Inside the Ashford capital, destruction reigned.

Buildings lay in ruins, streets were split and burning, mana smoke rose into the sky. Sirens blared. Civilians ran for their lives while Awakeners and soldiers fought desperately to hold the line against any remaining miasma creatures.

On one of the shattered streets, Evangeline sprinted forward, coat flaring behind her.

In her hands were two beautiful yet deadly Desert Eagle pistols, their silver bodies engraved with faint runes. She fired without pause, each trigger pull unleashing bullets infused with mana.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

Every shot she took was a headshot.

Black miasma creatures leaping toward fleeing civilians suddenly snapped back as their cores were destroyed, their bodies dissolving into smoke that vanished in the wind. Evangeline moved like a dancer in the chaos—dodging slashing claws by a hair’s breadth, sliding under sweeping arms, spinning and firing mid-motion.

Her accuracy was terrifying.

Meanwhile, on another street, Jasmine was facing the giant two-headed monster with a squad of high-ranked Awakeners.

She stood at the front, bow raised, mana swirling around her like a storm of colors.

"Freeze," she said.

Ice surged from the ground, wrapping around the giant’s legs and locking its joints in place. The monster tried to move, only to find its feet frozen solid.

A moment later, Jasmine spread her fingers.

"Burn."

Pillars of flame exploded across the giant’s torso, engulfing its upper body in fire. As the ice melted, she shifted again.

"Bind."

Vines of condensed earth and wood shot up, wrapping around its arms, tugging them down, restricting its movements even further.

Each command changed the very nature of her magic, as if she were switching elements like pages in a book.

The more she fought, the more destruction she caused—but she also kept the monster from advancing, holding it in place and drawing its attention away from civilians.

Watching from a distance, Evangeline clicked her tongue.

"Her SS-rank talent,’Elemental Convergence ’ really is something else she can use multiple elements simultaneously threw it." she muttered.

In the distance, she caught sight of another figure.

A blur of white hair cut through the sea of monsters.

Aiden.

With every swing of his swords, hundreds of smaller miasma creatures were sliced apart, their forms shredded before they could fully merge. He moved relentlessly, placing himself between monsters and fleeing civilians, his expression focused and grim.

"He’s as soft-hearted as ever," Evangeline said softly. "Idiot."

She looked around.

"But where is Arthur? I’m sure I saw him here just a few moments ago..."

Before she could search further, a deafening sound rolled across the city.

Lightning.

It crashed through the sky with such force that everyone, friend and foe alike, paused and looked up.

A woman floated high above the city.

Her pink hair was almost white, glowing under the lightning that covered her entire body. Bolts danced around her arms and shoulders, forming a crown of light above her head.

"Miss Yuna," Evangeline breathed.

In the sky, Yuna took a slow, steady breath.

Qi and mana gathered in her fist—no, not just gathered, but merged. Different streams of energy braided together, compressing into something new, something heavier and sharper. Space around her fist trembled, as if reality itself didn’t want to be near that much power.

"Celestial Dragon Flow: Fifth Form," she said.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Starfall Descent." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Her entire body began to glow, lightning and aura flaring so brightly it was hard to look at her directly. The air around her warped; space seemed to ripple.

In the next instant, she descended.

The energy around her twisted into the shape of a colossal dragon, made of lightning and compressed qi, spiraling around her as she plummeted from the heavens straight toward the giant.

The dragon roared.

A heartbeat later, the strike landed.

The impact was cataclysmic.

The gigantic miasma monster didn’t even have time to scream. It simply ceased to exist. The dragon-shaped blast tore through it, obliterating its form in an instant. Black mist was shredded and vaporized, its cores shattered, body erased as if it had never been there.

Shockwaves rippled outward, shattering windows, cracking walls, and blowing away any remaining miasma wisps.

When the light faded, Yuna stood on the ground in the middle of a new crater.

Her hair still retained a pale, lightning-touched white, strands drifting around her face.

In her hand, she held a black core the size of a fist, pulsing with dense miasma. It writhed like a living thing.

She closed her fingers.

Lightning flared.

The core crumbled to dust, burned away completely until nothing remained.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then the cheering started.

Awakeners and soldiers raised their weapons and shouted, voices full of disbelief and triumph. Civilians peered from behind barricades and broken walls, eyes wide with awe.

"She did it..."

"We’re saved..."

Jasmine looked toward Yuna, eyes shining with a mixture of shock and admiration.

Meanwhile, Yuna wasn’t basking in the praise.

Her gaze was scanning the battlefield.

She looked left, right, across the rooftops and streets.

No sign of Arthur.

Her expression darkened.

In the next second, she vanished, leaving only a crackle of static behind.

She reappeared at the crater where she had left Astaroth.

It was empty.

"Tch." Yuna clicked her tongue. "That weakling of a demon escaped."

She frowned, looking around.

"But where the hell is Arthur?"

—

Deep inside one of the alleys of the Ashford capital, away from the main streets and falling rubble, Astaroth lay slumped against a wall, breathing hard.

Black blood dripped from his wounds as his remaining wing twitched weakly.

"Damn it... I lost too much power," he muttered. "I need to recover before I can return to the Demon Realm..."

He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, hatred burning.

"Yuna Akatsuki... I’ll remember your name," he hissed. "I’ll pay you back."

He grinned, showing bloody teeth.

"And I’ll kill that boy you like so much... right in front of your eyes."

The voice came from the darkness at the mouth of the alley making astaroth freeze.

"Are you talking about me?"

Astaroth froze.

From the shadows, a figure stepped into view—black hair, calm face, and his eyes glowing a deep, predatory red.

It was Arthur.