Time is not working same in all realms ... A single day in Arcana leads to 5 days on Earth.... This is as the laws says.... Arslan is in Arcana for a single day but on Earth there gone 5 days from his departure....
The skies over Sundusk began to churn with an unsettling hue of purple and black. A foul wind rolled across the Echelon Grounds as the sun dimmed unnaturally in the sky. In the center of the field where Collaboration Training was underway, hundreds of Echelon Knights had gathered. Groups from every rank — Omega, Alpha, Mythic, Apex, and Zenith — were engaged in synchronized battle maneuvers. Laughter echoed, sweat trickled down focused faces, and the camaraderie of shared strength filled the air.
Suddenly, the earth trembled.
A guttural growl rumbled across the land, emanating from beneath the Vault of Sundusk — the ancient seal buried deep below the northern plains. Eyes turned.
Kaelen (Zenith) stepped forward, sword pulsing with astral fire. "That sound... It's not part of training."
Vira (Zenith), spinning her wind lances, narrowed her gaze. "Something's breaking through. That's not a simulation."
CRAAAAACK!
The ground erupted. Stone shattered. The Vault burst open.
And from its depths, a horde surged out like a tide of nightmares — goblins, hellhounds, imps, shadow-striped beasts with glowing blue eyes and serrated limbs. Demons long sealed away.
Nirela (Mythic) screamed, spinning into action. "REAL COMBAT MODE! THIS IS AN ACTUAL BREACH!"
Panic struck the unranked Dormants around the perimeter, but the Echelon Knights didn't hesitate. They were forged in adversity — and now Collaboration Training had amplified their synergy.
Ravik (Mythic) slammed his gauntlets together, his arms encasing in rune-carved rock. "Let's give them hell!"
Tharion (Mythic) roared as he summoned the Earthshock — the land beneath the goblins cracked and swallowed dozens whole.
Kyren (Mythic) ignited in flame, unleashing Heat Pulse. "We've been waiting to test these powers. Let's go!"
Wave after wave of demons clashed against the wall of humanity. Each Mythic moved like a force of nature — Vaelith's vines lashed from the earth, Zhalya's blood-sight marked hidden enemies, and Malrik's rune surge detonated deadly traps under the hellhounds.
But then... silence.
The lesser demons stepped aside.
A roar split the skies. The ground shook anew.
Out from the shadows emerged a massive lion-shaped demon — its mane a blaze of molten lava, its eyes twin furnaces of hatred. It stood tall as a watchtower, thick muscles bulging beneath obsidian fur, tail tipped with a steel spike. This was no ordinary demon.
Elira (Zenith) landed near the front. "Mid-level class... no doubt. We need to act together."
It pounced.
Three Echelon Knights jumped in — Elira, Milo, and Rael. Their energies flared — one ice, one lightning, one force projection. The demon roared back, tail swiping buildings to rubble. The clash shook the skies, thunderous and relentless.
But that was only the beginning.
From the breach, more giants emerged.
Demons shaped like golems, giants made of bone and fire, six-armed brutes with horned skulls. Each more terrifying than the last.
Seris (Mythic) shouted, "They're not just monsters — they're intelligent. They're coordinating!"
Yuna (Mythic) was already weaving healing threads, dashing between injured knights. "Focus! You've trained for this! Trust your formations!"
What no one expected... was the sheer dominance of the Mythics.
Arslan's absence hadn't weakened them — it had driven them.
Ismere (Mythic) sliced with her blood echo blade, shadows dancing behind every move. "We're not just support beneath Zenith anymore. We're the storm now."
Caelis froze the battlefield with Frostbind, causing goblin packs to shatter upon touching the ground.
Tarric Vohl blurred with Thunderstep, striking pressure points of giant demons in split-second intervals.
Mythics were now outshining even Apex Knights. One-on-one, they were crushing the larger demons with technique, synergy, and overwhelming elemental power.
Elyra stood in the center of chaos, her Emotion Freeze neutralizing a dozen foes — their rage turned to stillness.
Orien Dravell grinned as he summoned Soulflash, blinding a demon just before Tharion's earth-hammer crushed its skull.
Seris Vahla's toxins made even hellhounds cough blood and writhe in agony.
Meanwhile, the Zeniths regrouped.
Zain (Omega): "Mythics have grown. They're leading this. We support — we finish the ones they weaken. Everyone stay in threes. One strike, one finish."
The demon tide wasn't ending.
Even with the Mythics' overwhelming strength, for every ten they killed, fifteen more emerged. Giant demons weren't rare anymore. They were common. Echelon formations began to break.
The skies above cracked open — a dark portal formed. Something greater was coming.
And that's when Nyra fell.
She was ambushed by two skeletal giants while protecting a squad of Alpha-ranked trainees. Her final ice scream froze one, but the other crushed her beneath its heel.
Her scream tore through the battlefield.
Rage.
Despair.
Fire.
Nirela, who had grown close to Nyra, erupted. Her Moonlight Control turned into a celestial explosion. Lunar blades swarmed, slicing through demons like divine judgment.
"Mythics — FALL BACK TO THE GATE!" yelled Vaelith.
"No!" shouted Ravik, bloodied but standing tall. "We can hold them here. THIS is what we trained for!"
A cheer rose behind him as even Dormants took up arms, throwing stones, makeshift spears, helping drag wounded Knights to safety.
The people had joined the war.
In the brief lull between waves, Yuna knelt beside Tharion, his chest bleeding from a claw wound. She pressed her glowing hands over him.
"You're not dying, not today."
He smirked. "You always say that, healer."
Behind her, Ismere looked toward the portal, then to the blood on her blade. Her hands trembled.
Caelis placed a hand on her shoulder. "Your power terrifies even the demons. Don't lose your edge now."
She gave a faint smile. "I'm not afraid of them. I'm afraid we're losing this."
Back at the Council Tower, Julious, Camero, and Rivers watched the battle unfold through the Arcane Surveillance Mirror.
Julious gritted his teeth. "This breach was timed. Someone wanted Arslan and Kar'Thæl away. This isn't random."
Camero slammed his fist into the desk. "If this is coordinated... it means there's intelligence behind the Vault's fall. A traitor, or worse."