Under the pitch-black canopy of night.

The Crowned Griffon let out a series of urgent screeches, its massive black wings beating continuously, tearing through the sky.

Astride its enormous back, Isadella held the Sacred Sword, golden radiance spilling from it and blessing the Emperor Rank Crowned Griffon's form, propelling it to speeds far beyond its norm.

Transforming into a golden meteor, it sped towards the Valley of the End, a hundred miles away.

Ten minutes, only ten minutes left.

She raised her eyes towards the direction of the Valley of the End.

She herself was not specialized in perception and reconnaissance, so she couldn't conjure a concrete image like Tristan.

However, as a Legendary, Isadella's spiritual power was more than enough to sense the general situation from a hundred miles away.

Just now, she distinctly sensed that the aura of a battle between Legendaries had erupted at the Valley of the End.

Cain... he actually possesses the ability to contend with Legendaries?

This filled Isadella with bewilderment, yet also brought her joy.

But within minutes, she sensed that the fluctuation of battle between Legendaries slowly dimmed.

In the end, it returned to calm.

This caused Isadella's heart to sink.

She knew all too well what this meant.

The battle was over... Cain had been defeated.

Nevertheless, her heart still clung to a faint hope.

Perhaps Cain had just fled, considering he had previously displayed exceptionally amazing self-preservation abilities. Even if Cain had grown cowardly and surrendered proactively to Vortigern, becoming a captive of the Despicable King, it didn't matter too much; there was still hope for an exchange. As long as—it wasn't the outcome Isadella didn't want to think about, that would be sufficient.

However, in the next instant.

The Crowned Griffon suddenly came to a halt in the sky.

Then it let out a screech, full of uncertainty.

"What's wrong, Griffin?"

Isadella's Legendary aura spread out, calming the Crowned Griffon's panic.

This was the first time she had seen the griffin, which had accompanied her since she was young, showing such a terrified and anxious demeanor.

Immediately after, Isadella learned the cause of her Crowned Griffon's fright.

She glanced up slightly.

Then she saw, beneath the distant heavens, a spear of light plummeting down.

CLANG—

Seemingly stimulated by the Sacred Spear that, like her own weapon, was a star-forged armament now fully unleashed.

The Sacred Sword in Isadella's hand burst forth with dazzling brilliance, echoing the meteor of light above the far heavens.

The last chain and seal shattered.

Isadella only felt an immensely vast and scorching ancient mystery suddenly emanate from her 7th Soul Pact.

Such Protection, which contained a world's blessings, endlessly filled her spiritual power, and then she broke through.

Then, propelling her in one go, she broke directly into the Legendary Rank, reaching the threshold of the Throne.

This was the goal she had been dreaming of and relentlessly pursuing for years.

But at this very moment, when the goal was finally achieved, there was not a trace of joy in Isadella's heart.

She felt a kind of depression that left her unable to speak.

Then, she could only silently observe the trajectory of the falling star above the distant sky.

With gravity as the bowstring, the Sacred Spear—launched from the planet's near-orbital trajectory—

crossed the vacuum of near-earth orbit, penetrated the atmosphere and clouds, transcending the restraints of the magic net and material plane laws.

Splitting the air, stirring up storms.

Falling from the firmament, like the red flames of world's end.

And then—it hit its target's location without the slightest deviation.

Vortigern, Flandre, and the Despicable King's forces, including the millions of Abyss Demons—within the Valley of the End.

...

Sound vanished. Color was the next to fade.

The world turned silent, leaving only the tumultuous, scorching starbursts.

Light flowed.

Light roared.

The surging radiance stirred countless vortices.

Whether flesh and blood, magic power, metal, stone, the Abyss Demons wreathed in the Abyss's aura, or even the most powerful among the Legendaries—

Everything, in front of the fully unleashed, truly majestic Sacred Spear—the Tower at the End of the World, the Storm Anchor that binds the earth—was obliterated as easily as chaff.

All were pierced and engulfed, sent soaring towards the distant night sky.

Then, explosions.

The mark of light was imprinted upon the heavens, illuminating nearly half of Escarnia's night sky.

Right after, from the distant horizon...

The delayed Blast Wind also reached this wasteland.

Scattering the clouds, shaking houses, bending forests, rocking the earth, sweeping past.

The tumultuous wind scattered Isadella's hairband, which had disguised her as a man, and her silver-white hair streamed in the night sky, yet she had no concern for it at that moment.

In Isadella's perception—

towards the direction of the Valley of the End.

The auras of the Alliance Forces and demons—countless, once proud and mighty, vast as a sea of sand—now melted like snow in the beam of light that fell from the firmament.

An army of thousands was thus turned to dust by the wind, leaving no trace of life.

"The Sword of Damocles, hanging at the edge of the sky..."

"Descending from above the curtain—"

"The solidified divine punishment."

It was only at this moment that Isadella truly understood the origin of the nickname "Swordbearer" and the "Suspended Sword."

And "Black Knight" Cain.

He was the first generation Swordsman.

Towards the despicable King and the demons from the Abyss—

A spear of judgement descended from the heavens, bringing divine condemnation.

「In the Royal City of Escarnia.」

Vortigern, seated on his Throne, turned deathly pale.

He sensed that the avatar he had created using a Sacred Relic and a Pet Beast had suddenly lost contact.

In other words, it was gone.

But how could this be?

Even if the Knight King had broken through to Legendary status, wielding the Sacred Sword and rebelling along with Flandre,

his avatar would not have perished so inexplicably, without even the slightest chance to relay any information.

「A hundred miles away from the Royal City, the Dawn Church.」

The face of the Cardinal was also shocked.

Within his perception, he clearly sensed the aura of the Despicable King in the Royal Capital plummet abruptly.

From a level approaching that of a demigod, it instantly fell to that of an ordinary Legendary.

Did he fail a breakthrough and his spiritual power spiraled into madness, or was it a deliberate disguise to lure me into action?

The Cardinal's thoughts had just begun to surface.

In the next moment.

His gaze, along with the rest of the awakened inhabitants within Escarnia's entire territory,

turned towards the pillar of light descending from heaven to earth.

Following that, a voice spoke.

"The people of Escarnia.

"I am Cain, the founder of 'Daybreak'.

"This is our first meeting, and it will also be our last.

"What I want to tell you all is that this current calamitous era—where people struggle to survive, suffer from hunger and cold, and war rages everywhere—is merely temporary.

"This long night is not without an end.

"If there is no light in this world, then I am willing to be the kindling, to become the torch that illuminates this starless night.

"This divine retribution is the light of Daybreak I leave behind."

Shiayar's speech paused slightly.

"Today, though I die,

"the true purpose of the Daybreak Organization will not perish with me.

"As long as your eyes have not grown accustomed to the darkness, as long as they still harbor a sliver of longing for the light, then every one of you can become Cain, become the Daybreak that illuminates this world.

"One Cain has fallen, but thousands, nay, millions more Cains will rise to take his place.

"So…

"Please, no matter what, do not resent being born in this era.

"Please wait, and keep hope alive in your hearts.

"In this darkest of nights, you will never walk alone.

"Always believe that something wonderful is about to happen."

In the next instant, with a wave-like, illusory screen of light.

Thousands of identical images appeared before the eyes of Escarnia's countless citizens.

It depicted an ideal land, a utopia.

Order reigned, and the people lived in peace and contentment.

Industry was highly developed; even the poorest farmers could wear luxurious silk garments and eat their fill.

Falling ill no longer meant seeking treatment from priests at the Church; affordable medicines were readily available to all.

Even children from impoverished families had the right to literacy and basic education.

And if the offspring of Legendary powerful beings committed crimes, they would face the same justice as commoners.

...

Isadella stood upon the Crowned Griffon, perceiving the images projected in a distant village, somewhat dazed.

Such an ideal society—it seemed she had once seen it elsewhere.

However, in the next moment, Isadella heard the sound of horses galloping upon the ground below her.

"King," Gawain tumbled from his horse, covered in dust and dirt, looking utterly disheveled.

Yet, he still looked up at Isadella, his face etched with panic and unease.

"I found a letter on the wooden table in Cain's room, personally written by him for you."

A letter from Cain to me?

Isadella took the pure white envelope.

Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.

On the first page of the letter, a line of text was strikingly visible.

'King'

'I believe the time has come for us to part.'