Those words hung heavy in the air, clear to everyone. They tasted bitter and heavy to say aloud. But… it was the only truth staring them in the face.
Arlan looked at each of his companions in turn.
Bara had not yet risen from the rubble in the distance. Maya could no longer summon even a single spell.Vila was barely conscious.Desta was already badly wounded from the start. And Raka himself… looked utterly exhausted.
They had already lost completely. This battle… had effectively ended… before it had even truly begun.
"Get Bara out of there." Arlan commanded firmly."We have to cross the boundary of this city as fast as we can."
Desta nodded quickly, without a single word of protest. He knew full well… Arlan was completely right.
Raka moved first. A cloak of shadows instantly wrapped around his form.
Skill: Shadow Step.
Even though its effect had been drastically weakened within this domain… he still managed to vanish from sight for a moment. The next instant… he reappeared silently at Azazel's right side.
A sharp ringing sound rang out clearly. The first dagger snapped cleanly in two in his hand.
TING!!!
The second one met the exact same fate. Raka froze where he stood, eyes wide with disbelief. His strike had not even left the faintest scratch on the metal surface.
Azazel slowly turned his head in that direction. Nothing more than a slight shift of his gaze. He did not raise his hand. He did not step forward. He did not counterattack.
Yet Raka's body was flung backward as if struck by an invisible blow weighing tons.
"CRASH!!!"
He slammed into the front of an abandoned shop behind him, bringing the structure down on top of himself. He coughed up blood repeatedly… and could not push himself back up again.
One glance.One slight turn of the head.And one of their fastest and most agile fighters… was already down and helpless.
"RUN, NOW!!!"
Arlan shouted with the last of his remaining strength. Desta immediately leaped forward and lifted Bara's heavy, unconscious body onto his back. Maya tried to support Vila, whose legs had turned weak and wobbly.
They began to back away, then broke into a run. No orderly formation. No defensive tactics. Only one goal: to run as far as possible and stay alive.
Behind them, Azazel simply stood and watched the scene unfold with calm indifference. Like a man watching a few ants scurrying to escape from beneath his shoe.
Then slowly… for the first time since this confrontation began… he raised his black sword high above his head.
In that very moment… Arlan sensed a danger so real, so immense, and so deadly — far worse than anything he had ever felt in his entire life. Every muscle in his body tensed instantly, driven by pure survival instinct.
"DO NOT STOP, NOT EVEN FOR A SECOND!!!"
The blade swung down. Just one single vertical slash.
The sky above the city seemed to split open. Not literally… but that was exactly how it felt in their minds.
A massive, long black line shot forward, cutting the ground right behind them. It sliced through the asphalt all the way down to the bedrock. It tore through concrete pillars. It cut through every building and obstacle in its path without the slightest resistance.
BOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!
The explosion shook the entire district of Neo Bandung violently. Buildings along the road collapsed in a row. The ground heaved and buckled. Giant cracks spread for hundreds of meters in every direction. The shockwave swept away everything in its path.
Once again… Arlan was thrown forward. This time, far harder and farther than before. Azure Edge struck the ground with a deafening impact. The long crack running along the blade widened further, all the way to the center.
A faint, soft sound… but clear enough to be heard through the ringing in his ears.
Crack…
Arlan went completely still.
And the next second…
CRAAAAACK!!!
Azure Edge shattered in two. Then broke into smaller pieces. Sharp shards of metal flew in all directions.
The sword… was finally destroyed completely.
Arlan could only stare blankly at the empty hilt left in his hand.Empty.Hollow.Unbelieving.
The weapon that had stayed with him from the very first day the world changed… that had saved him from hundreds of dangers… that he had cherished and used with such care… was gone in an instant… in a battle that could not even be called a fair fight.
They kept running, never looking back even once. No one dared to. All they could hear was the sound of heavy breathing, frantic footsteps, and their own hearts pounding as if about to burst out of their chests.
Until finally… the boundary of the thick black fog came into clear view ahead. The crushing pressure weighing down on them slowly but surely began to ease. One by one, they collapsed to the ground. Exhausted beyond measure. Covered in wounds and bleeding. Barely able to move another inch.
Arlan forced himself to glance back… toward the center of the city they had just fled. Toward the Tower of Pride, rising high into the sky. The tower stood just as it had always been. It had not changed in the slightest.
And in the distance… standing in front of the historic Gedung Sate… the figure of Azazel remained in almost the same spot as before. He did not give chase. He did not take a single step beyond the edge of his domain.
As if the great destruction that had just taken place… meant nothing at all to him. As if they were not worthy opponents… not even a threat… merely a handful of tiny insects… who had, by sheer luck, managed to crawl out from under his foot.
A system notification appeared before Arlan's eyes:
📖 MAIN STORY UPDATEDThe First Pillar Has Awakened🎯 NEW OBJECTIVE: Survive. Escape the bounds of Neo Bandung.
Arlan stared at the words in silence for a long time. Then slowly… he tightened his grip around the empty hilt in his hand until his knuckles turned white. His hands trembled violently… but no longer from fear as they had at the start.
Not anymore.
This time… it was rage. Burning, seething rage that filled his entire chest.
For the first time since the world had been transformed… Arlan fully understood one bitter, undeniable truth:They were far too weak.Far too powerless.
And if one day… he truly intended to return here… to force his way back into the heart of this city… and finally bring down the Tower of Pride and all its power…
They would have to change.They would have to grow.They would have to become far, far stronger than anyone this world had ever known.
No matter the difficulties.No matter the obstacles.And no matter what price they would have to pay.