Ethan hovered in midair, his cloak snapping in the wind. In his hand, he held the Scepter of the Fey Sovereign, its tip pulsing with warm gold and deep crimson light.

"Brothers," he called out, his voice rolling through the sky—steady, clear, and laced with a command that brooked no refusal. "We've waited long enough. If we don't move now, the so-called lords of Sky Citadel will come knocking first. So why not beat them to it?"

That lit the fuse.

The fairies were the first to cheer, wings thrumming as bursts of magic exploded around them like golden fireworks. Then came the roar of the Emerald Castle legions, weapons raised high, their battle cries crashing upward like waves against the sky.

Ethan raised a hand and swept it forward.

"Move out."

BOOM—

The heavens lit up.

A storm of figures surged forward, tearing through the sky in a sweeping tide. A living tempest, headed straight for Sky Citadel.

They reached the 16th layer in moments.

The air here tasted faintly of metal. The light was pale, the sky swallowed by thick fog. The moment Ethan crossed the threshold, a heavy pressure slammed into him—an oppressive force that pressed against his very blood.

Bloodline suppression.

On the plaza ahead, a tall man stood waiting.

He wore silver-gray armor that gleamed dully in the haze. His hair writhed like serpents, and his eyes glowed with a cold, glacial blue.

That power…

Ethan knew it instantly.

"Skyfiend aura… and dragon blood."

He flicked open his system interface. A shimmer of light, and the stats appeared.

—Tier 21. Peak level. Dual bloodline.

Ethan's lips curled into a faint smile.

"Now that's a throwback."

Once upon a time, he might've approached this with caution.

But now?

Now, facing an opponent like this was like watching a silent comedy—entertaining, but not exactly threatening.

He turned to the red-haired woman beside him and said quietly, "Ataneya, he's yours."

Ataneya smiled—a sweet, dangerous little thing.

"As you wish, my lord."

She stepped forward, light on her feet, yet each step sent a low rumble through the ground. Fire danced at her fingertips.

"Just… a dual bloodline?" she murmured, almost disappointed. "How dull."

She raised her hand.

A fireball bloomed in her palm—blazing, pure, and so still it was almost beautiful.

Then, with a flick of her wrist—

Whoosh—

The fireball arced through the air, trailing a long golden tail as it streaked toward the hybrid lord's chest.

"What?!" His pupils shrank in alarm.

He scrambled to summon a defense, a radiant blue shield flaring to life before his chest.

But the fireball didn't stop.

The shield shattered on impact.

The flames burst open like a flower in bloom, punching a hole straight through his torso.

He looked down at himself, eyes wide with disbelief.

"How… is this…"

He never finished the sentence.

His body crumbled into ash and scattered on the wind.

The wind howled between the layers of the sky.

Ethan didn't pause.

He lifted his gaze as the next gate of light slowly opened before him—

the entrance to the seventeenth layer of Sky Citadel.

In a blink, he vanished from sight, reappearing high above.

The layer's guardian stood far ahead, stationed before a palace of pale stone. He wore a cloak of dark gold, his aura seemingly formidable.

But Ethan took one glance—and lost all interest.

The power was hollow. On the surface, it flickered at Tier 21, but even a stable Tier 20 was beyond this one's reach.

And the followers clustered behind him? A mess.

Their energy signatures were chaotic, spiritual resonance muddied—like a pile of failed experiments cobbled together with numbers and wishful thinking.

Ethan didn't bother with a second look.

He turned and said quietly, "Namyanna. This one's yours."

"At once." Her voice was calm and soft, like a blade sliding through silk.

Ethan gave a small nod, then vanished into the next gate of light.

...

A few short hours later, the Emerald Castle army had swept through to the twentieth layer.

But this one—this one was different.

The moment Ethan stepped in, something tightened in his chest.

The air was thick with an ancient pressure, like invisible hands slowly closing around his throat.

He knew what it meant.

"Tier 22," he murmured, voice low and measured.

No mistake.

The guardian of this layer was a true Tier 22 lord.

And more than that—

Six elite bloodlines flowed through his veins.

The weight of that presence was enough to make the very air buckle.

Below him, the fairies and Emerald Castle soldiers felt it too. A ripple of unease passed through the ranks; many instinctively took a half-step back.

Ethan raised a hand, signaling for silence.

Even he could feel it now—this wasn't posturing. This was real power.

And in his entire force, only one person could meet it head-on.

Elira.

She stood beside him, her expression composed. But the flicker in her eyes betrayed the tension building inside her.

Then came the laughter.

Low, cold, and echoing across the palace grounds.

At the heart of the grand hall ahead stood a towering man clad in black-gold armor. A long, dark tail wing trailed behind him, twitching with each breath. The air cracked around him, as if it couldn't bear his presence.

"Kardok," Ethan said under his breath—the name glowing on his system display.

Kardok's gaze swept over them, cold and heavy.

His voice rumbled like distant thunder.

"Well, well. I'm surprised. The ragtag swarm from Emerald Castle dares to challenge the might of Sky Citadel?"

He narrowed his eyes, a flicker of doubt in his tone.

Because he could see it too—

Ethan's army, in both numbers and power, shouldn't have had this kind of confidence.

Something was off.

"They're hiding something," the thought flashed through his mind.

Then the air shifted.

The temperature dropped. Even the sky above seemed to fall silent.

Kardok's pupils contracted.

He could feel it now—something unfamiliar, something dangerous, drawing closer.

But it was too late to retreat.

"Hmph… So be it," he growled. "Then we settle this in blood."

...