The forest had grown strangely quiet.
Not peaceful.
Quiet.
There was a difference.
The wind moved gently through the canopy, causing thousands of leaves to whisper against one another high above. Thin rays of sunlight slipped between the branches, painting broken patterns across the forest floor.
Five figures moved through the trees.
Lia.
Tunk.
Honk.
Riyo.
Soraya.
Honk walked near the front.
His hand remained wrapped around the hilt of his sword.
Usually, the swordsman wandered through forests with the careless confidence of someone who had already consumed enough alcohol to stop caring whether danger existed.
But today was different.
There was no bottle hanging from his hand.
No drunken smile.
No lazy swaying footsteps.
For perhaps the first time since the group had known him...
Honk was completely sober.
And there was a reason.
His attention wasn't on the trees.
It wasn't on the path.
It wasn't even on the possibility of monsters hiding somewhere nearby.
His eyes remained fixed on the woman walking several steps ahead.
Soraya.
Every few moments, Honk glanced toward her.
Her movements were calm.
Almost too calm.
She walked through the forest as though she already knew exactly where they were going.
Behind them came Trunk and Lia.
Riyo walked alongside them, his eyes constantly moving across the surrounding trees.
The farther they traveled...
The more his expression changed.
He had expected something.
A growl.
A movement in the bushes.
A sudden fluctuation of mana.
Anything.
But there was nothing.
Only the sound of their footsteps.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Eventually, Riyo couldn't hold his curiosity anymore.
He raised his voice.
"My Lady."
Soraya turned her head slightly.
"Yes?"
Riyo looked around.
"I haven't sensed a single mana monster."
Soraya's expression remained calm.
"Is that so?"
Riyo nodded.
"Not even a weak one."
He glanced deeper into the forest.
"Considering the mission we're on, I expected at least a few."
Soraya continued walking.
"Perhaps you're searching for them too hard."
Riyo blinked.
"What?"
Soraya stopped.
The others gradually stopped as well.
She turned around.
"You know..."
Her gaze moved across the group.
"Do you actually know what mana monsters are?"
Riyo looked mildly offended.
"Of course I do."
Soraya raised an eyebrow.
"Then tell me."
Riyo straightened.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he spoke, his voice calm and measured.
"Dark beings are supernatural humans."
The others turned toward him.
Riyo continued.
"They may possess abilities that ordinary humans could never comprehend, but beneath all of that, they are still human."
"Mana monsters are different."
Riyo's expression became serious.
"They are supernatural animals."
He paused before continuing.
"Some mana monsters are nothing more than mindless beasts. They exist only to hunt, kill, and feed. Their instincts are driven by bloodlust, and they'll slaughter anything that crosses their path."
The atmosphere seemed to grow heavier.
"But not every mana monster is like that."
"There are mana monsters that possess intelligence. Some have lived for hundreds of years. Some protect territories, forests, or entire populations."
His voice softened slightly.
"And some are even worshipped."
Everyone listened silently.
"Throughout history, certain mana monsters have been regarded as symbols of gods. Their appearances, abilities, and overwhelming power caused ancient civilizations to believe that divine beings had descended into the world."
Riyo folded his arms.
"That's why you can't simply call every mana monster evil."
He looked around at the group.
"There are good mana monsters."
Then his eyes hardened.
"And there are bad mana monsters."
A short silence followed.
"Just like humans, they aren't all the same."
Riyo finally raised one finger.
"And there's one more thing you need to understand."
"Mana monsters are classified according to their strength."
"Into different classes."
Soraya nodded.
"How many?"
Riyo didn't hesitate.
"Eight."
He raised his fingers one by one.
"E."
"D."
"C."
"B."
"A."
"S."
"SS."
"And SR."
The forest seemed to grow quieter as he spoke.
Riyo continued.
"The difference between those classes isn't small."
He lowered his hand.
"It's enormous."
Soraya listened silently.
Riyo looked toward the surrounding wilderness.
"Class E, D, and C monsters are generally mindless."
"Generally?"
Lia asked.
Riyo glanced at her.
"Most of them."
He continued.
"They don't possess meaningful intelligence. Their instincts are simple."
His voice became more serious.
"Find something alive."
"Kill it."
"Eat."
"Repeat."
Trunk's expression hardened slightly.
Riyo then raised three fingers.
"Class B, A, and S are different."
"They possess intelligence."
"They can understand their surroundings."
"They can adapt."
He paused.
"And some of them can use actual strategies."
Honk finally looked away from Soraya.
"Meaning?"
Riyo answered immediately.
"They don't simply charge at you."
"They observe."
"They choose targets."
"They exploit weaknesses."
"And if they're intelligent enough..."
His eyes narrowed.
"They can even set traps."
A faint breeze passed between the trees.
Leaves drifted slowly to the ground.
Riyo lowered his hand.
"But SS and SR..."
His voice changed.
Even he seemed reluctant to speak casually about them.
"Those are different."
Soraya watched him.
Riyo continued.
"They're legendary."
"Some people don't even believe they exist."
"They're spoken about like myths."
His eyes moved toward the distant trees.
"And in some cultures..."
"They're worshipped as holy beasts."
Silence.
Honk's grip tightened slightly around his sword.
Riyo said immediately.
"The strongest is".
"SR."
He turned toward Soraya.
"The difference between the weakest class and the strongest is beyond comparison."
"E is the lowest."
"SR is the highest."
"Even the difference between S and SS is enormous."
He paused.
"An SR-class mana beast isn't something an ordinary adventurer can simply hunt."
Trunk nodded slowly.
"I've heard stories about them."
Riyo looked toward him.
"There are very few confirmed records."
"Most people have never even seen one."
He paused.
"But there is one SR-class mana beast whose existence is known throughout Eryndor."
Soraya's eyes remained calm.
"Torse."
Riyo nodded.
"The familiar of the Beast Hero."
He looked toward the others.
"And the King of Leonhart..."
"Alen Leonhart."
"Torse is the only SR-class familiar publicly known to the world."
He exhaled.
"Having an SR-class beast beside you..."
"That's an absurd advantage."
Soraya listened without interrupting.
Riyo folded his arms.
"So yes."
"The difference between the classes is enormous."
He glanced toward Soraya.
"E is the weakest."
"SR is the strongest."
His gaze shifted toward Honk.
"But there's something important you need to understand about these classes."
"Humans can tame mana beasts from A-class all the way to SR-class."
"But we cannot tame E, D, C, or B-class mana monsters."
A slight frown appeared on Riyo's face.
"Those lower-class mana monsters are usually too primitive to form the kind of bond required for taming. Most of them are driven almost entirely by instinct."
"Some are nothing more than mindless beasts that live for blood."
"They hunt."
"They kill."
"They feed."
"And they attack anything that enters their territory."
Riyo paused.
"That's why E to B-class mana monsters are usually hunted by adventurers."
"Adventurers kill them for their mana cores, materials, and other valuable parts."
"But there is another reason."
His expression became more serious.
"Even the weakest mana monster can become dangerous if left unchecked."
He slowly turned his gaze toward the others.
"However..."
"Dark Beings are different."
Riyo's eyes narrowed.
"They can tame every class."
"E, D, C, B..."
"A, S, SS..."
"And even SR."
The words seemed to make the air itself grow heavier.
"It's as if Dark Beings are born with a deep connection to mana monsters."
"They can understand them in a way humans cannot."
"And mana monsters can understand them in return."
Riyo looked toward Soraya.
"That connection isn't something humans can simply learn through training."
"It's something inherent to Dark Beings."
He paused for a moment.
"Because of that, Dark Beings possess an advantage that humans can never completely overcome."
His voice grew quieter.
"And that advantage was one of the reasons Darkain became the strongest nation in the world."
The others remained silent.
Riyo continued.
"Think about it."
"A human can only tame an A-class or higher mana beast."
"But a Dark Being can potentially turn even an E-class mana monster into a companion."
"And when that ability is possessed by an entire civilization..."
His gaze hardened.
"The number of mana beasts fighting alongside them becomes terrifying."
"Darkain's strength wasn't limited to its own people."
"They could fight alongside mana monsters of every class."
"From the weakest beasts..."
"To creatures powerful enough to be worshipped as symbols of gods."
Riyo's eyes settled on Honk.
"And at the very top of that hierarchy..."
"Are the SR-class mana beasts."
For a moment, his voice fell silent.
Riyo looked towards Soraya.
"An SR-class mana beast isn't merely a powerful animal."
"It's a creature whose existence can change the balance of an entire battlefield."
He turned back toward the others.
"And Darkain had people who could form a bond with creatures like this."
"That was what made them so terrifying."
"That was what made them the strongest."
Soraya smiled faintly.
"You're right."
Riyo looked pleased.
"Of course I am."
Then Soraya added quietly—
"But Alen Leonhart isn't the only person with an SR-class familiar."
Riyo's expression immediately changed.
"...What?"
Soraya began walking again.
Riyo hurried after her.
"My Lady."
Soraya didn't answer.
Riyo's confusion grew.
"You said Alen isn't the only one."
"Yes."
"Then..."
He stared at her.
"Who is the other person?"
Soraya continued walking.
Her answer came casually.
"I am."
Riyo stopped.
Lia stopped.
Trunk stopped.
Even Honk's expression changed.
For several seconds...
Nobody moved.
Riyo slowly blinked.
"...You?"
Soraya looked over her shoulder.
"Yes."
Riyo stared at her.
"I don't understand."
Soraya turned fully toward them.
"I am the other person."
The words were simple.
Almost impossibly simple.
Riyo's mouth opened slightly.
"You..."
His voice dropped.
"...have an SR familiar?"
Soraya nodded.
Honk's fingers tightened around his sword.
Lia stared at Soraya in disbelief.
Trunk's normally relaxed expression had disappeared completely.
Then—
Something moved.
Not in the trees.
Not beneath the earth.
Behind Soraya.
A darkness stretched across the forest floor.
At first, it looked like an ordinary shadow.
Then it moved against the direction of the sunlight.
Riyo's eyes widened.
"...What?"
The shadow began to expand.
It crawled outward from beneath Soraya's feet like black ink spreading across water.
The surrounding temperature seemed to drop.
The birds disappeared.
The insects stopped chirping.
Even the wind seemed to hesitate.
Honk immediately drew his sword.
SHING!
The blade flashed between the trees.
"Everyone, stay back."
Soraya didn't move.
She simply watched the darkness.
Then—
The shadow rose.
Not upward like smoke.
It peeled itself from the ground.
Blackness gathered behind Soraya, twisting and folding upon itself.
Something enormous was taking shape.
Riyo instinctively stepped backward.
"What is that...?"
The darkness suddenly bulged.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
A massive creature erupted from Soraya's shadow.
The force of its arrival swept through the forest.
Leaves exploded from the branches.
Snow and dirt scattered across the ground.
Several trees bent beneath the pressure.
Honk raised an arm to shield his face.
Lia's hair whipped violently around her.
Trunk planted his feet firmly into the ground.
Riyo could barely breathe.
And then the creature emerged completely.
The creature towered over the forest like a living deity of the heavens.
It was enormous.
Its form was unmistakably avian, yet no ordinary bird could have ever possessed such overwhelming majesty.
It's body was colossal, its massive frame covered in layers upon layers of long, razor-edged feathers. Most of them were a deep midnight blue, almost black beneath the moonlight, but countless feathers along its chest, neck, and wings shimmered with an icy silver-white radiance, as though they had been carved from frozen crystal.
Two gigantic wings stretched outward.
They were the most breathtaking sight of all.
Each wing extended for an impossible distance, composed of thousands of enormous feathers overlapping like blades. The outer feathers were dark as the night sky, while their edges glowed with cold blue and silver light.
Their span seemed to swallow the forest beneath them.
From its head rose a magnificent crown of enormous antler-like horns.
They curved upward and outward in several sweeping branches, resembling ancient blackened roots intertwined with polished metal. Fine golden patterns ran across their surface, giving them the appearance of something forged rather than naturally grown.
Between those horns, faint blue motes of mana drifted continuously, gathering around its head like fragments of stars.
Its face possessed the sharp, predatory elegance of a great raptor.
A long, hooked beak extended from beneath a crown of crystalline feathers, dark at its tip and gleaming faintly beneath the light.
Its features were fierce and impossibly refined, carrying none of the clumsy proportions of an ordinary beast.
But it was the aura that truly terrified them.
Mana poured from its body.
Not like a wave.
Like an ocean.
The pressure descended upon the forest.
The surrounding trees creaked beneath it.
Leaves trembled.
The very air seemed to become heavier.
Honk's knees bent slightly.
His eyes widened.
For the first time since entering the forest...
He wasn't thinking about killing Soraya.
He was thinking about surviving the creature standing before him.
Riyo's entire body had gone rigid.
Every instinct inside him screamed the same word.
Run.
His mind struggled to comprehend the sheer amount of mana radiating from the creature.
This wasn't a monster they could casually fight.
This wasn't even something that belonged in the same category as ordinary mana beasts.
Riyo stared at it.
His voice barely escaped his throat.
"...That pressure..."
And then there were its eyes.
Two piercing blue eyes burned from beneath its feathered brow.
They were not the eyes of a mere animal.
There was intelligence within them.
Ancient intelligence.
The kind that made instinct itself scream at anyone who dared meet its gaze.
Around its neck and across portions of its enormous body grew strange formations of black and gold material, winding between its feathers like intricate natural armor.
They resembled dark vines forged from metal, decorated with delicate golden patterns and glowing blue crystals.
Rather than diminishing its bestial nature, they made it appear even more otherworldly—as if the creature had been adorned by the heavens themselves.
Its talons were enormous.
Each claw was long, curved, and dark, capable of tearing through stone as easily as flesh.
When they pressed into the earth, the ground beneath them cracked beneath the weight of the beast.
Yet despite its terrifying size, there was an almost divine beauty to the creature.
Its feathers constantly shed tiny fragments of pale light into the air.
Blue sparks drifted around its body like fireflies, while thin wisps of cold mist curled between its wings and talons.
For a moment, it did not look like a bird.
It looked like the sky itself had taken form.
A creature born not merely to rule the heavens—
but to make everything beneath them remember its place.
And yet...
There was no hostility in its eyes.
Soraya calmly stepped forward.
She placed one hand against the creature's enormous body.
The moment her hand touched its feathers, the overwhelming pressure seemed to settle.
The beast lowered its massive head toward her.
No resistance.
No aggression.
Only absolute obedience.
Honk stared.
Riyo's expression changed.
The creature that had made every instinct in his body scream for survival was calmly allowing Soraya to touch it.
Soraya looked toward the group.
A gentle smile appeared on her face.
"This is Amton."
Riyo's pupils contracted.
Amton.
The name seemed almost too ordinary for a creature of such overwhelming majesty.
Soraya continued.
"My familiar."
Silence.
Riyo stared at Amton.
Then at Soraya.
Then back at Amton.
The enormous creature slowly spread its wings.
"WHOOM!"
The resulting gust tore through the forest.
Branches snapped.
Leaves spiraled violently into the air.
Honk raised an arm to shield his face.
When he finally looked upward again, the sight left him speechless.
For once...
Honk had nothing to say.
Soraya's voice remained perfectly calm.
"She is an..."
She paused.
Then—
"SR-class mana beast."
Silence.
Riyo's pupils contracted once more.
"An SR..."
His voice trembled.
"...just like Torse."
Soraya nodded.
"Yes."
Riyo swallowed.
He looked at Amton again.
An SR-class Mana Beast.
One of the highest-ranked creatures known to exist.
A beast powerful enough to make his instincts scream simply by standing nearby.
And yet Soraya stood beside it as though nothing were unusual.
Riyo finally understood.
His eyes slowly moved across the silent forest.
Not a single mana monster had appeared.
Not one.
At first, he had thought it was strange.
The Greywell Territory was known for its dangerous wilderness. Even experienced adventurers could encounter mana monsters while traveling through these forests.
Yet they had walked for hours without seeing anything.
Now...
He understood why.
Riyo looked toward the enormous creature standing beside Soraya.
Amton.
The SR-class mana beast.
A shiver traveled down his spine.
Of course.
The monsters weren't gone.
They were hiding.
Every mana beast within the surrounding forest had sensed Amton's presence.
And they were afraid.
They were hiding from her.
Riyo slowly swallowed.
"So that's why..."
His voice was barely audible.
"They're all hiding."
Lia looked toward him.
"What?"
Riyo pointed toward the surrounding forest.
"Every mana monster here..."
He looked back at Amton.
"...is afraid of her."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then—
SHING!
A sword suddenly left its sheath.
Honk's blade flashed beneath the sunlight.
The tip of the sword stopped directly in front of Soraya.
Everyone froze.
Riyo's eyes widened.
"Honk?!"
Honk stood completely still.
His face had changed.
The carefree expression he usually carried was gone.
There was no drunken smile.
No lazy attitude.
No trace of the man who had spent countless nights drinking with the group.
His eyes were cold.
And filled with hatred.
"So..."
His voice was low.
"It really is you."
Soraya's expression remained calm.
Honk tightened his grip around the sword.
"You bitch."
Lia stared at him.
"Honk, what are you—"
"You betrayed us."
His eyes never left Soraya.
"You changed your name."
His sword trembled slightly.
"You changed your face."
A bitter smile appeared across his face.
"And then you disappeared..."
"...only to live another life."
Soraya watched him silently.
Honk's voice became colder.
"I searched for you."
"Years."
His jaw tightened.
"And now..."
He raised his sword slightly.
"I finally found you."
Soraya sighed.
"So you recognized me after all."
Honk's eyes narrowed.
"How could I forget?"
Soraya looked at him for several seconds.
Then she calmly answered.
"You're doing the same thing."
Honk's expression changed.
"You changed your name too."
She took one slow step forward.
"And your face."
Her gaze remained fixed upon him.
"But there's one difference between us."
The enormous Amton stood silently behind her.
Soraya's voice became colder.
"You lost your power."
She looked directly into Honk's eyes.
"I didn't."
Silence.
Honk's grip tightened around his sword.
Soraya continued.
"You're not the strongest anymore."
Her eyes moved briefly toward Amton.
"So..."
She looked back at him.
"I don't need to fear you."
Honk's face darkened.
For several seconds...
He said nothing.
Then his sword lowered slightly.
His shoulders relaxed.
And a faint smile appeared.
But there was nothing warm about it.
"Even if I die..."
He raised his sword again.
"...I'll kill you."
SHING!
Honk lunged.
His boots tore through the soil.
The distance between them disappeared in an instant.
Soraya didn't move.
Amton did.
BOOOOOOM!
One enormous wing swept forward.
Honk crossed his sword before his body.
CLANG!
The impact sent him flying backward.
His boots scraped across the earth.
He stopped himself.
His eyes sharpened.
"So that's the game."
He lowered his stance.
Then charged again.
This time, he ignored Amton.
His target was Soraya.
His sword moved like lightning.
SHING!
Soraya calmly stepped aside.
The blade passed beside her cheek.
Honk immediately twisted his wrist.
The sword changed direction.
A second slash.
Soraya leaned backward.
The blade passed inches above her face.
Honk spun.
A third strike.
CLANG!
Amton's massive claw blocked the sword.
The force of the collision shook Honk's arms.
He gritted his teeth.
"Get out of my way!"
He pushed harder.
Amton didn't move.
Instead, the beast opened its enormous wings.
WHOOM!
A violent gust exploded outward.
Honk was thrown backward.
"Honk!"
Lia shouted.
Riyo and Trunk immediately moved.
Riyo drew his weapon.
"Everyone!"
Trunk charged.
The three rushed forward together.
Lia attacked from the left.
Riyo from the right.
Trunk came directly from the front.
Soraya simply watched.
Amton moved.
The beast's enormous wing swept across the battlefield.
BOOOOOOM!
Trunk raised his weapon.
The impact sent him crashing through a tree.
CRAAASH!
"Hrrgh!"
He fell to the ground.
Lia immediately launched herself forward.
She struck toward Soraya.
Soraya caught the attack effortlessly.
Her eyes remained calm.
Lia's expression changed.
"What...?"
Soraya pushed her away.
Lia flew backward.
Riyo immediately appeared behind Soraya.
His blade descended.
SHING!
Soraya turned.
CLANG!
The attack was blocked.
Riyo's eyes widened.
Soraya's strength was overwhelming.
Before he could react—
Amton's wing struck him.
BOOM!
Riyo flew across the forest.
He crashed against the ground and rolled several times.
"Hngh..."
Lia looked toward him.
"Riyo!"
Amton raised its head.
Its enormous wings spread.
The pressure alone forced the three adventurers backward.
Honk stared at them.
His expression changed.
"Stay away from them."
He stepped forward.
Soraya looked at him.
"Honk..."
He raised his sword.
"You're fighting me."
Soraya's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You haven't changed."
Honk charged.
This time, there was no hesitation.
His sword moved with everything he possessed.
A downward strike.
Soraya dodged.
A horizontal slash.
She blocked.
A thrust.
She stepped aside.
Honk spun.
The blade carved through the air.
SHING!
Soraya bent backward.
The sword passed over her.
Honk continued.
Strike after strike.
His swordsmanship was precise.
Fast.
Relentless.
There was no magic surrounding his blade.
No mana enhancement.
Nothing supernatural.
Only steel.
Only technique.
Only the strength of a swordsman who had decided that he would rather die than stop.
Soraya's expression slowly became more serious.
Honk attacked again.
CLANG!
She blocked.
He immediately changed his grip.
SHING!
Another slash.
Soraya stepped backward.
Honk followed.
One step.
Two.
Three.
His blade never stopped.
"Die!"
CLANG!
Soraya blocked again.
But then—
BOOM!
Amton's wing struck Honk from the side.
His body was thrown into the trees.
CRAAASH!
"Honk!"
Lia rushed toward him.
Honk forced himself upright.
Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
He wiped it away.
"I'm fine."
But his breathing had changed.
He looked toward Riyo.
The young man was struggling to stand.
Trunk was still on the ground.
Lia was breathing heavily.
Honk's expression hardened.
He looked at Soraya.
Then at Amton.
His grip tightened.
"I'll kill you..."
He stepped forward.
"...before you kill them."
He charged once again.
But this time...
Soraya didn't evade.
She raised her hand.
BOOOOM!
A powerful force struck Honk directly.
His body flew backward.
He crashed into the ground.
The impact tore a deep trench through the soil.
"Honk!"
Riyo forced himself to stand.
His legs trembled.
"Honk..."
He looked toward Soraya.
Then toward Amton.
Something inside him understood.
They couldn't win.
Not against her.
Not against an SR-class mana beast.
But he still raised his weapon.
"Move!"
Riyo charged.
Lia followed.
Trunk forced himself upright and joined them.
The three attacked together.
Soraya remained completely composed.
Amton moved beside her.
The battle became a blur.
Steel flashed.
The earth shook.
Branches shattered.
The forest floor was torn apart beneath their feet.
CLANG!
Riyo's weapon was knocked aside.
Amton struck.
BOOM!
Riyo's body flew backward.
He hit the ground.
His vision blurred.
He tried to rise.
His arms wouldn't respond.
Across the battlefield—
Lia screamed.
"Riyo!"
She rushed toward him.
Soraya appeared in front of her.
Lia froze.
Soraya's expression remained emotionless.
"I'm sorry."
She moved.
BOOM!
Lia was thrown violently into a tree.
Her body went limp.
Honk's eyes widened.
"LIA!"
He charged.
Trunk roared and attacked at the same time.
The two rushed Soraya from opposite directions.
Soraya raised her hand.
Amton moved.
A massive impact struck them both.
BOOOOOOM!
Trunk was thrown to the ground.
Honk was sent flying.
He landed heavily.
Silence followed.
Honk slowly raised his head.
His eyes searched the battlefield.
Riyo wasn't moving.
Lia wasn't moving.
Trunk wasn't moving.
His breathing stopped for a moment.
"No..."
He pushed himself upright.
"No..."
His hands began trembling.
"No!"
He screamed.
The sound tore through the forest.
He looked toward Soraya.
Something inside him broke.
His sword tightened in his hand.
He charged.
There was no strategy anymore.
No technique.
No restraint.
Only rage.
His feet hammered against the ground.
His sword rose above his head.
"YOU!"
He swung.
Soraya blocked.
CLANG!
Honk attacked again.
CLANG!
Again.
CLANG!
Again.
His movements became faster.
Harder.
More desperate.
He didn't care about his wounds.
Didn't care about his exhaustion.
Didn't care about death.
Every swing carried the memory of his fallen companions.
Riyo.
Lia.
Trunk.
His sword cut through the air again and again.
Soraya slowly began pushing him back.
Honk's arms trembled.
His breathing became ragged.
Blood ran down his face.
Still...
He continued.
"You took everything from me!"
CLANG!
"I'll kill you!"
CLANG!
"Even if..."
He raised his sword with both hands.
"...it kills me!"
BOOOOOOM!
His final strike collided with Soraya's defense.
The shockwave tore through the surrounding trees.
For one moment...
Honk stood there.
His sword pressed against hers.
His entire body trembling.
Then Soraya's eyes hardened.
She pushed.
Honk's sword flew from his hands.
CLANG!
It landed several meters away.
Honk stared at it.
His knees weakened.
He fell.
One knee touched the ground.
Then the other.
He tried to stand.
His body refused.
Soraya walked toward him.
Honk looked up.
His vision was fading.
Amton's enormous shadow covered him.
Soraya stopped in front of him.
She raised her hand.
Honk closed his eyes.
He knew.
This was the end.
Then—
A voice echoed through the forest.
Only one person heard it.
Soraya.
Her eyes widened.
She froze.
The voice came again.
You cannot kill him.
Soraya's expression changed.
"My King..."
The voice belonged to Zeek.
Soraya... you can't kill him.
Soraya looked down at Honk.
Her expression became conflicted.
"My King..."
She lowered her voice.
"We can't let him live."
Her eyes hardened.
"He will become a threat."
Silence.
Then Zeek answered.
His destiny is not yet finished.
Soraya remained still.
Her raised hand slowly lowered.
"My King..."
She looked at the unconscious swordsman.
Zeek's voice echoed once more.
Do not interfere with his destiny.
Soraya closed her eyes.
For several seconds...
She said nothing.
Then she turned away.
Amton lowered its enormous wings.
Soraya stepped onto the beast's back.
The massive creature spread its wings.
WHOOSH!
A powerful gust swept through the forest.
Snow and leaves spiraled into the air.
Amton rose from the ground.
Higher.
Higher.
Until Soraya and her familiar disappeared into the night sky.
The forest slowly became silent again.
Honk remained where he had fallen.
His sword lay several meters away.
His body was covered in wounds.
His breathing was faint.
His eyes remained closed.
Unconscious.
Alive.
And beneath the cold moonlight...
The swordsman who had once been feared as one of the strongest...
Lay alone among the bodies of his fallen companions.
Yet somewhere beyond the forest...
His destiny was still waiting.