HARRRGHH!
BOOM!
SLASH!
KWAARGG!
KTANG!
KTANG!
Flames. Screams. Destruction.
And yet, amidst it all… there was hope.
"COMMANDER! ASSIST HER NOW!"
A desperate shout rang out from a green-scaled Dragon Realm Protector, who circled above the battlefield, watching the fierce clash between Commander Erlynn and…
That Mishanter.
KTANGG!
KTANGG!
A long, razor-sharp claw clashed against a diamond spear. Jagged teeth gnashed as the two exchanged blows, their movements too swift for the untrained eye to follow.
"Cih! This Mishanter…!"
Commander Erlynn hissed through gritted teeth.
Her Diamond Spear held firm against the creature's enormous claw. Its three-eye stared directly into her icy eyes as their face just separated by her spear.
At first, Erlynn thought the only sounds she would hear were the clashing of steel and the grinding of claws.
But then…
The Mishanter's mouth moved.
"Re… realm…"
Erlynn's eyes narrowed.
"Realm… Protector…"
The creature's voice was hoarse, its words broken and unnatural, as though forcing them out required an effort it barely understood.
"Kill…!"
Erlynn's eyes widened.
With a powerful thrust, she forced the Mishanter back, making it stumble several steps away from her.
"Y-You can talk?!"
For a moment, disbelief overwhelmed her.
The Mishanter tilted its head.
"Ta… talk…?"
Its three eyes remained fixed on her.
"Ki… KILL!"
SWOOSH!
The creature lunged.
KTANGG!
Erlynn barely managed to block the incoming claw with her Diamond Spear.
But she had no time to think about what she had just witnessed.
No time to question why a Mishanter could speak.
No time to understand what it meant.
Because the battle was far from over.
The war had dragged on for nearly a week.
Nearly a week of relentless fighting. Nearly a week of bloodshed, exhaustion, and desperate resistance.
And this was the price of fighting while outnumbered, with no reinforcements in sight.
Their strategy had always been to prolong the war, buying as much time as possible for the other zones to prepare.
A desperate plan.
A dangerous plan.
One that demanded an enormous amount of energy…
And, inevitably, sacrifices.
But there was no room for hesitation now.
If Erlynn failed to kill this Mishanter…
The next zone lay only a few hundred kilometers away.
A zone that could not afford to fall.
Kaliddora.
And with no reinforcements left to call upon, and the Commander of the North having denied her request for assistance…
…she had no choice but to end this.
Now.
But that also meant leaving the other Mishanters to her fellow Realm Protectors and trusting them to hold the line.
Sigh… What a hassle.
Ice Might Conjuration: Glacier Whisper!
SWOOOSH!
KRKK… KRRRKK!
A sudden wave of frigid mist swept across the battlefield, engulfing the Mishanter.
In an instant, ice spread across its body, crystallizing its limbs and torso until the creature was completely encased in a frozen prison.
"That should hold it for a few minutes…"
Erlynn exhaled, briefly lowering her Diamond Spear.
She scanned her surroundings.
There was no one left to assist her. Only her comrades, still fighting desperately against the overwhelming horde of Mishanters.
It had taken nearly a week to evacuate every last citizen from the zone.
Nearly a week of fighting to buy them that time.
And now, with the evacuation complete, there was nothing left to protect here but the Realm Protectors themselves.
"Vargha! Nar'hs!"
SWOOOOSH!
A sudden gust of wind swept through the battlefield's brief silence.
Two figures appeared beside her in an instant, arriving as swiftly and silently as shadows.
One was a Giant, his massive frame clad in black metallic armor, with blue, highly resistant cloth wrapped around his waist.
Perched upon his enormous shoulder was another figure an Arachnid.
Numerous arms extended from the Arachnid's body, each encased in the same black metallic armor as the Giant's. Blue, highly resistant cloth was wrapped around its wrists, matching the fabric worn by its towering companion. Red eyes gleamed across its head as it settled upon the Giant's shoulder.
Two figures. Two trusted comrades.
Commander Erlynn turned toward them.
"You two… I have an order for you. Please, fulfill it."
"Yes, Commander!"
Erlynn paused, her gaze shifting between the two figures before her.
"I don't know if this will be the last order you ever receive from your Commander…"
"We are ready, Commander."
The Arachnid Insectoid answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Even if it costs us our lives."
Erlynn fell silent for a moment.
"Good."
She took a breath before continuing.
"Here is the plan. I will kill this Mishanter using everything I have."
Her grip tightened around her Diamond Spear.
"But when I do, the other Mishanters will scatter. They will run wild across the battlefield, and we won't have the luxury of keeping them contained."
She looked directly at the two warriors.
"I want you two my two out of four Lieutenants to kill as many of those creatures as possible before they reach the next zone."
"Yes, Commander!"
Nar'sh, the towering giant, answered immediately. His enormous frame shifted as he began preparing his Earth Might.
Erlynn then turned toward the Arachnid Insectoid.
"And you, Vargha—"
"It's Vargctha, Commander."
"…Oh. My apologies. Vargctha."
Erlynn gave a small nod before continuing.
"After you finish helping Nar'sh…go to Kaliddora. Inform the Realm Protectors there to prepare themselves. I want them to know exactly what is coming."
"How long will it take you to reach them?"
"Don't worry, Commander. It should take less than an hour."
Vargctha replied in his deep, heavy voice.
He was concerned about his Commander. He knew what she was about to face, and he understood what it meant to use everything she had against an opponent like that.
Yet he refused to let those feelings show.
"Hey. You two…"
Erlynn glanced back at them over her shoulder.
Her blue cape fluttered in the wind behind her. On its fabric was a silver circle bearing the letters SE the insignia of the Southeast Area of the Fatamorgana Realm.
"Don't worry about me."
She flashed them a confident smile.
"As if I'm going to die at the hands of this damned Mishanter!"
Her fingers tightened around the shaft of her Diamond Spear.
And with no further hesitation—
THWOOMPH!
Erlynn burst forward, her figure tearing across the battlefield toward her frozen opponent.
At the same time, her two Lieutenants launched themselves in opposite directions, each rushing to fulfill the orders of their Commander.
Neither looked back.
They had their orders.
And they intended to see them through.
Meanwhile, in Kaliddora…
"HUMAN! HURRY UP!"
Nibsken's voice echoed across the backyard.
"YEAH! GOBLIN!, BE PATIENT!"
Kael replied from his room upstairs.
Nibsken, Grak'Mar, Liraen, Volgran, Reyvik, and Nylum were already waiting for Kael in the backyard.
A gentle morning breeze swept across the grassy field. Above them, three suns hung in the sky, partially veiled by clouds that softened their light.
It was a beautiful morning.
A perfect day for what was about to come.
The backyard was wide and spacious, its lush green grass stretching across the open ground. It was the very place where Kael's training would finally be put to the test.
And today…
The day of the decisive battle had arrived.
Even though Kael had planned for this moment a month ago, the reality of it was finally catching up to him.
Today was different.
Today, Kael would no longer stand as a student learning from his friends, nor as a mentee relying on their guidance.
Today, he would stand before them as a challenger.
Not behind them.
Not beneath them.
But on equal footing.
And his friends had come prepared.
Nibsken stood at the front, several metal plates attached to his body. Durvakian metal rings reinforced his fists, designed to enhance the impact of his Tan'Mara punches.
Next was Reyvik.
The furry wolf had equipped himself with thick armor crafted from plant fibers and natural crystals, protecting his body without completely restricting his movements. In each hand, he held a metal rod, ready to strike from either side.
Then there was Nylum.
His liquid body had undergone another modification. Instead of relying on a single metallic hand, he now possessed two.
He wore no additional armor, choosing instead to take full advantage of his liquid body's natural properties. With the ability to reshape himself and adapt to incoming attacks, he was prepared to take the frontline alongside his companions.
But the remaining three…
Their preparations were on an entirely different level.
They were the trio who had once come close to becoming Realm Protectors under the direct training of Commander Aeronis himself.
And they were anything but mediocre fighters.
Aeronis had trained them twenty years ago, yet the lessons he had imparted remained with them to this day.
More importantly, these three had faced Mishanters before.
Although those battles belonged to a distant chapter of their lives, they had never forgotten the experience.
Nor had they forgotten what Aeronis had taught them.
First came Volgran.
The giant wore crystallized armor over his hands and face, protecting himself from the destructive heat of his own Flame Might.
Despite his enormous stature, his role in this battle was that of a ranged attacker.
A ranger.
His Flame Might allowed him to unleash devastating attacks from a distance, making him a valuable asset to the team.
However, his massive frame also presented a problem.
When fighting alongside Nibsken, Nylum, and Reyvik, Volgran had to exercise caution. Unlike the other three, his attacks could cover a much wider area, and an ill-timed strike from him could easily catch his own allies in the crossfire.
He couldn't simply unleash his full power whenever he pleased.
He had to choose his moments carefully.
Next came Grak'Mar.
The Behemoth.
An Ogre built like a mountain of muscle, Grak'Mar had reinforced himself with crystal armor and carried a massive great axe on his back.
If Volgran was the team's ranged attacker, then Grak'Mar was its true frontline.
One swing of that enormous axe could tear through dozens of infected Trevians.
There was little doubt about his role in this battle.
He would be the one standing at the front, breaking through whatever stood in their way.
And finally…
Liraen.
The Wind Elf.
Arguably the strongest fighter among the six.
His Might, the Tawan Aspect, his experience wielding the Bilah, and above all, his ability to work seamlessly with his teammates made him an exceptionally dangerous combatant.
He wasn't merely powerful on his own.
He knew how to make everyone around him more effective.
His smooth, glassy green crystal armor fitted neatly over his body, while his beloved Bilah, Ralis, rested firmly in his hand.
And on his right wrist…
It was a golden bracelet.
The very objective of today's battle.
It fitted perfectly around his wrist, gleaming beneath the morning light.
Kael still didn't show up from the back door of his room upstairs, so Liraen called him
"Hey, Kael! Are you do-"
"Woo…"
Liraen stopped mid-sentence as Kael finally descended the stairs from his room.
And the moment he appeared-
Everyone's eyes turned toward him. His appearance… Is something no one in this realm ever witnesses.
Kael's body was covered in black armor.
At first glance, it resembled ordinary protective equipment, but upon closer inspection, it was neither crystal, metal, nor bone.
It was something much simpler.
A material that looked like fabric, yet possessed a surprising degree of hardness.
His gloves were bulky but relatively simple in design, with a round, black container attached to the top of each one.
As usual, his black cape hung from his shoulders, swaying gently with every step.
Both of his wrists were protected by thin, shield-like plates, each large enough to deflect an incoming attack.
Around his waist were several pockets, each packed with one of his many inventions.
Blinding bombs.
Explosive bombs.
And who knew what else he had stuffed in there?
A shotgun hung from the right side of his waist, secured beside a caged sphere.
On his left were his flamethrower and slingshot, both ready for use.
In his right hand, he carried Tesseract in its longsword form.
And in his left…
It was a small glass bottle filled with an orange energy drink called Tenalung.
Kael took one final sip before finishing it.
Glug. Glug.
He lowered the empty bottle.
Meanwhile, his electric boots emitted a faint buzzing sound with every step, their stored energy fully charged and ready to be unleashed.
Kael stopped in front of his friends.
"Oh, yeah…"
He grinned.
"I'm ready!"
Kael smirk with confidence.
"AAWOOO! YOU LOOK SICK!"
Reyvik practically howled in excitement.
"Hehehe! You guys look pretty good yourselves!" Kael replied.
"All right." Liraen stepped forward, bringing their attention back to the matter at hand. "Are you ready, Kael?"
"Ready as always, Ren!"
Liraen nodded.
Then he raised his right hand, displaying the golden bracelet fitted around his wrist.
"Let me repeat the rules so everyone is clear on them."
His gaze swept across the group before settling on Kael.
"For Kael to win, all he needs to do is grab this bracelet from my hand."
Kael nodded.
"And one more rule," Liraen continued. "If any of us gets seriously injured or loses consciousness, the fight ends immediately. That counts as our victory."
He paused briefly before adding,
"The time limit is until your Tawan training ends."
Kael nodded.
"All right! Crystal clear, Ren!"
"Good."
Liraen took several steps backward as the others moved into their planned positions.
He stood beside Volgran, the towering Giant, with Nylum positioned nearby to provide support.
Reyvik took the middle of the formation, with Nibsken standing beside him.
And Grak'Mar…
Of course, the massive Ogre stood directly in front of Kael.
At first glance, their formation seemed simple.
But there was more to it than met the eye.
"Ready, Human?"
Kael nodded.
"Then the fight starts in…"
Liraen raised his hand.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"GO!"
SWOOSH!
Kael burst forward, dashing straight past Grak'Mar's enormous Ogre body.
"Cih! He's fast! How?!"
Grak'Mar barely had time to turn.
SKRRREECH!
Kael abruptly skidded to a halt directly in front of Nibsken and Reyvik.
"I won't let you pass, Human!"
Nibsken charged toward him, his fists ready to unleash his Tan'Mara technique.
Behind him, Reyvik prepared his Electric Might, gripping the metal rods in both hands.
And from behind Kael
Grak'Mar charged forward as well, his enormous frame rapidly closing the distance.
Kael was about to be sandwiched between them.
But that was exactly what he had planned.
Instead of raising Tesseract to fight, Kael drove its black blade into the ground.
KTHUNK!
This chapterr is too long i split into two parts