screamed with every clash. She wasn't holding back.
"Stop!" I cried. "It's me, Nezo!"
No answer.
Just killing intent.
I dropped to my knees, bleeding, panting. My strength was running dry. She floated above me, raising a corrupted blade forged from shadow.
And I knew…
She wouldn't stop.
Unless I ended it.
I whispered the words I never wanted to say again.
"…Disintegration."
My palm glowed. The rune burned hot, brighter than ever. She launched forward—and I struck.
The glow consumed her.
She stopped mid-air, eyes widening.
"…Nezo?"
Her voice. Her real voice.
Tears welled in her eyes. The corruption faded from her body in flickers, her hand reaching toward me.
"I… I remember now…"
I fell to my knees, the light fading.
"I'm sorry, Yuki. I love you."
Her voice trembled, body already turning to light.
"I love you too… I'm sorry…"
And just like that… she was gone.
The battlefield fell silent.
And I was alone.