The alliance was sealed beneath uneasy smiles.
Ryujin's banners fluttered beside Elysium's as they returned to camp with Jess in tow. Amity made his intentions clear that very night—this alliance was temporary. Ryujin would be dealt with once Kuro fell. The war letter was sent without hesitation.
But Kuro was never alone.
By dawn, word arrived: Silvarin had joined them—the third-strongest nation, standing just beneath Sovereign and Elysium. The war had grown fangs.
Training intensified. Steel rang day and night. Soldiers were pushed to their limits, but Noa remained sidelined—his body still paying the price for power it wasn't meant to hold. Even so, Viviette's care worked miracles. His wounds closed faster than nature allowed, though his strength had yet to return.
That Night
Amity's tent was dimly lit, the air thick with exhaustion.
Amity and Midnight finished their discussion about the coming battle with Kuro and Silvarin. Maps lay scattered, pins marking death yet to come.
Amity leaned back, rubbing his temples.
"Hey, Midnight. Wanna grab a drink?"
Midnight raised a brow. "Isn't Cameron's shop closed?"
Amity smirked. "Relax. I've got a bottle hidden in the back. I'll be right back."
When Amity stepped out, Midnight's gaze wandered—and stopped.
Beside the bed sat a strange object.
A golden stash, solid and heavy, with a small tree-like structure growing from its top. Three diamond-like gems were set into it like watching eyes.
When Amity returned, Midnight gestured toward it.
"Amity… what is that?"
Amity glanced over. "Ah. That belonged to my mother. She loved robbery as much as I do."
His voice softened. "Before she died, she gave me this. Said it brings pure luck to whoever owns it."
Midnight studied it carefully. "It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen."
Amity shrugged. "Yeah. Weird thing. Anyway—drink."
They laughed, drank, and for a moment, the war felt far away.
The First Blood
Midnight staggered to his feet, clearly drunk.
"Whoa," Amity said, catching him. "You're done. Let me walk you back."
"I got it," Midnight muttered. "I can handle myself."
He didn't make it far.
Shadows moved. Steel flashed.
A sudden strike came from the darkness—but it never landed.
Noa stepped in, blocking the attack and driving the assailant back. Midnight's drunken haze vanished instantly. With ruthless precision, he struck down two attackers. The last tried to flee—
—but Noa stopped him cold.
The clash woke the camp.
Amity arrived moments later. One spy still breathed.
They dragged him away.
The interrogation didn't last long.
Kuro and Silvarin's plans spilled out in broken words, fear doing what pain could not.
The war was coming sooner than expected.
The Battlefield
Four nations stood beneath a sky choked with smoke.
Ryujin.
Elysium.
Kuro.
Silvarin.
Amity and Jaketsu gave the order to charge—but the enemy didn't move.
Arrows darkened the sky.
Yet none fell.
Viviette's foresight saved them—every soldier carried a heavy iron shield. The volley shattered uselessly against metal.
When they reached the enemy lines, swords were drawn.
The battlefield turned into chaos.
Noa fought alongside Felix, Kyutaro, Lxn, Lunnaux, and Hatrood—moving as one. Wherever they struck, enemy ranks collapsed. By the time the dust settled, hundreds lay defeated by their hands alone.
But the war wasn't finished.
Betrayal and Fire
Hidden forces emerged.
Viviette anticipated it and ordered long-range countermeasures. Massive stone shots crashed into the enemy ranks—devastating, unstoppable.
But war does not choose sides.
Lives were lost on both ends.
Then the ground erupted.
Explosions tore through the battlefield—traps planted long before Elysium ever arrived. Thousands were lost in an instant.
Jess was caught in it.
She survived—but barely.
Noa found her screaming, broken, burned.
He lifted her without thinking, shielding her with his own body.
They were surrounded.
Then Amity charged in, sword blazing, followed by Felix, Midnight, Lxn, and the warlords of Elysium. Steel met steel in a desperate stand.
Noa turned to escape with Jess—
A shot rang out.
Pain exploded through his body as he fell.
The one who fired wore Ryujin colors.
The truth became clear too late.
Ryujin had never intended peace.
They had planned long ago with kuro for
A way to destroy Elysium for once.
Elysium was surrounded.
Jess
Noa crawled to Jess's side.
She was fading.
"Noa…" she whispered. "Am I… going to survive?"
"Yes," he said, tears breaking free. "You will."
"Will I… train under you?"
He nodded, choking on his words. "You will. I promise."
Jess smiled.
Then she was still.
Something inside Noa shattered.
The Fall
He screamed.
He charged.
Wounded. Broken. Alone.
He fought with everything he had left, rage carrying him where strength could not. Enemies fell—but his body was having problem. He lost his arms.
Bones sticking out of his legs and finally-
He collapsed.
Jaketsu stood before him, amused.
"Oh? Still alive?" he mocked. "Pathetic."
Noa spat blood and smiled faintly.
"This 'pathetic' body… wiped out hundreds of yours."
Jaketsu's expression darkened.
"Enough."
The blade fell.
Aftermath
Silence followed.
Then Amity saw it.
Noa's body—still.
A scream tore through the battlefield as Elysium's warlords charged in fury.
But the damage was done.
That day, the battlefield burned.
And with it—
thousands of Elysium soldiers