The alarm echoed through every inch of the capital. It wasn't an annoying or chaotic sound; rather, it was a deep magical frequency vibrating in the bones, as if awakening the dormant fighting instinct in the blood of every monster in Tempest. The sky, which had been clear blue seconds ago, turned into a transparent red dome; a massive mana shield enveloping the entire city. Akira stood frozen, his eyes widening in terror. He expected to see chaos. He expected to see civilians screaming and running for shelters, exactly like in disaster movies on Earth. But what he saw made him realize the terrifying gap between his world and this one. In the street below, no one ran in fear. The Orcs, who were wearing elegant suits and discussing business moments ago, opened their leather briefcases, only for those cases to mechanically transform into giant shields and battle axes gleaming with magical light. The Goblin delivery workers dropped their packages, drew sniper rifles powered by magic crystals, and took defensive positions on the roofs of the skyscrapers in a matter of seconds. Even the children... the monster children who had been playing near the fountain, lined up with calm, military discipline toward the designated shelters, led by teachers holding magic wands ready to fire. — "My God..." Akira whispered, the words barely leaving his throat. "They aren't just citizens... this entire nation is a sleeping army!" — "Of course they are!" Shion puffed her cheeks in a childish pout that completely contradicted her towering height and the terrifying sword resting on her shoulder. She stomped her foot on the ground in annoyance, causing the asphalt to crack slightly. — "Such bad luck! Benimaru always takes all the fun for himself. I wanted to crush some of those annoying white birds, but no... 'Keep an eye on the boy, Shion,' that's what he said! Damn him!" Shion turned toward Akira, smiling a broad smile that revealed her small fangs. — "Well, little human, since I'm your babysitter today, I can't leave you out here in the open. Hold on tight!" — "Hold on to wh—?" Akira didn't finish his question. With one hand, as if picking up a kitten, Shion grabbed the back of Akira's jacket collar and lifted him into the air.
[Alert: Critical acceleration!] [Please maintain consciousness.]
The ground exploded beneath Shion's feet, and she launched off like a cannonball. Akira let out a muffled scream as the air slapped his face with a force that nearly tore his eyes out. She wasn't running; she was leaping from one building roof to another, defying gravity with demonic agility and power, while Akira dangled from her hand like a ragdoll. In less than a minute, Shion landed safely—while Akira saw stars spinning around his head— on a circular upper balcony at the top of the highest tower in the capital. This was the "Command and Observation Center." Shion lightly tossed Akira to the ground, and he fell to his knees panting, trying to convince his stomach to stay in its place. — "Here we are!" Shion said enthusiastically, pointing forward. "The best seat in the theater to watch the show." Akira lifted his head with difficulty. The room was circular and made entirely of transparent magic glass, providing a panoramic view. In the center, giant display screens floated in the air, broadcasting a live feed from the eastern border. Akira's eyes widened as he stared at the main screen. The border wasn't just a line on a map; it was a massive canyon separating the Great Forest of Jura from barren wastelands. And above that canyon... the sky was raining light. An entire army. Thousands of winged beings in radiant golden armor, carrying swords and spears of pure light. — "Angels?" Akira asked in awe. "Angels are attacking you? Aren't they usually the good guys?" Shion laughed with bitter sarcasm, and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword. — "Good guys? In this world, Akira, light and dark are nothing but colors. These 'Angels' are the army of the Celestial Empire. They are mindless pawns, sent to wage the 'Tenma War' to destroy any civilization that develops too much. But my Lord Rimuru taught us how to break their wings." On the screen, the legions of angels advanced like a deadly white storm toward Tempest's first line of defense. But before the two armies could clash... a small red dot appeared in the sky. It was Benimaru. The Commander-in-Chief stood alone in the air, floating above the valley of death. He raised his right hand high. There was no long incantation. There was no shouting. Just one word he uttered, yet it was so powerful that the magical microphones transmitted its echo to the command center. — "Hell Flare." The screen flashed a blinding white. Then... a colossal pillar of black and crimson flames swallowed the sky and the earth. The heat generated was so terrifying that the distant magical cameras began to melt. When the smoke cleared, a third of the angel army had been completely vaporized. Not even ashes remained of them. Akira swallowed hard, a cold sweat pouring down his forehead. "Is this the man who was speaking to me calmly in my room half an hour ago?" Akira thought in terror. "If he had wanted to kill me, I would have evaporated without even realizing it." — "Amazing as always," Shion sighed in admiration. Then she frowned again. "But... something is wrong." Akira noticed the change in her tone. — "Wrong? What do you mean? He crushed them in one strike." Shion's purple eyes narrowed, and she moved instinctively to stand in front of Akira, slowly raising her giant sword (Ōdachi). — "Angels never attack in such small numbers. This isn't an attack... this is a distraction." The moment she finished her words, the system rang in Akira's mind with a sharp, painful sound.
[WARNING! Spatial tear detected within the immediate vicinity!] [Distance: 5 meters.]
Right behind Akira, inside the fortified command room, a glowing golden rift appeared in the air. The magical glass surrounding the rift cracked, and from within it... a hand encased in radiant silver armor emerged, holding a dagger dripping with holy mana so concentrated that it melted the floor the moment its drops touched it. The target wasn't Shion. The target was Akira. — "You celestial rats!" Shion roared with terrifying demonic fury, and dashed toward the rift, her sword cleaving the air with enough force to cut a mountain. But the distance was too close, and the ambush was too sudden. Akira saw the holy blade heading toward his neck in slow motion. The system was silent. His energy was sealed. And Shion was still two steps away. This time, there was no black energy to save him.