The City of Dawn trembled.
Smoke rose into the sky.
Lightning still crawled through the clouds above the palace while black flames burned across shattered streets.
Compass had fallen.
An entire organization erased in minutes.
And yet—
The Black Sun Syndicate stood untouched in the center of the destruction.
Isly stepped forward calmly.
Then—
CLAP.
She brought her hands together.
And slowly pulled them apart.
A black staff materialized between her palms.
Ancient symbols rotated around it faintly.
She slammed the bottom of the staff against the ground.
BOOM.
The street rippled unnaturally.
Several rushing Compass members suddenly lost balance as the ground beneath their feet distorted.
They crashed face-first into the stone.
"Fire!"
"Kill her!"
Multiple elemental attacks shot toward Isly.
Flames.
Water spears.
Compressed wind blades.
Isly spun her staff once.
"Barrier."
A dark shield formed around her instantly.
BOOOOM—
The attacks detonated against the barrier harmlessly.
Smoke engulfed the area.
Then—
Silence.
The army narrowed their eyes.
And when the smoke cleared—
Black flames were already surrounding them.
"What—"
BOOOOOOOOM—
A massive explosion swallowed the street whole.
Bodies vanished into black fire instantly.
Elsewhere—
Tina walked through the battlefield calmly.
Almost gently.
Her green eyes glowed faintly.
Soul power spread invisibly through the battlefield.
Suddenly—
Several Compass operatives stopped moving.
Then turned on each other.
Screaming.
Killing.
Their emotions distorted beyond reason.
Fear.
Rage.
Despair.
Three men rushed Tina simultaneously.
She turned.
Kicked the first beneath the chin hard enough to snap his neck.
The second reached her—
Tina touched his face lightly.
And ripped his soul directly from his body.
The corpse collapsed instantly.
The third swung his blade wildly—
But Dova appeared beside him casually.
Placed a hand on the man's back.
"…Decay."
The operative's skin dried instantly.
His flesh cracked.
Then—
He turned to dust.
Darius — Warden of the Black Sun
Darius crouched slightly.
Placed his palm on the ground.
"Shadow Steal."
Every shadow in the battlefield began moving unnaturally.
The shadows detached from the bodies of Compass operatives.
Then rose from the ground.
The soldiers froze.
Their own shadows stared back at them.
And attacked.
Screams filled the streets as darkness tore into flesh from every direction.
Then—
Eryndor jumped into the air.
The battlefield paused instinctively.
Black clouds formed above the palace.
Above the city.
But carefully—
Away from the civilians.
Away from the poor districts.
Away from the innocent.
Within the clouds—
Massive bubbles began forming slowly.
Inside them burned black fire.
Not ordinary flames.
Not divine flames.
The fire of the Black Sun.
Around each bubble—
Lightning crackled violently.
Wind rotated at terrifying speeds.
One operative looked upward.
His eyes widened in horror.
"GET AWAY—"
Too late.
The bubbles descended.
Slowly.
Almost peacefully.
Then they touched the ground.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM—
The City of Dawn shook violently.
Entire streets vanished beneath black explosions.
Lightning spread through buildings.
Wind pressure crushed everything caught within range.
And then—
Silence.
The army was gone.
Completely erased.
Only ten individuals remained.
And Number Zero.
The surviving figures walked forward through the smoke calmly.
Some brushed dust off their clothing.
Some looked bored.
Some looked completely unfazed by the deaths around them.
Number Zero stepped forward.
"This…"
"…is the first."
Eryndor landed slowly before the group.
"And it'll be your last."
The ten figures stopped several meters away.
Number Zero raised his hand slightly.
"These are the leaders of the Round Table."
Kaelus rested Tempest across his shoulders lazily.
"Yeah, yeah."
He looked completely unimpressed.
"Come and die…"
"…or die while we move forward."
One of the Round Table members tilted his head slightly.
"I wonder if civilians were caught in the explosions."
"I wonder if they're okay?"
Rein snorted.
"That's new coming from you."
"I don't even know you and I can already tell you're weird."
Then he grinned.
"But don't worry."
"We accounted for them."
Eryndor glanced sideways.
"Darius."
Darius disappeared instantly into his own shadow.
Far across the city—
A shadow emerged near the civilian districts.
Watching.
Protecting.
Ensuring no innocent was touched by the destruction.
Back before the palace—
Eryndor stepped forward.
The wind around him stirred slightly.
Lightning flickered softly across his skin.
"Now then…"
He looked directly at the Round Table.
"Shall we continue?"