The sky above the valley fractured with flashes of magic.
Another Observer shattered under the resistance's attacks, dissolving into fragments of fading light.
The containment net trembled violently.
Akari pointed her spear upward.
"One more! Destroy the last one!"
Mages unleashed everything they had left.
Lightning tore through the air.
Fire roared upward like a dragon's breath.
The final Observer flickered under the barrage.
But below the real battle had begun.
The Clash
The Enforcer's pale energy flooded the battlefield, turning the ground beneath him into glowing glass.
He lifted his blade.
"…Let's see how long your body holds."
Then he vanished.
Hiroto barely reacted in time.
Their fists collided midair.
The shockwave blasted outward like thunder.
The soldiers nearby were thrown off their feet.
Akari dug her spear into the ground to keep from being blown away.
"…They're monsters," she muttered.
Hiroto twisted, shadow armor flowing around his arms.
He struck again.
The Enforcer blocked with his blade and countered instantly.
A kick slammed into Hiroto's chest.
Hiroto flew backward, But landed on his feet this time.
The scar beneath the valley pulsed violently again.
Stone pillars erupted around him.
Shadow wrapped the pillars like veins.
He launched forward again.
The Enforcer smiled.
"Good!"
Their fists collided again and again.
Each strike cracked the ground deeper.
Each movement faster than the last.
Dust storms swirled around them as the battlefield turned into a crater.
Above the Valley
Akari's forces finally broke the last Observer.
It shattered with a piercing sound.
The containment net flickered violently Then collapsed.
The sky cleared.
For a brief moment…
Freedom.
The soldiers cheered.
"We did it!"
But the Watcher didn't smile.
He was staring at the clouds.
"…No."
Akari followed his gaze.
"…What now?"
The clouds above the valley were moving.
Not drifting.
Opening.
Something enormous shifted behind them.
Back on the Battlefield
Hiroto slammed the Enforcer into a broken pillar.
The armor cracked further.
The Enforcer laughed breathlessly.
"…You're actually fun to fight."
Hiroto wiped blood from his face.
"You're not bad either."
The Enforcer's eyes suddenly shifted upward.
"…Ah."
Hiroto followed his gaze.
The sky was splitting apart.
A massive circular symbol formed among the clouds, glowing faintly like a celestial gate.
Even the Enforcer looked surprised.
"…They're sending that already?"
Akari felt cold dread run down her spine.
"What is that…"
The Watcher whispered the answer.
"…A Herald."
The battlefield fell silent.
Even Hiroto stopped moving.
From the opening sky—
A colossal silhouette began descending slowly.
Wings.
Too large to belong to anything human.
Hiroto clenched his fists.
"…So the sky finally sends something real."
The Enforcer stepped back slightly, sheathing his blade.
"…My orders just changed."
Hiroto narrowed his eyes.
"What?"
The Enforcer smirked.
"…Now we see if you survive that."
The massive winged figure continued descending from the heavens.
And the War of Faith was about to become something far worse than a battlefield.
To be continued…