The world split open beneath a blinding white light.
PAAAAAT—!
Heaven and earth convulsed as an explosion brighter than the sun tore through existence itself. The shockwave rippled for miles, swallowing everything in its path.
KWAKWAKWAKWANG—!
Dominic and Frederick vanished into the inferno, their figures erased by the catastrophic blast. The roar of destruction drowned out all other sound until, at last, silence returned—heavy, suffocating, final.
"Ugh…"
A broken groan escaped one of them.
"Keep… going," came another, ragged and faint.
But there was no need to strike again. The outcome was already decided. Victory—though costly—had been won.
Yet the war was far from over.
Because the true enemy still remained—Leopold Reinhard, the chairman of the Returnees' Association.
"I don't have time," Anna murmured. "We have to go. Now."
She knew better than anyone that destroying one of Gaia's Axes normally took days—sometimes a week. But with Leopold's power, that time would collapse to mere hours.
If they didn't stop him soon, the balance of the world itself would crumble.
They raced across the ravaged land, the air humming with lingering energy. Within minutes, they reached a barren mountaintop overlooking the Axis.
"Fortunately, we're not too late," Anna breathed, relief flickering across her tired face.
For a fleeting moment, hope stirred. Everything had gone according to plan so far. The odds, for once, were in their favor.
But then—
"Those executives of mine…"
A cold, disdainful voice echoed through the mountain winds.
"…are truly incompetent."
Leopold Reinhard turned to face them. His mask gleamed under the fractured sky, his gaze sharp enough to cut through steel.
"Stop this meaningless resistance," he said, his voice calm yet heavy with contempt. "This is fate. Struggle all you want—nothing will change."
Baek Mu-jin chuckled, blood trickling down his lip. "That's a bold way of admitting you're not finished yet."
The Axis behind him was cracked but not destroyed. Hope flickered within their exhausted hearts.
"There's still a chance," Theodore said, eyes flashing. "We just have to stop you."
Without hesitation, he and Julian shot forward, splitting apart like twin bolts of lightning.
PAAT—!
Explosions erupted as they struck, the mountain trembling beneath the onslaught.
"You should know better than anyone how wide the gap between us is," Leopold said with a sneer.
Theodore laughed under his breath. "Oh, we know. Which is why it's not just us."
Leopold's head snapped around just as an enormous black tortoise spirit materialized behind him, its jaws open in silent fury.
"Even with help, nothing changes."
He waved a hand, casually throwing Baek Mu-jin aside with sheer force. But Theodore only smirked.
"You're wrong."
He looked up—and the sky answered.
A six-pointed magic circle bloomed in the heavens. From its center, countless spears of ice rained down, each one glowing with the brilliance of dragonkind.
TSK—TSK—TSK—!
The air froze solid, temperature plummeting as shards of ice hammered down upon Leopold.
KWAKWANG—!
For a brief moment, his figure was lost amidst the blizzard of destruction. But when the mist cleared, he stood unharmed, laughter booming.
"Hahaha! Do you think a dying dragon's power can harm me!?"
Anna's cold gaze met his. "Then I suppose I'm not dying fast enough."
She swung her staff, forming another massive circle of light. The air thrummed as her mana surged—but Leopold raised a single hand.
With effortless precision, he tore her magic apart.
"Feel true despair," he said softly, and thrust his hand downward.
BOOM—!
The land quaked as his power gathered into a blazing sphere, radiating annihilation itself.
"Stop it!" Anna cried, her voice sharp with urgency. Magic flared around her as she unleashed spell after spell, each colliding against the overwhelming force descending upon them.
KWAANG—!
Leopold's fist slammed into the ground, carving out a massive crater.
"I told you," he murmured from within the dust and ruin. "It's meaningless."
Then came the end—
A sphere of condensed energy fell from the sky, blotting out the light.
KWAKWAKWAKWANG—!
There was no escape. The blast consumed everything.
When the smoke cleared, Baek Mu-jin, Julian, and Theodore lay unconscious, their bodies broken and burned.
Leopold exhaled slowly, though his expression was not satisfaction—it was irritation.
"…The Dragon Clan truly lives up to its reputation."
He had expected them all to die. Yet Anna's defensive magic had blunted the full force of his attack.
"Inconvenient," he muttered, "but ultimately irrelevant."
He stepped forward, boots crunching over shattered stone, his eyes fixed on the fallen.
Anna gritted her teeth. I have to stop him.
She didn't like them—Baek Mu-jin, Julian, Theodore. They were Returnees, members of the very group that had poisoned the world. But Lee Seong-jun trusted them. And that was enough.
If they died here, Seong-jun would suffer. She couldn't allow that.
"Stop!" she cried.
Mana howled as her command took form—the ancient authority of dragonkind. The Word of Power.
The wind itself twisted toward Leopold, obeying her will.
But he simply raised his hand.
"Trivial."
The mana shattered, dissolving into nothing.
Then Anna froze. She saw it—his hand was absorbing her magic.
"That ability…!"
Leopold's lips curled. "Ah. You recognize it."
It was the same skill once wielded by a hunter named Luke—the Spellbreaker.
"Drain," he said. "That's what I call it."
Anna's eyes widened. "You… stole his power?"
"Not just his," Leopold replied, removing his mask with a wicked grin.
The face beneath was one she recognized all too well.
"Kim Ha-rang…" she whispered.
"The former president of the Korean Hunter Association," he confirmed proudly. "By merging my body with his, I've attained perfection. The strength of every hunter I've ever consumed now belongs to me!"
"You're insane," Anna spat.
"Insane? No. Invincible." His aura exploded outward, the ground fracturing beneath him. "I've reached the pinnacle of existence!"
Anna met his gaze with a cold, scornful smile. "Borrowed strength, no matter how vast, is still borrowed."
Leopold's eyes narrowed. "Borrowed? No. It is mine—refined, perfected, absolute!"
He thrust out his hands, energy condensing at his palms.
"Gather. Fuse. Augment. Amplify. Explode. Eject."
Each word invoked a hunter's skill, and when he released the final command—
BOOOOM—!
Anna was thrown backward, crashing into the earth. Blood trickled down her lip as she forced herself upright.
"Do you still think I'm borrowing their power?" Leopold sneered.
"I think you're insecure," she replied calmly, her tone mocking.
Leopold's composure wavered for a moment.
But inside, Anna's mind was racing. This isn't sustainable. I can't match him head-on.
She needed time—a distraction.
"Shoot!" she shouted.
Weapons of pure mana formed in the air, rushing toward Leopold in a dazzling storm.
He laughed. "Still haven't learned?"
He raised a hand—and absorbed every spell. His aura swelled.
"Futile. You're weak. This is the gulf between us."
He blurred forward.
KWAJIK—!
Pain seared through Anna's shoulder as his hand tore into her flesh.
"Do you understand now?" he hissed. "This is your end."
But instead of fear, Anna smiled.
"You may have won this battle," she whispered, "but not the war."
Leopold froze.
Then he sensed it—the Axis's unstable energy had begun to stabilize. The tumblers he thought destroyed were still functioning, repairing the world's foundation.
Her every reckless act, every taunt, had been a diversion.
"Damn you…!"
Rage twisted his face, but he held it back. Losing control now would change nothing.
"You've only delayed the inevitable," he said coldly. "After you die, I'll erase the Axis myself."
He pulled his bloodstained hand free and raised it again, ready to strike the killing blow.
"It was foolish," he said softly, "for a dying dragon to sacrifice herself for nothing."
Anna met his gaze one last time, her voice steady. "It wasn't for nothing."
Leopold's hand shot forward. "Die."
But Anna's eyes glowed faintly as she whispered, "…Later than I said."
A ripple of crimson light cut through the air.
FLASH!
A roar thundered across the battlefield.
KWAKWAKWANG—!
Red energy—dense, furious, divine—tore through Leopold's attack, cleaving the world in two.
He barely raised a hand before the force slammed into him, carving a long, jagged scar across the ground.
When the dust settled, a lone figure stepped through the scarlet haze.
Leopold's breath caught. "You…!?"
The red aura coiled like living flame around the man's frame. His eyes gleamed with cold fury.
"Not only did you make me wait," said Lee Seong-jun, his voice like the edge of a blade, "you dared to touch what's mine."
His killing intent spread like wildfire.
"You'll pay for that," he said, crimson light rising behind him. "Not with death—"
His eyes narrowed.
"—but with eternal destruction."