The Shadow Corps medics immediately took over, efficiently securing the Phalanx. Zane Bladeheart and Zathis the Swift were quickly administered powerful stabilizing agents, while Sylva Moonshadow was given immediate relief for her mana exhaustion. The Shadow Corps' movements were fast and absolute; the entire team was extracted from the Eastern Territory and placed on a magically cloaked transport heading back to the Neutral Empire within a day.
Zathis sat huddled in the corner of the carriage, his body recovering but his mind broken. He wept openly for the loss of Kaelan, Grund, and Jian, and for Kaelus, who detonated himself to save the remaining Phalanx members. The realization of their fate—dissolving into raw mana—was too cruel to bear.
Zacarias Bladeheart, the Shadow Corps leader, sat across from them, his face grim. "We were too late. My unit was too far out. We shouldn't have been delayed."
Zane, now conscious and stabilized, albeit missing his dominant arm and heavily bandaged, looked at his younger brother. "Zacky, don't blame yourself for what happened. That's inevitable. We were fighting against the fundamental rules of their world. Also, we are saved by the Lava Dragon."
Sylva, though weak, took the lead, readying the final report for the Emperor. She activated the Twin Communication Artifact, knowing that bypassing the thirty-second limit would damage the device beyond repair, but that was not important.
"Mage Emperor Ian Skyrune," Sylva began, her voice steady despite the sorrow. "This is Captain Sylva Moonshadow, reporting from extraction. The mission is complete. The barrier status is confirmed: fully deactivated. The Players of Atlas launched their final raid, coinciding with the last day of the time paradox. The invasion is imminent."
She relayed the devastating casualties: "The Player invasion of the Dragon's Cave was led by a Player named WhiteTrash. Kaelus Wyndhelm performed a self-sacrificial move, detonating his core to kill all the Players, but Kaelus died, and their leader, WhiteTrash, survived. WhiteTrash was then killed by the Lava Dragon, Esteron Vulcanus, who rescued us. We suffered four casualties: Grund Stonebeard, Kaelan Bulkhead, Jian Stormheart, and lastly, Kaelus Wyndhelm."
She provided the cosmic truth: "The Aetherion Lair is the door to the Demon World. The Dragon Barrier was the seal. The old guardian, Esphira Wyndhelm, died, and the mantle passed to Kaelus. Kaelus's true form is the Last Wind Dragon, the son of Esphira Wyndhelm. The new guardian, the Lava Dragon, Esteron Vulcanus, has now taken residence and is actively attempting to reactivate the barrier. He has agreed to a summit with the Territory Leaders and requires an immediate audience."
"The final Player invasion failed this time, and the next attack will commence in the next fifteen years, based on the time paradox Kaelus and I discovered. Also—"
The Twin Communication Artifact gave a final, desperate crackle, overloading from the extended transmission of S-rank level mana fluctuation, and was destroyed in Sylva's hands.
The communication orb was destroyed. The report was sent. The carriage carrying the survivors of the Obsidian Phalanx sped through the night.
Sylva cried silently, mourning the loss of her comrades. Vara sat beside her, also weeping softly, attempting to offer comfort even while grieving the annihilation of her friends. Zathis t sobbed openly, his grief a raw, terrible sound for the members who had died so senselessly.
Zane, heavily injured and one arm gone, stared out the window at the receding forests. His mind was dominated by the image of Kaelus detonating himself—the absolute sacrifice made necessary by the immortality of the Atlas Players.
At the same time, in the opulent and heavily guarded residence of the House of Aurumglow in the Southern Domain, Lady Erice Aurumglow was busy collecting exotic specimens inside their extensive greenhouse garden. She suddenly heard a loud commotion erupting outside the main courtyard.
She quickly left the greenhouse and noticed a large number of people—miners and household staff—gathering in a circle near the estate entrance.
"What is this commotion?" Erice demanded. The people parted to let her pass. Erice noticed a miner kneeling, administering some kind of pill to a figure lying on the ground.
"Who is that?" Erice asked, her eyes scanning the stranger.
"Good day, Lady Erice," the miner replied. "We don't know who this is. We just found this young man suddenly appearing inside the ore mineral lode after a localized earthquake near the main shaft."
Erice's heart seized. She noticed the short, silver-white hair and the lean build, instantly recognizing the figure—the heroic adventurer from the banquet.
"Carry him inside the mansion immediately," Erice commanded, her voice sharp with urgency. "I will go to my father."
Erice ran fast to the mansion, bursting into her father's spacious office. "Father, I have something to tell you!"
Baron Marcus Aurumglow, busy reviewing trade ledgers, looked up irritably. "What is it, Erice? I am busy, so make it quick."
"There's no time to explain, come with me!"
Erice grabbed Marcus's hand and pulled him down the hallway and into one of the quiet guest rooms. Lying unconscious on the grand bed was the young man.
"My daughter, who is this young man?" Marcus asked, staring at the silver hair.
"One of the miners found this young boy inside the ore mineral lode," Erice explained breathlessly. "He seemed to suddenly appear after a localized earthquake near the shaft."
"An earthquake, you say?" Marcus frowned. "Wizen," he called to his assistant, "order them to stop the mining for two days! Our people's safety comes first."
Erice stood beside the bed, looking at the young man with immense concern.
"He may seem familiar, my poor, infatuated daughter, but this young boy seems to be the same as your age, unlike the heroic figure in the banquet hall. Also, that man is in the depths of the Eastern Territory for a confidential mission," Marcus said, patting Erice's shoulder gently. "We just received a highly classified report lately directly to the Mage Emperor."
"Father, I know in my heart that this young—" Erice stopped abruptly. The young man's eyes flickered open, revealing intense, emerald green color.
"Kaelus, are you okay? What happened to you?" Erice rushed forward.
Marcus threw his hands up in despair. "My poor daughter, he is no—"
The young man interrupted, his voice husky and weak from the catastrophic mana drain. "Is that you, Lady Erice? Where am I?" He recognized the powerful nobleman. "Pardon my intrusion, Baron Marcus. But why am I here? Where is the rest of the Phalanx?"