CHAPTER 16 —
The night wind smelled faintly of scorched earth.
Haruto stood amid the ruins of what used to be the clearing. The battlefield bore the mark of his rampage. Craters dented the forest floor, trees lay split at their core, and stone cliffs had been shaved clean as if erased from existence.
Hiroshi didn't fall.
He shattered.
Golden fragments — millions of gleaming shards — scattered into the air like broken pieces of a star. The wind carried them upward, painting a trail of fading light across the night sky.
Haruto landed lightly on the torn earth and exhaled.
"It's… finally over."
No triumph.
Just exhaustion.
His sword lowered.
His shoulders dropped.
His heartbeat slowed.
Airi… I'm coming back.
He turned away.
And then—
plink.
A sound echoed behind him.
Subtle.
Sharp.
Like a droplet of metal hitting stone.
Haruto stopped walking.
plink.
His eyes narrowed.
The golden fragments of Hiroshi — those that should have continued drifting into the sky — suddenly stopped.
They froze.
Time halted.
The fragments reversed direction.
They were being pulled toward a single point behind him.
Haruto turned.
The earth cracked.
BOOOOOOM
Black and gold mana erupted upward, shooting out like a pillar and swallowing the night.
The shockwave flattened everything within a hundred meters.
Haruto skidded back, shielding his face with his arm.
"No way…"
The fragments compressed into a swirling sphere.
Not human.
Not monster.
Not magic.
Divine.
The air warped as space itself bent around the sphere.
The pressure hit like the weight of a collapsing star.
Lunara fell to one knee, teeth gritted.
Frost dug his claws into the ground, fur standing straight.
Lyria's wings trembled.
"No… this presence… this is impossible…"
Haruto could barely form words.
"I know this aura."
It didn't enter the world.
It didn't manifest as a form.
It simply existed.
Then a voice —
Not in his ears.
Not in his mind.
In his soul.
"Impressive."
Haruto's breathing stopped.
That voice.
Dominion.
The God of Dominion.
The sphere pulsed once.
The ground sank another ten meters.
Lunara gasped. "This pressure… it isn't mana. It feels like authority."
Frost's ears flattened. "His mana alone could kill half the continent."
Haruto clenched his sword.
And spoke.
"You… Dominion."
The sphere vibrated — like a laugh without sound.
"You severed a vessel infused with my power."
Haruto's eyes flashed.
"He wasn't a vessel. He was a pawn."
"Pawn. Vessel. The difference is useless to the dead."
Haruto stepped forward.
Feet shaking from the pressure.
"But he was a person."
Silence.
Then–
"You believe yourself different?"
Haruto's grip tightened.
"I am nothing like you."
The sphere shifted slightly — attention narrowing.
"Then explain how you cut through five percent of the power I granted that boy."
Lunara froze.
"Five… percent…?"
Frost couldn't believe it.
"That catastrophic mana surge was only five percent?"
Lyria's voice trembled.
"Then Dominion's full power is beyond comprehension…"
Haruto's heartbeat pounded in his skull.
Five percent.
He used seventy percent and even beyond of his power.
And that was enough only to surpass five percent of Dominion.
Haruto swallowed.
The sphere rotated slowly, black-gold lightning swirling around it.
"Aether has chosen her champion well."
Haruto froze.
Dominion knew Aether was involved.
"But make no mistake…"
The mana swelled.
Reality trembled as hairline cracks tore through space.
Haruto dropped to one knee.
He couldn't breathe.
"I am not here for YOU."
Haruto gritted his teeth.
"…then who?"
The swirling sphere condensed into a spear-like point.
And aimed directly at Haruto's heart.
"YOUR SISTER."
Haruto's blood ran cold.
"No."
He tried to stand.
The divine pressure forced him flat.
Dominion did not pause.
"In our next meeting, show me the true power of the girl blessed by Aether."
Haruto's vision blurred.
Blood ran from his nose and mouth.
The sphere compressed — sucking in all mana around it.
"Show me the power of the Eternal Princess."
BOOOOOOM
The shockwave detonated.
Haruto was thrown like a ragdoll. His body smashed into a boulder, splitting it in two.
Stone shattered.
Haruto fell to the ground.
He tasted blood.
Ai… ri…
His hand reached toward the sky.
I'm sorry…
And he blacked out.
AETHERIA — Medical Chamber
Warmth.
The warmth of soft blankets.
The faint smell of herbs.
The sensation of someone holding his hand.
Haruto opened his eyes slowly.
The first thing he saw was—
Airi.
Sitting at the edge of his bed, her eyes puffy, cheeks flushed. She was holding his hand with both of hers as if afraid to let go.
"You… are awake…"
Her voice cracked at the end.
Haruto tried to speak.
"Hey—"
SLAP.
Airi slapped his shoulder.
Not hard.
Not violent.
Just overflowing emotion.
"You dummy!"
She sniffed, glaring through tears.
"You said you were going to get meat so we could cook together… but instead you went off to fight bad guys!"
Haruto blinked.
He deserved that.
Airi clenched the sheets, voice shaking.
"You promised you wouldn't leave me…"
Her voice softened into a whisper.
"…again."
Haruto pulled her into a gentle embrace.
His hand stroked her hair.
"I'm sorry."
Airi buried her face in his chest.
"You almost died… I thought I lost you… again…"
He held her tighter.
"I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
Knock.
The door opened.
Lyria entered first, followed by Frost and Lunara.
Their expressions were a mix of relief and seriousness.
Frost spoke.
"Some of that dark mana… remained inside your body."
Haruto stiffened.
Lunara crossed her arms.
"You collapsed because your body tried to reject divine mana."
Haruto looked at his hands.
Dark mana… from Dominion.
"How long was I unconscious?"
Lyria stepped closer and knelt beside the bed.
"Until Airi purified the mana."
Haruto turned to Airi.
She puffed her cheeks defensively.
"Of course I purified it. You think I'll let creepy dirty mana hurt my onii chan?"
Lunara chuckled softly.
Frost huffed. "She did not even hesitate."
Haruto stared at Airi.
Small.
Gentle.
Yet she purified divine mana through sheer emotion.
He touched her head.
"…thank you."
Her cheeks turned pink.
"Tch… onii chan is such an idiot." She muttered under her breath.
Aftermath—
Haruto looked at Frost.
"What happened to other heroes…?"
Frost exhaled.
"We finished them."
Haruto closed his eyes.
They were enemies.
They tried to kill Airi.
But they were still kids.
Kids from our own world...
Lyria stepped forward.
"We spared one."
A magic projection floated up — showing Yumi.
She sat alone inside a secured room, hugging her knees, trembling.
"She never wanted to fight Aetheria," Lyria said. "She was forced to. I sensed no lies."
Lunara added, "We are keeping her under guarded confinement. Dominion's power lingers inside her."
Airi wiped her tears and nodded.
"We will help her."
Haruto looked at her.
"You are too kind."
Airi shook her head.
"I just don't want anyone to feel the pain we felt."
Haruto felt something inside him soften.
Aether Visits—
Light filled the room.
Warm.
Soft.
Comforting.
Aether appeared — not physically, but her presence enveloped them like moonlight.
"Haruto."
Her voice sounded like the ocean waves — gentle yet powerful.
"You fought well."
Haruto looked down.
"I wasn't strong enough."
"You protected what mattered."
Aether's light dimmed with melancholy.
"I feel sorry to get you two into trouble. But Dominion fears what she will become."
Airi flinched.
"M… me?"
Aether's voice softened even further.
"You are love."
Airi froze.
"Love that heals.
Love that brings others together.
Love that destroys those who threaten it."
Haruto took Airi's small hand and squeezed it.
"I will protect her."
"No."
Aether laughed softly.
"You will grow together."
The light faded.
Night — After the Storm
Airi sat beside Haruto in the quiet medical room.
She dipped a cloth in warm water and gently wiped his forehead.
Haruto sighed.
"Airi… I can do that myself."
"No."
She pressed the cloth harder.
"You scared me. So I will take care of you."
Haruto smiled.
"So you're still angry."
"I am."
She pouted and wiped his cheeks aggressively.
"But I am happier that you are still here."
Haruto watched her silently.
In their past world, Airi had been the one trembling from nightmares.
In this world, she purified divine mana without any hesitation.
He reached up and touched her cheek.
"Airi?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you… for saving me."
She leaned forward, their foreheads touching.
"When you fall… I will catch you."
Haruto closed his eyes.
"And when you cry… I will hold you."
They stayed like that.
Breathing.
Warmth.
Comfort.
Home.
Haruto's Final Thought Before Sleep—
Dominion.
Only five percent.
And he wants Airi.
Haruto looked down at Airi, who had fallen asleep leaning against his arm. She unconsciously gripped his sleeve tightly, as if she feared he'd disappear if she let go.
Haruto gently brushed her hair.
"I failed once," he whispered. "I won't fail again."
Airi mumbled sleepily.
"…Onii Chan…"
He smiled faintly.
"I'm here."
She snuggled closer and mumbled.
"I love you…"
Haruto froze.
His heart stuttered.
He smiled.
"I love you too."
Before sleep took him, Haruto made a silent vow.
I will become strong enough to defy a god.
Even if I must stand alone against the heavens.
END OF CHAPTER 16