The air cracked as Belenor's massive fist tore through the storm. Entire ridgelines buckled and collapsed into dust.
There had been no warning—just one horrific punch.
Oliver's artifact armor shattered like paper. The blow drove straight through his chest and burst from his back in a spray of crimson.
Blood geysered across the ground. Oliver's eyes widened in disbelief. Then his pupils went dim.
Critical hit.
Instant kill.
The scene froze Ethan in place. The self-styled hellion of Mars stood slack-jawed, trembling lips barely forming words.
"Oli… Oliver!!!"
Oliver—the "Rising Aurora" of Earth.
A prodigy whose talent and precision rivaled the Archmage himself. To the Godslayer legion, his very existence was proof that Earth still had hope. He was the banner they rallied to, the one they believed would lead them home again.
And now, in the face of a godspawn's casual punch, that banner lay torn in the dirt.
The strongest of Earth's new generation was simply… gone.
