Dark King III slowly raised his hand toward the sky, as though he were lifting the weight of entire universes.
The violet clouds gathered above him.
Darkness itself compressed within his palm.
A massive sphere began to form.
It rotated slowly, pulsing like the heart of an ancient demon that had finally awakened from its slumber.
But suddenly—
BOOOOM!
A burst of light erupted.
The sky was pierced from behind, and waves of radiant water surged forward, crashing into the dark sphere and dispersing it before its formation could be completed.
Dark King III slowly turned his head.
His expression remained emotionless...
But his eyebrow twitched for a brief moment.
From the rear portal...
Sirvan emerged.
His body was battered.
His cloak was torn.
Blood dripped from the side of his forehead.
Yet he remained standing.
Standing like the last pillar of light.
He gave a faint, sarcastic smile.
"Looks like I'm late... again."
Before anyone could respond—
A shadow suddenly appeared beside him.
Her white hair flowed freely, as though the wind itself obeyed her will.
Her green eyes shone with confidence.
Her light armor reflected the surrounding radiance at precisely the right moment.
She raised both hands and whispered:
"Dance of the Wind."
Dozens of blades made of compressed air materialized from nothing.
They danced through the battlefield like a raging storm, tearing through the ranks of Dark Soldiers in silent flashes.
Nero's eyes widened.
"Eyria...!"
Then, from the portal...
The soldiers emerged.
Elite knights.
Kingdom mages.
Warriors with eyes as hard as iron.
They lined up beside Sirvan and Eyria.
And the decisive battle erupted.
The clash of swords, magical abilities, and the screams of soldiers merged into a symphony of blood and ash.
At the heart of it all...
Sirvan and Eyria faced Dark King III.
Water and wind moved together in perfect harmony.
Eyria infused her wind into Sirvan's blades, creating spiraling storms of deadly swords that attacked the King from every direction.
For the first time...
Dark King III stepped backward.
His expression tightened with irritation.
But then—
He simply waved his hand.
A dark apparition emerged in the shape of a gigantic demonic claw.
BOOM!
It struck them both at once.
Their bodies were launched through the air like feathers before crashing violently into the ground.
Dark King III then rose into the sky.
His crimson eyes burned with murderous intent.
And slowly...
A deadly smile spread across his face.
Then—
More portals opened.
One.
Two.
Three...
Twenty.
From every portal...
New armies of Dark Soldiers emerged.
The air grew heavier.
The earth groaned beneath their numbers.
The soldiers struggled to breathe.
Even the elite knights began falling one after another.
Sirvan spat blood and shouted:
"RETREAT!!! This battle isn't ours!"
At the rear of the battlefield, Nero grabbed Kartithia and Aether and ran toward the portal with everything he had left.
But then—
BOOOOM!
A devastating attack struck from behind.
The force hurled Nero and Kartithia through the portal.
But Aether...
fell.
The portal closed.
Smoke rose from the battlefield.
Aether lay motionless on the ground.
Half of his body was burned.
His breathing was shallow and broken.
But then...
His eyes slowly opened.
He looked toward the sky.
The light was being torn apart.
Violet clouds spread across the horizon.
Then he looked ahead.
Eyria was fighting alone, slowly being forced backward.
Sirvan was using the last remnants of his strength.
The soldiers...
Were falling one after another.
Aether trembled.
His heart pounded violently.
His body refused to respond.
Fear consumed him.
Then he raised his eyes.
And his gaze met the eyes of Dark King III.
For a moment...
The world seemed to disappear.
There was something in that gaze that Aether could not describe.
Something that did not belong to this world.
Then...
The King smiled.
A smile of pure evil.
And deep within Aether...
A whisper emerged.
"So... you've been hiding inside him all these years?"