In the heart of Avaloria's capital city, Imperius, the ground was slick with blood, the air thick with the coppery scent of death.
The city—once a place of commerce and laughter—was now a graveyard of power.
Dozens of Grandmaster-ranked warriors and Abyssal creatures lay scattered across the cracked marble, their lifeless eyes staring at nothing, limbs and heads severed cleanly from their bodies.
The carnage painted a silent picture of what it meant to stand against Serena von Crestvale, Selena Vega, and the famous Elric—the former commander of the Shadow Guards.
Serena stood amidst the wreckage, her white hair streaked with crimson, her silver eyes cold and calculating.
Selena, the raven-haired beauty whose aura still rippled with residual battle energy, turned toward her.
"Let me ask again—are you sure all of my students are safe and sound, Serena?" She paused, her tone dipping lower. "Except one."
