Just a few minutes earlier, the sky had begun to darken as clouds gathered above the region, thunder rumbling and lightning flashing now and then.Raindrops had started falling gently over the charred remains of Loran’s camp. The air was thick with the scent of ash, molten metal, and half-burned flesh.Scattered tongues of fire danced erratically over the torn tent ruins, casting broken shadows across the muddy ground, where small pits had formed and filled with inky black water. A short distance away from the wreckage, Marcus huddled behind the frame of a collapsed tent, pressing his chest to the damp soil, his shoulders trembling from sheer exhaustion.“Hmm! Five soldiers...”He whispered to himself, lips quivering as he stared through the holes in the burnt fabric at a group of men clad in fine armor, iron laced with crimson. The insignia of Ironland gleamed boldly on their chests like an arrogant warning.Sparks flew around their boots with each step, and the distant roar of fire

“It was close…” Marcus muttered with a grim expression, lowering his hands, which still sparked with lightning serpents dancing faintly across his skin.He stared at the sight before him and sighed bitterly. All the soldiers were dead. The only one left standing was Tina, staring at him with wide eyes.“That explains everything…” he thought, eyes narrowing at the Stone Clan warrior, Louise, who had regained his senses and was now glaring at him with deadly intent.“No wonder they managed to attack the camp without resistance from the outer patrol. This man must’ve taken them out beforehand…” Marcus murmured thoughtfully, then vanished and reappeared beside Tina.“Are you alright?” he asked, eyes fixed on her pale face. “Can you stand?”She nodded weakly.“I can stand… but how!? I thought you died in that explosion!”He shook his head. “No time…”He helped her up and added in a grim tone,“There’s an army on the way. The fall of this camp is inevitable. We need to leave , now.”“What!?

After five long hours of nonstop walking, Marcus finally spotted the dense trees that marked the beginning of the Maamour Forest.He was clearly out of breath and turned to Tina, who was struggling to keep up with his pace.Recalling what he knew from his previous timeline about this place, he said,“We’re close. Once we cross the forest, we’ll reach the old bridge…”Tina nodded without speaking. Her eyes still held traces of doubt and hesitation, but she followed him silently.The Maamour Forest they were now entering was one of the largest in the land of Lorana. It stretched like a band across the eastern border, separating it from the village of Al-Qantara, which was nearly the size of a city.As the two continued walking cautiously, Marcus suddenly stopped, his eyes narrowing toward the sky.“Hide, now,” he whispered firmly, still staring upward.Tina followed his gaze and spotted a massive bird soaring slowly above the trees, circling as if searching for something.“That’s stran

“Tina! Don’t betray my trust,” Marcus said with a faint smile.“Just do what you need to do. Leave the rest to me…” she added, placing her hand over her chest.“You can trust me.”“I hope so. I really… don’t want to die,” he whispered to himself. Then, with a single thought, he activated All for One. That was one of the advantages of this technique, it needed no hand seals or other gestures to trigger.CRAAACK!!The air around him suddenly shook. The silence of the moment burst apart in a flashing violet light, as if lightning had erupted from within his own body.BOOM!!His muscles contracted violently. Bright green veins appeared, snaking beneath his scorched skin, twisting from his neck all the way to his palms, as if his entire body were boiling from within.Zzzzt!!BOOOM!!A brilliant violet aura exploded from his body, wrapping around him like a living cyclone, giving off a low hum that sounded like air under crushing pressure.This aura was no illusion, it was the physical mani

“I am General Rames. I give you my word on this! So… what do you say, are you in?” he asked with narrowed eyes, genuinely hoping for a positive answer. He didn’t want to fight such an unknown and powerful opponent. More than that, if he could truly recruit Marcus, they’d gain a formidable ally. Marcus was only a teenager and already possessed this strength, he couldn’t begin to imagine how terrifying he’d be at his peak.“That’s a very tempting offer…” Marcus said coolly, then added with an icy smirk, “but here’s my counter-offer, why don’t you just go to hell?”Before Rames could react, Marcus vanished in a flash of violet lightning.BOOM!!He reappeared directly behind Rames, his fist crackling with sparks. But Rames spun halfway around just in time, his stone-clad fist collided with Marcus’s charged punch.CRAAACK!!The ground beneath their feet shuddered. Shards of Eternal Energy blasted out in circular waves, scattering leaves and loose earth.“Very well! Then don’t blame me fo