Moments later, a knight on horseback came racing back toward them, panic etched into his face as he shouted at the top of his lungs—
"IT'S THE SHADOW CREATURES! SEVERAL GROUPS OF THEM!"
"Oh no… that doesn't sound good," Jericho muttered as he immediately leapt out of the carriage, eyes already fixed on the source of the chaos.
"Father, stay inside—please!" Erica shouted, vaulting down after him without waiting for a response.
At the rear, Alice and William exited their carriage as well, hurrying toward the front. When they arrived, the sight before them stole the breath from their lungs.
Shadow creatures. Thousands of them.
Never before had such a number gathered in one place.
A vast, writhing mass of darkness stretched across the road ahead, slowly advancing—its trajectory unmistakable.
Warmark's capital— no one knows how many Warmark cities they've already destroyed before making it this far.
The royal guards froze in place, some visibly trembling. For many of them, this was their first time ever seeing a shadow creature. As royal guards, their sole duty was to protect the king—never to fight in wars. The title Royal Guard was not symbolic. It was absolute.
Several of the shadow creatures broke away from the main horde the moment they noticed the guards.
They surged forward, thick with bloodlust.
"Royal Guards!" Erica roared. "Fall back and protect the king—NOW!"
The command snapped them out of their fear. Without hesitation, they turned and rushed to obey.
"This is insane…" William said under his breath, staring at the overwhelming numbers. "Jace really does intend to wipe Warmark off the map."
"We can talk about that later," Erica said coldly, eyes locked on the approaching enemies. "Looks like we've got company."
She turned sharply. "Alice—swords."
"Right."
Alice tossed two blades toward her. Erica caught them cleanly midair and, without a shred of hesitation, ripped her dress apart, discarding the torn fabric as she dropped into a combat stance.
"Alice. William," Erica said firmly, not taking her eyes off the enemy. "Handle anything that gets past us."
"Understood, Commander," they replied in unison.
Jericho tugged off his suit, letting it fall to the ground as he stepped beside her.
"Watch my back?" he asked, glancing at her with a familiar grin.
"Always," Erica answered, smiling back.
Then—together—
They burst forward, charging headlong into the tide of shadow.
⸻
With inhuman speed, Erica surged forward and leapt into the air, crashing down at the very center of the shadow creatures. Her blades flashed as she slashed through the nearest ones, carving out space—buying herself a heartbeat.
Enough.
"Soul Technique—Hurricane Inferno!"
She held nothing back.
A deep crimson blaze erupted from her sword, a raging, living aura that wrapped around her body like a storm given form. The heat surged outward in a violent expansion, swallowing everything within its reach.
The pressure was too much.
Her sword shattered instantly, reduced to fragments under the strain of the unleashed soul energy—but the attack did not falter.
The inferno roared.
The heat reached all the way back to the king's carriage. Dozens of shadow creatures were disintegrated in an instant, erased as if they had never existed, leaving behind a massive opening in the horde.
Jericho didn't waste it.
He dashed past Erica, plunging straight into the densest cluster of enemies. Shadow claws slashed toward him, but he moved effortlessly—ducking, weaving, stepping between attacks as though he already knew where they would strike.
His counterattacks were brutal.
A punch sent one creature flying. A kick shattered another's form. He seized one by the limb and swung it like a weapon, smashing through several others before casting the remains aside.
When he had carved out enough space, Jericho dropped low and pressed his palm to the ground.
"Soul Casting—Potami."
His soul energy surged into the earth.
The ground trembled violently, cracks ripping outward beneath the shadow creatures' feet. From the ruptures, a silvery liquid erupted—living, grasping, relentless.
It wrapped around the creatures like chains of flowing metal.
They struggled.
They sank.
Pulled down as if swallowed by quicksand, their forms vanished beneath the surface one after another.
In a single cast, nearly two hundred shadow creatures were eliminated.
"Oh—wow…"
The stunned voice of a royal guard rang out.
"Did they just… clear all of that by themselves?!"
"The Commander and Lord Jericho are incredible…"
"And to think—we can use these abilities too…"
The hesitation vanished.
"Come on!" one knight shouted. "Let's watch their backs—protect the king!"
"YEAH!"
The Royal Guards and Holy Knights roared in unison, resolve burning in their eyes. They tightened their formation around the king's carriage, while the Elite SoulBound knights who had already grasped the basics of soul energy charged forward—taking positions beside Alice and William.
The battlefield had changed.
And the shadow creatures had finally met resistance worthy of fear.
⸻
Some of the shadow creatures managed to slip past Jericho and Erica—but they didn't get far.
Vines erupted from the ground in an instant, twisting and snapping around the creatures' limbs. Alice clenched her fist, and the vines constricted violently, crushing the shadows before they could advance another step.
William still hadn't called upon a manifested ability.
Instead, he relied on something far more terrifying.
He had mastered the art of circulating soul energy throughout his entire body—a technique Jericho himself had once praised as a stroke of pure genius.
A smile curved William's lips as he stepped forward.
"This won't be like the last time we met…" he said calmly, eyes fixed on the approaching monsters.
"…when you managed to break my arm."
His soul energy surged.
A bright crimson glow spread across his body as the energy flooded every muscle, nerve, and thought. His physical limits were shattered—speed, strength, perception, processing power, and durability all soaring to unnatural levels.
In that state, injury became nearly impossible.
So far, William was the only one capable of using soul energy this way.
The Shadow Creatures that rushed him never stood a chance.
With precise, devastating blows, he struck them down—each impact slamming them into the ground so hard their forms collapsed into nothingness.
Nearby, the Elite SoulBound Knights who had awakened their abilities unleashed everything they had.
Flames roared. Earth surged. Wind howled. Blades reinforced by soul energy tore through shadow flesh. Several creatures fell—but the cost was steep.
Some knights exhausted their soul energy too quickly. Others had their weapons shatter under the strain. A few were struck down, their bodies sent flying by the shadow creatures' counterattacks—
—and some never rose again.
Alice rushed in without hesitation, vines and roots tearing through the battlefield as she pulled the wounded to safety.
——
At the very front, Jericho and Erica fought in perfect sync.
Side by side, they cut through the horde, their movements fluid, lethal, and precise. Erica's mastery of martial combat paired seamlessly with Jericho's overwhelming godlike strength.
Then—
A transmission request flashed across Jericho's senses.
He accepted it mid-battle.
"Hey, Drako," Jericho said, ducking under a claw and countering with a brutal strike. "I'd love to talk, but now isn't really the best time. I'm kind of in the middle of something serious."
"Forgive me, my king," Drako replied calmly, "but this information cannot wait. It concerns your brother."
Jericho's eyes widened.
"What happened?" he demanded.
"Lord Jace mobilized a force of Lost and sent them ahead as a diversion," Drako explained. "Their purpose is to draw Warmark's defenses—granting him cover to enter the nation undetected."
"Lost…?" Jericho muttered, landing a spinning kick that sent several creatures flying.
"So that's what these things are called."
He grimaced.
"I'm fighting the ones he sent ahead right now," he continued, striking down another cluster. "Which means… he left early again."
"Yes, my king," Drako replied. "I regret not informing you sooner. I was excluded from the invasion and only learned of it moments ago when they departed. I was ordered to remain behind and guard the castle."
Jericho dodged another attack.
"That's… fine," he said evenly. "It couldn't be helped. Thank you for the intel, Drako. I'll adjust my plans accordingly."
"I know you will be victorious, my king," Drako said, smiling softly.
"One more thing—your brother is not alone. He departed with two extremely powerful individuals. One of them does not feel human… nor even of this world. At times, his aura resembles Lord Jace's."
Jericho's expression hardened.
"I see. Thank you for the warning. We'll talk more about these Lost later."
The transmission ended.
Jericho refocused instantly.
"Erica," he called.
She turned to him without hesitation.
"We can't waste time here," Jericho said, his voice deadly serious. "Jace has made another move and blindsided us again. We need to end this now."
Erica didn't argue.
She finished off the remaining creatures near her with swift, decisive strikes, then stepped back—drawing in a deep breath.
"Alice. William," she shouted. "Fall back!"
They obeyed immediately, gathering the injured and retreating. The carriages pulled away as well, creating distance between the battle and the king.
Erica raised her sword.
"Soul Technique—Grand Burst Inferno."
A blinding crimson light erupted around her—so intense it felt as though reality itself was tearing open. The heat was unbearable. Everyone nearby was forced to turn away, shielding their eyes.
Then—
The light collapsed inward.
All of it was drawn into the blade.
A tiny, harmless-looking red sphere floated free from the sword, drifting slowly forward.
The moment it touched a single Creature—
The world exploded.
A deafening roar tore through the land as the ground shook violently beneath them. Heat surged outward like a cataclysm, erasing the shadow creatures in its path.
"What was that?!" King Gustavious shouted from within his carriage.
"Is everyone alright?! Answer me at once—what's happening out there?!"
"Your Highness," a royal guard replied quickly, "that was the commander's attack. She is unharmed."
The king stared ahead, stunned.
"That power… that light… that heat," he whispered.
"Soul energy… so this is what the future holds."
⸻
Erica's attack utterly devastated the battlefield.
Hundreds of Lost were erased in an instant—reduced to nothing but scorched remnants. The sheer amount of soul energy she poured into the attack was catastrophic. Her sword couldn't withstand it; the blade crumbled into dust in her hands.
Her knees buckled.
Before she could fall, Jericho was already there.
"I… leave the rest… to you… Jericho," Erica whispered, her voice barely audible as her consciousness slipped away.
"Of course," Jericho replied softly, a gentle smile on his lips.
"Rest now, Erica."
He caught her easily and held her close.
Looking around, Jericho confirmed what he already sensed—the others had fully retreated from the battlefield. Only scattered Lost remained, disoriented and vastly reduced in number.
"Erica took care of most of them," Jericho said calmly, his eyes sharpening.
"There aren't many left now… at least not here."
His smile widened.
"Time to finish this."
Still holding Erica with one arm, Jericho raised his free hand toward the sky.
"Bend to my will.
I summon thee—one of the Four Divine Avatars of Nature.
Avatar of the Earth…
Come forth, Mitera—Vine Trap!"
The wind howled violently.
Dark clouds gathered in an instant, blotting out the sun as the air itself trembled. From the heavens descended a massive figure—a breathtaking, otherworldly presence.
A beautiful centaur-like being with emerald skin and flowing green hair landed beside Jericho. Her eyes were pure white, ringed with glowing green pupils, and in her hands she held an ancient staff.
She was enormous—as large as a building—and utterly majestic.
"W–WHAT IS THAT THING?!" a royal guard screamed in terror.
Alice's eyes sparkled as she grabbed William's sleeve.
"Sir William—look!" she said excitedly.
"It's a Divine Avatar of Nature… the Earth Avatar!"
William stared in awe.
"So Jericho's stopped holding back," he murmured.
"This battle's about to end."
"She's… beautiful," Alice whispered, completely entranced.
Mitera struck her staff against the ground.
The earth responded.
Vines erupted violently from the soil, thick and alive, wrapping around the remaining Lost. The creatures were crushed, torn apart, and erased effortlessly.
Then—Mitera turned her gaze toward Jericho.
For a fleeting moment, it looked like she smiled.
She suddenly sprinted across the devastated land, and wherever her hooves touched, life returned. Grass regrew. Trees restored themselves. Burned earth healed in seconds.
When she reached Jericho again, her form dissolved into wind and light. A gentle breeze passed through, brushing Jericho's and Erica's hair as the clouds parted and sunlight bathed the land once more.
Jericho stared at the restored terrain in disbelief.
She fixed everything…
I never asked her to do that.
Was she smiling?
Looks like there's still so much I don't understand about the Divine Avatars…
He turned and began walking back toward the others.
That was when Erica stirred.
"J–Jericho…" she murmured weakly.
"Is it… over?"
"That was fast," Jericho said with a soft chuckle.
"I didn't expect you to wake up so soon. Are you sure you're human, Erica?"
She blinked—then froze.
"…Why… am I not walking?"
Her eyes widened as she realized she was in his arms.
"W–W–W–WHY ARE YOU CARRYING ME?!"
"Well," Jericho replied casually, "you drained all your soul energy, collapsed, and passed out."
"…That explains it," she muttered.
"Wait—Lost?"
"Apparently that's what they're called."
Erica frowned and looked past his shoulder.
There were no signs of battle.
No destruction. No corpses. No scorched earth.
"…Jericho," she said slowly.
"Was I dreaming?"
He laughed quietly.
"No. We were attacked by a massive number of Lost—and we fought them."
Then his expression softened.
"…But we did lose some brave knights."
Erica's hands trembled.
"I failed…" she whispered, tears welling up.
"I failed to protect my men. This was supposed to be a simple escort mission."
Jericho stopped walking.
"Erica," he said firmly, "you know what it means to be a knight."
She looked up at him.
"They gave their lives willingly—for their nation, for their king, and for each other. They stood their ground against an enemy they barely understood."
He smiled gently.
"You proved exactly why you're the commander. You protected everyone—including me."
"…You should be proud. Of yourself—and of them."
Erica inhaled deeply, steadying herself.
"You're right," she said quietly.
"They were incredible knights."
Then she squinted at the surroundings.
"…Still. I don't mean to brag but— I know my attack didn't leave the land looking like this."
"Well," Jericho scratched his cheek, "after you passed out, I summoned the Earth Avatar to clean up the rest. She also restored the terrain."
"…Wait," Erica froze.
"You're telling me I missed seeing a Divine Avatar?!"
She glared up at him.
"Jericho. I demand a do-over. Summon her again."
"Absolutely not!" Jericho protested.
"That takes a ridiculous amount of soul energy! And they won't respond unless it's a real emergency!"
"I don't care," Erica replied, pouting.
Jericho sighed.
"…You're such a drama queen."