The tide of battle had shifted completely.
Roman's single slash from his Archon Sword had swept across the entire continent, reaching every corner, every kingdom, every empire. The golden wave had annihilated the monster horde with surgical precision killing only the creatures, leaving every human untouched. It was a feat so incomprehensible that knights and paladins alike stood frozen in stunned silence, struggling to process what they had just witnessed.
Even the farthest outposts had felt the wave's passage. The knights stationed at the continent's edges had watched in awe as the golden light washed over them, obliterating the monsters that had been bearing down on their positions.
The Holy Paladins and their twelve captains knew exactly what they had seen. Divine power. Goddess-touched. And they knew through whom it had come.
Far above the clouds, Captain Gabriel Velk and his unit felt the wave ripple past them as they made their way toward the Eastern Territories. The golden light had streaked across the sky like a shooting star, and one of the paladins had nearly lost his grip on his flight magic from the shock.
"What the hell is this power?" the paladin had shouted, his voice trembling. "It's divine! It's like the goddess herself sent that slash!"
Gabriel had simply nodded, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon where the golden light had originated.
"Yes," he had said quietly. "It seems the Warherald is working hard. As we must do for the humanity of the Eastern Territories."
"Yes, Captain!" his unit had replied in unison.
In Ephor, the mages had taken charge.
Tower Master Velkan stood at the forefront, his ancient robes billowing in the wind, his staff planted firmly in the ground. His eyes, sharp and calculating, scanned the battlefield as his mages worked in coordinated precision. Healing circles of pale blue light appeared across the front lines, mending the wounded and stabilizing the dying.
Jeremiah moved like a ghost through the chaos, his hands weaving intricate patterns in the air. Spatial portals opened and closed around him, each one delivering a healer mage to a different part of Great Presia. His face was pale with exertion, but he didn't stop. Couldn't stop.
The window Roman had bought them was precious. Every second counted.
Prime Minister Joshua Cesar worked closely with the Great Presia command, coordinating relief efforts and directing resources to where they were needed most. In the royal palace, King Augustus Nova remained hidden in the bunkers, surrounded by royal knights and paladins who had been tasked with his protection.
On the battlefield where Roman stood, the aftermath was a nightmare.
Selena rubbed her eyes again and again, unable to process what she was seeing. The Roman she knew the brother who had been bedridden for months, who had fought his way back from the brink of death was gone. In his place stood something else entirely. Something radiant. Something overwhelming.
His aura blazed like a sun that had descended to earth, its golden light casting long shadows across the blood-soaked ground. His presence was so immense that it felt like the very air around him had thickened.
Jacob stood frozen beside her, too stunned to speak. He stared at his son the boy who had once been so fragile, so broken and found himself unable to reconcile the image before him with the memories he held. This was the Warherald. The goddess's chosen warrior. The anchor being meant to save humanity.
And he was Jacob's son.
Roman descended slowly toward the ground, his golden aura dimming as his feet touched the blood-soaked earth. The moment he landed, Selena rushed toward him, her eyes searching his face.
"Are you really my Roman?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Or are you something else?"
Roman met her gaze, his divine gold eyes softening slightly.
"I am the same as always, big sister."
Selena shook her head. "No. You're completely changed. Your aura, your presence it's like I'm standing near a sun. Shining as bright as he can."
Roman smirked faintly. "Is that so? You should hide then, big sister. You wouldn't want to get tanned."
Selena blinked. Then her expression shifted.
"You little " She lunged at him, her fist raised.
"Sorry! Sorry! I give up!" Roman laughed, raising his hands in surrender.
Selena stopped, her anger deflating into something softer. She sighed, then her face turned grim.
"What's the situation?" Roman asked.
Selena's eyes dropped to the ground. Her voice was barely a whisper.
"I'm holding up fine. But the knights... it's not good."
Roman's smile vanished. He followed her gaze to the ground and saw what she had already witnessed.
The earth was soaked in blood. Rivers of crimson flowed between the scattered corpses of monsters, pooling around the broken bodies of knights who had fallen in the defense. Some bodies were intact others were missing limbs, their severed parts lying nearby like discarded pieces of a broken puzzle. The roads were filled with the dead, both human and monster, their blood mixing into a dark, viscous sludge.
Roman's jaw tightened.
Jacob approached, his voice heavy with exhaustion and hope.
"Roman. Is it over?"
Roman shook his head slowly, his eyes fixed on the still-open dungeon gates.
"No, Father. It's not over. As long as the gates are open, it's still on."
Jacob's shoulders sagged, but he straightened almost immediately. He turned and shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.
"Captain Zion!"
Zion appeared within moments, his armor battered, his face streaked with grime and sweat.
"Yes, my lord?"
Jacob's voice was sharp, authoritative. "What's the situation?"
Zion took a breath before speaking. "It's not good, my lord. But with the power the Young Master unleashed, we've bought ourselves some time. The healer mages with Jeremiah's help are reaching the wounded. We're saving everyone we can."
He paused, his expression darkening.
"But when the monsters come again, my lord... we need to prioritize. Send the healers away. Jeremiah can save them."
Jacob nodded. "Understood. Make it happen."
Then
A roar.
It came from deep within the dungeon gates a sound so loud, so primal, that it seemed to shake the very foundations of the earth. The ground beneath their feet trembled violently, cracks spreading across the blood-soaked soil like spiderwebs.
The gates pulsed with malevolent energy, and then
They came.
Millions of monsters poured out of the gates at once, their roars merging into a single, deafening cry of hunger and rage. They were more numerous than before, their forms twisted and grotesque, their eyes burning with malevolent intelligence.
Some were massive, towering over the battlefield like walking mountains. Others were fast and sleek, their claws glinting with deadly precision.
They spread across every corner of the continent, a wave of darkness that threatened to swallow everything in its path.
Everyone on the battlefield took their positions. Swords were raised. Shields locked. Mages began chanting.
Selena's rage boiled over.
"WHEN THE HELL IS THIS GOING TO END?!" she screamed, her voice cracking with fury. "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO DIE, YOU PIECES OF SHITS?!"
She charged toward the horde, her blade blazing with red flame.
Roman heard her words, and despite everything despite the blood, the death, the pain he chuckled.
It was a low, dark sound.
"Let's start again," he said.
And he ran.
He leapt into the midst of the monsters, his Archon Sword blazing with golden light. But this time, his movements were different. Controlled. Precise. Every strike was deliberate, every dodge economical. He cut through the horde like a scythe through wheat, his golden aura flashing with each kill.
On the outside, he was perfect.
Inside his core was screaming.
The golden mana was flowing too fast, too hot. It pulsed through him like liquid fire, overheating his core, burning through his veins. The pain was blinding worse than anything he had ever felt. His vision flickered at the edges, his muscles screaming in protest.
I can't stop now, he thought, his blade carving through another monster. I can't show weakness. Not now.
He pushed through the pain. He had to.
Roman leapt into the sky, his Archon Sword raised above his head. His golden aura flared brighter, the mana building within him like a gathering storm.
He chanted a spell.
"Spear of Separ."
Across every corner of the continent, the clouds began to crack.
Golden light burst through the fissures, illuminating the blood-red sky with divine radiance.
And from those cracks countless spears of pure golden light descended upon the earth. Each one was a bolt of divine judgment, striking the monsters with devastating precision. The spears impaled the creatures, their golden light consuming them from within, reducing them to ash and shadow.
The golden rain continued, waves of spears falling across the continent, annihilating the horde wherever they stood.
Selena watched from the battlefield, her sword lowering slowly. Her mouth hung open, her eyes wide with disbelief.
What kind of monster is my younger brother? she thought to herself. And what more does he have in his arsenal?
Damn.