Inside the Fortress – Halls on FireThe bombardment had barely ceased, yet the fortress was already burning.
Cracks split along marble walls, debris rained from vaulted ceilings.
Through a shattered archway stormed Elrahar, Brakka, and Caron.
Brakka swung his axe in a wild arc—one strike, and three paladins were crushed against the walls.
"Out of my way! Today you fall!"
Elrahar thrust his blade, piercing a knight's chestplate.
"The Old God will not rise. Not while we stand."
Caron lifted his hand.The air rippled.A fallen column floated up, intercepting a storm of arrows like a steel curtain.
The Shadowed Priest AppearsAt the end of the hall, a figure emerged.
A man in a black robe, his face hidden, his eyes void-black beneath the hood.
Dark energy coiled around his fingers.
Dark Priest:
"You dare breach these halls?This is where you end."
His staff rose, his voice turned to an incantation—
"Darkness of erosion—consume!"
The corridor blacked out.Shadows snaked like living serpents, reaching for the three.
First Clash – The Sound of ShatteringBrakka cleaved the darkness with his axe.
CLANG!The shadows shredded apart…only to weave back together, thicker.
Elrahar blocked with his sword, but the blade hissed and corroded.Hairline cracks spread across its steel.
Elrahar:
"This won't hold. Caron—we need you!"
Caron's Power – and His ExposureCaron's eyes closed.
Psychokinesis roared awake—the stone floor buckled.
WHOOOM—!
Chunks of marble shot skyward, hurled like a storm of meteors toward the priest.
The priest only smirked.
"That power… familiar.I will unmask you."
His incantation shifted—the shadow lash snapped toward Caron.
SSSHRRAKK!
Caron's upper garment shredded away—cloth fluttered into darkness.
The Secret Revealed – Aetherion's MarkBeneath the torn cloth, Caron's body wasn't entirely human.
His chest and shoulder gleamed—flesh replaced with argent tissue,soft like skin, yet with a metallic sheen.
Strange geometric runes pulsed faintly on that silver surface.
Aetherion—an ancient alien race that once invaded this world before vanishing.
Fragments of that extinct species were embedded in Caron's flesh.
Brakka:
"What the hell… is that?!"
Elrahar:
"…Caron.You… weren't human?"
Caron's ConfessionCaron exhaled.
"Long ago… during the Aetherion War,I was mortally wounded.
Their technology saved me—but at a cost.
Parts of me… are theirs now."
He brushed his fingers over the shining runes.
"My power, my mind…half-human, half-Aetherion."
The Priest's Mockery
The black-robed priest sneered.
"I knew it.A filthy impurity.
Something like you must be purged."
Darkness surged, wrapping Caron in constricting coils.
Acceptance – And Awakening
Caron shut his eyes.
One long breath.
The runes ignited—silver light seared across his chest.
FWOOOM—!
Psychokinesis erupted.Every fragment of stone, every shattered lance lifted into the air, spinning into a silver storm.
Caron:
"I've already made peace with it.Whatever my origin…
This is my power now—**and I'll wield it."
The Counterstrike
BOOOOM!!!
The storm engulfed the priest.His black robes tore; his staff splintered.
The dark one screamed—and slammed into the wall like a rag doll.
Aftermath – The Bonds Hold
The dust settled.
Brakka slung his axe over his shoulder, grinning.
"Caron. Whatever your body is… doesn't matter.We fight together."
Elrahar nodded slowly.
"Your secret is shocking… but you're still our brother."
Caron allowed himself the faintest smile.
A weight he'd carried for years—just a little lighter.
Forward
Caron raised his gaze to the fortress depths.
"No stopping here.
The secret's out—and with it, my resolve."
Elrahar and Brakka lifted their weapons.
"Then let's go."
***
Episode : Fortress Breakthrough
Lisa Descends – The Weight of a CommanderFrom the airship above, Lisa leapt.
The instant her boots struck the ground, the battlefield changed.
This was no mere commander's arrival—it was the arrival of a force.
Her presence pressed down like a storm.Soldiers straightened. Shields locked tighter.
The army breathed again.
Lisa:
"Children of the Old God!Feel the wrath of Elysiuum!This battle marks your end!"
Her voice rang like iron.The flags of Elysiuum whipped in the wind,and the disciplined army surged forward like a single wave.
Trained steps. Drilled precision.Every thrust of a spear—every formation—perfect.
The Paladins of the Oath staggered under that weight.Their shield wall wavered.
Even the priests in the rear faltered—their prayers cracked, their voices uncertain.
Reunion on the FieldAt the battlefield's edge, Rian watched.
The boy who had once simply fought—now stood as a warrior whose every breath carried the weight of countless lives.
But the fortress pulsed with a power unlike anything before.From within, an ancient magic stirred.
A whisper of resurrection.
Lisa's eyes cut across the chaos.
For a fleeting heartbeat, she met Rian's gaze.A small smile curved her lips—then vanished beneath urgency.
Lisa:
"Rian!While we hold them here, you breach the core.
The resurrection rite has already begun.You must stop it!"
Rian nodded once—sharp, certain.
Rian:
"Yes, Master.We'll end this."
Lisa stepped closer, her hand heavy on his shoulder.
Lisa:
"You can.Remember—what you hold isn't just a sword.
It's the fate of this continent.
Don't falter."
Rian bowed his head—just for a moment.Then he turned to his companions.
Rian:
"We move. Now."
Serin. Ivella. Kayren.
All three nodded—not one shred of hesitation.
Toward the CoreThe group cut through debris and blood,toward the fortress heart—where Elrahar, Brakka, and Caronwere already locked in relentless combat.
Inside the Heart
Steel clanged. Magic cracked the walls.
Elrahar:
"We can't falter!If they hold this circle, the Old God will rise!"
Brakka:
"Their numbers don't matter—my axe does!"
His axe smashed a paladin's shield,and the shockwave hurled three more aside.
But for every one they felled—two more closed in.
Caron balanced psychokinesis and shadow magic,deflecting arrows and crushing armor.
Sweat streamed down his face.
Caron:
"Elrahar… Brakka…If we keep this pace, we'll break.
I have one last card to play.It might burn me out.It might cost everything."
Elrahar and Brakka exchanged a look.No words needed.
Elrahar:
"If you believe it's the way—we'll trust you.No matter what."
The Core Shakes
A sudden tremor—the heavy, deliberate thud of boots.
Rian and his companions emerged from the smoke.
Rian:
"Elrahar!We're here!
Let's finish this!"
Elrahar's mouth tightened into a brief, fierce smile.
Elrahar:
"Good.You came.
Because if we don't stop this here…it's over."
Swords, spears, and magic moved as one.
Rian's greatsword carved arcs of light.
Serin's water magic wrapped the wounded, dampened fire.
Ivella's spear struck with lethal precision.
Kayren's chants turned prayer into steel.
Together with the Three of Elrahar, they became a storm.
The Paladins of the Oath began to break.
But beneath their feet—the ground thrummed.
The seal was stirring.
***
Episode : Noble Sacrifice
The battlefield slowed—not in motion, but in weight.
Every fighter felt it.
The Last Push
Elrahar's blade shattered a paladin's helm.
Brakka's axe smashed another shield to dust.
Caron's telekinesis crushed a wall of arrows.
And Rian's greatsword split enemy lines like lightning.
Bit by bit—the Oathbound faltered.
Elrahar:
"We have them!Push! This ends here!"
Rian swung again—the seal trembled.
For one bright moment—victory seemed within reach.
The Change
The Paladins stopped.
Their shields lowered.
But this was no rout.
Their movements were too calm.Their eyes—too still.
Rian felt it first.
A cold dread in his chest.
Rian:
"…This isn't retreat."
Serin wiped blood from her face, breath ragged.
Serin:
"They're… preparing something.
Something worse than death."
The paladins turned.Marched—toward the altar.
The Chant
The priests opened their scriptures.
A low, eerie hymn seeped through the hall.
The air shivered.
Cold wind blew out the torches.
The walls of the fortress began to crack.
The Blade Turns
Knights raised their swords—but not at Rian.
At themselves.
Paladin A locked eyes with Rian.
Paladin A:
"Those who defy God must be cleansed…
Even us."
Calm faces.
Peaceful faces.
Swords flashed—and slit their own wrists.
Blood on the Altar
Scarlet poured.
The priests called it Holy Blood.And they smiled.
Rian:
"STOP!What are you doing?!"
But it was already too late.
The Sacrifice
Blood flooded the altar.
The relics hidden deep within the fortress began to glow.
Paladin B gasped his final words—
"Our lives…are only tools.
We give them… to awaken Him."
Dozens of lives.
Dozens of souls.
All snuffed out in seconds.
The altar ignited—not with flame, but with light and shadow both.
A sigil flared, perfect and deadly.
Serin whispered, trembling:
"They've offered themselves as the final sacrifice.
This… is the resurrection ritual."
Kayren's fists clenched:
"The relics were just props.
The blood… was always the key."
Rian's knuckles whitened on his sword.
"We have to stop it.If the Old God rises—
Everything ends."
But the ritual had crossed the river.
The Awakening
A pillar of light pierced the sky.
From its heart, an ancient Presence drew breath.
Elrahar's voice dropped to a growl:
"Even fragments of the Old God…
With this blood and relics…that strength will return."
The earth split.
The fortress walls screamed.
A colossal shadow began to take shape.
Even incomplete—its power pressed every chest down.
Rian's breath shook:
"This… is far stronger than we imagined."
The Old God's eyes opened.
The ground shook.
Air thickened.
Elrahar tightened his grip on his hilt.
Elrahar:
"We can't just stand here.
We must act."
Rian drew his sword again.
Rian:
"Then we fight.
Even if we can't kill it—we'll hold it.
We'll buy the time the world needs."
The companions exchanged glances.
Serin. Ivella. Kayren.
Elrahar. Brakka. Caron.
Exhausted.
Bleeding.
But their eyes still burned.
Together, in the face of despair—
they chose to fight on.
****
Episode : Challenge of the Old God
The incomplete Old God finally emerged from the fortress heart.
The ground shook—not from an earthquake, but from the weight of its very existence.
Its colossal form was still fractured—elbows cracked like broken stone,its body flickering with unstable layers of light and shadow.
But even that imperfect shell radiated power so overwhelming that Rian and his companions felt their bones scream.
A single eye opened.
The abyssal iris swept across the battlefield—and even breathing became heavy.
Old God:
"...Filthy remnant of the Titans.Young prince—that power in your veins… is Titan's residue.
The age of Titans is long over.And yet… their dirty embers linger still."
Rian clenched his grip on the greatsword.
He swallowed fear and locked eyes with the god.The Titan's power in his blood ignited like wildfire.
Rian:
"Maybe this power was Titan's once.
But now—it's mine.
And your era is over."
The Old God's laugh boomed like thunder.
Old God:
"Hahaha… You think you can stop me?
Titan couldn't.Man couldn't.
You will all—be crushed beneath my heel!"
The words weren't finished before the Old God moved.
The air shattered.
A massive arm swept down—and from its hand, a storm of crimson energy erupted.
Mana burned in the air,turning the world blood-red.
Rian:
"Everyone, MOVE!"
He hurled himself forward, dragging Kayren with him.Ivella reversed her spear into a guard stance,but even the storm's stray fragments made her arm scream with pain.
Serin's barrier flared bright—but the weight behind it felt like a mountain.
Then—a portal tore open.
A circle of blue light spun midair.
Through the storm, Lia burst forth.
Lia:
"Oppa!"
Without hesitation,she summoned a defensive veil.
A blue barrier surged out,catching the Old God's first strike by sheer force.
The sky cracked.The barrier shook.
Rian:
"Lia…! How—"
Lia:
"I came with Elysiuum's reinforcements.
And—I found a way to seal the Old God.
But… we don't have time."
Rian's eyes locked on hers—relief and renewed resolve lighting them at once.
Serin stepped forward, urgency in her voice.
Serin:
"A seal? …How?"
Lia:
"Three things.
First—an ancient magic circle to lock this space.
Second—an exorcism to strip the energy he's consumed.
And last… a Sealblade—a sword that can only be forged with Titan's power."
Ivella's breath hitched.
Ivella:
"Then… we're the ones who have to forge that sword?"
Lia nodded.
Lia:
"Yes.
And only Rian can create it."
Heat pulsed in Rian's hands—the greatsword almost alive in his grip.
The Old God's laughter cut across their words, sharp as blades.
Old God:
"A seal? Pathetic.
You think mortal scribbles can hold me?
You would dare try to cage me?"
Its arm swept again—this time heavier, hungrier.
Red lightning split the earth.
Stone melted.
Lia's barrier cracked under the pressure—blood streaked her lips.
Lia:
"Oppa! No more time—Forge the blade—NOW!"
Rian gripped the greatsword tighter,breathing deep—pulling from deep inside.
Titan's fire stirred.
Rian (inner):
'This power… I'll wield it on my terms.
Titan's or not—
It's mine now.
And I'll end this.'
His eyes snapped open—and Titan's infernal blaze surged into his blade.
The others shielded him.
Ivella's spear braced against the Old God's hand.
Kayren's chant wove a new barrier.
Elrahar, Brakka, Caron—none hesitated.
Caron:
"Buy him time!"
Rian closed his eyes.And began to forge.
The Old God's voice never stopped.
Old God:
"Hahaha… little humans.
Scraping for seconds,clinging to broken hope.
But your time… is already over."
The battlefield went silent.
From Rian's sword—a new light began to bloom.
The Sealblade was about to be born.
*****
Episode : End of the Old God
The air was broken.
The battlefield warped under the Old God's breath—a vortex of light and shadow colliding.
Kayren's Choice
Kayren fell to his knees in the center of the fight.
His breaths came rough—but his gaze did not falter.
Kayren (inner):
'No more time.
Everything I have—
I give to Rian.'
He pressed his palms together.
A monk's prayer turned to pure light.
Kayren:
"Rian—take it.
My clarity, my soul—
All of it!"
Threads of light spilled from his hands—fine at first, then thick—weaving into Rian's body.
The sword trembled.Kayren's essence poured into steel and blood.
Ivella's Thunder
Ivella snapped her spear in two.
As the blade fell—lightning erupted from her body.
Ivella:
"Rian—YOU are our hope!
Take this thunder—and strike!"
Bolts surged into the sword.Electric waves danced around its edges.Thunder split the sky.
🌿 Serin's Life
Serin closed her eyes.
Her hands glowed with living blue.
Her breath, heartbeat,and even her own life-forceflowed outward.
Serin:
"Rian… take it.
Take all our breath, all our lives—
and pour it into the blade."
Life magic wrapped Rian.His body burned—but with fire that healed as it hurt.
Rian's Resolve
His eyes snapped open.
On the blade, Titan's power, thunder, life—fused.
Rian:
"This power isn't just Titan's.
It's their faith, their sacrifice—
and my will.
Old God—
your time ends NOW!"
The Old God's grin faltered.
A trace of wariness cut through the mockery.
Old God:
"You think such trifling power can end me?"
The Final Strike
Rian lifted the blade.
It became a line of light across the sky.
Every memory, every drop of strength, every scream—
poured into one strike.
Rian:
"—NOW!!!"
The blade fell.
The world split.
The sword pierced the Old God's chest.
A shockwave consumed the battlefield.
Light and shadow exploded.
The Old God's roar shook the heavens.
Old God:
"No… I… like this…?"
Lia's Seal
At that instant, Lia burst through the portal.
Her hands carved an enormous magic circle into the air.
Light tethered Rian's sword.
Lia:
"Oppa! NOW—DRIVE IT THROUGH!"
Rian pushed.
Every last shred of his strength.
The blade sank to the hilt in the Old God's core.
The circle flared.
The Old God's body shattered.
His scream turned to wind.
End
The era of the Old God was over.
🕊 Quiet
The battlefield stilled.
Only wind moved.
Rian let the greatsword fall.
His knees buckled.
His breath came ragged.
Rian:
"…We… did it…"
Around him—Serin, Ivella, Kayren, and the Three of Elrahar.
All broken, bleeding, but smiling.
Serin:
"…It's really over."
Where the Old God had stood, there was only ruins—
and silence.
But they all knew—
this was not just the end of a war.
It was the opening of a new beginning.