The moment Akari and Shiro broke through the shattered treeline, the world felt wrong.
The sky above the battlefield was stained dark, clouds twisting unnaturally as if afraid to remain still. The ground was torn apart, deep scars etched into the land where overwhelming power had been unleashed again and again. Every breath Akari took felt heavier than the last, as though the air itself resisted her presence.
And at the center of that devastation—
Ruby.
She stood unsteadily, her human form barely holding together. Blood ran down her arms and soaked into the ruined earth beneath her feet. One wing—no, where her wing should have been—was gone, pierced through by a massive black spike of condensed darkness that pinned her in place like a cruel monument.
Her breathing was shallow.
Her eyes were dim.
Above her, casting a shadow that swallowed the light itself, hovered Nefarion.
The black dragon's scales absorbed the surroundings, reflecting nothing, as if existence itself recoiled from him. His eyes glowed with ancient malice, and his massive jaws slowly parted as a terrifying concentration of energy gathered deep within his throat.
Shiro felt it instantly.
That pressure.
That absolute certainty of death.
His instincts screamed in panic.
"That's—!" Shiro's voice cracked. "Ruby, that attack—!"
Nefarion's breath weapon wasn't forming like before.
This was different.
Denser. Sharper. More refined.
It wasn't meant to scorch or destroy the land.
It was meant to erase a single target completely.
Shiro's hands trembled.
That's a killing breath.
Even he couldn't stop it in time.
Ruby saw it too.
For a fleeting moment, her eyes softened—not with fear, but regret.
"…So this is it," she whispered.
Then—
A presence moved.
Akari stepped forward.
She didn't shout.
She didn't hesitate.
She didn't ask permission.
Her body reacted before her mind could stop it.
In that single moment, Akari poured half of everything she had—mana, stamina, life force—into her weapon. Her veins screamed, her bones protested, but she raised her blade and positioned herself directly in the path of annihilation.
"AKARI—!!!" Shiro screamed.
The breath was unleashed.
A beam of compressed destruction tore through the battlefield, warping space as it advanced. The sound alone shattered stone and split the earth apart.
Akari met it head-on.
The collision was cataclysmic.
Light exploded outward as Akari forced the breath aside, grinding her blade against the torrent of energy with sheer willpower alone. The shockwave obliterated everything nearby, throwing debris miles into the sky.
For one impossible second—
She held.
Then the backlash hit.
It was like being crushed by the world itself.
Akari's body was thrown backward, slamming into the ground as blood burst from her mouth. Her limbs went numb instantly, her vision swimming violently.
"N—ngh…!"
She vomited again, her consciousness flickering as pain flooded every nerve in her body.
Shiro froze.
No.
That wasn't possible.
No vessel should have been able to do that.
Ruby collapsed at the same time, her transformation forcibly undone as her magic destabilized. She stumbled forward and caught Akari before she could fall again, clutching her tightly.
Her hands shook.
"…I failed," Ruby whispered, tears threatening to fall. "I was supposed to protect you… I was supposed to be your shield…"
Akari weakly lifted her head, blood staining her lips.
"Don't… say that," she murmured, forcing a small smile. "You're… here. That's enough."
Even barely conscious, Akari raised her trembling hand and activated her healing magic. Soft light spread across Ruby's wounds, slowing the bleeding and stabilizing her condition.
Shiro rushed to them, shifting back into human form beside them, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms.
Then—
A laugh echoed across the battlefield.
Low. Deep. Mocking.
"Hah… hahahaha…"
Nefarion lowered his massive head, his burning gaze locking onto Akari.
"So you're the one," he rumbled. "The source of that irregularity."
His eyes narrowed.
"Tell me, little vessel… are you one of the gods' pets?"
Akari struggled to stand, using Ruby for support.
"I'm not a pet," she said hoarsely. "I'm a chosen one."
The black dragon burst into cruel laughter.
"Chosen?" he sneered. "You are nothing more than a container. Used until you are empty. And when your usefulness fades… discarded."
Each word felt heavy.
Deliberate.
Targeted.
"Join my master," Nefarion continued. "I'll spare you that fate. Live freely, instead of rotting as a tool for those arrogant beings in the Divine Realm."
Akari's heart wavered.
What if he's right?
Why her?
Why was she chosen over someone better… stronger… smarter?
Doubt crept in.
"Akari!" Ruby cried out. "Don't listen!"
"He's manipulating you," Shiro snapped. "That's all he ever does."
Akari clenched her fists.
Her breathing steadied.
The system appeared before her eyes.
Skill 'Rage' — Full Release Available
Warning: Extreme backlash detected
User survival not guaranteed
Nefarion scoffed.
"You're still dancing to their tune," he said. "Even now."
Shiro glared up at him. "We chose our own path. Unlike you—who sold yours."
Nefarion's smile vanished.
"Enough."
Another devastating blast began to form.
Ruby forced herself upright. "What an idiot… mocking us at a time like this."
Akari stepped forward.
"Yes," she whispered.
The system responded.
Her aura detonated.
Rage flooded her veins like wildfire. Her golden eyes turned crimson, veins bulging violently as power surged beyond control. Her hair bleached white under the strain, and the air around her warped.
Nefarion recoiled.
"That presence—!"
Akari vanished.
She reappeared above him in an instant.
Her blade descended.
The slash cleaved through Nefarion's throat in a single, overwhelming motion.
White light erupted.
Nine massive chains materialized from nothingness, binding his wings, limbs, and neck, dragging him down with crushing force.
"…So you carry that seal," Nefarion growled. "I will return. And when I do… you will be nothing but prey."
"Try it," Akari replied coldly. "And disappear."
The chains tightened.
Nefarion was swallowed by light.
Silence followed.
Akari's strength vanished.
Her body went limp.
As she fell, she felt warmth—gentle hands, a sorrowful presence watching over her.
Then darkness claimed her.
Shiro transformed instantly, catching her midair with his divine form.
Far above, in the Divine Realm, gods and goddesses stared in stunned silence.
Applause echoed.
"Magnificent!" laughed the God of Tricksters.
Others murmured in awe.
Finally, the God of the World spoke.
"A dangerous human," he said calmly. "Well chosen."
Back in the mortal world, Theo and Arke rushed to Akari's side as healers flooded the field, spells layering one after another until her breathing finally stabilized.
Cheers erupted.
Victory was declared.
But as Ruby and Shiro stood beside Akari's unconscious form—
They felt it.
A lingering pressure.
Something watching.
Something waiting.
And far beyond the sealed battlefield—
Something had noticed her.