Eleana said seriously, "I can move, Kerin."
"Let me go down..."
"You can go up..."
"Something big has transpired..."
Kerin's face was resolute. "Yes. Somehow, the pressure is now bearable."
"I will go to the top..."
"How did she suddenly disappear?"
Eleana looked upward, as though nothing could surprise her anymore.
"Kerin, I am seriously losing my understanding of all this."
Kerin simply went up without saying another word.
Eleana also descended like a flash.
Once again, they went their separate ways.
The spectacle began in the sky. It was filled with countless colors, as though it were a child's fantasy.
.....
John gradually regained consciousness. As he moved, he looked up at the huge cross that was barely standing. Sebastian was bowing on top of it.
John watched the King split open spatial tears while murmuring something incomprehensible.
As he struggled to stand, Marvis grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air.
Marvis looked at John and said, "Your eyes... they really look like that bastard from back then. Are you his child or something?"
John gritted his teeth in hatred as he glared at Marvis. His entire body was covered in blood, and he was barely able to move a muscle.
All that remained was an unspeakable hatred.
John muttered weakly, "I'll kill you..."
Marvis looked like someone who had finally reached his limit. Where was the prestige of an esteemed Black Knight?
His hair was completely disheveled. The armor on his arms and legs was broken. Only two sharp swords remained hanging from his back, while the armor covering his chest was shattered.
Marvis looked at John after hearing his words.
"Look there. Do you really think we can survive this?"
John looked up and saw hundreds of spears descending from all directions. Countless light slashes covered the sky.
He looked back at Marvis but said nothing. Only faint grunts escaped his mouth.
"Tell me... Who are you? Why did Laren die? And..."
Marvis paused for a moment.
"Was the war just a facade?"
John spat in Marvis's face, but Marvis didn't seem bothered.
He tightened his grip around John's neck as John struggled desperately for air.
"You tell me, or I will kill you now."
John gritted his teeth as he struggled.
"Do you believe I won't?"
John looked resolute despite his weakening body.
"Go ahead and kill me... If you... really have the guts."
Marvis snorted as a slash flew past them.
John's left hand was severed, and blood sprayed into the air.
"Ahhhhh!"
John struggled violently.
His severed hand lay on the ground, twitching, while Marvis tightened his grip around John's neck even further.
Marvis somehow managed to take a step back.
"What are you, exactly?"
John once again looked at him with pure hatred.
....
Nyelle, who was nearby, finally got up and reached out toward her sister, Noelle.
She knelt beside her and gently ran her fingers through Noelle's transformed hair as she sobbed.
She caressed the feathery, ethereal hands that had protruded from Noelle's back.
"What did these demons do to you?"
She glanced toward the King's figure fighting above, hatred filling her eyes. Then she looked at the figure still kneeling atop the cross.
She picked Noelle up in her arms and ran into the distance. She knew she was completely spent. Her appearance was haggard, bearing no resemblance to the mighty Black Knight who could manipulate the Void.
As she ran, she noticed a huge dome-like barrier faintly protecting a large area from the countless attacks raining down from above.
"Just who built this?"
"And is he actually fighting... the Saintess?"
Her eyes became determined as she murmured, "If worse comes to worst, I will make the Void escape..."
"I am not a saint... I can't save everyone."
As she headed toward the distant guesthouse, she looked back and said, "Sorry, Princess Eryssa..."
.....
Rio put his spear on his back as he looked at Marvis holding John. He looked at John and then gazed at the sky, his eyes dimming.
He started running toward the distant castle.
It was now or never.
He had so many thoughts running through his mind. That night when he had gone crazy and made Eleana's life hell came rushing back to him.
He felt the need to at least say sorry.
Though there was no use now. No one would ever forgive someone for the things he had done.
His whole body convulsed with guilt.
Finally, he remembered everything.
"I need to find Eleana..."
But then, suddenly, he stopped.
He looked at his hands, which were adorned with golden bangles.
He looked around.
Here, all his brothers under his command had died because of his orders.
Hundreds of memories crashed into him like a boulder. He couldn't understand what his priority was anymore, especially with his death approaching.
He looked above and then toward the huge castle hill.
Eleana was probably somewhere up the hill.
After today, would he ever be able to take revenge on Sebastian?
He suddenly knelt as the weight of hundreds of memories crushed him.
The memories of that day weighed heavily on his mind.
He and his brothers had completely annihilated the Crescent Family.
He remembered killing Eleana's parents and everyone else, one by one.
He remembered the terrified face of Eleana, whom he had also been about to kill.
He remembered that strange, star-capped, patterned person who had fought him and saved Eleana.
His guilt piled up like a mountain before him.
But as he looked at the person who had caused all of this—the person who had made them work like mindless slaves—he couldn't contain his hatred.
He murmured, "All my brothers died for nothing. It can't be."
"Sebastian..." he shouted.
"Everyone who was killed... it was because of you..."
"Ahhh!"
He picked up his golden spear.
"Sorry, Eleana. My revenge, your revenge, my brothers' revenge... I have to complete it."
"I need to kill that man."
"If there is a next life... I will complete the debt."
His golden bangles lit up one after another as his entire body radiated golden energy.
Even the King gave him a brief side glance before returning to his battle with something beyond.
Suddenly, Rio vanished.
It was like a ripple across water as he shot forward at an impossible speed.
The cross that had been standing for so long suddenly exploded.
It broke into pieces and crashed to the ground.
All the survivors looked on in horror as they saw a golden spear rising upward, piercing someone.
The golden spear continued rising until it reached the dome of the barrier.
Then it fell like a star.
The scenery was breathtaking.
It was like a dream.
A black-red figure was holding an infinitely long sword that stretched into the heavens.
There was a huge cut in the Void, with a spear lodged inside it.
A jade-like hand struggled to emerge from the tear.
Blossoms and flower petals fell from the sky, clashing against the sword slashes and the barrier.
Far away, ordinary citizens prostrated themselves on the ground as they cried out,
"Oh, Goddess Priessa, save us."
"Goddess Priessa, save us."
People cried as they bowed.
Before them stood a statue of a woman holding a bow.
It was a very common sight in Drudar.
.....
Meanwhile, a shooting star crashed into the ground, creating a huge crater.
Marvis looked toward it in the distance but immediately brought his attention back to John.
His face was covered in tears.
All around him, pieces of the great cross continued to fall, yet he did not move a muscle.
He looked at John as he continued to torture him.
John laughed.
His few remaining teeth were missing.
Marvis had beaten him mercilessly.
Marvis slapped him again.
"Bastard, why are you laughing?"
"Tell me everything, or I will kill you right now..."
"Oh, Marvis... As expected, you're soft."
"You're so soft that you saved Noelle from Rio's spear just now, and now you have tears for Rio..."
"Are you soft or a hypocrite?"
Marvis tightened his grip around John's neck.
.....
Rio was dying.
Before him, a man bowed slightly and pressed a hand against his hat.
"Well, your life was one hell of a show. Great Knight Rio."
Rio's figure had impaled a second Sebastian, which was already beginning to fade.
Rio coughed as blood flowed from his mouth.
He looked at Sebastian.
"Why?"
Sebastian laughed.
"It was an interesting drama."
Suddenly, he vanished and reappeared a short distance away.
There was a figure standing near Rio.
It was Eleana.
She looked at Rio but said nothing.
She simply gazed at him.
Rio looked at Eleana and suddenly smiled.
He barely managed to say one word before taking his last breath.
"I'm sorry..."
He died smiling.
Eleana's face darkened.
She didn't move a muscle.
Slowly, her body began to tremble as she threw her sword.
It barely missed Rio's head.
"Sorry..."
"You get to say sorry and die..."
"After everything you did..."
"My father, my mother, everyone you killed... just because of a rumor."
"You killed my family..."
"How can even death claim you, bastard?"
"Don't make me laugh... Wake up..."
"I want to kill you myself..."
"Wake up, please..."
"I have done everything to become as strong as you..."
"I have only pursued strength."
"I have never understood my feelings. I kept them buried."
"All for this revenge..."
"Wake up..."
She fell to her knees with a thud.
"Waaahhhhhhh..."
She cried brokenly.
The spectacular scene of a maiden in white crying beside a white-haired golden knight unfolded beneath the fireworks-like abstractions illuminating the sky.
....
Rylagh couldn't move anymore as he lay flat on the ground.
Looking at the stunning spectacle in the sky, he muttered,
"Who would have thought that the one proclaiming himself a giant killer would end up lying flat like this?"
"But we shouldn't have meddled."
"If I hadn't meddled, then everything wouldn't have fallen into place according to the exact requirements."
His eyes dimmed.
Suddenly, a spark appeared in them, as though he had realized something.
"So... I... I should not have sent Shadow to scare them or given the Relovar Fruit away so easily."
"I... never thought that strange fruit might very well have been the first catalyst."
"If not for me..."
"The Emerald... Emerald Artifact would not have awakened completely."
Suddenly, he trembled.
"I... need to save him and my girls..."
"Lythria..."
He took something out of his pocket and drank the potion.
"I am sorry, my lady... I am really too pathetic."
He drank it as his complexion slowly became rosy.
"But... I have wasted all the treasures of Mythria..."
"That Causality Leaf and this Causality Medicine..."
"Haha... even the Causality Leaf could not save her..."
"I should save Lythria and that boy."
With that, he gritted his teeth and began to chant something.
Just then, a portal appeared, and Sylwen, Myrieth, and all the guardians emerged.
Rylagh started trembling.
"Why?"
He shouted toward the sky.
"Who is it? Who is messing with me?"
"Why did I forget about them?"
"Why... did I consume such a valuable treasure?"
"Father..."
Myrieth was stunned as she rushed forward and hugged her father.
Rylagh spoke in a broken tone.
"Please free me... free me."
"Father, calm down. We will secure Lythria and get out. There's no need to search for that painting anymore."
Rylagh suddenly became stunned.
Then he hugged Myrieth.
"Yes... yes. Let's go home."
The guardians joined hands as Sylwen simply waved her hand.
A door materialized before them.
....
Lythria was kneeling, feeling afraid.
As the King rested the sword on his shoulder, the pressure suddenly disappeared.
She sighed in relief.
As a lotus flower blossomed, she couldn't find the location of whatever she had been searching for.
"Where is the artifact?"
"It's showing a different location..."
Just then, a door materialized before her.
As soon as she saw Myrieth and her father emerge from it, she ran toward them.
As she sensed her father's state of mind, she trembled.
"What happened to him?"
"Did he really use that secret move... or rather, that secret treasure?"
.....
Riessa was panting as she stood up.
She was rushing back to find Veer.
As she looked above and saw the spectacle taking place, her heart tightened.
"Please keep him safe. I finally found him."
Her red clothes were damaged and fluttered in the air.
She held her katana in her hand as she ran.
As she saw the scale of the spectacle, she stopped.
"Even if I go to help him, we might not be able to escape."
She gritted her teeth.
Then she bit her rosy lips and murmured,
"My flower might not be able to protect him."
"I have to call Master."
"But what if she kills Veer?"
"No. Master will not do that. If she dares, I will stand between them."
"I can use myself to protect him."
She procured a token inscribed with the words:
"Nameless Shadow."
She procured another token.
It had a name:
"Nameless Star."
She gently caressed it.
She then bound the two tokens together and formed a stance with her fingers.
The two tokens emitted a blue light before disappearing.
Far away, in some unknown land, it was completely dark.
A shadow gently walked through the darkness as her hands lit up.
Her entire figure was covered in heavy clothes.
A candle was lit, barely illuminating anything around her.
A woman was sitting upon a throne.
A woman's melodious, faint voice echoed through the darkness.
"Shadow... she found him... She really found the Star...?"
"Oh, Star! Oh, Star! I am coming for you..."