"What the hell is that?!"

Ethan's pupils shrank to pinpoints. Instinct kicked in—he melted into the shadows and yanked up his system scan.

The data flashed across his interface—and for a second, he thought he'd misread it.

[Detected: Sky Citadel Signature Energy]

His heart slammed against his ribs.

That couldn't be right.

He'd already conquered Sky Citadel. The system had confirmed it—every last enemy eliminated. There shouldn't be a single creature left carrying that energy signature.

And yet… this man—

How was he still alive?

Before Ethan could make sense of it, the figure shot forward like a bolt of lightning.

Zzzzzzz—!!!

He carved a blazing arc through the sky, moving so fast it looked like he was tearing the world open. In the blink of an eye, he was hovering above the central wall of Sol'Rakka's capital.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

A pair of massive wings unfurled behind him—pure energy, radiant and vast, as if the sky itself had bent to his will.

The surrounding magic surged toward him in a frenzy, sucked into his body and then hurled back down as hundreds of glowing orbs, raining destruction on the city below.

Ethan stared, stunned.

Someone was actually attacking Sol'Rakka head-on.

Before he could even process the insanity of it, a cold, familiar voice rang out from above.

Kaelira had arrived.

She hovered in midair like a sovereign of the sands, her gaze sharp enough to cut steel.

"Draxion," she said, voice like frost. "What is the meaning of this? You dare trespass in Sol'Rakka? Are you looking to die?"

The man—Draxion—burned with fury. His entire body radiated heat and rage, and the spear in his hand crackled with lightning, as if it could pierce the heavens.

"Kaelira!" he roared. "Do you remember the pact between Sol'Rakka and Sky Citadel?"

Kaelira narrowed her eyes, clearly unimpressed.

Draxion's voice rose, raw with fury. "When one side faces annihilation, the other is bound to provide aid—unconditionally!

But when Sky Citadel fell to Emerald Castle—

Where were you?!"

Kaelira let out a soft, scornful laugh.

"The pact?" she echoed, shaking her head.

"Sol'Rakka needs allies who stand as equals. But Sky Citadel? Every battle you fought, you lost ground. You embarrassed yourselves."

She gestured toward the desert.

"In the end, you were wiped out by an outsider. Completely.

A faction that can't even defend itself…

And you think you're fit to be my ally? Don't make me laugh."

Draxion's fury boiled over, his power erupting in violent bursts across his skin.

Kaelira sneered. "Now there's only one of you left. And instead of hiding, you come here to accuse me? You really have no idea how far beneath me you are."

She raised her hand.

"This is Sol'Rakka's domain.

You have three seconds to leave—

Or I'll end you right here."

Her voice was ice, her gaze crushing. The air itself seemed to crack under the pressure.

Power gathered in the sky, thick and volatile, like a storm waiting to snap.

The whole world felt like a bowstring pulled to its limit.

Draxion's energy ignited, layer after layer surging outward. He was pushing the very edge of Tier 25, his aura dense and furious, like the darkest clouds before a hurricane.

But in front of Kaelira—

It all felt like smoke in the wind.

BOOM—!

The moment their powers collided, the space around them shattered like glass.

RUMBLE—

RUMBLE—!!!

Shockwaves tore through the sky. The desert writhed like an ocean in reverse, sand rising in towering waves, the heavens twisting above as if the world itself were being ripped apart.

But Draxion's figure—

Was already starting to falter.

Kaelira's power surged endlessly, bottomless as the abyss.

With a single lift of her hand, her aura crashed down like a tidal wave of fury, swallowing Draxion whole.

A thunderous boom split the air as he was slammed into the ground with bone-cracking force.

Then—just a flick of her fingers.

Chains of pure energy erupted around him, snaking through the air like living things. They coiled tight, constricting, locking him in place with brutal precision.

Kaelira hovered above, her gaze glacial, devoid of even the faintest flicker of emotion.

"Not even Tier 25," she said flatly. "And you thought you could challenge me?

What do you think you are?

Just a lucky scrap that slipped through the cracks when Sky Citadel fell."

BOOM—!

Her power exploded again.

It wasn't just overwhelming—it was annihilation incarnate.

THOOM!!

The world shuddered. Draxion's body convulsed as her force tore through him like a storm of blades.

His skin split open. Flesh burst apart. His energy core shattered.

In seconds—

He was reduced to a spray of blood and meat, crushed like a stone under a mountain.

The wind scattered what was left of him.

Ethan had watched the whole thing, frozen, heart hammering so hard it nearly stopped.

That hadn't been a fight.

It was an execution.

Draxion had been right on the edge of Tier 25—

And still hadn't lasted a single round.

Ethan drew a slow, shaky breath, the truth settling in like ice down his spine:

Kaelira's strength wasn't just Tier 25.

It was something far beyond.

Sol'Rakka, as it stood now—

Was completely out of his league.

"…Forget it. Time to go."

He steadied his breathing, preparing to slip away unnoticed.

But then—

BOOM!!

A crushing force slammed down from behind, like a mountain falling from the sky. It wrapped around him in an instant, locking him in place.

A voice rang out, sharp and suspicious:

"Who are you? Where did you come from? Why were you hiding here?"

Ethan spun around.

Two figures were descending from the sky.

They looked like girls—seventeen, maybe eighteen at most. Delicate features, youthful faces.

But the power coiling around them told a different story.

Dense. Controlled. Suffocating.

His system scan pinged instantly:

[Peak Tier 24] ×2

Ethan's breath caught.

If it were just one…

Maybe, just maybe, with Auri and Idra's help, he could force a win.

But two?

Two peak Tier 24 elites?

Even with the dual bloodlines burning in his veins, this wasn't a fight he could win easily.

He let out a dry, helpless laugh.

"…One headache after another today, huh?"

...