The Ashen Wastes trembled under the weight of converging forces, a cauldron of light, shadow, and ancient power. Kaito Akatsuki, the Dark Sovereign, stood unyielding at the epicenter, the Dark God Sword in his grip radiating a voracious green aura that warped the air around it. The second divine avatar—smaller than the first but radiating a fiercer, more concentrated holy light—loomed over the battlefield, its form a spear of radiant energy summoned by a hidden priest within Arlond's ranks. The gods were desperate, throwing their pawns at him in waves. Leonel, the Hero of Light, rallied Arlond's knights beside it, his Dawnblade blazing like a fallen star. The High Priest, wounded but defiant, channeled energy to sustain the first avatar, while Lady Elara and her diplomats watched in horror, their truce shattered by the Church's zeal.
From the ruins, the Keeper of the Old Code observed, their cloaked silhouette a enigmatic shadow atop the spire. The stone guardians—massive golems etched with runes of forgotten power—had clashed with both sides, their allegiance unclear, but now they paused, as if awaiting Kaito's next move. The sword's whisper was a tempest in his mind: Destroy them. Absorb them. Rule. Kaito's cold pragmatism held it at bay. This was the first true large-scale battle, a crucible where his empire would be forged or broken. Arlond, that small kingdom of zealous humans, would be the anvil upon which he hammered his dominance.
His generals—Veyra, Malakar, Selene, Gorath, and Althaea—formed a ring of power around him, their sentient loyalty a palpable force. Veyra's dragons circled overhead, their roars shaking the sky. Malakar's undead legions reformed, endless waves rising from the earth. Selene's assassins lurked in the shadows, blades poised. Gorath's beasts snarled, ready to charge. Althaea's illusions shimmered, distorting the battlefield. His friends—Renji, Ayame, Daichi, Yui, and Takeshi—stood at his side, their powers amplified by the chaos, but Yui's eyes held a flicker of doubt, the execution of the traitor still fresh.
Kaito's mind was a web of strategy, steps ahead of his foes. The avatars were powerful, Tier 5 threats, but tied to their summoners. The guardians were unknown, perhaps exploitable. Arlond's army, ten thousand strong plus reinforcements, was disciplined but fractured—king versus Church. He'd exploit that divide, crush the small kingdom, and send a message to the world: the Dark Country was invincible.
"Dark Country!" Kaito's voice thundered, amplified by dark magic. "This is our land! Show them the price of invasion!"
The generals roared in unison, their oaths fueling the assault. Veyra dove first, her Crimson Flight unleashing a maelstrom of firestorms on the second avatar, scorching its radiant form. Malakar waved his skeletal hands, summoning a Necrotic Storm—a swirling vortex of souls that drained the life from Arlond's knights, bolstering his undead. Selene melted into the shadows, her assassins targeting the hidden priest sustaining the second avatar. Gorath charged, his beast hordes slamming into Arlond's flanks like a tidal wave of fangs and claws. Althaea wove her illusions, creating phantom versions of the Dark God Sword that slashed at the avatars, drawing their attacks.
Kaito's friends surged forward with him. Ayame's Frost Empress aura chilled the air, her Absolute Freeze encasing the first avatar's legs in ice, cracking its holy armor. Daichi's Iron Warlord form grew massive under Titan's Rage, his warhammer shattering the ground and toppling knights by the dozen. Yui's Dark Saint staff glowed with necromantic energy, her Dark Resurrection raising fallen beasts as undead shock troops, though her face twisted with guilt. Takeshi's Arcane Engineer gauntlet sparked, deploying floating siege engines that bombarded the avatars with arcane missiles. Renji vanished into the shadows, his Shadow General daggers seeking Leonel's throat.
Kaito moved like a specter, the Dark God Sword guiding his strikes. He unleashed Void Slash after Void Slash, black crescents tearing through Arlond's infantry, obliterating entire formations. The sword's hunger grew with each kill, absorbing wisps of divine energy from the avatars, its green glow intensifying. Kaito felt its pull, a seductive promise of godhood, but he channeled it strategically, not recklessly. He was three steps ahead: weaken the summoners, divide the army, exploit the guardians.
Leonel met him mid-charge, their blades clashing in a burst of light and shadow. "You can't hold this forever!" the Hero snarled, his Dawnblade burning Kaito's armor. "The gods will end you!"
Kaito parried, his voice a mocking whisper. "The gods fear what I'll become. And you're just their tool."
He feinted, drawing Leonel's swing, then struck with Curse of Weakness, black tendrils sapping the Hero's strength. Leonel staggered, but the second avatar intervened, its spear of light thrusting toward Kaito. Daichi intercepted, his warhammer deflecting the blow, but the force sent him skidding back, wounded. Yui rushed to heal him, her Life Drain Heal pulling energy from nearby knights, who withered as Daichi rose, roaring.
In the distance, Selene's assassins reached the hidden priest, their blades flashing. The priest fell, his staff shattering, and the second avatar screamed, its form dissolving into motes of light. Arlond's army wavered, morale cracking. Elara, fighting beside Selene against the High Priest, unleashed a spell that bound his arms, her loyalty proven in the heat of battle. The first avatar faltered, its power waning.
But the Keeper of the Old Code acted. The cloaked figure raised their hands, and the stone guardians surged forward, their runes pulsing with dark energy that clashed with both avatars and Kaito's forces. One guardian smashed through Malakar's undead, its stone fists pulverizing skeletons. Another charged Veyra's dragons, its anti-magic field grounding several. Kaito's eyes narrowed—the guardians were neutral, destroying all intruders in the ruins' vicinity. A wild card.
"Althaea!" Kaito shouted. "Their weakness!"
The Oracle's eyes glowed, her voice a riddle in his mind: The old code binds them. Disrupt the runes with divine light—turn the gods' power against them.
Kaito's smile was cold. Strategic brilliance sparked. He directed Ayame and Takeshi to the avatars' remnants, channeling their weakening holy energy through Takeshi's arcane devices. "Redirect the light!" he commanded. Takeshi's siege engines absorbed the divine glow, firing beams of holy energy at the guardians. The runes cracked under the assault, the guardians roaring in confusion, turning on Arlond's forces instead.
The tide turned decisively. Gorath's beasts overwhelmed Arlond's flanks, tearing through cavalry. Veyra's dragons burned their archers, reducing formations to ash. Malakar's undead engulfed the infantry, their numbers endless. Selene's assassins finished the High Priest, his death scream echoing as the first avatar collapsed, its light extinguished. Leonel fought on, but Kaito pressed him, the Dark God Sword absorbing his holy strikes, growing stronger.
Elara knelt before Kaito amid the carnage, her voice trembling. "Sovereign… Arlond yields. King Theobald will submit—please, spare the survivors."
Kaito's gaze was unyielding. "Submission means tribute, loyalty, and the Church's heads. Betray me again, and Arlond vanishes."
She nodded, broken. Arlond, the small kingdom that had dared challenge him, was wiped out in essence—its army decimated, its zealots slain, its survivors bending the knee. Kaito's strategic brilliance had shone: exploiting fractures, turning enemies' power against them, and crushing resistance without mercy. The Dark Country roared in victory, their loyalty absolute.
But as the battlefield quieted, the Keeper of the Old Code descended from the ruins, the remaining guardians flanking them. Their voice echoed: "Impressive, Sovereign. You've proven your worth—for now. But the old code awakens more than guardians. A greater threat stirs in the shadows."
Before Kaito could respond, the ground shook again, and from the ruins' depths, a colossal figure emerged—a ancient beast-lord, its form wreathed in dark runes, its eyes fixed on the Dark Citadel. The Keeper vanished in a swirl of shadow, leaving Kaito to face this new horror.
The battle wasn't over. It had only begun.