Xeno's eyes narrowed.
For the first time since arriving, the playful amusement on his face faded slightly.
Five figures had appeared upon the battlefield.
Each wore black armor etched with ancient silver runes.
Long swords rested in their hands.
The pressure radiating from them distorted the very air.
Every single one of them possessed strength capable of rivaling an SS-Ranker.
Xeno immediately recognized them.
His expression darkened.
"The Guardian Knights..."
The title alone carried immense weight.
Long ago, during humanity's darkest era, they had followed a single man.
Ethan Cross.
The Hero.
The man who had united humanity against extinction itself.
After his death, the Guardian Knights had vanished.
Some said they had perished.
Others believed they had secluded themselves from the world.
For centuries, no one had seen them.
Yet now—
they stood here.
Upon the shores of Noctara.
Xeno's eyes sharpened.
"Why are the Guardian Knights supporting Astryx?"
No answer came.
The five knights remained silent.
Like statues.
Like weapons.
Then—
they began walking forward.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Their destination was obvious.
Rio.
"Tch."
Xeno clicked his tongue.
The next moment—
he vanished.
Nephius moved simultaneously.
The Retainer of Beauty appeared beside him, her expression colder than ever before.
The Guardian Knights raised their swords.
Xeno grinned.
A dangerous grin.
"Fighting Guardian Knights..."
His scythe appeared within his grasp.
"I feel honored."
BOOOOOOM!
The battlefield exploded.
Steel met steel.
Shockwaves tore through the sea.
The sky itself trembled.
Meanwhile—
the forces of Astryx had finally arrived.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Warships filled the horizon.
Elite soldiers poured onto the battlefield.
And at the very front—
a lone figure walked through the sea.
The ocean parted around him.
In his hand rested a golden sword.
Its radiance illuminated the darkened battlefield.
Absolute power flowed from the weapon.
Each step he took seemed capable of shaking the world itself.
His blond hair moved gently with the wind.
His crimson eyes remained indifferent.
Unmoved by the chaos surrounding him.
Then—
his gaze landed upon a lone figure.
A girl desperately attempting to stand despite her injuries.
Lucinda.
His daughter.
Even unconsciousness seemed incapable of stopping her.
Her battered body still struggled forward.
Still refused to surrender.
For a brief moment—
the man's expression softened.
Then his gaze shifted.
Toward the center of the battlefield.
Toward the three pillars of light piercing the heavens.
Gold.
Red.
Blue.
Three colors.
Three powers.
And at the center of them all—
stood a young man.
Black-and-white hair.
Golden eyes.
His hair and eyes had changed but.
A face he knew better than anyone.
The man's footsteps stopped.
His son.
Rio Valen.
Lucivar's crimson eyes remained fixed upon the awakening figure.
...
A sharp pain suddenly engulfed Lucivar's mind.
For a brief moment—
his body froze.
Voices.
Fragments of the past.
All of them surfaced at once.
Then—
they disappeared.
Lucivar's expression returned to normal.
Cold.
Empty.
Emotionless.
Slowly—
he raised his sword.
The golden blade hummed.
A terrifying pressure spread throughout the battlefield.
The ocean itself began trembling.
The sky distorted.
His crimson eyes remained fixed on a single target.
Rio.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
The sword fell.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A crimson slash erupted into existence.
It split apart the heavens themselves.
The clouds vanished.
The ocean beneath it was torn apart instantly.
Everything in its path ceased to exist.
This wasn't an attack meant to wound.
It was a strike meant to end everything.
A strike meant to erase Rio Valen from the world.
Xeno's eyes widened.
"SHI—"
Too late.
The slash had already descended.
Yet—
at that exact moment—
another sword appeared.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A blue slash erupted from behind Rio.
Pure.
Absolute.
Overwhelming.
The two attacks collided.
Crimson and blue devoured the sky.
For a single moment—
the world became silent.
Then—
the resulting shockwave exploded.
The ocean split apart.
Warships were thrown backwards.
Countless soldiers stumbled.
Even the clouds above were completely erased.
Lucivar's eyes narrowed.
Slowly—
he looked upward.
Someone stood there.
A man dressed in white.
White hair.
Onyx eyes.
A sword resting casually within his hand.
The Astryx forces immediately recoiled.
Fear spread across countless faces.
Because everyone recognized him.
The reason Astryx had never managed to gain an advantage against Verilian.
The strongest sword humanity possessed.
The Sword of Verilian.
Alaric Ryker.
The strongest human alive.
Alaric stood in the sky.
His expression remained indifferent.
His onyx eyes gazed coldly toward Lucivar.
Neither man spoke.
The pressure alone was enough.
The ocean trembled.
The sky distorted.
The world itself seemed to hold its breath.
Because the two strongest warriors of their generation had just clashed.
And everyone understood the same thing.
If either of them truly fought seriously—
Noctara would cease to exist.
Then—
space shattered.
A massive portal opened above the battlefield.
One.
Then another.
Then dozens more.
Countless figures emerged.
Warships.
Mages.
Knights.
Elite soldiers.
The banners of Verilian unfurled across the horizon.
The battlefield fell silent.
The Astryx forces stared in disbelief.
Their expressions slowly turned pale.
Because what they were witnessing wasn't a rescue operation.
It wasn't reinforcement.
It was an army.
The Verilian Forces had arrived.
And for the first time since the battle began—
everyone understood.
This was no longer a conflict between students.
No longer a battle against a Leviathan.
No longer a struggle involving Retainers.
This had become something far larger.
The beginning of a war.
...
More portals shattered open across the battlefield.
The sea trembled as dozens of figures emerged one after another.
Leon was the first to land.
His golden eyes immediately found Rio standing at the center of the chaos.
A grin appeared on his face.
"...You really can't stay out of trouble, can you?"
Behind him, another figure stepped forward.
The massive man surveyed the battlefield.
His eyes moved across the Leviathan.
The Retainers.
The Guardian Knights.
The armies gathering from every direction.
Finally—
his gaze landed on Rio.
Ogram glanced at him solemnly.
"Kid."
A small girl soon landed beside them.
Emma's crimson eyes immediately narrowed.
"Tch."
"Why is every catastrophe somehow connected to him?"
Meanwhile another figure emerged.
White hair.
Crimson eyes.
The moment Elena landed—
her gaze instantly found Xeno.
The atmosphere froze.
Xeno's grin slowly appeared.
Elena's expression remained completely emotionless.
Yet the killing intent radiating from her caused even nearby SS-Rankers to retreat.
The ocean beneath her feet froze.
Not from ice.
From fear.
Soon more figures emerged.
Vivine glanced around before her eyes landed on Emma.
A playful smile appeared.
"Oh?"
"The brat survived."
Emma's eye twitched.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BRAT?"
Vivine's smile widened.
"The brat that just screamed."
"You wanna die?"
"See? Brat."
The two immediately began arguing.
Nobody paid attention to them.
A gigantic figure landed nearby.
Gareth glanced around.
His eyes widened.
"HAAH!"
"Now THIS looks like a battlefield!"
Ogram immediately frowned.
"You're too loud."
"Who gives a shit."
Meanwhile—
the Astryx forces stood firm.
Lightning crackled across the sky as Rhydian Solcrest stepped forward.
Beside him stood Orion Thornvale.
The Guardian Knights as well now glanced at the army.
Silent.
Watching.
Calculating.
Behind them—
Sevryn Ironcrest rested his massive warhammer upon the ground.
BOOM.
The impact shook the shoreline.
Neither side moved.
Neither side wished to be the first.
Because everyone understood.
The moment a single person attacked—
a war unlike anything seen in centuries would begin.
And at the center of it all—
the three pillars of light continued piercing the heavens.
Gold.
Red.
Blue.
The awakening wasn't over.
It had only just begun.