The Mountain’s roar rolled like thunder, shaking the shattered ground beneath them. Cracks split wider as molten veins blazed beneath its skin of jagged stone and tangled roots. Its colossal form—half rock, half living fire—shuddered, and then, impossibly, it moved.Despite its towering bulk, the Mountain launched forward in a blur, as if gravity itself bent to its will. Its pillar-like legs coiled, then hurled it across the battlefield with the weight of a collapsing world.Twin blades, born from its own arms—jagged obsidian streaked with glowing magma—came cleaving down. The air split with a howl, and the ground erupted as the strike carved a canyon of fire through the arena floor. The impact sent shockwaves outward, boulders and molten shards exploding into the air like arrows of flame.Ramsay’s eyes flared wide for a heartbeat, but the living rhythm of his sword surged through him. His body moved before thought, vaulting sideways as the molten trench carved the battlefield where h

The arena trembled with every beat of the dragon’s wings. Smoke and embers swirled, stinging eyes, yet clearing the hoard that had buried Noah. One by one, the twisted, writhing Syrics were reduced to ash beneath the dragon’s merciless fire. The roar of destruction was deafening, and still, the dragon pressed on, circling with precise strikes that left no path for the Syrics to regroup.Redrick, Ragmus, Kylie, Kinsley, Ryn, Benjamin, Lilia, Hawk, Camelia, Tracy, and Mike could only stare, frozen between awe and confusion. Ragmus had returned to his human form, naked and exposed, yet no one even noticed. Every thought was consumed by the impossible presence of the dragon and the inferno clearing the hoard.At last, as the last Syrics dissolved into smoke and ash, the dragon retracted its wings slightly, and there, standing amidst the remnants of fire, was Noah. His body burned with controlled flames, every scale and muscle glowing like molten gold. Heat radiated from him, yet he moved

The dragon lowered its massive head, scales glinting faintly as Esther slid gracefully down from its back. Her boots touched the shattered ground softly, almost at odds with the ruin around them. Noah duplicates already vanished.Ahead, Ramsay, Redrick, Kylie, Kinsley, Ryn, Benjamin, Lilia, Hawk, Camelia, Tracy, and Mike were already walking toward her. Their steps were slow, almost reverent, as if still caught between disbelief and relief that she was really there — that she had saved them again.When they reached her, none of them hesitated. Weapons clattered to the ground as they closed the distance and embraced her all at once — a sudden, unspoken need to make sure she was real, solid, alive. Esther let them, a small smile tugging at her lips as she stood in the middle of the circle of arms and armor.Only Ragmus stood apart, awkwardly shifting his weight. His body, still bare from his transformation, was streaked with dirt and blood. He wanted to join them, but his pride — and th

The group stood frozen, every muscle tense, eyes wide. The sheer number of the light army soldiers alone was staggering, but the way their armor seemed to hum with power made each of them feel smaller, almost fragile in comparison.Ramsay swallowed hard, his hand instinctively drifting toward his sword. Ramsay's voice was barely audible over the soft echo of the throne room as he muttered, “They… they’re real".Hawk’s jaw tightened after he said, "I’ve faced a lot of enemies. Never anything like this".Noah remained still, wings shifting slightly behind him. Even he looked impressed, though his expression didn’t betray it. Noah said, "And they’re not just soldiers. Look at them… they’re different. Stronger. Somehow—alive in a way I can’t explain.”Tracy's eyes scanned the rows of soldiers as she asked Esther, “Esther… these aren’t just the standard light army soldiers we know. They are way than that. How is this possible? They survived Marcelos?”.Esther’s gaze never wavered from the

Ramsay, Redrick, Kylie, Kinsley, Ryn, Benjamin, Lilia, Hawk, Camelia, Tracy, Noah, Mike, and Ragmus sat in silence, their expressions betraying the curiosity that coursed through them. Every face told the same story: they were eager, anxious, and waiting. Only Esther remained calm, her composure steady, like someone who already knew what Dah was about to reveal—because, as a Sa’er, she did.Dah began slowly, each word deliberate, carrying the weight of centuries. Dah said, “This castle was built after Marcelos was defeated and put to sleep. In truth, Great King Damon imprisoned Ethusa and the Light Crystal here. He did so because he did not want the powers that come from being linked to Ethusa to belong to anyone. He hid the Light Crystal here because he called it false, as he could not manifest its power when he needed it to defeat Marcelos the first time. And finally, he hid Ethusa here because he knew Marcelos would return, since Marcelos was not killed but only put to eternal sle