As the final chain was about to collapse—
Rio spoke.
No.
Not Rio Barnes.
Not Rio Valen.
Both of them.
Their voices echoed together.
Unified.
Absolute.
"The second choice."
Silence.
Then—
the Crown of Eternity laughed.
Not mockingly.
Not joyfully.
But as though it had waited countless ages to hear those words.
[Very well, Rio.]
The onyx crown began spinning violently.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
Until it became nothing more than a black ring of endless light.
Then—
its voice resounded throughout the abyss.
[Seal.]
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A blinding light erupted.
The abyss shattered instantly.
Darkness collapsed.
Chains vanished.
Reality itself seemed to fold inward.
Rio slowly closed his eyes.
And just before his consciousness faded—
he saw it.
Words.
Ancient words.
Older than reality.
[Unknown Entity: ███-ÆON]
[Access Granted: VΔLΞN]
[Divinity Detected: Ω-Class]
[System Override Authorized]
And then—
everything disappeared.
Meanwhile—
inside the dark dimension—
the Sovereign's grin vanished.
For the first time.
Ever.
The amusement disappeared from his face entirely.
Because the figure standing before him...
was no longer Rio.
A terrifying killing intent erupted across the void.
Entire dimensions trembled.
Reality screamed.
The Sovereign's pupils contracted.
His voice emerged hoarse.
Filled with disbelief.
Filled with rage.
"Y-you..."
The void shattered.
The stars died.
The darkness itself retreated.
A figure stood where Rio once had.
Its body was completely concealed beneath endless light.
Impossible to perceive.
Impossible to comprehend.
Upon its head rested a familiar crown.
The Crown of Eternity.
The figure slowly raised its head.
And gazed upon the Sovereign.
Then—
it spoke.
A voice devoid of emotion.
A voice carrying absolute authority.
The voice of a law.
The voice of an ending.
[Kneel, insect.]
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Golden divinity erupted.
The Sovereign's eyes widened.
For the first time in countless ages—
his knees touched the ground.
CRACK.
CRACK.
CRACK.
The entire dimension fractured beneath the pressure.
The ruler of Oblivion.
Forced to kneel.
The light continued growing.
The pressure became unbearable.
Yet despite everything—
despite being crushed beneath overwhelming divinity—
the Sovereign laughed.
A low laugh.
Then a grin slowly appeared.
Mad.
Obsessive.
Unyielding.
Blood trickled from the corner of his lips.
Yet his eyes burned brighter than ever.
"It doesn't matter."
The dimension continued collapsing.
The Sovereign slowly raised his head.
Staring directly at the figure.
At ███-ÆON.
Hatred burned within his eyes.
Hatred that transcended time itself.
"No matter how many times..."
"No matter how many cycles..."
"No matter how many worlds..."
His grin widened.
"I will destroy you, ███-ÆON."
Silence.
Then—
the entire dimension collapsed.
And everything vanished into nothingness.
...
Meanwhile, on Earth—
Two Sword Masters stood high above the battlefield.
The war that had consumed nations was finally nearing its end.
For days they had fought without rest.
Fire against ice.
Will against will.
Neither side willing to yield.
Below them, entire mountain ranges had been reduced to rubble.
Noctara burned.
The oceans themselves had been scarred by their battle.
And now—
Only one final clash remained.
The Kingdom of Verilian held the advantage.
The enemy lines were collapsing.
Victory was within reach.
High in the skies, Alaric Ryker gazed at the man standing opposite him.
Lucivar Valen.
Frost gathered around Alaric's blade.
The temperature of the world plummeted.
Clouds froze.
The sky turned white.
Without hesitation, he raised his sword.
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Sword Field: Frozen Eternity."
An endless domain of ice unfolded.
The skies froze.
Time itself seemed to slow beneath the overwhelming cold.
At that exact moment—
Lucivar smiled.
Flames erupted around him.
Golden fire devoured the skies.
A phoenix cry echoed across the world.
He raised his own sword.
"Sword Field: Phoenix Requiem."
BOOM.
Fire and ice erupted simultaneously.
The skies split apart.
One side of the sky became a frozen wasteland.
The other became a sea of divine flames.
The collision illuminated the entire continent.
For a brief moment—
It looked as though a second sun had been born.
Meanwhile...
Far beneath the two Sword Masters...
Another battle had already reached its conclusion.
The battle between the Retainer of Death and the Sword Saintess.
Blood stained the shattered earth.
Elena staggered forward.
Her left arm was gone.
Torn away during the battle.
Blood dripped from the wound.
Yet she continued moving.
Continued advancing.
Continued challenging death itself.
Her crimson eyes never wavered.
Because before her stood the very monster who had earned the title of Retainer of Death.
And yet—
The monster was no longer standing.
Xeno lay upon the broken ground.
Blood poured from countless wounds.
The earth beneath him had become crimson.
His breathing was shallow.
His body refused to move.
For the first time in years—
Death had been brought to the edge of its own grave.
Elena tightened her grip on her remaining sword.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
But she kept walking.
Toward the fallen Retainer.
Toward the end of a war.
Above them, the skies burned and froze.
Below them, legends prepared to write their final chapter.
...
Before Elena could finish him off—
her body suddenly gave out.
She collapsed onto one knee.
Her crimson eyes widened.
"N-No..."
Her legs refused to move.
The battle had pushed her beyond her limits.
Blood continued dripping onto the shattered battlefield.
Behind her—
the Five Guardian Knights slowly advanced.
Their swords remained drawn.
Their expressions remained cold.
Vex, the Retainer of the Primordial Sea, had already fallen during his battle against Lancelot.
Lancelot himself had perished at the hands of Nephius before she disappeared from the battlefield.
And now—
the Five Guardian Knights had only one objective left.
To execute the Sword Saintess.
And the dying Retainer of Death.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Their footsteps echoed across the ruined shores of Noctara.
Then—
Judgement descended.
BOOOOOOM!
The heavens split apart.
A figure crashed down from the skies themselves.
The entire battlefield trembled.
Black and white hair danced within the wind.
A black sword rested within his hand.
The moment he landed—
every battle stopped.
Even the two strongest men fighting in the skies above instinctively paused.
Because they recognized him.
Rio Valen.
He had finally arrived.
The sea winds howled around him.
His black sword slowly rose.
Cold golden eyes swept across the battlefield.
Then—
his gaze landed upon the Five Guardian Knights.
The very knights who once followed humanity's greatest hero.
Ethan Cross.
Silence followed.
The Guardian Knights froze.
Then—
one by one—
they knelt.
Their swords lowered.
Their heads bowed.
Not a single word was spoken.
Rio simply looked at them.
Then turned away.
His eyes landed on Xeno.
The Retainer of Death.
For the first time—
Xeno's expression shattered completely.
His crimson eyes widened.
"Impossible..."
His voice trembled.
"Y-you're not the Retainer of Chaos."
Rio chuckled softly.
A calm laugh.
A laugh devoid of madness.
"No."
His black eyes met Xeno's.
A faint smile appeared.
"I'm Rio Valen."
The black sword moved.
A single swing.
Nothing more.
SHIIIIING—
A slash of pure chaos crossed the battlefield.
For a moment—
time itself seemed to stop.
Then—
Xeno's body split apart.
Completely.
Effortlessly.
The Retainer of Death died before he could even react.
Silence engulfed the battlefield once more.
Rio didn't spare him another glance.
Instead—
his eyes fell upon Elena.
The unconscious Sword Saintess.
For the first time since his arrival—
warmth appeared within those eyes.
He slowly crouched beside her.
Gently—
he brushed the strands of white hair away from her face.
His movements were careful.
Almost tender.
A small smile appeared on his lips.
"Sleep, Guild Master."
His voice was quiet.
"It's all over now."
The sea winds carried those words away.
Then Rio stood once more.
His gaze swept across the battlefield.
And finally—
he saw them.
Leon.
Covered in blood.
Barely standing.
Yet still grinning.
The swordsman laughed loudly.
"Haha!"
"You damn brat."
"You're finally here."
Behind him stood Ogram.
Injured.
Exhausted.
But alive.
Emma.
Vivine.
Gareth.
The surviving members of Saviant and Abyss.
Bruised.
Broken.
Yet alive.
Rio smiled.
A genuine smile.
One that none of them had seen in a very long time.
The war was over.
The Verilian Empire had won.
High above the battlefield—
Lucivar slowly descended.
His crimson eyes remained fixed on Rio.
For several moments—
he said nothing.
Then finally—
he spoke.
"I lost."
The battlefield fell silent.
Everyone waited for Rio's answer.
Waited for anger.
Hatred.
Anything.
Instead—
Rio simply smiled.
A calm.
Gentle.
Almost nostalgic smile.
Then—
he turned around.
Without answering.
Without asking questions.
Without demanding explanations.
He simply walked away.
Leaving everyone behind.
Leaving the battlefield.
Leaving the war.
Confusion filled the faces of those watching him disappear into the distance.
Where was he going?
What could possibly matter more than everything that had just happened?
Rio never looked back.
Because there was only one destination in his mind.
Only one person he wished to see.
His dear elder sister.