The battlefield was still trembling from Noah's berserk eruption. The barrier around the Guardians flickered weakly, strands of light barely holding the darkness back. Liora gritted her teeth, hands trembling as she poured the last of her mana into the cracks.
Then, suddenly—
The cracks stopped spreading.
A hand, calm and steady, pressed against the barrier. Golden light rippled outward, restoring every broken edge as if the damage had never existed.
Gasps filled the air.
Standing there was a figure cloaked in simple white robes, his silver hair tied back, his eyes sharp as cold steel. His presence was so heavy that even the air seemed to bow before him. He didn't radiate overwhelming power like Noah had in his frenzy—his aura was quiet, suffocating, immovable
The shadows hissed, withdrawing slightly into the mist. Even they recognized him.
The Shadow Leader stepped forward, his voice dripping venom.
"So, the Watcher shows himself again… Tell me, old relic, how long can you keep shielding a dying world?"
The Ally raised his gaze, calm and unshaken.
"Long enough."
The Shadow Leader snarled, trying again to provoke him.
"This time, your wall will fall. Your Guardians are weak. Your future chosen one…" his eyes flicked at Noah's exhausted form "…is already breaking from the inside. This world is ours."
For a moment, silence. Then the Stoic Ally gave a faint chuckle.
"If your tongue is so mighty… why has it not pierced my barrier?"
The words cut sharper than any blade.
The Shadow Leader twitched, his jaw tightening.
"Haaa…" The Ally's smirk was faint, mocking without effort.
"You know it. You choke on it. The truth. You are weak. That is why you claw at the edges of my wall instead of stepping through. Why you send shadows instead of leading with your own hand. Rats scratching at stone."
The shadows roared in outrage, but none dared step closer.
The Ally's voice lowered, calm yet commanding.
"Centuries ago, you tried to breach this world. You failed then. You fail now. And every age you return, you will fail again. Because as long as this wall stands—"
He pressed his palm forward. The barrier blazed with golden fire, shining brighter than the sun. The shadows recoiled, screeching, their forms sizzling in the light.
"—you will remain outside, gnawing at nothing."
The Shadow Leader's form rippled, his face tightening with fury.
"Do not think this is the end, Watcher. A day will come when your wall will crumble… and when it does, the first thing we devour will be you."
The Ally did not flinch. He simply folded his arms, eyes never leaving the shadow leader's.
"Then bring your day. Until then—keep scratching."
The Shadow Leader hissed, snapping his fingers. The shadows dissolved back into the void, retreating like a storm pulling away.
The battlefield quieted.
The Guardians—battered, drained, and shaken—looked at the man who had just saved them with a single gesture.
Noah, barely conscious, whispered the words that everyone else was thinking.
"...Who… is he?"
The Ally turned, his expression unreadable. His gaze met Noah's for a brief moment, and in those steel eyes, Noah saw something he couldn't quite name—recognition.
Then, with his arms still folded, the Ally finally spoke.
"I am the Immovable Wall. Remember that name, Guardian… because your path will test even me."
✨ End of Chapter 50 ✨