The battlefield stank of blood and burning Shinrei. Pride's once pristine form dripped crimson, black steam hissing from every wound. His sneer faltered for the first time.

His voice cracked with rage as he bellowed:

"What did you do!!!"

Khael's chest heaved, his body, flickering with storm-fire. His draconic eyes narrowed.

"I used my blood that's inside your body… and made it explode."

A hush fell for the briefest second, even the wind pausing.

Then Pride's face twisted into fury, veins bulging as more of Khael's cursed blood boiled under his skin.

"This little shit!!!" His roar shook the ruins, wings of shadow snapping wide.

Shaia's eyes widened at the sight, then hardened. She swung her staff forward, lightning blazing at its tip.

"This is our opportunity, Drevan, Torvak!!!"

Drevan's storm crackled, sparks wrapping around his fists, while Torvak's form thundered across the broken ground. Together, the two teachers lunged, aiming to strike down Pride while his body faltered.

But Pride's grin returned—feral, dripping hate. His voice cut through their charge like a blade.

"Don't get cocky, you pests!!!"

A surge of black Shinrei erupted outward, drowning the field in corrosive shadow. It hissed like tar and screamed like voices of the damned.

Khael's jaw clenched, claws tightening around his weapon.

"Tsk… it's not enough."

Pride's eyes blazed, pupils narrowing into demonic slits.

"I won't die here… I will kill you all!!!"

He spread his arms wide, Shinrei condensing into a single, bladed arc of darkness. The ground trembled beneath the weight of the art.

"Dark Sever!!!"

The black crescent tore through the battlefield like a guillotine made of night itself.

Khael's instincts screamed, his wings flaring. He shouted with everything in him:

"Evade it!!!!!"

But it was too late.

The arc ripped through the teachers mid-lunge, engulfing Shaia, Drevan, and Torvak in a storm of shadow. Their cries were drowned out by the deafening roar of Shinrei shredding stone, air, and flesh.

Dust and blood filled the air.

When the darkness cleared, only one figure still stood.

Khael.

His silver scales were cracked, his storm-fire wings flickering, but his body barely held. His teeth ground together, breath ragged. His eyes burned not with victory, but with fury.

"You bastard…" he whispered.

Across the field, Pride staggered, still bleeding, still healing yet still alive. His grin stretched wider despite the blood dripping from his mouth.

"See? Despair always wins."

Shaia wiped the blood from her lip, standing tall despite the swelling bruise from his earlier strike.

"No. You didn't."

Pride's smile twitched.

"…What did you say?"

Shaia's eyes burned with lightning, her voice steady.

"You're beaten. You won't be healing that fast."

The Sin's expression cracked into fury.

"You bitch!!"

He lunged and kicked her across the face. Shaia's body skidded against stone, blood trailing.

"Damn you!!!" Torvak roared, spear spiraling like a tempest as he charged.

But Pride pivoted, claws piercing Torvak's stomach with a sickening crunch.

"Torvak!!" Drevan's shout broke, storm crackling wildly around his hands.

"Teacher Torvak!!" Khael's voice cracked, his eyes blazing.

Pride twisted the wound, laughing.

"You can't win… against Sin itself."

His gaze locked onto Khael, those abyssal eyes narrowing with hunger.

"You… the boy with the Dragon Knight's power… I will kill you before you grow strong enough."

Khael clenched his fist so tight it drew blood, fury and fear warring in his chest.

Then—

"What a complicated world."

The voice cut through the chaos like a calm wave against a raging storm.

Everyone turned.

Through the shattered corridor, a lone figure emerged—messy, dark-blue hair falling lazily across his forehead, pale skin catching the light of flickering embers. His scarf shimmered faintly with lightning-like patterns, his gloves traced with glowing yellow sigils. His cool-toned eyes, quiet and melancholic, surveyed the battlefield without haste, without panic.

Shigeo Motome.

Khael's chest tightened.

"Shigeo… what are you doing here?"

Before Shigeo could answer, a sharp voice cut in.

"You idiot!" Ceyla stormed forward, sparks snapping at her fingertips. "Teleporting us like that—what the hell were you thinking?!"

Khael's throat caught.

"Ceyla…"

From behind her, a familiar grin.

"Don't forget about me."

"Juno…" Khael whispered.

And then soft but firm, like spring blooming in ruin—

"Khael."

His gaze turned. "Saya…"

More figures stepped out—Team 4, Team 8, and others, their Echo gear faintly glowing, eyes wide as they took in Pride's monstrous form.

Khael's chest tightened further. "…Everyone."

Pride sneered, black aura boiling.

"Another insect infestation."

But Khael's eyes snapped back to Shigeo.

"Why did you…?"

Shigeo rubbed his temple with one hand, sighing.

"Tsk. Why did you send us into that place?"

"To save you all from this danger."

"And you stayed behind?" Ceyla's voice cracked with fury. "Are you insane, Khael Corzedar!!!"

Khael flinched. "Ceyla…"

Her hands trembled. "You know how much I—" She bit the words back, teeth grinding.

Khael lowered his head. "I'm sorry… everyone."

But Juno just laughed, tossing him a grin.

"You owe us food next time, Khael."

Khael's throat tightened. "…Juno."

Shigeo yawned, running a hand through his hair, his tone flat as ever.

"Anyway, to think you managed to construct an array from scratch just by theory…"

Khael blinked. "…And you analyzed it in an hour. It took me a day to make. I don't even know which one of us is the real monster."

Shigeo shrugged. "That's to be expected. I'm a genius."

Then his gaze sharpened, turning serious for the first time.

"Also, don't worry. I didn't send all the students here. Only us official Veinwalkers."

Relief washed through Khael, but only for a breath.

"(No… I can't let them stay here. If Sloth awakens… they'll all die. Even Shigeo can't… Sloth is the strongest of all Sins.)"

Pride snapped his claws together, the air hissing with black flame.

"Are you done talking, worms?"

For a moment, the battlefield froze until Baek Suwon's eyes widened. His voice cracked, louder than he intended:

"Wait… what's going on? Wait, your body, your form it looks like…!"

Tessa Veyra's glasses nearly slipped off her nose as she pointed, trembling.

"Wait—I've seen this before. In the archives… in the old records of Veinwalker history!"

Ryen Takar's notebook shook in his hands, his pen scratching furiously across the page before he dropped it altogether. His voice was breathless.

"A dragon knight…"

The words struck like thunder.

"WHAT?!"

Everywhere, the gasp from Team 4, the disbelief in Team 8, even Saya's fracturing into wide-eyed shock.

"What the hell!! Really!!"

Only three faces remained still.

Ceyla, arms crossed, lips pressed into a thin line.

Juno, smirking faintly, as if he'd been waiting for everyone else to catch up.

And Shigeo, who simply tilted his head, his pale blue eyes gleaming with calculation.

Shigeo exhaled, almost lazily.

"Well I already thought about it… when I saw you… that's why no wonder you could construct an array at that scale. A normal human couldn't. Not in a lifetime. But a dragon knight…" His gaze sharpened, analytical. "It's written in history—they carry the dragon's memory. Knowledge, power, instincts burned into their very blood."

Khael's fists clenched. He could feel their stares digging into his back, the unspoken questions tearing at him.

(Dragon knight… if they see me as something other than Khael—if they see me as a monster—will they still fight beside me?)

Tessa's eyes burned behind her glasses.

"Dragon knight… then fight like one. History won't repeat itself, we won't let you burn out like they did."

Enji's fists sparked with lightning, his grin shaky but real.

"Hell yeah. Dragon knight, cursed knight, doesn't matter, you're still our ally, right?"

Saya finally found her voice, whispering almost to herself.

"…Khael… all this time…" Her gaze softened, trembling between awe and fear. (I didn't know. I didn't see. But even so… it's still you. The one who carries everyone when they fall.)

Toran Vale's booming voice broke the silence.

"DRAGON KNIGHT OR NOT…WE'VE GOT A SIN TO BEAT!" His grin was wide, reckless, covering his own nerves.

Isla clutched her hands to her chest, whispering, "I-I'm sorry… I… it's just…this is too much—" She looked at Khael and forced a shaky smile. "But if you're here, we'll be okay."

Ryen, furiously scribbling again, muttered under his breath:

"This… this changes Veinwalker history itself…!"

Pride's laughter cut through them all, deep and scornful, blood dripping from his lips.

"So the truth crawls out at last. A dragon knight reborn in this filthy age. Good. GOOD! Now die like the last of your kind did screaming."

Khael raised his head, eyes burning with a storm of resolve and guilt.

"…Dragon knight or not… I am still Khael Corzedar. And I'll be the one to end you."

To be continue