Silence fell upon the forest—one from which nothing remained but ash.
Trees that had withstood centuries were reduced to charred wreckage under the weight of the dragon's wings, and the remnants of burned branches were scattered everywhere, forming a scene of total devastation.
The air was still heavy with the scent of sulfur and the heat of the flames that Karsa had extinguished with a single strike of his scabbard.
Alya, who was kneeling on the ground, had a pale face smeared with blood that had flowed from her nose due to the strain of using her power to repel the dragon's flames.
Her features reflected pure terror; what she had witnessed was not merely a battle, but a manifestation of divine power that made royal dragons appear like insects before it.
Johnny Morse—his sly smile had vanished completely, replaced by a heavy frown and a gaze filled with grim silence.
He stared at the broken sword that Karsa calmly returned to its scabbard, now realizing that the "General of the Sun" was not just a legend of the past, but a "sky above all skies," whose power had no predictable limit.
With steady steps laden with awe, Karsa advanced through the wreckage.He dragged behind him the unconscious bodies of Zalza and Vera Rojo as if they were nothing more than trivial baggage.
He threw them at Johnny's feet with a sound that echoed against the shattered ground, then stood in his usual pride, his golden eyes still radiating a piercing gleam through the dust.
Karsa looked at Johnny coldly and said in a commanding tone that accepted no argument:"I have disciplined these youngsters as you requested… now, I want my identification card."
Karsa intended to use this card to ease his passage across the borders of the kingdoms without having to reveal his true identity as a Supreme General, which explained his urgency in obtaining it so he could continue his journey toward his daughter, Amana.
Johnny Morse bowed with respect tinged with cunning as he looked at the massive dragon corpse that had fallen before Karsa's might.He said calmly:"On behalf of the Hunters' Guild, I thank you, General of the Sun. You have saved this region from a war that would have burned everything—green and dry alike."
Johnny pulled a simple wooden card from his pocket, yet one that carried the weight of the guild.The card was adorned with a brown circle symbolizing the road dust that covers hunters. At its center was an iron sword for warriors, a wooden staff for mages, and a metal coin at the bottom to remind everyone that money is not the priority.
• Name: Karsa• Rank: A• Class: Warrior
Karsa took the card indifferently, muttering a brief thanks as he prepared to leave.
Johnny asked curiously, his eyes gleaming with intelligence:"Where are you heading now, General?"
Karsa replied without turning around:"As I told you before, I'm going to the Duchy of Zatobia to smash a few heads."
Johnny's smile froze, replaced by an extremely serious expression."As the head of the guild's intelligence," Johnny said, "I advise you to postpone this matter for now."
Karsa frowned, questioning the reason."And why is that?"
Johnny answered cautiously:"The Duchy of Zatobia is not just a feudal territory. Duke Gran Zatobia has signed more than 250 economic, military, and political treaties with the Great Zelda Empire."
He continued in a sharp, serious tone:"If you strike them now, the Zelda Empire will consider it a direct attack on its vital interests.This won't go to the ordinary High Court—it will be escalated to the Tribunal of the Great Ones.And you know, General, that this council possesses enough authority and power to restrain you, even to halt your movements entirely, no matter how overwhelming your might."
Karsa's face darkened severely, the golden aura around his eyes dimming with irritation. He asked in a voice like muffled thunder:"Then what do you propose?"
Johnny's expression grew even more serious as he raised a warning hand."Go and do what you originally intended first.Give me two months, and I will engineer a scandal sufficient to bring down the duchy legally before the world—granting you a legitimate excuse to crush them without international backlash."
Karsa looked at Johnny with suspicion and questioned his motive."Why are you helping me this much?"
Johnny replied with a charming smile:"In exchange for one future service to the guild… and I promise it will not conflict with your religion or your principles."
A rare, kind smile appeared on Karsa's face. He then turned his back on the ruined forest."I accept the offer… thank you, brother."
Karsa moved forward with confident steps, his golden eyes shining with a brilliance they had not shown in six years.
He spoke to himself, imagining the long-awaited reunion:"Amana… my daughter… wait just a little longer. Your father is coming."
After the epic battle and Vera Rojo's transformation into her unconscious human form, a heavy silence dominated the shattered Forest of Sin.
Amid the rubble, Johnny Mores—the cunning Warden of the South—turned toward the nun Alya, who was still trying to process what had happened.
A cold smile formed on Johnny's face, carrying veiled reproach, as he looked at the exhausted, trembling Alya."Could you explain to me, Lady Alya, how your modest group of B-rank hunters ended up entangled in a conflict involving the princes of the Red Dragon King… and the Supreme General of the Great Sun Empire himself?"
Alya's eyes widened in shock, and she stammered as she looked at Vera's shattered body, then toward the horizon where Karsa had departed."The General of the Sun?… Dragon Princes?… Me?"
Alya was part of a hunter group led by "Christopher." They had entered the forest seeking the bounty of a "small dragon," unaware that the dragon was Zalza, the third prince of the Red Dragon Clan.
Her defense of her companions made her a witness to Karsa's intervention—the man feared by the gods themselves.
Near the edge of the forest, Karsa walked calmly, examining the wooden A-rank hunter card Johnny had given him. He stopped briefly and spoke aloud to himself:"Now then… this is legal, right? Is this halal?"
Karsa recalled his long journey—how he rode simple boats, walked vast distances, and hired dilapidated carts just to avoid the sin of crossing borders without official permission.Now, with this legal authorization in his hand, he felt as though the chains had been lifted.
"With this permit, I believe it is completely permissible to fly at full speed toward the Duchy of
Karsa made his decision and focused his power into his leg. He did not consume a single particle of magic, relying solely on raw strength that forced the earth itself to submit.
Karsa leapt with tremendous force, causing the ground to shake violently as if an earthquake had struck the entire forest. Rocks shattered beneath his feet, and dust exploded in all directions.
Deep within the forest, Johnny Morse felt the violent tremor while still reprimanding Alia. He stopped speaking and stared at the sky in shock, realizing that "the Predator" had truly launched.
Karsa shot into the sky like a golden arrow, tearing through the forest clouds at supersonic speed. His body cleaved the air with such force that birds and beasts fled in terror, while his golden eyes focused on the horizon of the Kingdom of Nolan, where Lucia (Amana) awaited him.
Karsa—the General of the Sun—soared into the heavens with a colossal leap that made the earth quake beneath him, leaving behind a glowing golden trail that sliced through the blue of the day like a legendary meteor.This was not merely a display of power, but a cosmic declaration of the return of "the Predator," feared by beasts and awaited by the sky itself.
The Golden Meteor in Broad Daylight
The moment Karsa flew toward his destination, the sky became a living painting. His lightning-fast body left behind a radiant golden streak that captured the attention of all on the ground.
in the forests froze, birds lifted their wings in stunned silence, and humans in markets and fields stood transfixed, watching this "daytime meteor," which some believed to be a sign of the sun's longing for its General. This streak was not mere light, but immense energy detected by magical observatories as surges exceeding billions—confirming to the world that the General of the Sun had truly returned from seclusion.
On a green hill overlooking one of the kingdoms, a young man knelt before a girl, holding her hands as he asked for her affection in a quiet, romantic moment. Just as he was about to speak, the golden streak tore across the sky above them, spreading a warm aura that bathed the land in breathtaking golden light.The young man fell silent and looked up in awe, while the girl's eyes sparkled with reflected light, as if the sky itself had granted its blessing to their vow through the appearance of this rare daylight meteor.
In one of the poor alleys, a miserable father stood staring at his empty hands, feeling guilty that he had found nothing to give his daughter on her special day. The little girl approached him with a gentle smile and placed her small hand on his rough one, saying:"Daddy, I don't want any gift… you are my gift. Mom always said you're like a golden meteor in broad daylight in our lives—rare, and bringing warmth to everyone around you."
The man wept, deeply moved, and hugged his daughter tightly. At that very moment, Karsa crossed the city's sky, leaving his glowing golden trail behind.The girl shouted excitedly, pointing at the sky: "Daddy! Daddy! Look!"The father raised his gaze to the golden line that dispelled the grayness of the alley. Smiling through tears, he hugged his daughter tighter as she jumped with joy—like a prophecy of her mother made manifest before their eyes in the form of the returning General.
Next Destination: Atlas Academy !
While people gazed at his trail, Karsa flew with a heart heavy with longing toward Nolan where his daughter Amana awaited him—the very reason he had abandoned his seclusion—dreaming of the day he would take her on a journey across the four continents.
"Now that I possess an official identification card, I don't believe I need to sneak through the kingdom gates anymore."