When Ethan led the Emerald Castle army to the capital of the Kazzan Empire, the place was eerily quiet—almost deserted.

Most of the enemy forces had already been deployed elsewhere by Caedor, scattered across the other two battlefronts.

It looked like the perfect time to strike.

But just as Ethan was about to give the order to attack, a deep rumbling echoed from beneath the ground.

Rrrrmmmm…

"What the hell is that?!" someone shouted. "Where are all these vines coming from?!"

"Oh god—they're draining my power!"

Panic erupted through the Emerald Castle ranks. Soldiers screamed as their energy was ripped from their bodies in an instant. Some collapsed where they stood, lifeless, their chests pierced clean through by the writhing vines.

Feylora's eyes went wide. She grabbed one of the thick, pulsing tendrils and yanked it with all her strength, tearing it apart with a snarl.

"Master! These vines—they're just like the ones we saw in the Bloodroot Lair!"

Ethan's expression darkened. Something was seriously wrong.

"Fall back!" he shouted. "Everyone, retreat—now!"

But the vines weren't letting go.

They surged forward like they had a mind of their own, stretching and twisting, chasing the retreating soldiers as if they were locked onto them.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Ethan clenched his jaw so hard it cracked. For the first time in a long while, he felt a flicker of helplessness. The suction force coming off these vines was insane—far stronger than Feylora's own energy-draining abilities, and hers were already terrifying.

By the time they managed to pull back to the outer edge of the Kazzan capital, Ethan finally saw it.

Up in the sky—streams of stolen energy were converging, all flowing toward a single point.

And then he saw it.

The massive vines had wrapped themselves around the entire castle at the center of the city, like a monstrous tree strangling its prey.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Explosions of raw power erupted into the sky, shaking the heavens and blanketing the entire area in a suffocating aura.

"A barrier…" Ethan's pupils shrank. "We're trapped inside a damn barrier!"

He didn't know who—or what—was controlling it, but the energy radiating from it was twisted, unnatural.

He turned to look at his army—what was left of it.

Nearly a third had already been devoured by the vines. Not even bodies remained. Just empty space where people had stood seconds ago.

Ethan looked up again. From the other two directions—where the Dorinval Empire and the Silvermoon Dominion were fighting—he could see the same streams of energy being pulled toward this place.

It hit him all at once.

The Kazzan Empire hadn't blindly picked fights with multiple factions. This wasn't chaos—it was a trap. A carefully orchestrated plan.

And the capital? It wasn't in disarray at all. It was the heart of the entire operation.

Everything was running like clockwork.

Exhale…

Ethan steadied his breath, forcing himself to stay calm.

Then his eyes locked onto the center of the castle.

That was it.

That was where it was all coming from.

Every ounce of power, every stolen soul, every vine—it all led back to that one place.

"We can't fall back any further!"

Ethan's voice cut through the chaos like a blade. "If we want to survive, we have to break through to the center of the castle. All of you—unleash everything you've got and follow me. That's our only shot at making it out alive!"

The soldiers of Emerald Castle didn't need to be told twice. They could feel it too—this wasn't just another battle. This was life or death. Without hesitation, they poured out their power, surging forward behind Ethan in a desperate charge.

The path ahead wasn't heavily guarded—no enemy troops, no traps.

But the ground was a different story.

Without warning, thick vines would burst from beneath their feet, snatching soldiers mid-stride, dragging them screaming into the earth. Some were gone before anyone could react.

But no one had time to mourn. No one even looked back. They just kept running, pushing forward with everything they had.

Soon, they reached the steps of a massive palace.

And standing at the top of those steps was a middle-aged man clad in gleaming armor, a massive golden greatsword resting in his hands. The blade pulsed with radiant energy, glowing like a miniature sun.

"Well, well," the man said, his voice deep and mocking. "Didn't expect a bunch of outsiders to make it this far. Guess you've got some bite after all. But this is where it ends. Every last one of you dies here."

He raised his sword high.

"DIE!"

Golden light exploded from his body as he rose into the air, the greatsword blazing with power. The energy gathered in an instant, then came crashing down like a divine judgment.

BOOOOOOM!

Ethan's eyes widened. This guy was no joke—mid-Tier 18, easily. That one strike could wipe out half his army.

But Ethan didn't flinch.

"If we've made it this far, then we're taking your damn capital!" he roared, launching himself forward. A massive sphere of energy formed in his palm, and he hurled it upward, intercepting the golden slash mid-air.

The two forces collided with a deafening blast, the shockwave flattening everything around them.

They were evenly matched—almost.

But Ethan's power had a sharper edge, a deeper intensity.

The armored man's eyes narrowed in surprise. He hadn't expected Ethan to be this strong. He pulled back his sword, gathering his energy again, this time wrapping it tightly around the blade.

"Skycleaver!"

He shouted the name like a war cry and hurled the sword forward once more.

This time, the power behind it was monstrous—easily ten times stronger than before. It was like something—or someone—was feeding him energy from behind the scenes.

Ethan's expression darkened. He could feel it—this one, he couldn't block.

Just as he was about to retreat, Feylora appeared behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

A surge of power flooded into him.

Ethan's eyes lit up with renewed confidence. He turned back toward the incoming attack, summoned another energy sphere, and launched it with everything he had.

The two forces collided mid-air again, and the sky screamed in protest.

WUUUUUUUMMMM!

The air itself vibrated with a strange, otherworldly hum. Cracks split open across the sky, and from those fractures, a bizarre energy began to seep out—something ancient, something wrong.

But Ethan didn't have time to worry about that.

He focused, gathered his strength again, and hurled another energy sphere. This one wasn't as powerful—but it didn't need to be.

It was precise.

The sphere curved mid-flight and slammed directly into the armored man's abdomen.

BOOOOOOM!

The explosion sent him flying, his body crashing through the palace doors and slamming into the far wall with a thunderous impact.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Without missing a beat, Ethan charged forward, leading the Emerald Castle army straight into the palace.

But the moment he stepped inside, he froze.

At the center of the grand hall, suspended in mid-air, was a figure.

A man—no, something more than a man—hovered in place, his body wrapped in a writhing mass of thick, pulsing vines. They coiled around him like serpents, feeding him, protecting him.

...