The battlefield still roared with chaos.

Kaelira hovered high above the desert, golden light erupting from her back in radiant waves. The sheer force of her presence—Tier 25, unrestrained—made the very sands tremble beneath her.

She was seconds from unleashing her full power when—

The aura of the Dragonscar Citadel leader suddenly began to recede.

"What…?"

Kaelira's eyes narrowed. Something was off.

Then—

BOOM!

A blinding beam of light burst from the leader's abdomen, tearing through his scales and spraying molten energy across the sand.

From the gaping wound, a figure shot out, trailing golden fire.

Ethan.

He hovered in midair, calm and composed, as if he hadn't just torn his way out of a dragon's gut.

Kaelira froze for a heartbeat—then her expression shattered into open shock.

"Your Tier… you reached 25?!"

She could hardly believe what she was sensing.

Just moments ago, the gap between their power had been obvious. But now—Ethan's aura stood shoulder to shoulder with hers. No, not just equal. It was pressing upward, like it might surpass her at any moment.

"My gods…"

She whispered it, voice trembling. "You absorbed all of his power? But that kind of force—how could you possibly survive it—?"

Ethan simply brushed the dust from his stomach, his expression casual, almost bored.

"Your Majesty," he said, tone cool and even, "this isn't the time for questions."

He spoke like he was giving a weather report.

"The priority now is wiping out the rest of Dragonscar's forces."

Kaelira's gaze sharpened instantly.

"Kill them all."

The moment the order left her lips, Sol'Rakka's army surged forward like a tidal wave.

The battlefield erupted in a chorus of war cries and steel. Under the crushing weight of two Tier 25 powerhouses, the remaining Dragonscar soldiers were slaughtered with terrifying efficiency. They didn't stand a chance.

And amid the fire and blood, Ethan finally saw it—

Sol'Rakka's true hand.

This city was far stronger than he'd imagined.

Kaelira wasn't just a Tier 25 sovereign in name—she was the real thing. But more than that, buried deep beneath the city, something else stirred.

Another Tier 25 entity.

It wasn't sentient. It didn't speak. But it was bound to Kaelira, sharing its power with her like a second heartbeat.

Its energy pulsed through the city's veins—healing soldiers, replenishing Kaelira's strength, stabilizing the spiritual ley lines that held Sol'Rakka together.

It wasn't just a guardian.

It was part of the city itself.

That was how they'd crushed Dragonscar so decisively.

In the end, the enemy was annihilated.

Sol'Rakka claimed one of the greatest victories in its history.

And Ethan—

Became a legend.

No outsider had ever bled for Sol'Rakka.

But Ethan had done more than that. He'd slain the desert serpent. He'd decapitated Dragonscar's leader. He'd stood in the heart of the storm and held the line when the world cracked open.

The people hailed him as a hero.

A guest of honor.

And Ethan?

He accepted it all with a smile.

...

After the war, Kaelira personally led Ethan deep into the heart of the royal palace.

The air here was so thick with energy it felt like it could liquefy at any moment. Just stepping inside made the power in Ethan's body surge like waves crashing against a shore.

He hadn't even tried to draw on it—yet he could already feel his Tier nudging upward.

"This energy…" he murmured, eyes narrowing. "It's absurd."

Then he felt it—beneath his feet.

Something was breathing.

"Your Majesty," Ethan said, his voice low, alert. "There's something under us. Alive. What is it?"

Kaelira's gaze flickered, a flash of caution crossing her face. But she didn't lie.

She stepped to the center of the chamber and tapped the floor with her palm.

BOOM—

The ground trembled faintly. From deep below, a vast, ancient presence stirred.

"That," Kaelira said, lifting her head, her expression uncharacteristically solemn, "is the Heart of Sol'Rakka."

"It's… unique. Both a power core and a living being."

She paused, letting the weight of her words settle.

"Our entire city—every leyline, every breath of strength—flows from it. If it were ever damaged…"

Another pause.

"Sol'Rakka would fall. In a single night."

Ethan's pupils contracted.

He hadn't expected a secret like this to be buried beneath the sand.

But what truly caught him off guard wasn't the revelation itself—it was how freely Kaelira had given it to him.

He glanced sideways at her, studying her profile.

Was she… too trusting?

Or just that direct by nature?

Or maybe… she already saw him as an ally. A future partner.

Whatever the reason, she'd just handed a foreigner the key to her kingdom's survival.

Ethan smiled faintly to himself.

If I ever wanted to drain that "heart" dry… Sol'Rakka would collapse before anyone could scream.

Her trust was almost reckless.

...

While Ethan's thoughts spun, Kaelira suddenly pressed her palm to the floor again.

A deep, ancient pulse answered from below.

The Heart of Sol'Rakka awakened.

BOOM—

Energy surged upward like a tidal wave, shaking the palace to its foundations.

Golden and black light spiraled across the floor in intricate patterns, like a dragon stirring from slumber.

Then, without warning, that power shot straight into Ethan's body.

"—!"

He staggered, eyes wide.

The wild, unstable force inside him—still raw from his Tier 25 breakthrough—was instantly gripped by something vast and unseen. It didn't suppress him.

It stabilized him.

And more than that—

Idra and Auri's powers flared to life within him, resonating in perfect sync.

A sudden pull erupted from his core.

The Heart's energy didn't just flow into him—it was amplified, magnified, and then funneled directly into his body.

Kaelira inhaled sharply.

"This… this isn't possible."

She'd never seen a foreign power resonate with the Heart like this. Never seen it respond—let alone pour itself into someone like it belonged there.

And Ethan's power was still climbing.

Light and shadow writhed around him in violent halos, his aura pressing down with such force it began to eclipse even her own Tier 25 presence.

For the first time, Kaelira felt something stir in her chest—

A flicker of awe.

And a flicker of fear.

This man might be a miracle.

Or a catastrophe waiting to happen.

...