Half the sky was pierced by brilliant sunlight, stained a deep crimson.
The other half remained covered by heavy clouds, as though trying to push the dust-filled earth-colored haze into the distance.
Beneath this sky, where chaos fought for dominion, two giant beasts stood upon the earth, each unleashing a terrifying wave of force.
The scorching, chaotic aura and the heavy, deathly still aura collided with one another, releasing wave after wave that shot straight into the sky.
The beasts' two arms were locked tightly against each other, their enormous bodies nearly filling the entire space.
As they struggled against each other, the ripples spreading through space caused the uneven ground to tremble without end.
Flowing fire surged within Guldon's eyes. Molten lava dripped from its limbs onto the earth, splashing into pillars of blazing flame several meters high.
BOOM!!!
In an instant, with Guldon's roar, the blazing sun above the clouds seemed to swell several times over, becoming even hotter and more violent.
The brilliant sunlight seemed ready to tear through the world itself, suppressing all chaos.
The endless sandstorm was scorched by the intense heat, turning into streams of burning sand swirling through the air, as though furious flames had stirred up a hurricane that swallowed everything.
Layer upon layer of scorching heat scraped against the sand, and countless bright sparks flickered across the sky.
The earth split apart again with countless enormous, deep fissures.
Layers of molten lava rose from the depths below.
Towering columns of lava burst from the cracks, becoming writhing serpents that swallowed every sin into their bellies.
The terrible heat baked the earth. Cracked ground burst apart and curled upward. Even the glowing clouds were stained with crimson ripples.
If someone were to step into this land that had become a living hell, they would surely be burned dry by the scorching sandstorm.
[Scorching Land]
The two giant beasts broke apart from their deadlock.
Roaring at each other, they continued strengthening their own environments.
Bang!
A giant fist wrapped in burning lava tore through the scorching air and slammed heavily into Uranos's body, which was covered in glossy stone.
The terrifying heat of that punch shattered the rocks covering Uranos's surface.
Molten lava rapidly poured through the cracks that had burst open in its armor, burning its massive, solid body.
After enduring this punch filled with terrifying strength and heat, Uranos's body slowly leaned backward a few degrees.
But relying on its natural size advantage, it quickly regained its balance.
One giant fist swung behind its back became coated in glossy black stone, extending sharp rock spikes before smashing fiercely toward Guldon.
The terrifying force tore through space, while explosive blasts erupted all around like thunder.
That fearsome punch, carrying unmatched force, crashed heavily into Guldon's body of flowing lava.
Bang!
Guldon's crimson body staggered under the violent blow, its massive body stumbling back several steps.
Stepping into the lava, its feet sank deeply into the ground before it finally steadied itself, avoiding being knocked over.
The earth erupted once more with streams of lava, exposing themselves through the shattered cracks before wrapping around Guldon's body again.
Uranos raised its hand and discovered that the spiked giant fist it had just thrown had already had its black stone pierced by flowing lava, which was now burning its body.
With a casual shake, several masses of lava were flung away.
Relying on its terrifying physical toughness and its seemingly endless health bar, Uranos paid no attention to Guldon's little tricks.
The two giant beasts exchanged blow after blow, sending lava flying and mountains collapsing.
Every attack seemed capable of causing an earthquake, bringing endless shock to this world.
The earth trembled even more violently.
The sky where the rising sun appeared became even more chaotic, while the crimson sun hanging overhead grew increasingly dazzling.
Standing on Viktor's shoulder, Vega stared wide-eyed at the battle between the giant beasts in astonishment.
"How did you summon that thing..."
Halfway through speaking, Vega suddenly fell silent, as though realizing something.
Its eyes widened, and it flew above Viktor's head, shouting angrily, "Viktor! Do you have to drain me dry before you'll stop?!"
Vega finally understood Viktor's plan.
No wonder Viktor had been waiting all this time.
He wanted to summon all five remaining Calamities.
'Damn you, Viktor.'
Back in the Padalenbu Sea, simply summoning two Calamities had nearly drained it dry.
And now he wanted to do something even bigger?
Whether he could actually pull it off was one matter.
The most important thing was that there was something else that had to be considered.
The Calamities were no good thing.
The Six Great Calamities represented the world's six great elements, the six essential components that made up the world.
If all six Calamities were summoned, the world's weather would immediately fall into chaos.
Clear skies and storms without warning.
Droughts and fires.
Or earthquakes and collapsing land.
Last time, when four Calamities gathered together, they had already brought unimaginable upheaval to the world.
And now Viktor wanted to bring out all six?
If that happened, then within a single hour, they might witness six different natural disasters erupting at the same time.
Disaster would eventually descend upon everyone.
"So I prepared for that."
Viktor kept his hands in his pockets, looked up at the battle between the two giant beasts, and said calmly, "We just need to keep it contained within the royal capital."
'Contained? How?'
Vega looked completely confused.
Just as Vega was wondering about Viktor's insane idea, the ground suddenly shook violently.
Uranos and Guldon each retreated dozens of miles, gathering enormous elemental power.
As crimson magic continuously poured into Guldon's body, the lava covering it seemed to awaken, surging with even greater power.
[Flame-Severing Wrath]
With a thunderous crash, the earth split apart into long, stretching fissures that rapidly converged beneath Uranos's enormous body.
Scorching pillars wrapped in blazing flames rose from beneath the earth like intersecting blades, crashing relentlessly into the rock-covered Uranos.
Terrifying magma tore through space and poured over Uranos's black stone armor.
The intense heat flowed through the shattered armor, continuously burning the Earth Calamity's massive body.
At the same time, Uranos refused to yield.
It slammed its heavy fist into the ground.
The already uneven terrain instantly collapsed into an enormous depression.
[Lone Ravine Piercing the Clouds]
Terrifying sharp rocks burst from the earth.
Towering pillars of sand and stone pierced through the clouds one after another, charging continuously toward Guldon.
BOOM!
The violent shockwave destroyed everything around them.
The already rugged rocky landscape immediately became a naturally interwoven hell.
Towering cliffs.
Surging molten rock.
This battle was completely different from the one at the Padalenbu Sea.
Back then, no matter how terrifying the Calamities' ultimate attacks were, they would never affect anywhere beyond the sea.
But now it was different.
This was the continent.
This was the royal capital.
The clash between these two Great Calamities was already shocking enough. Sandstorms and heat waves intertwined, nearly reducing the entire royal capital to ruins.
The swirling hot sand even threatened the safety of the residents.
One careless moment, and ordinary people could instantly be swallowed by the scorching sand waves and become ashes beneath the burning sand.
If all the remaining Calamities were summoned as well...
Vega didn't even dare imagine how terrifying that would be.
It didn't matter if the continent or the royal capital were destroyed.
But these humans were the believers it had always wanted.
If they all died, where would Vega find followers?
If that happened, the day it recovered all its power would become even more distant.
Thinking of that, Vega couldn't help feeling dejected.
At the same time, the two giant beasts continued their fierce battle.
Only, they seemed not to notice.
Within that deep and violent storm, a light bird glowing with a faint radiance passed through the clouds and entered the chaotic battlefield.
The bird's eyes shone with intelligence, as though they had seen through the chaos.
It hovered quietly in the air, watching the battle before it with vigilant eyes.
———
[Royal Palace, Central Plaza]
After surviving the previous crisis, the people all seemed unusually excited.
They chatted enthusiastically throughout the plaza, their discussions rising one after another.
Although they had stayed awake all night, every face was filled with excitement.
Some residents were even so bored that they sat directly on the ground and started playing cards.
"Pair of threes."
"Pass."
The mood was one of complete peace of mind.
Watching them show no sense of crisis whatsoever, Cocotte couldn't help sighing.
What exactly made them feel so safe?
She looked up toward the old man sitting in the golden chair.
Likewise, the emperor himself was dozing there, seemingly paying no attention to the chaos outside.
The moment she saw Oberli so relaxed, she seemed to understand why the residents felt so secure.
Just then, a pale green bird circled down from the sky.
Sensing the fluctuation of magic, Cocotte looked up.
She watched the bird land on her shoulder without the slightest surprise.
Because it was Rachel's sparrow.
The bird's eyes continued to shimmer.
It opened its beak, and a familiar elderly voice came out, "Cocotte, get ready."
"The sun has risen."
Hearing that, Cocotte looked toward the east.
A crimson sun slowly emerged from behind the mountains.
The gentle morning glow cast several beams of red light that spread beyond the forest.
The hazy, faint light draped rippling crimson over the swaying forest, making the lush green woods look as though they had turned into autumn maples.
Though it was a winter sunrise, it unexpectedly felt very warm.
Warm enough to be almost hot.
Cocotte casually waved a hand.
"Got it, got it."
Then she sat upright on the cloud with a serious expression, pressed her palms together, and closed her eyes.
A gentle pale green glow gradually appeared around her.
"Mother of Nature, please connect the souls of your countless children to the Primordial Heart."
"May countless wills rise from the depths of our bodies into the earth, united in one sincerity."
At that moment, all the elves gathered in safe places sensed the natural magic surging around Cocotte and curiously turned to look at her.
They saw her calm and composed, as though she were offering a devout prayer.
The elves looked at one another in confusion.
'How strange. What is Her Majesty doing?:
But suddenly, as the emerald magic surrounding Cocotte became brighter and brighter, the elves felt a faint warmth spreading through their bodies.
It was as though invisible threads were tightly connecting them to Cocotte.