I was still standing in the throne room, the echo of my warning about the Kingdom's doom still vibrating in the air. The King's face was a mask of disbelief and arrogance, and Isabella looked as if she wanted to scream at me for my insolence. But before anyone could utter a word, the world turned upside down.
BOOM!
A massive shockwave ripped through the palace, shattering every stained-glass window into a million jagged shards. The floor beneath us groaned and buckled. The blast originated from the main gate, nearly half a kilometer away, but the sheer force of it made the palace feel like a house of cards in a hurricane.
"Shit..." I cursed internally, clutching my head as the familiar ring of a neural crash threatened to return. "I was too slow. I spent too much time talking, and now the nightmare is already here."
The King was trembling, his royal composure replaced by the raw terror of a cornered animal. Isabella's eyes were wide with shock. I took a deep, shaky breath, the metallic scent of smoke and ozone filling my lungs.
"Listen to me!" I barked, my voice cutting through the panic. "I have a way to slow them down, but it will cost your Kingdom dearly. There will be structural damage. There will be loss. Do I have your sanction to take command?"
The King looked at the smoke rising from the gate and then back at me. He had no cards left to play. He nodded frantically. "Do whatever you must, Hero! Just save my city!"
The Tactical Pivot
I turned to Seraphina (Lady Night). "Seraphina, take the guards and move toward the gate. Do not engage the High-Rank Generals head-on. If you see a demon, keep your distance. Their numbers are endless; yours are not. Direct combat is suicide."
I then looked at Night (Kiran). "Where is the highest vantage point in this city? The tallest structure?"
"To the West," Night replied, his voice echoing in my mind. "The Grand Clock Tower and the High Spires. It overlooks the entire Kingdom."
"Thank you. Now, let's go."
As I rushed out of the palace, I ran into Yumi and Hina. They were already armored up, their faces pale but determined. Hina grabbed my arm, her eyes burning with a fierce light. "Kinji-ji, I'm going to fight. My village was lost because I was weak. I won't let this Kingdom fall for the same reason. I will fight for you!"I looked at her—the girl who had lost everything—and felt a pang of guilt. "Fine. Go with Lady Night. Protect the citizens. I trust you, Hina. You are our shield."
I then turned to Yumi. "Yumi, I need you. Can you manifest that tree-barrier magic on a massive scale?"
She hesitated, her hands shaking. "I... I can try. But to cover the whole Kingdom? It will drain me, Reyansh. I'll need to heal and maintain the barrier at the same time."
"I know you can do it," I said, looking her in the eye. "You are more than a healer. You are our only hope."
The Flight of the Sovereign
"Night! Come out!" I roared internally.
"You're a madman, my friend," Night's voice chuckled darkly. "I thought you'd let me rest after that last crash."
Suddenly, a searing pain shot through my chest. My body felt like it was being hollowed out. I looked down and saw my own form flickering—I was becoming a conduit for Night's raw power. My eyes glowed a lethal Azure, and I could feel the cold, sharp perception of the 'Sovereign' taking over.
Night didn't wait. He scooped Yumi up into his arms and leaped.
The speed was nauseating. We were flying over rooftops, a blur of blue light cutting through the smoke-filled sky. Every time Night's feet touched a roof, the tiles shattered from the force.
"Slow down! You're going to kill us both!" I groaned, the pain in my chest intensifying.
"We don't have time to be gentle, Reyansh!" Night snapped as we reached the West Spires.
He dropped Yumi off at the highest balcony. She didn't waste a second. She knelt, her hands touching the cold stone, and a green-gold light began to pour from her body.
"The Living Goddess..." I whispered. The barrier didn't just rise; it blossomed. Huge, ethereal roots of light spread across the sky, forming a shimmering dome over the city. It was beautiful and terrifying. It didn't stop people from moving, but it acted as a filter, strengthening the structures and blocking the demonic miasma.
The Horror Below
Night turned and dived back toward the gate. Below us, the city was a slaughterhouse. People were screaming, running in circles like ants in a burning nest.
Suddenly, my perception slowed. I saw a massive wall collapsing toward a small child. Without a word, Night accelerated. We became a streak of blue lightning. We reached the child a millisecond before impact, Night's sheer momentum shattering the falling stone into dust.
"Argh!" I screamed internally. It felt like my soul was being put through a meat grinder. "Night, you're going to kill me! Stop playing the savior for every single person!"
"Trust me, Reyansh," Night replied, his voice cold. "You wanted to be the Sovereign. This is the price."
"To hell with your trust!" I spat back, blood leaking from my nose.We reached the main gate. The sight was stomach-turning. Demons—vile, bloated creatures—were literally chewing through the guards. The screams were primal, the sound of bones snapping echoing through the streets. A group of demons was feasting on a fallen soldier, their mouths dripping with gore.
The 'Agony' was no longer just a meter; it was a physical weight, a dark ocean drowning me. I was standing at the edge of the world's end, and the real fight hadn't even started.