“Kael Ardyn! Thank you. Really, thank you for coming to rescue us this time.”The captain of the Thirteenth Aether Combat Division Squad spoke over the comm channel, voice shaking just a little. “Did Chief Commander Elara Myrin get our distress signal? Did she send you? Any other reinforcements coming? Listen, no matter what, remember this: if you ever need anything from the Thirteenth Squad at Glorious Base, just say the word.”Kael Ardyn didn’t answer right away. He watched the War God System mission status blink: incomplete. It wouldn’t register until everyone of them got out of the Voidspawn encirclement alive.Outside, his sensors painted a grim scene. The Voidspawn were swarming the mountains like a living tide. The numbers weren’t just high—they were multiplying, converging, shifting with unnerving intelligence. Waiting for reinforcements by dawn? Not an option.Analysis had confirmed it. A commander-level Voidspawn Queen had arrived on Dark Moon Star. Her presence changed ever

Kael Ardyn clutched the Save-File Scroll like it was a lifeline. Its weight wasn’t much, but somehow it reminded him of all the lives he had touched. Comrades who had barely survived, soldiers pulled back from the edge of death. He looked inward, to the calm, familiar hum of Lyndric Fayne in his mind. “After all my recent training… have my stats improved?”“Host,” came the steady reply, unwavering as ever, “your battles and training have slightly boosted your cellular activity. Physical endurance has increased. Keep pushing, and you are walking the path to becoming a true Warlord.” Numbers and graphs flickered before Kael’s eyes, subtle proof that all the effort was paying off.The Fifth-Generation Reaper Mecha walked through the corridors of Glory Mecha like a living fortress. Massive, commanding, every step reverberating. Kael’s squad followed behind, the clanging of metal echoing like the heartbeat of warriors who had stared at death and lived to tell the tale.Movement caught his

Kael Ardyn froze. The sight of Supreme Commander Elara Myrin lying unconscious on the training field hit him like a punch straight to the gut. Her hair and scalp—once flawless—were mangled by a single, brutal strike from the Death God Mark V. Around them, soldiers stood frozen, caught somewhere between disbelief, awe, and fear. The field was eerily quiet, broken only by the distant whir of mech engines and the soft hum of machinery.Then, an elderly man stepped forward. The deputy commander of Glory Base. Crisp uniform, stern face. But his hands trembled ever so slightly as he leaned toward a messenger, whispering instructions that carried more weight than any cannon fire. Moments later, two soldiers approached Kael cautiously.Energy cuffs snapped and hummed as they locked around his wrists and ankles. The metallic clicks echoed unnervingly. Kael was being led toward the infamous “little black room,” the temporary confinement chamber everyone feared. Each step on the metallic floor r

Kael Ardyn stared up at the girls’ dormitory, a flutter in his chest he couldn’t quite control. His palms were slick, his heart hammering like a war drum, but there was a fire in him that refused to die. He drew a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and shouted with everything he had.“Elara Myrin! Come out! Elara Myrin, I love you!”The courtyard went silent. A few curious eyes peeked from the windows. Students nearby froze mid-step, mouths slightly open. Kael—so easily overlooked before—was suddenly impossible to ignore. His expression burned with determination. There was confidence there, a spark, a kind of raw charm that drew attention like a magnet.Minutes ticked by. Then, just as he had imagined, Elara appeared. The Aether Combat Division uniform clung to her slender figure, accentuating the gentle curves of youth still blooming. Golden hair bounced lightly with every step, catching the sunlight, and her bright, lively eyes scanned the courtyard before resting on him.Every boy

Kael Ardyn’s eyes, sharpened by the Death God Eye, swept over the cold metal walls of the dim room. Shadows clung to every corner, and the faint hum of machinery bounced off the walls, pressing down on him. It was the kind of quiet that made your own heartbeat loud.Through the lens of the Death God Eye, everything became stark—black, white, light, shadow. But in his mind, color still existed. Memories of the little restaurants near Silvercrest Military Institute drifted by. The quiet campus paths in the morning. The laughter of students is long gone.“I’ll get out of here alive. The Voidspawn front won’t hold me,” Kael muttered. His fist slammed into the metal floor. The clang echoed sharply. Pain shot up his arm, but the fire inside him burned hotter.Outside, tension hung thick over the Black Bat Squad’s training grounds. Rippler, Big Bear, the mess hall lady, and the 13th Aether Combat Division members moved with urgency. Every glance, every twitch, spoke of worry.“Big sis,” Big