Snow continued falling over the ruined capital like the ashes of a dying world.
The battlefield had already been destroyed beyond recognition. Entire streets had collapsed inward beneath the weight of the battle, and rivers of blood flowed quietly between shattered stone while flames flickered weakly beneath layers of gathering snow. Above the city, the crimson eclipse was fading little by little, but the pressure hanging over the plaza had only grown heavier since the creature wearing Rindal's face appeared.
No one moved carelessly anymore.
Not after feeling that speed.
Not after understanding what stood before them.
Bernard slowly exhaled through clenched teeth while tightening his grip around his sword. His body screamed in agony from countless injuries, but instinct forced him forward anyway. The others needed an opening. Even one second would be enough.
His boots crushed frozen blood beneath him as he lunged.
The ruined plaza exploded apart beneath the force of his acceleration.
"Bernard—!" Elizabeth shouted instinctively.
Rindal disappeared.
Bernard's pupils shrank violently.
The copy had already crossed the distance.
One moment the creature stood twenty meters away beneath the falling snow.
The next—
It stood directly in front of him.
It was as though space itself had simply folded.
Bernard barely managed to react.
Rindal's fist came forward casually, almost lazily, yet the pressure behind it distorted the air hard enough to create visible shockwaves across the snow.
Bernard raised his blade on pure instinct.
CRASH.
The impact detonated through his entire body.
Pain exploded across both arms as the sword bent violently under the force of the blow. Bernard felt his boots lose contact with the ground as he was launched backward across the ruined plaza, carving a deep trench through stone before barely managing to stabilize himself.
His arms trembled violently.
"…What the hell…"
The copy advanced instantly again.
Harold and Ozvold moved together without hesitation.
Harold appeared from the left while Ozvold attacked from the right, their timing nearly perfect despite exhaustion. One targeted the shoulders. The other aimed for the legs.
For a brief moment, their coordination almost looked enough but Rindal dropped one hand toward the ground.
His palm touched the stone lightly.
The movement looked absurdly relaxed.
Yet the instant his hand connected—
His entire body rotated.
The twist of his torso carried monstrous force behind it as both legs swept outward like the blades of a guillotine.
BOOM.
Harold and Ozvold were struck simultaneously.
Both men felt the impact before they could even process the motion itself.
Ozvold's vision blurred as he was hurled sideways through broken rubble while Harold crashed through the remains of a collapsed wall, stone erupting around him.
The copy didn t stopped moving.
Smith appeared directly behind him.
The old captain's blade cut downward with terrifying precision while mist spiraled around the edge of the weapon.
Rindal reacted.
He leapt backward into the air.
The blade barely missed his throat.
Smith's eyes narrowed immediately.
The copy rotated midair unnaturally before bringing one leg crashing downward toward Smith's head.
But before the strike could land—
Bernard intercepted.
He stepped between them and crossed both arms above his head.
The kick landed.
The sound resembled a cannon blast.
Bernard's knees nearly buckled from the impact as cracks spread beneath his feet across the frozen plaza.
Rindal stared at him for half a second.
Then, almost curiously—He stepped on Bernard's crossed arms and propelled himself away.
The movement was graceful.
Elegant.
Like a dancer leaving the stage.
But while the copy remained airborne—
Ozvold moved.
His sword spun through the snowfall like silver lightning.
The timing was perfect.
The blade passed directly beside Rindal's cheek close enough to cut several strands of crimson hair—
Rindal had caught the sword.
Two fingers held the blade effortlessly.
"…Impossible," Melissa whispered.
The copy glanced briefly at the weapon.
Then rotated his wrist.
The sword vanished.
A sonic boom erupted across the battlefield as the blade flew back toward Ozvold several times faster than it had originally been thrown.
Harold reacted instantly.
He grabbed Ozvold by the coat and yanked him backward with all his strength.
The sword pierced through the air between them hard enough to split the ruined ground open before vanishing into the distant rubble.
Bernard slowly lowered his shaking arms before letting out a long exhausted sigh.
"Damn it…" he muttered bitterly. "This bastard might actually be stronger than Toki."
No one immediately denied it.
Even Smith remained silent for a moment while staring at the man standing calmly amidst the snow.
Then the old captain narrowed his tired eyes.
"For a copy…" he murmured quietly, "…he represents the legends surprisingly well."
The others glanced toward him.
"A genius of Rotation," he continued. "A true joker who once turned the entire world into his stage."
Snow gathered slowly across his shoulders.
"We need to hold him here. We're getting too close to the others, and I don't think we need further proof that his goal is Toki."
Bernard wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
"He barely touched me," he admitted quietly. "But that one strike still launched me halfway across the plaza."
His expression darkened.
"We can't stay too close to him. If even one clean hit lands…"
His eyes shifted briefly toward the corpses of the monsters scattered across the battlefield.
"…we'll end up becoming history too."
Smith chuckled bitterly.
"There are only two people alive capable of comparing to him even slightly."
His eyes briefly moved toward the sky where the Dragon King circled above the battlefield.
"And unfortunately one flew away…"
Then toward Toki lying unconscious in Utsuki's lap.
"…while the other is still asleep."
Nearby, Elizabeth stared toward Rindal with visible disbelief before turning sharply toward Lorelay.
"How the hell did that bitch Rosalin even create a copy of Rindal?!" she snapped. "The man's been dead for over four hundred years!"
Lorelay's expression remained tense.
"Even I can't fully imagine it."
Lilith stepped forward quietly.
Snow settled softly across her black hair while guilt lingered visibly inside her crimson eyes.
"Rosalin was a Star Collector," she said softly. "Her mana core was artificially created through countless experiments."
Everyone looked toward her.
Lilith lowered her gaze slightly.
"She most likely extracted fragments of Rindal's genes from her own bloodline."
Elizabeth frowned.
"…What?"
Lilith nodded weakly.
"All royal candidates descend from Rindal's lineage."
The realization struck instantly.
Elizabeth's eyes widened with fury.
"You knew Rosalin was a Star Collector?!"
Melissa immediately grabbed Elizabeth's arm before she could move further.
But Elizabeth still glared at Lilith furiously.
"Why didn't you tell us?!"
Lilith looked down at the wound on her hand quietly.
Snowflakes melted against the blood staining her skin.
"I…" she whispered weakly. "I couldn't betray my own blood."
Pain flickered across her face.
"I never imagined things would become this terrible."
For a moment, Elizabeth's anger faltered.
Lilith looked broken.
Just… exhausted.
Melissa slowly exhaled before turning back toward the battlefield.
"I trust Harold completely," she said quietly. "And I believe all of you trust your boys too."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"But even with decades of experience…"
Her eyes slowly shifted toward Rindal.
"…a copy of someone like him isn't something ordinary people can defeat."
Silence followed.
Then her gaze moved elsewhere.
Everyone unconsciously followed.
Toki still rested quietly in Utsuki's lap beneath the falling snow, his breathing uneven but calm.
Lorelay immediately stepped forward.
"No."
Her voice came out sharper than expected.
"We can't send Toki back out there."
She looked genuinely disturbed.
"Even if we manage to wake him, pulling him out of that trance earlier was pure luck. If he loses control again—"
"We know," Melissa interrupted softly.
"But what other choice do we have?"
The argument began building immediately.
Elizabeth insisted they needed Toki.
Lorelay refused.
Smith remained silent.
Even Bernard looked conflicted.
Meanwhile—
Utsuki quietly looked down at the unconscious boy resting against her chest.
Snow had begun gathering across his eyelashes again.
Without saying anything, she gently brushed it away.
Her fingers lingered briefly against his face.
Lorelay noticed her movement immediately.
"Utsuki," she said softly. "You don't have to do this."
Utsuki remained silent for several seconds.
Then she shook her head slowly.
"That isn't what Toki would want."
Everyone looked toward her.
Her voice remained gentle.
"I'm certain Toki would hate himself if his friends died protecting him."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"And…"
She lowered her gaze toward him again.
"…I trust him."
Melissa frowned slightly.
"How are you planning to wake him?"
Utsuki looked toward the sword lying beside her.
"I think…" she whispered softly, "…I have an idea."
Before anyone could stop her—
She picked up the blade.
Then lightly pressed the edge against her palm.
A small cut opened instantly.
Crimson blood flowed down her fingers.
Utsuki carefully lifted her wounded hand toward Toki's lips.
Several drops fell into his mouth.
Toki's body twitched.
The massive wound across his abdomen began closing visibly as flesh stitched itself back together beneath the fading crimson light of the eclipse.
His fingers moved weakly.
Then slowly—
His eyes opened.
Toki stared upward blankly for a moment before focusing slowly on Utsuki's face above him.
"…Utsuki…"
Relief flooded her expression instantly.
"Toki…"
His voice sounded weak.,yet strangely calm.
He studied her silently for several seconds before quietly asking:
"Will you forgive me…"
His eyes half-closed again.
"…if I lose control and risk my life again?"
The question pierced straight through her chest.
Because he sounded sincere.
Utsuki smiled sadly.
"That's simply who you are," she whispered softly. "And I'm not going to try changing that."
Her fingers gently brushed through his bloodstained hair.
"Just… come back alive."
Something softened inside Toki's tired eyes.
Then he slowly pushed himself upright.
The pressure around him had not returned yet.
The entire battlefield instinctively grew tense.
Toki looked toward Rindal in the distance.
Snow drifted quietly between them.
"Then…" he murmured softly, "…I won't hold back anymore."
A faint smile appeared across his face.
"The truth always finds a way to reveal itself eventually."
Meanwhile—
Harold attempted to approach Rindal again.
The copy barely moved.
He simply flicked one hand casually through the air.
BOOM.
A violent gust erupted instantly.
Harold was nearly blown off his feet from the sheer force alone.
The captain stabilized himself while staring at the copy in disbelief.
Something felt wrong.
Rindal wasn't attacking seriously anymore.
He was watching them.
Almost like a teacher evaluating students.
Multiple voices echoed from inside the creature's body.
"Kill Toki…"
"Advance…"
"Kill him…"
Their voices overlapped grotesquely from within the flesh.
Rindal's expression twisted slightly with irritation.
Then he punched his own chest hard enough to create a shockwave.
Silence returned instantly.
Everyone froze.
The copy slowly lifted his head.
"Next time," Rindal said calmly, "try imitating someone closer to your level."
His golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"I have no interest in becoming anyone's slave."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"I am a king."
The snowfall itself seemed to grow quieter around him.
Then his gaze shifted toward Bernard.
"You."
He pointed calmly.
"The green-eyed one."
Bernard instinctively tensed.
"You defended against my strike very well. Your reaction speed borders on absurd."
A small grin appeared on Rindal's face.
"You should be the strongest one here."
Bernard blinked in disbelief.
Rindal then pointed toward Harold and Ozvold.
"You two are disciplined. Intelligent. Efficient."
His tone remained strangely analytical.
"But your strength lacks refinement."
Then his eyes moved toward Smith.
"And you…"
Something almost resembling respect appeared across his face.
"You possess tremendous experience. Your technique is excellent."
A pause followed.
"But time dulls even the greatest warriors eventually."
Smith laughed quietly.
"Unfortunately true."
Rindal slowly looked around the ruined capital.
"Luminith has grown weaker," he murmured. "Yet I see you fought desperately to preserve what I built."
For a brief moment—
Sadness crossed his face.
"It would be unfortunate to kill you all now."
The captains froze slightly.
Rindal sounded sincere.
"You possess potential," he continued calmly. "I would rather not leave this kingdom defenseless."
Then his expression darkened slightly.
"However…"
He touched his own chest slowly.
"…I despise this body."
The flesh around his neck twitched unnaturally.
"And I have already lived long enough."
Snow gathered in his crimson hair.
"There is nothing left for me in this world."
A distant look entered his golden eyes.
"Most likely… he died long ago too."
Something painful flickered across his face for only a second.
Then irritation returned.
"The voices of those vermin who summoned me are irritating."
His gaze slowly shifted toward Toki.
"So I will kill the boy called Toki…"
The pressure in the plaza intensified slightly.
"…and return to my eternal rest."
"That boy has already created too much destruction."
He sighed softly.
"Please do not resist."
Silence followed.
Then Bernard stepped forward.
His sword lowered slightly beside him while rage burned across his exhausted face.
"You think we'll just let you do whatever you want with Toki?"
Rindal looked toward him calmly.
Bernard gritted his teeth.
"Without him, this kingdom would've died tonight."
His voice rose.
"If you want to reach him...then you'll have to kill me first."
Harold stepped beside him immediately.
"We already lost one commander today."
His grip tightened around his weapon.
"We're not losing another."
Ozvold clicked his tongue before stepping forward too.
"I'm Toki's right hand."
A crooked grin appeared on his face.
"So before fighting him…"
His eyes sharpened.
"…you deal with me."
Rindal quietly looked toward Smith afterward.
As though waiting for the older man to be more rational.
Smith sighed tiredly.
Then adjusted the remains of his torn coat with dignity.
"Well," he said calmly, "you heard my boys."
A faint smile appeared across his face.
"As their teacher...it would be shameful not to spoil them a little."
For several seconds, Rindal remained silent.
Then he slowly extended one hand outward.
A snowflake landed softly against his palm.
His golden eyes stared at it quietly.
Memories tried forming behind them.
Broken.
Incomplete.
Gone before fully appearing.
"…I see."
His fingers slowly closed around the snowflake.
Then he lifted his gaze toward them once more.
"Very well, then."
The pressure surrounding his body began rising again.
"You have chosen your graves."
Rindal moved first.
His leg extended backward slightly, the ruined stone beneath his foot cracking apart from the pressure building inside his muscles.
Then—
BOOM.
The entire plaza exploded behind him.
A sonic blast ripped through the snowfall as the copy launched forward with monstrous speed, the ground collapsing beneath every step he took. His body blurred violently through the frozen air, crimson hair trailing behind him while killing intent flooded the battlefield all at once.
He intended to finish everything instantly.
Even Bernard barely managed to follow the movement with his eyes.
The captains instinctively tensed, preparing themselves for impact—
But suddenly—
Another sonic boom erupted across the plaza.
Rindal's pupils narrowed.
Something slammed into him from the side before he could fully react.
Toki's shoulder crashed directly into his abdomen.
BOOOOM.
The impact bent Rindal's body sideways as both figures tore across the ruined battlefield like cannonballs, carving a massive trench through broken stone before the copy was finally thrown several meters away.
Snow and rubble exploded upward.
The captains froze.
Even the Dragon King looked downward from the sky.
Rindal landed lightly on both feet before sliding backward across the frozen ground.
He touched his abdomen.
"…Well now," he murmured softly.
A faint grin spread across his face.
"I may have reached my conclusions too quickly."
His golden eyes slowly lifted toward Toki.
For the first time since awakening—
Interest appeared inside them.
Not simple interest.
Excitement.
"You understand what makes a battle worthwhile," Rindal said quietly.
Snow drifted between them while both figures stood facing each other beneath the fading eclipse.
"You are strong."
The flesh around his shoulders twisted slightly beneath the unstable imitation body.
"But far too dangerous to leave alive."
Toki smiled faintly.
It was simply the expression of someone who had already accepted what kind of person he had become.
"About time we showed you what the generals of this kingdom are capable of."
His golden eyes slowly moved toward the others standing behind him.
"The complete formation."
Harold blinked once before laughing despite the blood still running down his face.
"I'll admit it," he sighed. "It sounds cooler when you say it."
Hope had returned.
Rindal quietly observed the reactions around him.
The way every single person unconsciously relaxed once Toki entered the battlefield again.
"…Interesting," he murmured.
Toki slowly stepped forward through the falling snow.
His body was still covered in blood. Torn flesh remained visible beneath his ruined clothing, and exhaustion lingered inside every movement he made.
Yet somehow—
He still felt terrifyingly steady.
The golden light inside his eyes had changed.
It no longer resembled the unstable madness from earlier.
Nor the cold emptiness he carried during battle.
This light felt older.
Like a deep ocean of gold hiding something monstrous beneath its surface.
Toki looked directly into Rindal's golden eyes.
"I can't allow myself to disappoint the first hero of this kingdom."
The wind surrounding the battlefield shifted slightly."
Snowflakes melted before touching his skin.
"…I'll fight without restrictions."
Several people nearby instinctively looked toward him.
Even Lorelay's expression tightened slightly.
Because those words sounded dangerous coming from Toki.
But Toki continued walking forward calmly.
"There's no point hiding it anymore."
The copy slowly narrowed his eyes.
Something about Toki's presence had changed completely.
Rindal noticed immediately.
So did the Dragon King.
A low rumble echoed across the sky.
"I'll use everything I've learned…"
His glowing eyes reflected the fading crimson eclipse above the ruined capital.
"…throughout the last four hundred and twenty-one years…"
Bernard's grin vanished.
Harold's eyes widened.
Even Smith's relaxed expression cracked apart instantly.
Utsuki stared at Toki without breathing.
Only Rindal remained calm.
But his golden eyes sharpened immediately.
"…What did you say?"
The air itself almost felt distorted around Toki's body.
Toki slowly raised one hand toward the falling snow.
His fingers closed gently around a snowflake.
Unlike Rindal—
The memory did not disappear from his eyes.
It remained there quietly.
Painfully.
"I always wondered something," Toki said softly.
"When exactly does a person stop being human?"
The others remained motionless behind him.
None of them understood what they were hearing anymore.
But instinctively—
They understood this moment mattered.
Toki looked at the snowflake melting slowly against his fingertips.
"After your first hundred years?"
A faint smile crossed his face.
"After watching everyone you love disappear one by one?"
"Or perhaps…"
His eyes slowly lifted toward Rindal again.
"…when death itself stops recognizing you?"
The ancient king stared at Toki with growing intensity.
"…You."
For the first time, uncertainty entered his voice.
Toki's smile became softer.
Sad, almost.
"The world really did forget quickly."
Toki slowly lowered his hand.
Then looked directly at the ghost of the Crimson King.
"So…"
The golden glow inside his eyes deepened.
"Let's end this nightmare properly, Rindal."