The battle above Atlantis intensified beyond anything Tartarus had witnessed in ages.
The crimson heavens had become a collapsing storm of fire, antimatter, gravity distortions, and hurricane winds. Entire fragments of the ancient city floated through the skies like dying stars while Tartarusios continued its slow ascent upward, its colossal engines roaring louder with every passing second.
And within that hell—
Leonora entered the battle.
As she fell from the deck of Tartarusios, Gaisen surged upward beneath her like a phantom born from the storm itself. The dragon ruler intercepted her midair with impossible precision, his gigantic claws briefly curling around her before placing her atop his back.
The instant her feet touched Gaisen's scales—
The winds changed.
Youri stood frozen on the deck above, his eyes locked onto her.
Leonora slowly rose atop Gaisen's back while silver hair danced violently beneath the crimson skies. Her dark clothing fluttered around her like torn shadows as she stared directly toward Almesis.
Then—She raised her hand.
A gigantic golden circle erupted behind her.
The symbol burned like a miniature sun against the darkness of Tartarus. Ancient Sacrosian markings rotated endlessly within the construct while golden flames spiraled outward from its edges.
And from the center—
A weapon emerged.
A blade forged entirely from golden light.
It descended slowly into Leonora's grasp, illuminating her face in a pale glow that made her appear less human and more like something ancient.
Something divine.
Gaisen roared beneath her.
Then both of them lunged forward.
The skies exploded.
Almesis answered immediately with monstrous fury, its gigantic skeletal wings unfolding violently as infinite pressure erupted from its body. Entire sections of Atlantis collapsed under the force alone while gravitational distortions twisted the atmosphere apart.
Yet Leonora did not stop.
Gaisen accelerated directly into the chaos.
Wind currents spiraled around the dragon ruler while Leonora stood balanced atop him without fear, her golden blade cutting through the storm like a beacon of light.
Then she struck.
Her sword collided against Almesis' claws in a catastrophic explosion of golden energy.
The impact sent shockwaves across the battlefield.
Entire towers shattered apart.
The clouds split open.
Even Tartarusios trembled.
Youri could only watch.
All this time…
All this endless time…
He had searched for a way back to his wife.
Through wars.
Through death.
Through Tartarus itself.
And all along—
She had been beside him.
Yet now that he finally saw her—
She felt distant.
Wrong.
As if the woman before him was only the remains of someone he once loved.
A shell wearing Leonora's face.
Her movements were colder.
Her eyes emptier.
Even her voice carried exhaustion deep within it.
And worst of all—
She had told him the truth.
Not love.
Pity.
That was what she felt for him.
Youri stared silently as Leonora and Gaisen battled Almesis together.
Then Almesis suddenly turned.
Its hollow skeletal face locked onto Tartarusios.
Onto him.
The ruler of infinity lunged forward instantly.
Space distorted around its body as it accelerated toward the ship with terrifying speed. Entire sections of the atmosphere collapsed inward behind it.
Youri did not move.
But before Almesis could reach him—
Leonora intercepted.
Gaisen slammed directly into Almesis from the side while Leonora swung her golden blade downward with enough force to split the heavens apart.
The strike carved across Almesis' chest in a massive burst of golden fire.
Almesis roared violently.
The shockwave shook Tartarusios from top to bottom.
And as Leonora passed before him—
Youri simply watched.
Watched the face of the woman he loved.
The woman who had just shattered him completely.
Wow…
The thought echoed emptily in his mind.
So this is what it feels like…
To have your heart broken.
There was no anger.
No rage.
Only emptiness.
Something inside Youri Kronos changed that day.
Not suddenly.
Not dramatically.
It simply… stopped.
The endless struggle.
The constant hope.
The desperate need to keep moving forward.
It all disappeared quietly.
And standing there beneath the crimson skies of Tartarus—
Youri made a decision.
He no longer wished to continue.
Not the wars.
Not the fighting.
Not the searching.
Not any of it.
He simply wanted to disappear somewhere quietly.
Whether in Tartarus…
Or forgotten somewhere in the corner of a distant galaxy…
He no longer cared.
Slowly—
Youri turned away from the battle.
The winds roared behind him as explosions illuminated the skies, but he no longer looked back.
He walked inside Tartarusios once again.
The massive corridors echoed around him as the ancient ship continued ascending toward the fractured crimson sky above.
Every alarm.
Every tremor.
Every explosion outside—
Felt distant now.
Meaningless.
Youri eventually reached the control room once more.
The gigantic viewing glass stretched before him, revealing the catastrophic battle outside.
He walked toward the captain's seat slowly.
Then sat down.
Silently.
And simply watched the war unfold.
Outside—
The battle intensified further.
Almesis had completely lost control now.
Its skeletal wings unleashed devastating gravitational storms while black ruptures consumed entire sections of Atlantis. Gaisen fought desperately to keep the monster away from Tartarusios while Leonora continued attacking relentlessly with her blade of light.
Meanwhile Altopereh still rampaged across the battlefield.
Its antimatter form clashed violently against Almesis over and over again, black plasma blades carving through the skies while antimatter explosions swallowed entire clouds whole.
But then—
Leonora shouted.
"ALTOPEREH!"
Her voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Go back!"
"The ship is going to leave any moment now!"
Altopereh roared furiously in response.
Its monstrous form expanded violently as antimatter energy erupted around it.
"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"
"I WILL FINISH WHAT I STARTED!"
The ruler lunged toward Almesis again, colliding against the skeletal monster in another catastrophic impact that shook the heavens themselves.
But Leonora shouted once more.
"You won't find your revenge down here!"
Her voice carried pain now.
Real pain.
"I hate you with all my heart!"
The words cut through the battlefield sharper than any weapon.
"After everything you made him do…"
"I will never forgive you!"
Even Altopereh paused slightly.
Leonora's golden blade trembled faintly in her hand as she continued.
"But he can't do this without you…"
"And that's why I'm asking you…"
"Go with him."
Her silver hair whipped violently through the storm.
"And no matter what…"
"Don't let him die."
For a moment—
The battlefield became strangely quiet.
Then Altopereh laughed.
A deep monstrous laugh filled with bitterness.
Its antimatter body slowly began dissolving away, dark matter peeling from its gigantic form like burning ash.
Beneath it—
The Orbiton emerged once more.
The massive mechanical frame slowly revealed itself beneath the fading antimatter shell.
Before the transformation fully completed—
Altopereh spoke one final time.
Its voice colder than ever before.
"Next time…"
The crimson skies trembled.
"I will come for you…"
"Sacrosian."
The antimatter shell vanished completely.
Only the Orbiton remained now.
The gigantic machine descended slowly toward Tartarusios, landing heavily atop the deck as steam and sparks erupted from its frame.
Inside the control room—
Youri did not react.
He only watched silently.
Then—The fractured crimson sky above Atlantis split apart once more.
A colossal rupture formed overhead.
Light poured through it endlessly.
Tartarusios had reached the gateway.
The ancient ship began ascending upward toward the opening from which it had first descended into Tartarus.
But Almesis was not going to let them escape.
The skeletal ruler unleashed a monstrous roar and lunged toward Tartarusios with terrifying speed. Infinite pressure collapsed the skies around it while its gigantic claws reached toward the ascending vessel.
Yet before it could reach the ship—
Gaisen intercepted again.
The dragon ruler slammed directly into Almesis while Leonora followed immediately after, her golden blade erupting into blinding light.
The three collided in a devastating explosion beneath Tartarusios.
And above them—
The ancient vessel ascended.
Higher.
Higher.
Toward the shattered heavens.
Toward escape.
Toward another world.
And beneath the crimson skies of Tartarus—
Leonora and Gaisen remained behind, holding back the endless monster known as Almesis while the ship that once brought the Sacros into Tartarus finally departed the realm once more.