The Captain sneered.
"Gray Welhawk... One of the finest products of the Shadow Ascension. I always wondered why you chose their side. Why the Celestial Alliance stands with them. What are you gaining from this?"
Gray didn't flinch. His voice was calm—but carried weight.
"I could ask the same of you and every soldier wearing the royal crest. What are you really fighting for?"
He stepped forward, blades gleaming.
"I fight for the one person I believe in—the one whose future I want to see. For that future, I can't afford to die... and I won't let him die either."
He raised his blades, the silver glow intensifying.
"And if I have to keep fighting like this, then so be it. But I'll never bow like some loyal hound to emperors or crowns."
Gray's blades crossed—magic surged between them.
"Mirror Magic: Dual Reflection Slash!"
Both blades pulsed, resonating with mirrored energy.
The captain roared and charged—
Molten power flaring around him as the battlefield cracked beneath his feet.
"Magma Chain Strike!"
The massive chain-ball came flying again, but this time—
Gray vanished.
He appeared behind the captain in a blur.
SLASH—
The chains fell apart.
Gray spun mid-air, crossing his blades—
SLASH—
A clean arc sliced through the magma armor, cutting deep into the captain's chest.
The man gasped, stumbling backward, molten blood dripping.
Gray didn't stop.
"Mirror Shatter Drive."
His blades gleamed once more.
He rushed forward, twisting into a double spin—
SLASH. SLASH.
A burst of light exploded behind the captain—
Then silence.
The magma captain dropped to his knees.
Then fell.
Dead.
________________________________________
. Dawn stared in awe.
Gray stood tall, his twin blades dripping molten heat, smoke curling in soft spirals around him. His breath was steady. Focused. He turned and offered a hand to her.
She blinked, still stunned by the ferocity of his fight.
"You alright?" he asked, voice softer now.
"…I am now," she said, gripping his hand.
With his help, she stood. Her legs still shook slightly, but her eyes were firm.
Gray gave a small nod. "The battle's not over. Stay sharp."
Dawn smiled faintly. "Then let's team up."
The storm hadn't passed yet—but side by side, they were stronger.
________________________________________
The scene shifted.
In the heart of the battlefield, Imperial stood alone—surrounded. Five enemies. Two captains. All striking at once.
But they were too slow.
He darted through them like a flash of thunder, his blade a blur, lightning trailing in his wake. His swordplay wasn't just elegant—it was devastating. One by one, he struck them down, each blow ringing out like a hammer of judgment.
Together, the captains launched a massive spell—fire, water, ice, grass, and stone all converging into a catastrophic barrage.
But Imperial didn't flinch.
He raised his blade.
"Lightning Magic: Lightning of Hell!"
A thick beam of lightning erupted from the ground, splitting through their combined spell like it was paper. The bolt pierced upward in a blast so violent it shook the earth. Screams. Smoke. Then silence.
They fell.
He exhaled hard, his eyes sharp with resolve.
No time to rest.
More enemies surged in from behind—captains, vice-captains, all charging at once.
He sensed them. But still, he didn't move.
Then—
Silver. Vince. The remaining CA members arrived, slamming into the attackers. Dawn and Gray dashed in beside them.
Dawn, clashing blades with a vice-captain, shouted, "Imperial! Don't act like you're some main character!"
Imperial chuckled. He'd already felt them coming. "Thanks, guys."
Then he turned and bolted, his figure vanishing in a streak of lightning as he dashed toward the execution platform—toward his father.
Cyrus stood bound in enchanted chains, his arms and legs tied tight. His eyes were open, but dull—like he was awake, but not truly conscious.
Imperial's gaze tightened.
He had to reach him.
More attackers came rushing.
But before their blades could strike—
Boom!
Their attacks were intercepted.
Dawn, Gray, and the others turned.
A new wave of fighters had entered.
Ari. Tracey. Mirae. Ezren. Jack.
All bruised. All bloody.
But all still standing.
"Ari…!" Imperial smiled. "You guys made it."
From the left flank, Gray, Dawn, and their CA squad cut down the royal forces. From the right, Ari, Tracey—with Ashenfang snarling beside them—and the others carved their own path.
The center opened.
A clear line between Imperial and the platform.
He dashed forward, lightning pulsing with every step.
High above, the Emperors observed.
Empress Seraphina narrowed her eyes. "These children… they've caused enough destruction."
She stood.
"It's time they're taught their place. Vice Generals—move."
Malrik and Mangus gave the same order.
In a heartbeat, six Vice Generals appeared.
One stood in front of Ari's group. Another blocked Gray's. The remaining four circled Imperial, their magic pressing in like a cage.
The air grew dense. Unbearable.
Imperial stood firm.
He gripped his blade.
A surge of raw energy erupted around him.
Everyone felt it.
Ari. Tracey. Dawn. They recognized it—his windrow magic had activated.
His full power.
Imperial thought to himself, I'm at 100%. I don't know how long my body can handle this… but it doesn't matter. It's now or never.
A female Vice General lunged first.
"Blood Magic: Blood Spikes!"
Sharp crimson tendrils shot at him. Imperial blocked them with a fluid slash of his sword.
Another struck.
"Binding Magic: Chain Strike!"
Chains whipped from the sleeves of a second general, aiming for his legs.
He slammed his foot in a circle, dragging it like an arc.
Boom!
Lightning erupted in a slicing wave, disintegrating the chains mid-air.
But then—another.
"String Magic: Execution Pull!"
Razor threads coiled around his limbs, pulling him taut.
A fourth general appeared, one arm transformed into a shining steel blade. He raised it high, aiming to end Imperial right there.
"Imperial!" Dawn, Tracey and ari screamed.
But Gray, focused, barked, "Focus on your fight! He's not going down that easy. They won't kill him—they can't. He's one of the Eleven Supreme Families. They'll try to capture him. So fight. Then help him."
Imperial's eyes flared.
With a twist, he cut through the threads, vanished, and reappeared behind the steel-user—his blade at the man's throat.
The Vice General raised his hands in surrender.
But from his back, another hidden blade launched.
Imperial blocked just in time.
Watching him fight alone, the others burned with determination.
"We have to end this fast!" Dawn shouted.
Gray nodded. "Let's take down the vice general in front of us."
On the other side, Tracey and Ari faced the other Vice General.
Though wounded, they refused to back down.
The Binding Magic user raised his hands.
"Wall of Chains!"
A spiderweb of chains shot toward Imperial.
He weaved through them in a zigzag sprint, slicing the air—but a misstep.
Strings caught his feet.
He was yanked downward—slammed into the ground hard.
"Blood Magic: Blood Clot!"
Blood tendrils surged up, covering his body—trapping him from the feet upward.
The Steel Magic user returned—his spinning blade howling through the air, ready to strike Imperial's head.
But—
Boom!
Four thick lightning beams erupted from the ground beneath each Vice General. The attack was devastating.
The blood mage raised a shield of blood beneath her.
The steel-user tried to harden his body—still took a hit.
The string-user pulled himself to the side, narrowly dodging it.
The binding mage conjured a nullification field.
Smoke.
Silence.
Then—
Imperial rose.
Free of the blood. Of the chains. Of the strings.
He cracked his neck.
And lifted his blade once more.