The man speaks first, his deep voice cutting through the roar of battle.
"According to her, this is the place where we'll find him."
The woman beside him turns her head slightly, her tone calm and cold.
"But didn't she say this place is already destroyed when we arrive? That only he remains—the lone survivor? When we come here, it is peaceful."
"You're right," the man replies, his gaze fixed on the endless battlefield below. "That's why I destroy it myself. Now, we'll get our answer."
The woman's brow furrows beneath her hood.
"And what if even now this place refuses to fall? What if we still fail to find him?"
The man finally looks at her.
When his eyes meet hers—though hidden beneath the hood—the air grows heavy. The flames around them flicker lower, as if bowing before something unseen.
"Then we wait," he says. He holds her gaze. "Because in the end… he comes to us. His destiny was decided the moment the prophecy was spoken. And I—"
His voice darkens, low and cold as steel—
"—I will not stop until I find him."
Silence. Only the sound of the burning earth persists below.
He looks out again, toward the endless firestorm that devours the plains.
"He is the one who will lead us through the darkness," the man whispers. "The one who will stand above all—the Messiah."
The woman remains silent. A tremor runs through her hand as her fingers tighten around her cloak, as if she too is suddenly aware of the weight of those words settling like ash over the dying world.
---
The battlefield is a sea of ruin.
Mountains of ash, rivers of molten stone, and a sky torn apart by thunderous shockwaves. The smell of sulfur and scorched earth chokes the air.
In the heart of it—two titans clash.
The Commander and the Lava Giant fight for dominance, their every strike shaking the world. For an hour, neither gains the upper hand.
The Lava Giant swings his blazing fists, each one burning hot enough to melt steel. He tries again and again to engulf the Commander in flames—but the man refuses to yield.
With precise steps and calculated movements, the Commander never allows the fire to even touch him.
His blade cuts through the air like lightning, but the creature before him is no ordinary foe.
The Lava Giant's body—hardened magma and living flame—refuses to be cleaved. Every strike that should split mountains only leaves shallow grooves that close seconds later, molten flesh knitting itself back together.
For an hour, the battle rages without pause.
But now… the difference between human and monster begins to show.
The Commander's breath grows heavy.
Sweat drips down his brow, and the sheer heat of the environment makes it sizzle instantly as it hits the scorched earth. His arms ache, his muscles scream, yet his grip on the sword never falters.
He's not slowing down… he's getting stronger.
The Lava Giant roars, the ground quaking beneath its fury. Each of its blows now carries more power, more heat, more wildness—as if feeding off the very destruction it causes.
The Commander's gaze hardens.
He knows the truth: if this drags on for even a few more hours, he loses.
A human's stamina has limits. A monster's does not.
And somewhere beyond this fight… there is still another S-Rank beast waiting.
He looks down at the creature—still standing tall, flames dancing across its unbroken body. Not a single mark remains; regeneration has erased every wound.
A cold, sharp breath escapes his lips.
Then his aura flares.
Thousands of spectral blades erupt around him—pure manifestations of will and power, swirling like a storm. The air itself screams as they shoot downward, raining destruction upon the Lava Giant.
The giant roars, raising a hand wreathed in molten flame. A wave of fire explodes outward, consuming everything. One by one, the aura blades burn to ash.
When the flames die down, the creature looks up, victorious—
But the Commander is gone.
Instinct screams danger.
The giant turns—
A cold voice whispers from behind.
"Iron Tempest Style — Second Movement: Iron Breaker Thrust."
Aura condenses at the tip of the Commander's sword, dense and sharp enough to pierce through the world itself.
With a clean, devastating motion—
he thrusts forward.
The blade impales the Lava Giant's chest, piercing through molten armor and hardened core alike.
The Commander's blade tears through molten flesh—
but there is no explosion. No death cry.
Only silence.
The Lava Giant's massive frame shudders for a moment… then stills.
Steam hisses from the wound; molten blood drips onto
He stops.
The sword doesn't move.
He tries to pull it free—
but it won't budge.
The blade is stuck, trapped as though the molten flesh has turned to steel around it.
The Commander frowns, gripping the hilt with both hands.
He pulls harder, aura surging through his arms—
but the sword refuses to move even an inch.
Then, a low sound rumbles from deep within the Lava Giant's chest.
A vibration—almost like laughter.
The Commander's eyes widen.
Impossible, he thinks.
The monster's mouth twists upward, molten cracks spreading across its face like veins of fire.
It is grinning.
"—Tch."
Before he can react, the Lava Giant's fist comes crashing down.
BOOM—!
The impact sends the Commander flying, the ground beneath him splits like glass. He smashes into the scorched earth, the force driving the air from his lungs. He slides across molten stone before stopping amidst a wave of choking smoke and ash.
The giant takes a step forward. The ground quakes.
Before the dust can settle, another fist descends.
The Commander rolls aside, but even then—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each strike hits like thunder, craters erupting in all directions. The sheer heat is suffocating; each breath burns in his lungs.
For the first time, the Commander looks small.
His uniform is in tatters, blood seeping through his armor.
He grits his teeth and raises an arm to block a strike—
only for the molten knuckles to slam into him like a meteor.
CRACK—!
He flies again, this time smashing through what remains of the forest, crashing into a half-melted boulder. His vision blurs, the world spins in a haze of fire and raw pain.
"Damn monster…" he coughs, his voice rough, spitting blood onto the burning rock.
He looks up through the smoke. The Lava Giant looms over him, still smiling, its molten core pulses with eerie crimson light.
The Commander forces himself up on trembling arms, his breathing heavy.
Even now, his spirit doesn't falter—but his body has reached its limit.
He feels his aura burning out, muscles tearing under the pressure.
The heat, the exhaustion, the pain—all blend into one unbearable storm.
And yet… his gaze stays steady.
He's not unkillable, he thinks. There's always a weakness.
He spits blood, raises his hand, and summons his sword—still impaled in the giant's chest.
It trembles faintly.
The Lava Giant roars, veins of molten fire glowing brighter—as if mocking his struggle.
But within a second, the trembling in the sword increases with an unthinkable force!
BOOM!
It blasts through the Lava Giant's chest, leaving a gaping, black hole, and is back in the Commander's hand in a flash of light.
The Commander's teeth clench. "It's not over yet."