"He's going to kill me…" thought Maria, her entire body trembling.
The fear in her eyes was almost tangible, and her voice came out shaking:
"I'll talk… I'll talk… but please… don't kill me!"
Kevin raised an eyebrow, surprised, and replied with a light smile:
"Kill you? Relax. I just want to make sure you're okay."
Maria took a deep breath, slightly relieved.
"I'm fine… but what about you?" she asked softly. "Your wounds… they just vanished."
Kevin blinked, caught off guard.
"She called me 'sir'…?" he thought, almost laughing. "Not bad. Being treated like an adult for once actually feels kind of cool."
"Hey!" said Maria, waving her hand in front of his face. "Sir? Are you even listening?"
Kevin straightened up quickly.
"Ah, sorry, got lost for a second."
Maria crossed her arms and sighed.
"He's totally in another world…"
Kevin scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed, then refocused.
"Anyway… if you don't mind me asking, why were those men chasing you?"
Maria stopped for a moment, staring at the ground.
"He's back…" she thought, recognizing the calm tone in his voice.
She began walking slowly through the ruins.
"I'm… a valuable experiment," she confessed. "And by now, I guess you already know this kingdom was nearly destroyed because of us."
Kevin followed, stepping over debris.
"I see…" he said, thoughtful. "But can you give me more context? Who created you?"
"Thomas Reveler," Maria replied firmly. "A lunatic who experimented on humans for fun. He hid here, far from the world, because what he did was forbidden."
She leapt over a collapsed wall, and Kevin followed close behind.
"One day, Thomas captured a fragment of a demon's soul," she continued. "He wanted to use it in one of his projects. But that act… was the beginning of his downfall."
Maria stopped, gazing at the shattered horizon.
"The demon came back… and destroyed nearly everything. He wiped out the strongest experiments and reclaimed the missing piece of his soul."
Kevin frowned.
"So I can assume… the surviving experiments allied with him, and together they attacked the kingdom?"
"Yes," Maria answered darkly. "His power is… indescribable. If he wanted to, he could turn all of us to dust."
Kevin chuckled softly.
"Don't exaggerate. I know someone who could defeat him easily," he said confidently. "What's this demon's name?"
"Ray," she replied, glancing sideways. "That's what he calls himself."
Kevin dodged a few branches and asked,
"So where are we headed now?"
"To Thomas's bunker," Maria said with determination. "There's still someone inside… and I have to get him out."
"Alright. Don't worry, I'll help you," Kevin replied firmly.
Maria turned to him and smiled faintly.
They walked for a while until they reached the middle of a forest, far from the ruined civilization.
"Is there a reason we stopped here?" Kevin asked, scanning the area.
"The bunker's entrance is right beneath us," Maria replied.
Before he could question her further, she pulled a small yellow stone from her pocket and tossed it to the ground.
The earth began to quake violently. A massive hatch opened under their feet, and before they could react, both fell into the darkness below — landing in a shattered underground corridor. The walls were cracked, wires sparked overhead, and corpses littered the floor.
Maria covered her mouth in horror.
"We're too late…"
Kevin stayed calm, his eyes sharp.
"There's still life here… I can sense four presences," he said, focusing. "One is bound to the wall. The other three are guarding him."
Maria turned quickly.
"You… you have the Hagan, don't you? If that's the case, can you tell if any of them have demonic essence?"
Kevin stared ahead.
"All of them do," he said seriously. "Let's go. I want to see this with my own eyes."
Maria hesitated.
"It's dangerous, Kevin. What if Ray is here… or someone even stronger?"
He smiled slightly.
"You're with me, aren't you? Then everything's going to be fine."
They moved through the twisted corridors, lit only by broken crystals and sparking cables.
As he walked, Kevin thought,
"These tunnels go on forever… At least the survivors I rescued are safe. But I can't help wondering — how are Luis and Ruby holding up right now?"
---
⚔️ Parallel Scene — Ruby's Wrath
"This is the perfect moment…" Luis thought, ready to strike.
Suddenly, a thunderous crash echoed through the hall. From the crumbling wall, a cloud of dust rose — revealing Ruby.
Blood covered her body; her sharp fangs glimmered under the red light, and her feline ears trembled with fury.
"I can smell that man's stench… where is he!?" Ruby roared.
Without hesitation, she drew her scythe and lunged at Ray.
Their weapons clashed — his black blade and her crimson scythe slicing through the air at impossible speed.
Luis ran toward a wounded girl lying nearby.
"Have you been fighting him long?"
"Not really…" the sentinela replied, gasping. "I just got here. Took longer than I thought to wipe out half the city's experiments."
Luis narrowed his eyes.
"So… you're the First Sentinel of Light in this kingdom?"
"Exactly," she confirmed. "But now… go after Ray. He's escaping."
"Escaping? He's right in front of—" Luis stopped. Confusion spread across his face. The Ray before him… had vanished.
"You were under an illusion," the sentinela explained, coughing blood. "The real Ray is gone. He's probably heading to another kingdom…"
Luis clenched his fists.
"I know where," he said grimly. "Stay here and recover. I'll handle this."
As he passed through the battleground, the blades froze in place against an invisible barrier protecting him. He walked calmly, then took flight.
"That bastard's heading to my kingdom… it's the closest one."
From the skies, Luis spotted a man with golden hair walking leisurely along a stone path.
His iris shifted — silver, marked by a vertical blue line.
"Found you," he murmured.
He raised his hand.
"Neo Jutsu: Silent Cataclysm!"
Demonic red aura and celestial blue merged into a single, pulsating black sphere.
When launched, it tore through the sky like lightning, striking Ray with a colossal explosion.
For a few seconds, the world went silent — only light and wind remained.
When the vision returned, Ray stood before him, floating in midair.
"You're the First Sentinel of Light from Hestia, aren't you?" Ray asked with a grin.
"Correct," Luis replied firmly. "And I'm the one who's going to end you."
Ray crossed his arms, laughing.
"Relax, man. After that hit, I kinda lost the will to fight. You're way too strong."
Luis frowned.
"So you're giving up that easily?"
"I'm losing control of this body…" Ray's voice wavered. "No fun fighting like this."
He pulled a golden ring with silver engravings from his pocket and tossed it to Luis.
"If I were you… I'd keep an eye on that," he said, smiling — then vanished.
Luis stared at the ring, confused.
"What the hell is he talking about…?"
Suddenly, Ray's body began to distort — and the black markings faded.
The one who fell unconscious into Luis's arms… was Julian.
"Damn it… didn't even bother explaining," Luis muttered. "Now I'm stuck wondering what this ring actually does."
With Julian in his arms, Luis descended slowly to the ground.
---
🔥 Final Scene — Flame and Fury
The last remaining enemy, battered and desperate, roared at Ruby:
"Join me! Together we'll rule the world!"
Ruby didn't answer. She simply dashed toward him, scythe in hand.
"Neo Jutsu: Meikyū no Purizumu!"
A compact cube of red energy formed at her weapon's tip.
"You refused my offer… so die!"
He raised his hand, trying to cast something — but froze.
"My body… it's going numb… what's happening?"
Before Ruby reached him, crimson flames ignited across his neck.
The fire spread rapidly, devouring him until only ash remained.
Ruby stood still, watching the emptiness.
"Damn you, Thomas… you'll pay for everything you did to me."
The fallen sentinela, still lying nearby, whispered faintly:
"Her eyes… they're no longer human."
---
👑 Post-Battle Scene — Kingdom of Hestia
Meanwhile, inside Hestia's royal palace, the Second Sentinel of Light hurried through the corridors.
"They said Ryane will recover… she just needs rest. Now my focus is containing the western front."
He turned right, striding down the main hall, ignoring the frightened looks of the guards.
"These monsters… they're getting smarter. Attacking in groups, striking key points. Luna Ferrel, the Fifth Sentinel, is defending a nearby village. A new candidate is fighting in the southern front…"
The guards whispered to each other as he exited the castle:
"You think he knows half the army's been wiped out in those attacks?" one asked.
"And do you think he cares?" the other replied tensely. "People at the top never do."
Outside, the Sentinel lifted his gaze to the horizon.
"When all this ends… I want to meet this 'Kevin' they talk about. The one they say is my brother."