King Henry stood upon the stone balcony overlooking the main courtyard of the castle, where thousands of soldiers had gathered below. Rows of armored warriors filled the grounds, their weapons polished and ready. The atmosphere was heavy with tension, yet a quiet determination burned within the army.
The King raised his voice so that all could hear.
"Soldiers of Lucindor," he declared, his voice echoing through the courtyard. "A great darkness approaches our land. The Chainbound Lord, a being feared across the Five Lands, moves toward our city with the strength of a one-man army."
Murmurs spread among the soldiers.
"But we will not fall," King Henry continued. "We will stand together. We will fight together. And if the time comes, we will defend our people with every drop of strength we possess!"
The soldiers raised their weapons in response, their voices erupting in a thunderous roar of loyalty and courage.
Nearby, the Great Wizard stood beside the King, observing the army with grave concern. His ancient eyes seemed to look far beyond the castle walls, sensing the approaching storm.
He spoke quietly, but the weight of his words carried far.
"The Tyrant is drawing near."
The courtyard slowly fell silent.
"He will strike sooner or later," the Wizard continued. "I can feel his presence spreading across the land. The aura surrounding him… it has grown stronger than ever before."
He paused, his expression darkening.
"He has finally reached the peak of his power."
The Wizard closed his eyes briefly.
"And witnessing it is… terrifying."
Hearing this report, Leo felt a chill run down his spine.
He stood within the castle's private training hall, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. The pressure of the coming battle pressed heavily on his mind.
The Tyrant.
The Chainbound Lord.
Every time he heard the name, memories of their previous encounter surfaced in his thoughts. The overwhelming aura. The crushing power. The feeling of standing before something far beyond human strength.
His heart beat faster.
The relentless training Eryndor had forced him through over the past weeks had pushed his body to its limits. Bruises, exhaustion, and pain had become part of his daily life.
Yet despite all that progress, Leo still wondered if it would be enough.
Fear crept into his thoughts.
But he forced himself to stand firm.
Meanwhile, Helmond had changed drastically over the last three weeks.
Under Eryndor's brutal training, his speed had increased dramatically. His movements had become almost unnatural, like a shadow flickering through space.
He could now react to attacks almost instinctively.
His body moved before his mind could even process the danger.
Eryndor had spent hours forcing Helmond into impossible situations—throwing weapons at him, striking without warning, and forcing him to dodge attacks from every direction.
At first, Helmond barely survived the training.
But now…
His instincts had sharpened beyond what he thought possible.
Even Eryndor had begun to acknowledge his growth.
Eryndor himself stood calmly in the center of the training hall.
His expression remained as cold and unreadable as ever.
Over the weeks, he had taught Leo and Helmond every technique he knew in hand-to-hand combat. His lessons were harsh and unforgiving, but effective.
Despite their improvements, however, Leo and Helmond still could not defeat him.
Not even once.
Still, Eryndor trusted their progress.
They might not be able to defeat him yet, but they could now hold their own against most warriors.
And when the time came…
They would fight bravely.
Across the city, the army prepared for war.
Weapons were sharpened.
Armor was reinforced.
Messengers ran between towers delivering urgent reports.
The tension in the air grew heavier by the hour.
Everyone could feel it.
The shadow of the Chainbound Lord was approaching faster than anyone expected.
Meanwhile, Art Ryder and his elite warriors had already left the city.
Their mission was simple.
Find Kharous Raine.
And if possible…
Kill him.
Art Ryder led his men across the plains and forests beyond the city, tracking signs of destruction left behind by the Chainbound Lord.
Wildlife had vanished.
The ground itself felt drained of life.
They knew they were getting closer.
Back in the city, Eryndor received another order.
The High Officials of the Defense Council had instructed him to select a worthy warrior to assist him during the upcoming battle.
Eryndor accepted the task immediately.
He left the castle and began searching through the city.
For two full days, he watched fighters in the streets, arenas, and training yards.
Most warriors were skilled.
But none impressed him.
Until the second day.
While walking through a quieter district of the city, he suddenly noticed something unusual.
Two bandits had cornered a young man in a narrow street.
Before they could attack—
The young man vanished.
A flash of light appeared behind the first bandit.
The young man reappeared and struck him down instantly.
Then he disappeared again.
The second bandit panicked as the young man teleported behind him and knocked him unconscious.
Eryndor watched carefully.
Teleportation.
Rare.
Powerful.
And extremely difficult to master.
He stepped forward.
The young man turned toward him.
They looked to be nearly the same age as Leo.
Eryndor spoke calmly.
"Are you interested in joining the city's defense force?"
The young man shook his head.
"No."
Eryndor studied him for a moment.
Then suddenly—
He threw a dagger.
The blade flew toward the young man's chest.
The young man instantly teleported.
But before he could react—
Eryndor was already there.
He grabbed him and pinned him to the ground.
The young man's eyes widened.
Eryndor's speed had caught him completely off guard.
For the first time, the young man looked impressed.
"Alright," he said. "You've got my attention."
Eryndor stepped back.
"I'm Eryndor."
The young man nodded.
"I know who you are."
He stood up and brushed the dust from his clothes.
"My name is Ethan Port."
After the introduction, Ethan considered the offer.
Finally, he agreed to join the force.
But he had one condition.
After the fight, his family must receive a large amount of gold and remain completely protected from danger.
Eryndor agreed to the request.
But the final decision would need the King's approval.
The King and the higher officials later approved Ethan's condition.
However, there was one requirement.
Ethan would have to serve the city for one full year after the battle.
Ethan accepted immediately.
His goal was simple.
Free his family from poverty.
Eryndor officially accepted Ethan as his new student.
Now, Eryndor had three trainees:
Leo.
Helmond.
And Ethan.
All three had been pushed to their limits under his guidance.
Ethan finally met Leo and Helmond during a training session inside the castle's private training area.
The moment he walked in, Leo felt uneasy.
There was something confident—almost arrogant—about Ethan's presence.
Leo immediately viewed him as cocky and selfish.
Helmond, meanwhile, stood quietly beside Leo, clearly uncomfortable with the social interaction.
Ethan introduced himself confidently.
"I'm Ethan Port."
He explained that he worked as a ghoul slayer and bounty hunter.
He also possessed the rare ability of teleportation.
His hatred for ghouls ran deep.
Years ago, they had killed his brother.
Since then, Ethan had dedicated his life to hunting them.
Despite his harsh personality, he had a good heart.
His intensity and emotional drive were surprisingly similar to Eryndor's.
Ethan already knew Leo's name.
But he had no idea how powerful Leo truly was.
Leo, however, was intimidated.
Being chosen by Eryndor meant Ethan must be extremely skilled.
Helmond, curious about his own limits, suddenly stepped forward.
"I want to test something," he said.
He challenged Ethan to a fight.
Ethan smirked.
"Alright."
The fight began.
Ethan disappeared instantly.
A flash of light appeared behind Helmond.
He struck.
But Helmond dodged with incredible speed.
Ethan teleported again.
This time he landed a kick.
Helmond slid across the floor but recovered quickly.
Then Helmond counterattacked.
His movements were faster than Ethan expected.
Several quick strikes connected with Ethan's side.
Ethan teleported away just before Helmond's next attack could land.
Helmond chased him with blinding speed.
For a moment, the room became a blur of movement.
Helmond struck Ethan's back multiple times.
But each time Ethan teleported away just before taking serious damage.
Despite Helmond's speed, Ethan controlled the fight.
Finally—
Ethan teleported above him.
With a precise strike, he hit Helmond before he could react.
Helmond staggered.
The world spun around him.
He collapsed, losing consciousness.
Leo rushed forward immediately.
He supported Helmond and called for a doctor.
Ethan watched silently.
Then he nodded in approval.
"That guy's the real deal," he admitted.
At that moment, Eryndor received an urgent message.
A report from the Defense Team Headquarters.
Art Ryder and his men were under attack.
They had encountered over a thousand ghouls at their camp.
Art requested backup.
But suddenly—
The transmission cut out.
A new aura had appeared.
A terrifying one.
The aura of The Chainbound Lord.
Realizing the danger, Art Ryder immediately ordered his forces to retreat.
His soldiers ran through the forest as the ghouls closed in.
But the creatures overwhelmed them.
One by one, his elite warriors were devoured.
Only Art and three of his men managed to escape the massacre.
Barely alive.
Art sent an emergency warning to the city while retreating.
Meanwhile…
Kharous Raine walked through the battlefield calmly.
The corpses of elite soldiers surrounded him.
His aura expanded.
Dark energy spread across the land.
One by one…
The fallen soldiers rose again.
Their bodies twisted and corrupted.
They had become ghouls under Kharous's command.
And his army continued to grow.