Far below the battlefield, Marcelos stood atop Bane with a cruel smile spread across his face. Beside him, the Marcs sat proudly on their phoenixes, silently watching the war unfold below.Marcelos took great pleasure in the carnage, savoring every scream that echoed across the battlefield as his monstrous armies mercilessly butchered the defenders of Axrax.To him, the cries of the dying were music.Close by, Zussorader and Philip watched from the backs of their own phoenixes, enjoying every moment of the slaughter as the battle raged on beneath them.Lilia, however, could not bring herself to celebrate. Neither could Ramsay.Sitting upon their phoenixes, they silently watched the desperate struggle below. Every passing moment filled them with greater dread as they wondered whether the people of Axrax would survive the day.The battlefield painted a grim reality.Marcelos' armies were simply too many.Wave after wave of monstrous soldiers continued to pour into the battlefield, overwh

Inside the council hall stood the Great King, the kings, the princes, the princesses, Lord Emmanuel, Zussorender, the head wizards, the generals, Hawk, the Head Guard, and the ministers.Every one of them was clad in armor, weapons firmly in hand.The usually vibrant hall had fallen into complete silence. No one spoke. No one dared to.Sadness, anxiety, and uncertainty hung heavily in the air as every pair of eyes rested on the Great King.King Raynold looked far weaker than he ever had before. His breathing was shallow, his face pale, and every movement seemed to cost him tremendous pain.Even standing had become impossible on his own. Lord Emmanuel and Noah moved to either side of him, carefully supporting his body until he was finally able to stand before everyone.The Great King forced himself upright. Despite the unbearable pain consuming him, he refused to let it show. He would stand as a Great King until his final breath.Looking at everyone before him, he spoke weakly. He said,

A WEEK LATER...Ever since Marcelos had seated himself upon the throne of Axrax, the entire world had begun to sink into much darkness.The balance between day and night no longer existed. There was only darkness, or a darker darkness.The sky remained permanently shrouded beneath thick black clouds that swallowed the sun itself. The world had forgotten what daylight looked like. Time could no longer be measured by sunrise or sunset—only by subtle changes in the depth of the endless gloom.To ordinary people, it appeared to be nothing more than an unnatural sky. But to those who had witnessed the reign of Marcelos in ages long forgotten, they knew the horrifying truth.The darkness was not merely weather. It was Marcelos' reign. It was a living curse that spread across the entire Earth, strengthening every army under his command. His soldiers had become faster, stronger, smarter, and more relentless with every passing day. The longer the darkness endured, the more terrifying his forc

Ramsay and Lilia froze in their tracks. Fear gripped them as a dark portal suddenly tore open before them, its swirling shadows distorting the air around it. A moment later, four figures stepped through: Philip, and behind him were the three Marcs.The portal snapped shut, leaving an eerie silence hanging over the forest.The four warriors stood only a few paces away, blocking the path ahead.Ramsay's heart sank. His grip tightened around his weapon as he instinctively glanced toward Princess Esther. She remained silent inside his mind, simply observing the newcomers without saying a word.Philip smiled pleasantly, as though he were greeting old friends instead of hunting fugitives. He said, "It's been a while, Ramsay... Lilia. It is good to see both of you again."Lilia's expression darkened immediately. She replied, "You should know... It is never good to see you."Philip chuckled softly. He said, "That may be true for you. But not for me."His smile remained unchanged as he confir

Karl ran straight toward Hawk without the slightest hesitation.Before anyone could react, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, her face overflowing with joy.Hawk was caught completely off guard. For a brief moment, he stood frozen before a warm smile appeared on his face. It had been so many years since he had last seen her. Despite everything, he had genuinely missed her.Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace.Everyone stood in stunned silence, watching the reunion unfold.Hemdal's eyes widened: "Her..."He had recognized the woman. She was the mysterious lady he had met and fought in the forest that very morning."She's Nelson's sister?" he thought in disbelief.After several moments, Karl finally pulled away from Hawk. She looked at him as though making sure he was truly standing before her.Then, without warning, she kissed him on the lips.Before Hawk could even recover, she planted another kiss on his forehead. Then another on his lef