.....
The corrupted lands breathed.
Not metaphorically.
They inhaled.
Mana sank inward toward a single point deep beneath the broken earth, pulling corruption, spirit residue, and ancient hatred with it. Trees bent without wind. Cracks formed in stone that had not moved for centuries.
And far below...,
Ven'rael shifted.
---
Deep Beneath the World...
Chains thicker than castles groaned.
Runes older than written language flared briefly, then dimmed.
Ven'rael did not open its eyes.
It did not need to.
Its awareness expanded like a slow tide, brushing against the surface world for the first time in centuries.
Not awakening.
Not yet.
Merely turning in its sleep.
And the world trembled in response.
---
Nerulia Haven ( one hour later)....
The city alarms rang.
Not shrill.
Not panicked.
Deep, harmonic pulses, designed to carry authority rather than fear.
Yuto stood at the central spire as the mana map projected itself across the sky.
Red zones bloomed.
One… then three… then nine.
"Corrupted beast outbreaks," Seraphina said sharply. "Multiple directions."
Zarek narrowed his eyes. "This isn't random."
"No," Yuto agreed. "It's migration."
Mimi's tail puffed slightly. "They're being pushed."
Lyra stepped forward, already issuing commands. "Civilians to inner districts. Defensive squads deploy, but do not pursue beyond the perimeter."
Yuto's gaze locked onto the largest pulsing zone.
"…That one's different."
[ Advisor: "Confirmed. High-density corruption surge. Estimated threat level: Catastrophic."]
A hush fell.
Even seasoned commanders stiffened.
"Define catastrophic," Elira said quietly.
[ "Equivalent to a city-destroying entity if left unchecked."]
Yuto rolled his shoulders once.
"Then we don't leave it unchecked."
---
The first wave arrived...,
They hit at dusk.
The sky darkened unnaturally as corrupted beasts emerged from the treeline, warped wolves, plated insects the size of wagons, twisted avian forms screaming with broken throats.
Defensive arrays flared.
Spells clashed.
Steel rang.
Yuto moved like a silver blur along the wall with his daggers, striking where pressure spiked, never staying in one place long enough for corruption to adapt.
He didn't overextend.
Didn't unleash overwhelming force.
Every movement was measured.
Intentional.
[Advisor: "Your restraint is noted."]
"They're probes," Yuto said mid-strike, severing a beast cleanly. "Ven'rael is testing reactions."
[ "Agreed."]
A massive corrupted ogre breached the eastern gate.
Before panic could spread
Yuto appeared above it.
One palm strike.
BOOM.
The creature collapsed, purified from the inside out.
The city felt it.
Not just the power.
The authority.
Whispers spread.
"He's different now."
"That wasn't just strength…"
"That felt like.."
An older mage swallowed hard.
"…like an Overlord."
---
The ground shook violently.
Not from the battle.
From far away.
Yuto froze.
So did the beasts.
So did the city.
A roar echoed across the corrupted lands not loud, but impossibly deep.
It wasn't sound.
It was existence asserting itself.
[Advisor: "Ven'rael has acknowledged your interference."]
"…Already?"
[ "Yes."]
Yuto exhaled slowly.
That wasn't good...
Suddenly,
The air warped ahead of Yuto.
Heat shimmered.
Then split.
A figure stepped through, tall, armored in blackened scales, eyes glowing dull amber.
A dragonkin.
corrupted but not sane.
Bound.
"Kneel," it commanded, voice grinding like stone.
Yuto didn't move.
"State your purpose."
The dragonkin's gaze sharpened.
"I am a Herald of Ven'rael. I bring a proclamation."
Zarek shifted. "We don't take proclamations from monsters."
The herald ignored him.
"You have slain that which fed the seal," it said to Yuto.
"You interfere with inevitability."
Yuto stepped forward.
"And you trespass on my land."
The air tightened, so the land Yuto got from Eridale was for the former overlord before.
The herald studied him carefully.
"…You are not an Overlord."
"Not yet."
A pause.
Then...,
"Ven'rael allows you three cycles."
Yuto's eyes narrowed. "Three what."
"Three awakenings of the corrupted moon."
Seraphina inhaled sharply. "That's..."
"Less than a year," Lyra finished.
The herald continued.
"Grow stronger. Gather power. Prepare."
"…Or?" Yuto asked calmly.
"Or be erased."
The dragonkin turned...,
And dissolved into ash.
Silence followed.
---
Night fell heavily.
The city settled uneasily.
Yuto stood alone again, staring at the corrupted horizon.
[ Advisor: "That was not a threat."]
"…It wasn't."
["It was acknowledgment."]
Yuto clenched his fist.
"So this is the countdown."
["Yes."]
"And the dragon?"
[ "Still sealed. But stirring more frequently."]
Yuto nodded slowly.
"Then I'll need more than raw power."
[ "Correct."]
"Overlords don't just fight," Yuto said. "They command."
["They impose law."]
The evolution meter flickered.
[Evolution Progress: 78%]
Unstable.
Then steady.....,
Footsteps approached.
Elira stood beside him, gaze firm.
"You're thinking of leaving again."
"…Yes."
She didn't argue.
Just nodded.
"Then take people this time."
Yuto smiled faintly.
"Mimi, Zarek, Seraphina."
"And me," she added.
He looked at her.
Long.
"…Alright."
Below them, Nerulia Haven stood ready, stronger than ever.
But the world beyond had begun to move.
The corrupted dragon was no longer sleeping peacefully.
And three cycles…
Wasn't much time at all.
---