The king raised both hands.
The sun compressed—
not light,
not heat,
but something heavy enough to steal the sky's breath.
At the same moment, Queen Elia opened her palm.
The sky cracked.
Crimson lightning poured down from the clouds like chained spears, all of it aimed at the land below.
Both powers were hurled into the heavens.
The mountains trembled.
But before the strike could fall—
The soldiers around the king began to burst apart.
One after another.
No screams.
No time.
Blood exploded into the air and, before it could fall, twisted and hardened—
forming a thick wall.
The sun and lightning crashed into it.
And stopped.
Lucen froze.
"…What is this?"
No answer came.
More bodies ruptured.
This time the blood did not fall.
It stretched—
sharpened—
and shot forward like spears toward the king.
The Wind Knight leapt ahead.
"Laughing Cyclone!"
The air screamed.
The spears lost their path—
But three more struck from behind.
The Sword Knight drew his blade.
One swing.
Light split.
The air itself was cut apart.
The Ice Knight slammed his hand into the ground.
Cold erupted.
The earth turned white.
Blood froze midair.
Everything stopped.
Clapping echoed through the mist.
Slow.
Deliberate.
"Wonderful… truly wonderful."
A figure stepped forward from the fog.
"For those with weaker Eyes, you fought well."
Queen Elia clenched her teeth.
"Who are you? The guardian of this mountain?"
King Aldaric took a step back.
Color drained from his face.
"…It's him."
His voice dropped.
"The one I fought two years ago."
A pause.
"The Blood Divine… this one won't fall easily."
Moments Earlier — Inside the Cave
Breath caught in Berg's chest.
The cave walls trembled.
Dust rained from above.
"If the mountains collapse, we'll all be buried here!"
Voices overlapped—
fear,
growls,
teeth grinding together.
"Why doesn't teleportation work?!"
The old ogre pressed his hand to the ground.
His eyes darkened.
"It's not that we can't…"
He stopped.
"…It's Lucen."
Silence fell.
"He's shut down all teleportation magic.
No gates.
No escape."
Berg lifted her head.
"So he's not fighting directly…"
The old ogre laughed bitterly.
"No.
He's sealing the battlefield itself."
A heavy silence settled.
Berg clenched her fists.
"Then there's only one option left."
All eyes turned to her.
"The Three-Headed Dragons."
The cave erupted.
"If they awaken, you'll die!"
"They can't be controlled!"
Berg answered without hesitation.
"I know."
She took a deep breath.
"But if this ends here…
I choose to die standing."
Silence.
Then, one by one, they stepped forward.
"Then we fight."
Steel rang.
Teeth were bared.
The ground prepared for blood.
The Ice Knight slammed his hand into the ground.
Jagged ice erupted forward—
dozens of razor-sharp spikes tearing across the battlefield toward the Blood Divine.
The Blood Divine bent his knees—
And vanished upward.
He twisted in the air, laughing.
The Wind Knight raised both arms.
The sky answered.
Clouds collapsed inward as a massive cyclone was born, swallowing light and sound.
"O divine wind…
endless world above…
Six-Eyed Deity, grant me dominion over the skies!"
The heavens split.
A裂 in the sky opened.
"Sky Rift!"
The Blood Divine spread his arms.
Blood bloomed.
Beautiful.
Terrible.
It erupted upward, then fell from the sky as countless crimson blades.
They rained down on the soldiers.
Screams were cut short.
King Aldaric stepped forward, flames blazing from his body.
"Sunfire—
before your filthy blood touches the ground, I'll burn it all to nothing!"
Fire collided with blood.
Steam screamed into the air.
Queen Elia moved.
In a flash of lightning, she vanished—
And reappeared behind the Blood Divine.
"You looked away."
A sword of purple thunder formed in her hand.
She struck.
The blade tore through his back.
The Blood Divine crashed into the ground, carving a trench through stone.
For a moment—
Silence.
Then he laughed.
Low.
Amused.
"You are not my opponent, Queen Elia."
Queen Elia's eyes narrowed.
"…What did you say?"
Lucen shouted.
"Divine Barrier—
Light of God's Hands!"
A wall of radiant light formed—
Just as a massive wave of fire slammed into it.
The impact shook the mountains.
Queen Elia was thrown back, crashing hard into the cliffside.
Stone shattered.
Her vision blurred.
She forced her eyes open.
"…Damn it."
If Lucen's shield hadn't been there—
she would be dead.
She looked up.
"What… was that?"
The Blood Divine stood, unharmed.
"This flame," he said calmly,
"belongs to the Three-Headed Dragons."
The battlefield froze.
"The same ones Queen Amelia once fought."
King Aldaric's breath caught.
"…That power should not exist in this world anymore."
His fists trembled.
"…How is this possible?"
Behind the three-headed dragons, countless monsters charged forward,
flooding toward the armies of the Sun Kingdom and the Elves.
King Aldaric raised his hands.
A gauntlet shaped like a blazing sun formed around his arm as he shouted:
"Knights!
Protect me—
until I gather enough solar force to erase them all!"
Lucen's eyes widened.
"That thing again…?"
Wind Knight spoke quickly.
"It's the symbol of our kingdom—
the one Queen Amelia forged for the king.
It can only be used once.
That's why he must absorb as much solar energy as possible."
Lucen clenched his fists.
"But if he does that…
countless innocent beings will die."
King Aldaric didn't turn around.
"Then why do you think we came here?"
Lucen hesitated.
"But… Romeo—"
"That is exactly why Romeo was not brought," the king snapped.
"From the beginning, I knew I would have to use the Sun Sigil
to wipe this place from existence."
He took a step forward.
"I'm activating it.
Protect me."
Then he looked at Lucen.
"You—
use all your power to completely shut down teleportation magic.
Leave the rest to us."
At that moment—
one of the three-headed dragons unleashed a massive blast of fire
straight toward the king.
A black flash split the sky.
The Thunder Queen moved like lightning.
Black thunder slammed directly into the dragon's open maw.
One of its heads exploded.
The Thunder Queen stood firm, electricity raging around her.
"Did you forget?" she roared.
"Your enemy… is me, you bastard dragons!"
The three-headed dragon roared back, its remaining heads twisting in rage.
"Threat level detected—
Dragon King-class entity."
"Destruction potential:
Nation-level."
The three-headed dragon's severed head regenerated once more.
With its second strike, it slammed directly into Queen Elia's abdomen
and sent her flying into the sky.
Moving at an unimaginable speed,
Queen Elia struck all three of the dragon's heads within a single second.
But once again—
the heads regenerated.
The moment she turned her back—
a spear shaped like a dragon pierced straight through her stomach.
She fell toward the ground at terrifying speed.
Queen Elia whispered in shock,
"…Who was that?"
Meanwhile — Romeo's Room
Romeo paced back and forth.
"I have to get out of here—no matter what!"
He clenched his fists.
"Why can't I teleport?!
Damn it, Lucen—what did he do to teleportation magic?!
Even my mask is useless!"
His voice cracked.
"What am I supposed to do…?!"
Battlefield
Wounded knights lay scattered across the ground.
Only Lucen, the Sword Knight, and King Aldaric remained standing.
The Blood Deity laughed.
"Why are you all so weak?"
He yawned.
"This was boring.
The Wind Deity was only slightly impressive at the beginning.
And the Ice Deity was wounded while protecting the Sword Knight."
King Aldaric stepped forward.
"That's enough.
The solar force has been gathered."
He raised his hands.
"O blazing sun—
grant me the power to erase this frozen mountain!"
"Fire."
BOOOOM.
The entire mountain range vaporized.
"The Queen's Successor—!"
At that very moment—
something shattered the teleportation seal.
Berg was sent directly to Romeo.
Ro
meo froze.
Berg's body was completely burned.
Tears filled his eyes.
"Who did this to you…?"
Berg smiled weakly.
"Thank you, Romeo.
I hoped I could share the Ogre Lands with you…
but it seems my time has run out."
"No—!"
Berg's body turned completely to ash.