Night covered the northern mountains.
Dark clouds slowly gathered above the ruins of Velkar Temple.
The wind carried a heavy feeling of dark mana through the air.
Inside the ruined temple courtyard, dozens of Void Cult members stood in a large circle.
Their black robes moved slightly in the cold wind.
In the center of the formation, the massive ritual circle began glowing with dark energy.
Ancient symbols lit up one by one.
The cult leader stood at the front, facing the altar.
Behind him, the enormous body of the Void Guardian waited silently.
Its glowing red eyes slowly opened again.
One of the cultists approached and knelt.
"My lord, the ritual preparations are complete."
The cult leader nodded.
"Good."
He slowly raised both arms.
"Begin the second awakening."
All the cultists started chanting together.
Their voices echoed across the mountains.
Dark energy poured into the ritual circle like a flowing river.
The symbols began spinning slowly.
The ground started trembling again.
The Void Guardian let out a low roar.
Its body began absorbing the energy from the ritual.
Meanwhile—
inside the royal capital—
a powerful wave of dark mana spread across the sky.
People across the city suddenly looked up in fear.
"What is that?"
"The sky… it's turning black!"
Inside the royal palace, the alarm bells started ringing.
Captain Leon rushed into the throne room.
"Your Majesty!"
"The cult has begun the second ritual!"
The king immediately stood up.
"Mobilize the Royal Knights."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The war preparations had begun.
Meanwhile—
on the palace training field—
Saksham and Orion also felt the surge of dark energy.
Saksham clenched his fists.
"They started it."
Orion nodded.
"And it's much stronger than before."
Inside Saksham's mind, the system activated again.
SYSTEM ALERT
Second Ritual Detected
Void Guardian Awakening Progress:
32% → 54%
Warning:
Guardian Evolution Approaching
Saksham's eyes widened.
"Already past fifty percent…"
Orion looked at him carefully.
"You can feel the changes, can't you?"
Saksham nodded slowly.
"That monster is getting stronger."
Orion crossed his arms.
"Which means the royal knights might not be enough this time."
Saksham looked toward the dark mountains.
The energy there was enormous.
And growing.
Inside the underground temple—
the cult leader smiled as the ritual circle grew brighter.
The Void Guardian's body began changing.
The cracks in its dark armor slowly closed.
New spikes of black crystal formed along its arms.
The cult leader whispered quietly.
"Yes…"
"Awaken."
The monster roared again.
The mountains shook.
And far away in the royal capital—
Saksham felt the pressure of that roar inside his chest.
The true battle was about to begin.
To be continued…