Merslin and Elena found Ria through the crystal sphere. Amidst the roar of the battlefield, Ria hastily stood before the sphere at her parents' urgent call.
"Elena! Mother! Are you alright?"
"That's not what's important right now!" The face of Elena in the sphere was pale. The face of Merslin, appearing beside her, was even more urgent.
"Ria, there's no time! Do you remember your father's gift? That giant wooden crate! You must open it now! We need your and Rian's Crystal Cores!"
Ria answered with surprised eyes. "Yes, Father. But that crate was left in the Kingdom of Altechna. We didn't bring it."
"No, your father has prepared everything," Merslin said.
Just then, in the distance, the elite warriors of Elysium could be seen, kicking up dust as they dragged the giant wooden crate, tethered to their horses. Ria quickly called Rian over, and together they approached the crate. As they stood before it, the Crystal Core in Ria's possession began to react strongly. Rian and Ria were surprised to see the core, which should have been dormant, pulsing like a heart and emitting a brilliant light.
"Why is it reacting like this?" Ria asked.
Rian held the Crystal Core in his hand and stared at it blankly. "How could Father have known about this?"
The two had no time for deeper thought; they opened the wooden crate. Inside, the ancient golem that Merslin had met when he first acquired the Crystal Core lay dormant. Upon seeing the golem in the crate, the Crystal Core began to glow even more intensely, and then, leaving Ria's hand, it flew into the center of the golem.
The golem slowly began to move but soon started to react abnormally, its body trembling violently. It seemed the Crystal Core was forcibly awakening the golem's consciousness, and Rian leaped up to try and pull it out to stop the golem from going berserk.
"What is this...?" Rian reached out and grabbed the Crystal Core.
In that instant, a storm of information, containing thousands of years of time, raged through his mind. Ancient battles, the solitude of a sleeping giant, and a primal rage to destroy everything. Before he could even scream, he was dragged into a cold, vast sea of consciousness.
In the mental world, Rian stood on a stormy sea. Before him, a giant of steel looked down at him with empty eyes.
"Who are you," the giant's voice thundered. "Mortal, who dares to disturb my slumber?"
Rian readjusted his grip on his twin blades. "I am Rian! And you are going to be my ally!"
He charged toward the giant without hesitation. It was not a clash of strength against strength, but a head-on collision of will against will.
Finally, Rian succeeded in subduing the ancient golem's spirit and taking control of its body. Rian moved the golem's massive frame and set out to fight against Sadril's giant golem. The golem's eyes glowed red as it moved toward the center of the battlefield.
The faces of Rian and Ria were filled with resolve. They now had a weapon of their own.
Ria shouted toward the golem Rian was piloting. "Rian, you can do it! This is our power!"
Rian responded with a determined gaze. "Right. This is a gift from Father and Mother... We will definitely win."
Merslin's golem was sufficiently large but was smaller than Sadril's, and at first, it seemed to be pushed back. Sadril's golem used its massive size to continuously press Merslin's golem, and each time its giant hand struck, the ground was deeply gouged. The clash of the two golems sounded like rolling thunder, and the soldiers on the battlefield held their breath at the overwhelming sight.
"Rian! I don't think Merslin's golem can hold out much longer!" Ria shouted.
"I can't give up! This golem is our last hope!" Rian gritted his teeth and did his best to control the golem's movements, fending off Sadril's giant golem.
In that moment, Rian's Crystal Core began to emit an intense light. It was as if the core had finally awakened completely. Pure energy, like blue lightning, flowed from the core along the ancient symbols carved all over the golem's body. The worn and broken outer shell was restored with the light, and the golem's movements began to take on a divine dignity beyond mere heaviness. In contrast, the Crystal Core of Sadril's golem was losing its light. Having been an imitation of an ancient artifact from the start, Sadril's Crystal Core was losing its power before Rian's genuine one.
"Is that... the true power of the artifact?" Ria stared at the light of the Crystal Core with a surprised expression.
Rian, feeling the golem's movements become more nimble and powerful, gathered his strength and delivered a final blow to Sadril's golem. Cracks formed in Sadril's golem, and it collapsed in a great heap. Rian's golem, radiating a victorious light, dominated the battlefield.
Watching the giant enemy fall, Rian gasped for breath inside the golem's cockpit. What came before the cheer of victory was a sense of relief. He smiled at Ria and said softly, "Father, Mother... I've received your gift."
***
Episode : It Was Not a Victory
Rian, having subdued Sadril's golem, was now about to stop his own. As the golem's movements began to slow, a cold, arrogant sneer echoed in his mind. 'Are you satisfied with a victory of this meager level, whelp?' It was not a voice. It was an alien presence that crushed Rian's consciousness. 'This is not a power you have won. It is a power I have lent you. Now, it is time to pay the price.'
Rian whispered with a pained expression, "Who are you?"
"The God of War, Ares."
"Argh!" Rian clutched his head and fell to his knees. Ares's consciousness tried to devour his mind, but the blood of Merslin flowing in Rian's veins, and the ancient power sleeping even deeper within, fiercely resisted. 'Kugh... what is this resistance?!' Ares, surprised, was thrown out of Rian's body, and his rage was directed entirely at the connected golem. The golem suddenly began to move violently, its eyes glowing red.
"I have returned! I am the God of War, Ares!" Ares declared his victory from within the giant golem, absorbing the fallen golem before him to return to a form similar to that of his prime.
Rian came to his senses and took in the current situation. The enemy before him was no longer a simple golem, but Ares, possessing the power of a god. Rian prayed desperately in his heart. 'Grant me the power to protect everyone.'
Rian called to his companions. "We have to stop that Titan. Let's all make it back alive!"
His companions gathered around Rian. Ria's eyes burned as she shouted, "That's right, we have to make it back alive!" Marielle clasped her hands and prayed, "May the divine grace be with us." Eris raised her wooden staff high and declared, "That thing is a disruptor of nature's harmony. We will surely stop it." Brunok finished reloading and shouted, "Let's give it our all, everyone! We can do this!"
Ria's blue magic power, Eris's green energy of nature, Marielle's pure white holy power, and Brunok's fiery fighting spirit emanated from their bodies, flowing into Rian as a single stream of light. Rian's body, accepting their power, began to radiate an energy like lightning, and in a single breath, he soared into the air, charging toward Ares's golem. As he struck the golem with his lightning-imbued twin blades, it was pushed back. But the massive difference in power remained. Ares's golem swung its arm, sending Rian flying far away.
"Damn it... if only I had that power!" Rian cried out desperately in his mind.
Ares sneered. "You cannot stop me with that power. You are nothing but a weak being, waiting for death!"
Meanwhile, Ares's golem was carrying out a merciless slaughter on the Altechnan army. Edward saw his loyal subordinate crushed, armor and all, with a single gesture from the golem. He couldn't even scream. Despair gripped his heart coldly. "This... is not a war. It's a massacre..." King Alexander gritted his teeth and gave an order. "All units, retreat! Reform the defensive line!" But his command was powerless before Ares's indiscriminate assault.
Serena led her troops, attacking the golem's feet, but they were sent flying by its overwhelming power. "Damn it... can we not stop it?" Serena gritted her teeth and stood up again, but the golem continued its advance, trampling the soldiers.
Rian gripped his twin blades even tighter and amplified the power of lightning. He flew into the air and rapidly climbed the golem's arm. The golem shook its body to throw him off, but Rian held on tight. He raised his lightning-infused twin blades and struck the golem's shoulder joint. A great metallic sound echoed, and the golem's arm fell heavily.
Ares shouted in a rage-filled voice, "How dare you wound me!"
Rian ignored his rage and leaped into the air again. As he rotated his body, he gathered lightning energy, focusing it into his twin blades. In that moment, Rian saw the center of the golem. He intuitively felt that it was its weak point.
"Here...!" Rian gathered his strength and unleashed a final blow. His twin blades dug deep into the golem's core, and with the impact, the golem staggered back violently. The sound of a giant metal structure breaking apart filled the battlefield, and Ares's golem slowly began to collapse.
Rian landed on the ground, panting. He looked at his hands and muttered, "Does this power really suit me? If the remnant of Ares is still inside me..."
Just then, his companions ran toward him. Ria came and took his hand without a word. That warmth was a greater comfort than any words like 'it's okay'. Brunok clapped him on the shoulder and said gruffly, "Don't think about useless things. We'd all be dead if it wasn't for you." All his feelings were contained in those words. Rian looked at his companions, feeling both the cruel power of Ares remaining in his hands and the warm strength his friends gave him at the same time.
Eris held out her wooden staff to Rian and nodded. "The balance of nature will not be broken. Not as long as there is someone with a strong will like you." Marielle smiled quietly and said, "The grace of the divine is with you, Rian. I believe you will use that power for good."
Empowered by their support, Rian lifted his head. A new resolve was in his eyes. "How I use this power is up to me. I will use this power to protect everyone."
In the place where Ares's golem had collapsed, now remained Rian's decision and the courage of his companions. Rian looked at the spot where the golem had fallen one last time and whispered, "We will win. And that power, and what you've left behind—I will bear it all."
In the heart of the battlefield, they greeted the newly rising sun and prepared for the fights to come.
**
Episode : Noktus Did Not Stop
Through the crystal sphere, Sadril's final scream echoed before his body scattered into light. Mericis merely lifted a wine glass and took a sip. His gaze was as indifferent as if he'd just seen a single chess piece removed from the board. In his eyes, Sadril's death had been inevitable—a sacrifice for a far greater design. Even as the massive golem fell and Rian, now bearing the power of Ares, seized victory, not a flicker of emotion crossed Mericis's face.
Almost to himself, Mericis murmured in a low voice,"Sadril's sacrifice was anticipated. What matters now is pressing on toward the goal. He fulfilled his role well enough."
He tore apart the old operation map he had once drawn with Sadril. On the empty parchment, his fingertips bled black magic, sketching a new map in dark strokes."Rian… a variable now carrying the power of Ares. The plan must be revised."
His hand paused over a point on the map—the forgotten land of the Luminaria continent: the Grave of Giants.
"The ancient golem hidden in Luminaria… and the crystal cores of the gnome kingdom," he whispered slowly. "All of these were merely puzzle pieces prepared for this very moment. And now, each piece is finding its place."
Mericis felt no doubt that Sadril's sacrifice would not be in vain. He was already setting the next plan into motion. If he could seize the overwhelming power buried within Luminaria, then Sadril's death would mean nothing. It would simply be another part of the process.
"Along the path Sadril gave his life to open, we will usher in a new era. No one will stop us. If not Ares, then we'll claim the power of the Titans themselves—and this world will be ours. The gods abandoned this world, so we will remake it ourselves. No longer will fate be tossed about by their whims."
Mericis rolled the last shard of the crystal core in his palm. It looked almost like a die, cast to begin a new game. He whispered into the darkness—softly, yet as if commanding the whole world to hear:
"Yes… the real game begins now."
The schemes of Noktus were still in motion. They had not stopped. Their next target was already chosen.Whether Rian and his companions could stop what was coming—was an answer they would have to find themselves.
Now, a new threat was drawing near.