Bang—!

Bang! Bang!

Ethan's greatsword cleaved through the air again, each swing cracking like the sky was splitting open.

Blades of energy rained down like falling stars, carving searing arcs through the sky. Light and shadow twisted into a storm, a cyclone of brilliance and darkness.

The Archdemon Wyrmgod reeled beneath the onslaught. Its massive body shuddered, scales torn open, black blood spraying like a thunderstorm.

It roared, thrashing wildly. Its wings beat the air in a frenzy, whipping up a hurricane of fury—

But its body was already coming apart.

Ethan could see it—see the desperation in the way it gathered itself, trying to summon one last surge of power.

A torrent of dark energy burst from its chest, warping the air, cracking the very fabric of space. Its roar was apocalyptic, a sound that could shake the bones of the world.

Then it spread its arms wide.

Flames of pure demonic magic erupted across its body, a blaze so vast it felt like it could swallow the world whole.

Ethan held his breath.

That aura—madness, suffocating and absolute.

He steadied himself, forced his mind to stillness. Power surged through him again, gathering at the edge of his blade. Light rippled along the steel, alive and hungry.

"Come on," he murmured.

And then—

The two forces collided in midair.

BOOM.

Light and darkness slammed together like colliding planets. The shockwave tore outward in every direction. Stone shattered. Fire curled backward. The entire plane screamed.

Ethan gritted his teeth, nearly blown back by the force, but he held his ground.

His eyes burned—not with rage now, but with resolve.

"This ends now."

His voice was low, steady.

The blade in his hand flared, suddenly swelling with power.

Thousands of sword-lights spun into the air, forming a colossal wheel of radiance—layer upon layer, a falling disc of judgment, like a shattered moon crashing from the heavens.

"—No—!"

The Archdemon Wyrmgod's final roar echoed across the sky.

And then the wheel struck.

Light consumed it whole.

A scream tore through the clouds, sharp and raw, followed by the wet, sickening sound of flesh and bone being ripped apart.

The fire dimmed. The wind died.

Silence fell.

Ethan hovered in the air, chest heaving.

He could feel it—that immense presence, that monstrous life force—fading, unraveling thread by thread.

When the last wisp of black smoke vanished, something drifted in the air: a single, pitch-black orb.

The core of its power.

The final remnant of the Overlord.

Ethan reached out.

The orb dropped into his palm, its surface swirling with ink-like light.

He stared at it for a moment.

Then, without hesitation, he clenched his fist.

Crack.

The orb shattered.

A flood of energy surged into him, thick and wild as a tidal wave.

The air vibrated—like invisible strings had all been plucked at once.

Then came the roar of power, exploding across the sky.

Three forces—Ethan's, Auri's, and Idra's—twisted together, spiraling upward in a storm of light. The heavens trembled.

The vortex of energy spun tighter, brighter, until the last strand sank into Ethan's chest—

BOOM.

A new force erupted from within him, bursting skyward like dawn breaking through stormclouds.

Layer after layer, it climbed, unstoppable.

He had ascended—Tier 23, early stage.

Ethan felt it in every fiber of his being: light and fire pouring through him, soaking into his bones.

It was ecstasy.

Every cell in his body sang.

"So good…"

Ethan murmured, a low, almost intoxicated chuckle curling from his lips.

But the bliss didn't last three seconds—

[Alert! Massive casualties reported on the Emerald Castle front line!]

[Warning: High-tier enemy entities breaching defensive perimeter!]

The system's alerts came in rapid succession, each one slamming into Ethan's chest like a hammer.

His smile vanished.

"Damn it…"

His head snapped up, dread already coiling tight in his gut.

He had to go back.

Even a moment's delay could mean his entire legion wiped out.

Vmm—

He was just about to tear open a spatial rift when something flickered at the edge of his senses.

A pulse of energy—strong, but gentle. Not hostile.

More like… a call.

Ethan frowned, lifting a hand to feel it out.

The energy wasn't from this plane. It bled in from somewhere else entirely.

"Father?" Auri's voice echoed in his mind.

"I feel it," he said quietly, eyes narrowing.

Then he raised his hand and sliced a glowing arc through the air.

Space split open.

Light spilled out like liquid gold.

Ethan stepped through—

And the world changed.

He emerged into a vast forest, endless and radiant.

The leaves shimmered like emeralds, and the air was thick with floating motes of light. They danced in the sun, spinning and chiming like tiny bells.

Auri burst from his body with a delighted cry, spinning through the air like a bird set free. She laughed, breathing in the light, basking in it.

"This… this is another Fairy Forest!"

Her voice rang with joy and wonder.

"Father! I can feel it—there are Fairies here! So many! Maybe… maybe even my kin!"

Ethan gave a small nod, already sweeping the area with a scan.

Waves of translucent energy rippled out from him, spreading across the plane like water across glass.

Seconds later—

BOOM.

A roar tore through the forest, deep and soul-rending.

It wasn't wind. It wasn't a beast's cry.

It was something that clawed at the spirit.

The light motes dimmed instantly.

The air turned heavy.

Even Auri froze midair.

Ethan looked up.

And saw it.

Descending slowly from the sky.

Massive black wings blotted out the sun, each beat collapsing the space around them.

Golden runes pulsed along the feathers—arcane, forbidden, like prayers never meant to be spoken aloud.

It wasn't a demon.

It wasn't a fallen Fairy.

Its aura was a paradox—death and sanctity, fused into something unnatural… and terrifyingly whole.

"Father…" Auri whispered, her voice trembling. "He… he devoured the Fairies of this forest."

Ethan's eyes went cold.

"I know."

He raised his hand slowly.

Light gathered in his palm, swirling like a storm held in check.

Auri darted back into his body without a word.

Vmm—

The air trembled. Light spun faster in his hand.

And from the void, a weapon began to emerge—strange, otherworldly, and unlike anything forged by mortal hands.

...