As the darkness continued to drape itself over the shield,
it felt as though night was devouring day.
For the first time in a thousand years,
the sky of the Kingdom of Angels darkened.
The King gripped his spear with both hands.
His teeth clenched; his voice shook the heavens:
> "Prince Kaito!
And the proud soldiers of the Kingdom of Angels!
This is now a matter of existence!
Stop that demon — no matter the cost!"
Prince Kaito bowed his head.
There was more fury than fear in his eyes.
> "Understood."
He raised his hands—
golden seals burst from his palms.
Hundreds of soldiers shifted into combat formation.
Kaito's voice rang out:
> "All units!
Focus!
Target: the creature in the center!"
The soldiers roared as one:
> "In the name of Aurora!"
And the sky ignited.
Thousands of spells rained upon Shinju
like falling stars—
arrows of flame, orbs of light, blades of rushing wind…
all striking the same point.
But darkness formed a barrier in front of Shinju.
Every spell that touched it twisted, decayed—
light and shadow merging into nothingness.
The soldiers staggered back;
many were out of breath.
Kaito drove his sword into the ground—
Aurora's sigils flared beneath him.
> "That's not enough!"
He shouted once more:
> "Spiritual Heel of Fire!"
The soldiers dropped to their knees,
pressed their hands to the earth.
White energy surged from below,
gathering at a single point—
directly beneath Shinju.
The heavens trembled.
Even the darkness recoiled for a moment.
A massive pillar of light burst from the earth's core,
consuming Shinju's entire body.
An explosion followed.
Soldiers were thrown backward.
When the smoke cleared…
Shinju was still there.
On one knee—
but alive.
Darkness began weaving around him again.
A thin line of blood dripped from his lip.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
> "I warned you…"
"My business is not with you."
Kaito surged forward,
filling his blade with Aurora.
It shone like a falling star.
> "It doesn't matter to me!"
He charged—
but as he approached,
Shinju simply raised his hand.
Time seemed to halt.
Darkness expanded, swallowing Kaito whole.
A brief flare of the prince's light—
then nothing.
Before the remaining soldiers could react,
they collapsed to the ground.
During this, the King completed his formation.
Light rings spinning around his hands fused,
and Aurora's symbols on the spear blazed like fire.
As Kaito's light faded,
he looked up one last time—
the King's face holding no fear,
only pride.
He whispered silently:
> "You bought me enough time, Kaito…
This nation will never forget your bravery."
The King's eyes glistened,
but he pressed his hand firmly to the spear's hilt.
He looked to the heavens,
his voice tearing through the darkness:
> "Spear of Mikail!
Until today, we protected you…
Now, protect us!"
> "Or else… there will be no tomorrow!"
With those words, he raised the spear,
then hurled it with all his strength toward Shinju.
The spear tore a golden arc across the sky.
When it struck Shinju's barrier of darkness,
the barrier shattered like glass—
and Mikail's Spear pierced Shinju's chest.
Shinju bowed his head in pain,
golden light leaking from the wound.
But the darkness in his right eye
did not fade.
His expression did not change.
> "Even if I die…
today, that cursed shield will fall."
He drew a deep breath.
From his right eye,
the essence of the void—absorbed over years—
began to seep outward.
The essence ignited,
turning to ash as it rose.
Shinju closed his left eye
and reached his hand toward the shield.
> "Ankoku Enmei…"
"The Final Breath of Darkness!"
With those words,
a black flame ignited within his right eye.
Shinju was burning the very void
he had cultivated for years.
When his hand clenched into a fist,
dark energy surged like a flood,
engulfing the shield entirely.
And then—
it devoured the golden shield whole.
Staggering with the spear still embedded in his chest,
Shinju stumbled backward.
He reached the rocks before his legs gave out.
He gazed toward the sky.
The clouds of the void had parted.
Sunlight touched the land—
and for the first time in a thousand years,
the soil of the void gleamed.
Shinju smiled faintly.
> "I was right…
that shield was a curse."
And he closed his eyes.