The Sovereign chuckled softly as he gazed into those eyes.
Eyes that resembled the abyss itself.
To everyone else—
they appeared empty.
Void of emotion.
Void of thought.
Like endless darkness given form.
But the Sovereign could see it clearly.
Beneath that darkness—
beneath the silence—
only a single emotion remained.
Hatred.
Pure hatred.
Hatred toward humanity.
Hatred toward the world.
Hatred toward existence itself.
The Sovereign's smile widened.
"Oh dear brother..."
"It seems your little slumber has left you somewhat unstable."
Rio said nothing.
Those black eyes merely stared forward.
Silent.
Motionless.
Yet the pressure radiating from him continued growing heavier.
The sea trembled.
The sky darkened.
The very atmosphere seemed unwilling to approach him.
The Sovereign glanced toward the Retainers.
"I'll be occupied for a while."
Then—
space distorted.
The Sovereign placed a hand upon Rio's shoulder.
The surrounding reality immediately began collapsing inward.
They were preparing to leave.
But just before they vanished—
CRACK.
A portal suddenly tore open before them.
The battlefield immediately froze.
A woman stepped through.
Long black hair.
Eyes resembling an endless void.
An overwhelming pressure spread across Noctara.
Aurelia Lioren.
The Headmistress of Nexus Academy.
And at this moment—
she had only one goal.
Take Rio back.
Her gaze immediately locked onto Rio.
Then—
the Sovereign.
The ocean itself seemed to hold its breath.
For a brief moment—
nobody moved.
Then Aurelia stepped forward.
The surrounding space instantly began warping.
Yet before she could act—
someone appeared before her.
A black hat.
A lazy smile.
Moon.
The Retainer of Time.
Moon adjusted his hat slightly.
"Ah."
"Not so fast."
Aurelia's eyes narrowed.
Moon smiled.
Then—
a veil descended.
Time itself folded.
The world distorted.
And both of them disappeared.
Gone.
As though they had never existed in the first place.
The Sovereign watched the scene unfold before chuckling quietly.
"Moon should keep her occupied."
Then—
he finally looked toward the armies.
Toward the SS Rankers.
Toward the countless individuals gathered upon the battlefield.
His smile remained unchanged.
Yet for some reason—
everyone felt a chill run down their spine.
The Sovereign gave a small wave.
"Until next time."
And then—
he vanished.
Along with Rio.
The pressure disappeared instantly.
The black eyes vanished.
The abyss vanished.
The Sovereign vanished.
Only silence remained.
Absolute silence.
...
Alaric slowly descended from the sky.
His boots landed upon the ruined shores of Noctara.
For the first time in decades—
his mind was unsettled.
Ever since reaching Ten Stars—
ever since standing at the very peak of humanity—
Alaric Ryker had believed there was nothing left to fear.
Nothing left to surpass.
Nothing left to challenge him.
Yet today—
everything he believed had been shattered.
The image of the Sovereign remained burned into his mind.
That overwhelming pressure.
That impossible power.
That existence.
Alaric clenched his sword tighter.
His knuckles turned white.
Before he could gather his thoughts—
SHIIIIING!
A crimson slash tore through the sky.
His instincts screamed.
Alaric immediately raised his blade.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Azure and crimson collided.
The surrounding clouds exploded apart.
His cold gaze shifted upward.
Lucivar.
The Patriarch of the Valen Family.
The newly ascended Ten Star.
The man standing at the pinnacle of Astryx.
Their eyes met.
No words were exchanged.
None were necessary.
The ocean beneath them exploded.
Then—
both disappeared.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The sky above Noctara erupted.
Crimson and azure illuminated the heavens.
Two figures clashed beyond the clouds.
Each collision shook the coastline.
Each strike threatened to split the sky itself.
Below them—
the battlefield finally erupted.
The moment the two Ten Stars engaged—
everyone else moved.
SS Rankers rushed forward.
Mana exploded across the battlefield.
Lightning.
Flames.
Ice.
Wind.
The shores of Noctara transformed into absolute chaos.
Leon's sword carved through Astryx forces.
Emma's spells painted the battlefield with destruction.
Ogram smashed apart entire formations with every swing.
Meanwhile—
Rhydian Solcrest became a living storm of lightning.
Orion Thornvale moved like a phantom through the battlefield.
Sevryn Ironcrest shattered the earth beneath every step.
The Guardian Knights stood unmoving amidst the chaos.
Like ancient monuments witnessing another age of war.
The sea roared.
The heavens shook.
And countless warriors clashed beneath them.
Because everyone understood the same thing.
This battle was no longer about Rio.
No longer about the Retainers.
No longer about Oblivion.
It had become something far greater.
A war.
A war that would determine the future of the continent itself.
Astryx.
Or Verilian.
One kingdom would emerge victorious.
The other—
would be remembered only in history.
And above the battlefield—
Crimson and Azure continued colliding endlessly.
As the two strongest humans on the continent began their duel.
...
Meanwhile—
High above the battlefield—
two figures stood amidst the shattered skies.
Xeno.
The Retainer of Death.
And beside him—
Nephius.
The Retainer of Beauty.
Below them—
Noctara had become a sea of war.
Explosions illuminated the coastline.
Mana storms shook the ocean.
Kingdom clashed against kingdom.
Life against death.
Xeno watched everything unfold with amusement.
A grin slowly appeared on his face.
"Hm."
"Interesting."
His crimson eyes swept across the battlefield.
"To witness Astryx and Verilian finally collide."
A loud explosion echoed below.
Xeno chuckled.
"I suppose this war shall finally conclude their decade-long hatred for one another."
His gaze lingered for a moment longer.
Then he shrugged.
"Anyhow."
"This doesn't concern me."
He turned around.
Preparing to leave.
Then—
SHIIIIIIIIING!!!
An ice slash tore through the sky.
The skies froze.
Clouds crystallized instantly before shattering into countless fragments.
Xeno halted.
His grin widened.
Slowly—
he turned.
A woman stood before him.
White hair danced within the wind.
Crimson eyes burned with overwhelming killing intent.
Elena Astra.
Guild Master of Saviant.
The Sword Saintess.
The woman whose younger brother had died by Xeno's hands.
The moment their eyes met—
the temperature dropped.
Xeno laughed.
"Ah."
"I almost forgot about you."
His crimson eyes stared directly into hers.
Then he slowly raised his scythe.
Darkness gathered around its blade.
Death itself seemed to answer his call.
"Fine."
His grin widened further.
"Let's conclude this battle today."
"Once and for all."
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Ice and darkness collided.
A massive shockwave erupted through the heavens.
The sea below split apart.
Elena's sword met Xeno's scythe.
Neither moved.
Neither yielded.
Only pure killing intent remained between them.
Meanwhile—
Nephius remained silent.
Her emotionless eyes drifted toward the distant horizon.
Toward the place where the Sovereign had disappeared alongside Rio.
A faint ripple appeared within her usually indifferent gaze.
Then—
she looked downward.
Vex was still locked in battle.
Golden light and darkness repeatedly erupted across the battlefield.
Lancelot's blade clashed against the power of the Perished Army.
The Golden Knight and the Dragon of Endless Tides continued shaking the battlefield with every strike.
And all across Noctara—
the war continued.
The strongest had finally found their opponents.
And the continent itself had become their battlefield.
...
As war erupted across Noctara—
as Astryx and Verilian plunged into chaos—
a single girl remained kneeling upon the ruined shore.
Lucinda Valen.
The sounds of battle echoed around her.
Explosions.
Screams.
The clash of legendary warriors.
Yet none of it reached her ears.
Her mind remained trapped in a single moment.
A single truth.
Zio Norken.
Rio Valen.
They had always been the same person.
The brother she had forgotten.
The brother she had abandoned.
The brother she had hurt more than anyone else.
Her body trembled.
The image of those black eyes refused to leave her mind.
Not hatred.
Not anger.
Those eyes had been far worse.
They had been broken.
Completely broken.
A sob escaped her lips.
Then another.
Tears slowly fell onto the bloodstained sand beneath her.
"N-no..."
Her voice cracked.
"I..."
Lucinda clutched her chest.
It hurt.
Far more than any wound she had suffered today.
Far more than the Leviathan's attack.
Far more than the war surrounding her.
Because for the first time—
she remembered.
The little boy standing in the hallway.
The hope within his eyes.
The way he had looked at her.
As though she was his entire world.
And her response.
Get out.
The words echoed endlessly within her mind.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Lucinda's shoulders trembled violently.
"I-I'm sorry..."
Her voice barely emerged.
The battlefield continued raging around her.
Yet she remained kneeling there.
Broken.
"I-I'm sorry..."
More tears fell.
"I-I'm sorry, Rio..."
The name felt unfamiliar.
Yet painfully familiar at the same time.
As though she should have spoken it countless times before.
As though she had failed to speak it when it mattered most.
Her hands clenched the sand beneath her.
Blood stained her fingers.
Yet she didn't notice.
"R-Rio..."
A sob escaped her.
"I didn't know..."
Her voice broke completely.
"I didn't know..."
The strongest prodigy of the Valen Family.
The pride of the household.
The girl admired by countless people.
Now looked no different from a lost child.
And amidst the flames of war—
Lucinda Valen cried.
Not for Astryx.
Not for Verilian.
Not for the battle.
But for the little brother she had lost long before she ever realized he was gone.