The night burned.
What had once been a peaceful capital was now a battlefield of fire and ruin. Buildings cracked, streets split, and the sky itself roared with dark lightning.
Screams echoed from every direction.
Yet through the chaos— The Scouts stood their ground.
"Hold formation!"
A captain's voice cut through the noise.
Lines tightened. Feet planted. Flow surged.
Water coiled like living serpents around one squad. Another stood behind a wall, Earth bending and twisting at their command. Above them, wind-users hovered slightly off the ground, currents spiraling around their bodies.
They were trained. Disciplined. Ready.
"On my mark!" the captain shouted.
The beasts descended.
"NOW!"
The Scouts moved as one.
Water surged upward in a massive wave, crashing into the first wave of creatures. Lightening followed, exploding on impact—heat and force tearing through the air.
A winged beast was struck head-on.
It spiraled back— Then steadied itself mid-air.
Its eyes burned brighter.
"Again!" someone shouted.
Projectiles shot, flew in the sky, moving toward the creatures.
Two fell.
Three more pushed through.
"They're breaking through!"
"Don't let them land!"
A Scout launched himself upward, his arms engulfed in flame. He met a diving creature head-on.
CLASH!
Fire exploded between them.
For a moment— They held.
Then the creature twisted unnaturally. Its limb bent at an impossible angle— And struck.
The Scout's body jerked.
His flames flickered— Then vanished.
He fell.
"Focus!" the captain roared. "They're not invincible!"
Another squad stepped forward.
"Flow combo—bind!"
Chains shot forward, wrapping around a charging beast, locking its limbs in place.
"Now!"
A spear pierced straight through it. The creature collapsed.
A brief silence followed.
"They can be killed!"
Hope surged.
"Push forward!"
The Scouts advanced. Together. Relentless.
Their attacks became sharper, more coordinated. Use their Flows to fight as a unit.
For a moment— They gained ground.
Then—
The ground shook.
A shadow fell over them. Slow. Heavy.
"Wait…"
One of the Scouts looked up. His expression changed.
"…What is that?"
It stepped forward.
A massive creature—easily three times the size of the others. Its body was layered in thick, jagged armor, dark energy pulsing between its cracks.
It didn't rush. Didn't roar. It simply raised its arm.
"Brace—!"
Too late.
BOOM.
The strike landed.
The street shattered instantly.
Stone erupted upward. Shockwaves tore through the formation, sending Scouts flying in every direction.
The carefully built line— Gone.
"Get up! Get—"
Another strike.
Another explosion.
The creature moved again—
Faster than something that size should.
It reached a Scout before he could stand.
Grabbed him.
Lifted him.
"No—!"
Crushed him.
Silence hit. Just for a second.
Then—
Everything broke.
"FALL BACK!"
"REGROUP!"
"DON'T PANIC!"
But panic had already set in. Formations scattered. Coordination slipped.
The beasts pushed harder.
Above—
More poured in from the rift. Endless.
A Scout stumbled backward, breathing heavily, hands shaking as he tried to gather his Flow again.
"We can't—"
A shadow loomed over him.
He looked up— Too late.
A burst of water shot across the field—
CRASH!
The beast was knocked aside.
"Stay focused!"
A new voice entered the battlefield.
Calm. Firm. Unshaken.
Crystal.
She moved like light itself.
A white aura surrounded her as she stepped forward, her presence alone pushing back the oppressive weight in the air.
A creature lunged at her— She didn't dodge.
She struck.
The impact echoed.
The beast was sent flying—crashing through multiple structures before going still.
Every Scout nearby froze for a moment. Watching.
"…She's here."
Hope flickered again.
Crystal didn't stop.
She moved forward, each step precise, controlled.
Another beast charged. She raised her hand— Golden ice formed all over her. Sharp. Deadly.
BOOM.
Pierced the creature all over. It collapsed.
"Reform your lines!" she commanded.
Her voice cut through the chaos. Clear. Absolute.
"Protect the civilians! Hold them here!"
The Scouts moved again.
Not perfectly. Not like before, but enough.
They rallied.
Behind them— More figures entered the battlefield.
Troopers.
More than a dozen of them.
"Troopers," one said quietly. "…engage."
They moved.
Different from the Scouts. Sharper. More aggressive.
Crystal raised her hand— Ice formed instantly.
She stepped forward— And struck.
The battlefield shifted.
But even then— Even with Troopers. Even with the Golden Guardian.
The sky above remained unchanged. The rift still open.
The army still pouring through.
And high above it all— Ekekiri watched.
Unmoving.Uninterested. As if none of this… Mattered.
Back at the Flow Star—Koya stood at the edge of the platform, watching everything unfold from a distance.
Her fists clenched tightly. Her breathing uneven.
"They're fighting…" Anna whispered beside her.
Koya didn't respond. Her eyes remained fixed on the distant chaos. On the light. On the destruction.
Something inside her stirred again. That same feeling. Stronger now.
Not fear.
Something else.
She took a step forward.
"Koya."
Immira's voice stopped her.
"Don't."
Koya froze.Her grip tightened.
"…They need help."
"And you'll die if you go out there right now."
Silence.
Koya didn't turn.
Below them— Another explosion lit up the sky.
More Scouts fell.Her jaw clenched.
For the first time since this began— She felt it clearly.
Helplessness.
And she hated it.
Far away— The Golden Guardian looked up.
The portal grew wider.
A new presence had entered the battlefield. More powerful than the army. The atmosphere grew more intense.
Sitting on a floating ship.
Ekekiri's generals.
To Be Continued.