Kessa, Doranjan, and Erkigal spun around in unison. Without hesitation, they grabbed the others and bolted away from the battlefield.
"No!! Souta!!" Alice's scream tore through the chaos as Kessa dragged her back.
"It's an order!" Kessa's voice cracked with urgency, but her grip never loosened.
Behind them, the world erupted. Smoke rolled through the air in thick, churning waves as the trio moved at full speed, their bodies cutting through the haze like streaks of light.
Every step felt heavier than the last. The air itself seemed to mourn. They all knew—the enemies this time were beyond anything they could face. All they could do was watch the distant explosion fade into the horizon, shrinking into a blur of destruction.
...
At the center of that devastation, silence reigned.
The dark liquid that had once flooded the ground now thinned, evaporating into the air like a dying mist.
High above, ten demons hovered in the smoky sky, gazing down at what little remained.
