Endymion was ultimately still destroyed.
The seven layers of sky had already become an utter mess.
But luckily, Endymion did not fall.
Although several layers had been ravaged so badly their original form could no longer be recognized, the three white rings below had become shattered and broken.
But looking upward from beneath Endymion, the upper four circular rings were at most tilted a bit, yet were still considered intact.
In the end, that massive nuclear-blast flame turned the buildings of the first three layers into ruins in an instant; chunks of rubble floated vaguely beneath the sky.
Exhausted Haim looked at the floating pieces of stone before him. Suddenly, he understood Rachel, understood the blow it must have been when the academy was destroyed.
Haim felt endless anguish.
"Damn it, Viktor…"
Saying that Endymion wouldn't be destroyed, turns out that was all nonsense.
He was just a monster, a mage who exploded whatever place he stepped into.
What kind of mage constantly had terrifyingly destructive magic prepared and used it regularly?
According to the records, Viktor had only fought three times since becoming a fourth-tier mage.
The first was the Demon War back then, where the Council noticed Viktor's immense power and chose to invite him to join.
The second time was in the Magic Gorge, almost blowing the Land of Storms to pieces.
And the third was the battle they had just recorded.
The battle the Mage Council officially documented as the "Calamity War."
Yet all three records, without exception, clearly showed what an overwhelmingly violent mage Viktor was.
Wherever he went, there wasn't a single place he didn't blow up.
Very quickly, Haim calmed down a bit and accepted the situation.
'At least Endymion didn't fall.'
Yes, that was the blessing within the misfortune.
Viktor's magic seemed to have the ability to distinguish targets on its own. Even while inside such an enormous blast radius, Haim and Cocotte weren't harmed at all.
Even the magical creatures living within Endymion were untouched by the spell.
This resulted in only the buildings and terrain of the first three layers of Endymion being completely pulverized.
Of course, all of that could be rebuilt with time.
But if the sky city had fallen to the ground, wherever it landed, Endymion's chaotic magic would have shattered the land.
The enormous source of chaotic mana would have spread across more than half the nation. At that point, it would surely cause disaster and death.
Cocotte was lying on a cloud, completely exhausted. She sprawled face-down into the white fluff, not even caring that her face was buried in it, and dragged her voice out weakly as she consoled Haim, "It's better than Rachel's academy… at least the magic archive wasn't involved."
The Magic Archive existed within an alternate space and did not exist within Endymion's "reality."
It was a "reverse space," storing the accumulated wisdom of countless mages from Endymion over hundreds of years.
Even so, hearing Cocotte's comfort still made Haim feel annoyed.
So he glanced at her and said indifferently, "The place where you sleep is gone too."
"Huh?"
Cocotte lifted her head, then immediately slammed it back into the cloud, not moving at all.
She now seemed endlessly depressed.
Haim was referring to the first layer's "Forest-Green Garden."
That was the place where Cocotte had originally welcomed Viktor.
She had always lived in that magical garden.
According to her, because the first layer was closest to "Hyjal," the natural energy was abundant, making it a perfect place to sleep.
But with the Forest-Green Garden destroyed, her last hope was gone too.
With great grievance, Cocotte said, "When Viktor comes out, I'm definitely making him compensate me."
"Otherwise I'll, I'll…"
Haim looked at her.
"You'll what?"
"…I'll cling to him and not leave."
These old mages with flexible moral boundaries could only vent with their mouths.
The astonishing combat power Viktor displayed made them understand clearly that this man's strength absolutely could not be treated as that of a normal mage.
He didn't seem like a mage, he felt more like…
A pure magic-wielding machine.
You could say that every action Viktor made in battle was perfectly precise, as if he existed solely for fighting.
Even more frightening was that against that kind of monster no human could possibly resist, he could fight it alone for nearly two whole days.
What mage could do that?
Who else?
Haim let out a sigh and slowly said, "Is it possible… that the prophecy the Archmage left behind…"
"Was referring to Viktor?"
Cocotte stared at the drifting ruins floating among the sea of stars, silver dust everywhere.
Like a wanderer longing for home who arrives at the doorstep only to leave again, lonely and helpless.
"Look on the bright side."
"At least Endymion didn't fall."
———
[In Endymion's Zero-Layer Space]
The surrounding void cracked with thin fissures, like a noticeable flaw on crystal, and flickered with bits of flame.
The space gradually collapsed; Hyjal had also shrunk greatly. The once dazzling green radiance had dimmed considerably.
Viktor stood upon the flaming molten ground, quietly watching the fiercely burning Druja before him.
Druja had now returned to its form as a giant multi-eyed serpent, collapsed in the sea of fire, unable to even move its body.
It had lost, unable to rise again.
War Magic had finally shattered the barrier; Cocotte and Haim escaped just in time to activate Endymion's defense mechanisms.
Even so, Endymion had still been destroyed by about half.
But that had nothing to do with Viktor, he had come only for Druja.
Hyjal was powered by Druja's origin. If Druja left Hyjal, Endymion would completely fall after some time.
Viktor put his wand back into his backpack, raised both hands, and formed hand-seals, drawing a green formation personally in the air.
He divided the entire formation into four sections, front, back, left, and right. The surrounding natural energy was gently drawn into it. Massive circular loops linked the four formations together, depicting the brilliance of the sun, moon, and stars.
Very soon, a ripple spread from Viktor's body, one that resonated with the entire space.
That ripple brushed over Druja. At the center of its massive body, a glowing green orb slowly emerged and floated toward Viktor.
This was Druja's Wood Origin.
Once Viktor took it, Druja would be forcibly put into slumber.
Very quickly, Druja's three pairs of compound eyes lost their final glimmer.
The depleted Hyjal, shaken by the ripple, used the last energy it could command. From the green sphere floating at its waist, dozens of vines shot out.
Like silken threads forming a cocoon, they wrapped around the Wood Calamity and dragged it back into Hyjal's interior.
The Calamity would not disappear. Even if Viktor took away its origin, it would not fall silent.
Because it itself was a massive energy source.
Although Viktor took Hyjal's energy core, he returned to Hyjal a complete Wood Calamity.
As long as no one appeared to awaken it again, Druja would continue serving as Hyjal's energy source, keeping Endymion afloat.
Viktor examined the green Origin before him, preparing to fuse it with himself.
This time, his condition was much better than last time.
Because when preparing the final War Magic, Cocotte and Haim, two fourth-tier mages, had supplied him with mana, he hadn't been drained to absolute exhaustion.
And because he had forcibly fused a Calamity Origin once before, he no longer needed to worry about fainting from rejection this time.
The Fire Origin within his body gradually merged with the Wood Origin. His coat changed appearance again.
The coat that once flowed with molten lava now turned into alternating red-and-green stripes.
Energy slowly flowed through the lines, constantly radiating a powerful aura.
Viktor casually conjured a strange circular ring in the air. Thick stems burst from the opening, vines carrying natural energy spreading further and further throughout the void.
The broken zero-layer space gradually began sprouting green leaves, tiny buds peeking out.
Even the nearly distorted Hyjal sprouted two vines under the natural magic.
They pulled the severed upper and lower halves of the massive tree closer together, slowly merging into a complete ancient tree.
After finishing everything, Viktor narrowed his eyes.
In the game's story, Druja, defeated by players, also did not disappear.
Just like Guluton, Druja returned to Hyjal and became a dungeon boss players could challenge anytime.
But the game's lore described Druja's ending like this, the sleeping Druja once again became Endymion's source of energy, sustaining the seven layers of sky and keeping them eternal.
Viktor watched Druja's consciousness drift back into Hyjal and said softly, "A Calamity sealed in the same place forever… wouldn't it get bored?"
Vega yawned tiredly. Hearing this, he stared blankly at Viktor.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
Viktor turned around. Behind him, dense forests grew wildly; towering woods and fields of flowers spread across the entire space.
Hyjal stood in the lonely void, radiating vibrant light, never again to be disturbed.
———
The crisis foretold in Endymion's prophecy had been resolved.
As they prepared to leave, Viktor said to Haim, "If anyone ever attempts to attack Hyjal again in the future…"
"Then the revived Druja will awaken immediately."
Haim listened in confusion. 'Wasn't the Calamity the Archmage mentioned basically you?'
'Did that mean… Endymion would suffer an attack like this again in the future?'
Thinking of that terrifying Calamity awakening once more, Haim suddenly didn't feel like repairing this sky city anymore.
'Just let it be destroyed already. Sooner the better.'
Viktor stared at the three layers of shattered ruins, falling into contemplation.
In the game's backstory, the Dark Archmage broke through the seal and entered Endymion's zero-layer space, corrupted Hyjal, and attempted to seize the Wood Origin.
And at that time, Druja was in deep slumber. Even though Hyjal was being invaded, it didn't awaken.
This allowed the Dark Archmage to freely ravage the sky city.
The Council's mages were powerless against it, and ultimately had to seek help from players on the continent.
Even by the end of the story, when players joined forces to defeat the Dark Archmage, the tragedy had already happened. Endymion was no longer the sacred city of legend but had become a place of rot and corruption.
But now?
Druja had been awakened early by Viktor.
This time, Druja would no longer fall into long slumber.
He looked forward with interest to what kind of expression the future Dark Archmage would have when invading Hyjal and encountering a fully awakened Wood Calamity.
At the same time, Aurelian floated toward Viktor while sitting on Cocotte's cloud.
Viktor finally remembered, the princess had been in the Magic Archive for two days now.
Seeing the slightly tired princess before him, he asked, "Did you have fun?"
Aurelian blinked and nodded.
"Mhm."
Viktor asked again, "Do you want to come again next time?"
This time Aurelian was overjoyed, nodding repeatedly.
"Mhm mhm!"
Viktor smiled lightly and continued, "Then show me the magic you learned."
"Let me check your learning progress and see whether you slacked off in your studies these past two days."