The ground did not shake. It convulsed.
The entire core region of the Mist Forest seemed to writhe—trees bending, roots snapping, stones vibrating
like startled animals. Then the trembling became violent enough to split the battlefield.
A deafening crack tore open the earth.
And from beneath—
Something stirred.
A shadow the size of a mountain broke through the shattered crust. Roots, soil, and molten stone rained as
a colossal torso rose—pale, armored with vein-like runes that pulsed with unstable light.
At its chest…
A single cyclopean eye opened.
Violet. Cold. Hungry.
Alys stared.
"So this is the guardian of the Silver Nectar…" she murmured—almost reverently.
The eye fixed on her. The air screamed.
A roar ripped reality.
Lura and Mark crumpled instantly, blood leaking from their noses as they fought to breathe.
The forest bent beneath the weight of the creature's presence. The sky flickered. Pressure crushed the
ground.
And upon the monster's back, glowing like a moon of silver flame—
The Silver Nectar Flower swayed untouched.
Alys smiled.
"Perfect."
1
With a single step, she launched into the sky. Her cloak snapped. Crimson energy spiraled from her palm,
forming a spear of bloodlight.
She descended. A queen challenging a god.
Edge of the Core — Rivalries Ignite
While the guardian's roar tore apart the sky, another war erupted on the ground.
Brian—Team One's Spear Saint—strode forward. His silver armor gleamed like hammered moonlight.
Behind him landed Clera. Wind swirling. Eyes sharp.
Grey followed, blade humming with a dull gray aura.
They surrounded Lura and Mark.
Clera smirked.
"Well, well. Lura… Do you remember humiliating me at the trial gate?"
Lura wiped blood from her nose.
"You picked that fight yourself."
Clera's grin sharpened. Wind blades spiraled.
"Oh, I'll win this one."
Grey stepped forward.
"Enough talk." His voice was cold steel.
His blade leveled.
"Let's end this."
Mark moved in front of Lura, frost blooming beneath his boots.
"You'll have to get through me."
Wind howled. Lightning cracked. Frost hissed. Steel clashed.
The four collided.
2
Clera danced like a storm. Grey cut like a falling star. Lura's thunder roared. Mark's ice shattered under
pressure.
They were being overwhelmed—
—until a new presence descended.
Alys Ascends
Alys landed atop the monster's thrashing hide. Her boots sank into the scaled flesh. The guardian's
cyclopean eye swiveled toward her, glowing brighter.
She smirked.
"Beautiful."
The runes across her body pulsed—matching the monster's heartbeat.
The gem she claimed at the Crimson Lake floated above her palm, pulsing with a crimson heartbeat.
The veins along her arms glowed like molten cracks.
Crimson mist circled her.
"You gained strength from the Crimson Jewel," she said. "But that jewel belonged to my bloodline… long
before you stole it."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Now it returns to its rightful owner."
The gem blazed. Alys's aura erupted.
The battlefield drowned in crimson light. Trees withered. Stone melted. The sky bled red.
But her control faltered. Her veins glowed too brightly. Her body trembled.
The gem's power twisted violently— Devouring her instead of obeying.
Brian narrowed his eyes.
"That energy… She can't handle it."
3
Lightning burst from the sky. The monster gathered a storm within itself— A spear of violet thunder
forming above its head.
Alys raised her blade. A crimson shield snapped into existence.
The thunder crashed.
Her shield shattered. Alys crashed into the ground, sliding across the cracked terrain.
Brian stepped forward. His spear hummed. Golden energy spiraled.
"Solar Vein—Heaven's Piercer."
A flash. A thunderous impact. An explosion that split the mist.
When the light cleared—
The monster stood. Barely scratched.
Brian landed lightly, brows furrowed.
"So even that was nothing…"
A New Presence
Alys rose again—shaking, coughing, bleeding. But smiling.
The dark symbol on her forehead glowed. Her veins pulsed like living runes.
The Crimson Gem hovered behind her—burning with an ancient heartbeat.
And then—
The atmosphere shifted. Every warrior felt it.
A warmth. A hum. A pressure that was not crushing—but liberating.
Lura gasped. Tears welled.
"...Auren?"
A jade flame ignited on the horizon.
Bright. Divine. Impossible.
4
The sky split open. A pillar of jade fire erupted upward, tearing apart the crimson haze. The air bent. The
forest trembled.
A silhouette emerged.
Auren.
Jade flames curled around him in layered rings, like living halos. His eyes glowed—not blue, not white, but
jade, deep and ancient.
The serpent's corrosive flame had not consumed him.
He had consumed it.
The inner cube of jade fire rotated silently within his core—each turn sending ripples of power through his
body.
Auren stepped forward.
The battlefield bowed.
Alys's eyes widened. Her aura dimmed.
Not in submission. Not in fear.
But in anticipation.
The monster shrieked. Thunder gathered. Lightning spiraled into annihilation.
Lura screamed. Mark staggered.
Auren simply raised his hand.
Jade fire wrapped around his arm, forming a burning claw. His Beast Body Transformation awakened again
—sharper, refined.
He vanished.
Sonic boom.
The lightning spear descended.
A jade wall met it.
BOOOOOOM.
5
When the light faded—
Auren stood between his team and death.
He turned his head slightly. Voice soft. Sincere.
"Sorry for being late."
6