Ethan gave a small nod, eyes sweeping over the crowd with quiet satisfaction. "From this moment on, you're mine. Form the contract—now."

The Fairies surged forward without hesitation, as if reborn. One by one, they dropped to their knees, heads bowed in solemn allegiance.

They weren't warriors by nature. Their kind was gentle, peaceful—despite the immense power they held, they lacked the means to wield it in battle. Against enemies, they were little more than lambs to the slaughter.

That was how they'd ended up here: isolated, oppressed, forgotten.

But now, with a single wave of Ethan's hand, he granted them power beyond imagining. It coursed through them like lightning through dry wood—raw, electric, and alive. Their eyes lit up with awe and gratitude, as if they'd glimpsed a future they'd never dared to hope for.

Swish.

Swish.

Swish.

One after another, the contracts snapped into place with crisp, ringing sounds. The moment each pact was sealed, their energy surged, converging into a tidal wave of strength. A new kind of power pulsed in their veins—fierce, focused, and ready for war.

In mere moments, the once-docile Fairies had become a force to be reckoned with. Each of them radiated a battle-hardened resolve, their bodies humming with the promise of violence.

Ethan watched them, these once-fragile beings now brimming with might, and felt a deep, wordless satisfaction stir in his chest. He stepped forward, voice low and steady. "Good. With me."

They fell in behind him without a word, a disciplined column of newfound warriors, marching toward the next dimensional gate.

The world around them was quiet, but Ethan's mind was anything but. The war was far from over. Right now, the most urgent task was to rally every last fighter still holding out in Emerald Castle.

His system pinged relentlessly, flashing grim updates: warriors falling one after another. If this kept up, the entire army would be wiped out.

His brow furrowed. He pulled up the system interface, locking onto each soldier's location. Then, without wasting a second, he summoned his power and tore open a spatial rift.

The portal yawned wide, swallowing him whole.

He emerged into a space that felt... wrong.

The air was thick with pressure, like the atmosphere itself was growling in low, guttural tones. Every breath tasted of dread.

Ethan's senses flared. This place reeked of hostility—like a storm crouched just beyond the horizon, waiting to strike.

He crouched slightly, fingertips brushing the ground, reading the energy in the air. It wasn't just strange—it was dark. A dense, oily darkness that spread like ink in water.

His gut twisted. Whoever ruled this place wasn't just powerful—they were dangerous.

"All units, listen up," he said, voice calm but edged with steel. "Fan out. Find Andona."

The Fairies didn't hesitate. They scattered in all directions, silent and swift.

Time slipped by, the tension thickening with every passing second. Then, from the heart of the realm, a tremor shook the ground. A massive figure emerged, its presence like a thunderclap—violent, overwhelming.

The air around it rippled and cracked. Space itself seemed to groan under the weight of its power.

But what made Ethan's blood run cold was the unmistakable trace of Angel energy—Andona's energy—woven into the creature's aura.

He didn't wait.

He launched himself forward, tearing through the air at full speed.

When he arrived, the sight stopped him cold.

A massive volcanic crater yawned before him. Andona hung at its edge, bound in thick iron chains, her body limp but still glowing faintly with that pure, celestial light.

And the thing draining her?

A grotesque toad-like monster, bloated and slick with dark energy. It pulsed with malevolence, greedily siphoning the Angelic essence from her body.

Rage erupted in Ethan's chest like a detonation.

His jaw clenched so hard his teeth cracked. "You filthy toad," he growled. "Die."

He unleashed his power in a blinding surge.

BOOM.

A shockwave exploded from him, ripping through the air like a cannon blast.

The toad jerked its head around, startled—clearly not expecting anyone to challenge it here, in its own domain.

It leapt back, narrowly dodging the initial blast.

But Ethan wasn't done.

Just before the energy sphere hit the ground, it froze midair—then fractured into dozens of spinning Energy Discs, each one razor-sharp and humming with lethal intent.

Whip-whip-whip!

The discs screamed through the air, slicing toward the monster in a deadly spiral. They boxed it in, hemming it against the crater's edge.

The toad might've been powerful, but now it had nowhere to run.

But the Toad King wasn't going down that easily.

It lowered its massive head and uncoiled a thick, glistening tongue. At the tip, dozens of grotesque orbs pulsed and twitched—each one radiating a sinister energy that made the air hum with dread.

The orbs resonated with one another, emitting a sound that crawled under the skin—like bones grinding in the dark.

Ethan's vision swam. A wave of nausea hit him, and for a split second, the world tilted. But he caught himself, forced a steady breath, and pulled back, floating swiftly to Andona's side.

The Toad King began gathering power again, its body swelling with dark energy.

Ethan didn't wait.

He reached out and grabbed the iron chains binding Andona, fingers wrapping tight around the cold, rune-etched links. With a roar, he yanked with everything he had.

BOOM!

The chains shuddered violently, the sound echoing like a cannon blast—but they held.

Ethan's brow furrowed. These weren't ordinary chains. Whatever they were made of, it was designed to hold beings far stronger than most. Breaking them would take more than brute force—it would take everything he had.

So he gave it everything.

Power surged through him, crackling across his skin. He gritted his teeth and pulled again, harder this time, pouring raw energy into the effort.

And then—

CRACK!

Two of the chains snapped, the sound sharp and final. Andona slumped forward, free at last.

"Andona, we're leaving," Ethan said, voice low but resolute, eyes burning with purpose.

He grabbed her hand and turned to go.

But the Toad King wasn't about to let its prize slip away.

With a furious bellow, it launched itself into the air, its bloated body casting a massive shadow. Its eyes blazed with rage and hunger, and its gaping maw let out a roar so deep it made the very air tremble.

Then, behind it, something began to form.

A monstrous phantom—a spectral toad-beast, towering and grotesque—rose up, its presence suffocating. The air thickened, vibrating with a pressure that felt like it could crush bone.

VMMM!

The phantom's power detonated outward in a wave of force that tore through the atmosphere. Molecules screamed as they were ripped apart. The crater's rim cracked and buckled, rock exploding in every direction.

Ethan's heart pounded, but he didn't flinch.

He moved fast.

With a flick of his right hand, an Energy Disc flared to life in his palm. Without hesitation, he hurled it straight at the phantom.

BOOOOM!

The impact was cataclysmic.

The Energy Disc collided with the spectral beast in a blinding flash, the shockwave ripping through the battlefield. Space itself split open in jagged seams, and the volcano's edge crumbled under the force. The ground shook like it was trying to tear itself apart.

Ethan and Andona used the blast's momentum to break free, darting away from the crater at full speed.

But the Toad King wasn't done.

Its eyes widened, pupils dilating with fury. It let out a guttural snarl, voice thick with venom. "Where did you come from, you little wretch? You dare steal my prey? I'll tear your soul to shreds!"

As the last word left its mouth, its power surged again—wilder, darker.

It raised one massive claw, and energy coalesced around it, forming a sword—if it could be called that. The blade was jagged, pulsing with malevolence, and radiated a force so sharp it seemed to slice the very air around it.

The atmosphere twisted, warping under the weapon's pressure. Even the light bent away from it.

...