Ethan stared at the weapon, a flicker of emotion passing through his eyes—something tangled and hard to name.

It was a fragment of the Scepter of the Fey Sovereign.

He'd wielded it once, in the battle against the Archdemon Wyrmgod. But by the time that fight ended, the scepter had already shattered into motes of light.

Still, Ethan hadn't let it vanish into nothing.

He'd gathered every last shard, even the dust scorched down to pure energy. Then, he'd fused them with the Blade of the Fey—another relic he'd claimed in blood and fire.

The forging had been more than craftsmanship. It had been a ritual.

Two forces—utterly different—had clashed in his palm. They tore at each other, light and shadow, life and void, until they twisted into something new.

When it was done, a blade hovered in the air, glowing with a soft silver-green light. Its surface shimmered like moonlight breathing through deep forest leaves.

Ethan reached out.

The hilt moved to meet his hand, as if drawn by instinct.

And in that moment, the world fell silent.

He could feel it—the pulse within the blade. Not just the tremor of metal, but something older, nobler. A soul, waking.

RUMMMMMMBLE—

Power surged from within him, roaring skyward like a tidal wave.

The air compressed, space itself groaning under the pressure. Cracks spiderwebbed along the edges of reality.

And then the sky tore open.

A massive figure emerged, slow and terrible.

It was a nightmare given form—wings vast as mountains, membranes etched with golden-black runes that pulsed like living scripture. Every beat of its wings stirred the world like a breath from some ancient god.

"That aura…" the demon's pupils shrank, voice low and trembling with hunger.

"That's… Fairy God power?"

Its gaze locked onto Ethan, so greedy it felt like it might devour him whole.

And Ethan's aura shifted.

The power that now radiated from him wasn't just his own—it was the resonance of his soul with Auri's, the divine force of the Fairy God awakening within him.

Light flowed around him, gentle yet commanding, like a crown made of dawn.

To the demon, it wasn't just power.

It was a call—like the echo of a lost bloodline.

It spread its wings wide and lunged.

Ethan didn't move back.

He simply raised his hand—and closed it.

The new blade hummed in his grip, a low, resonant sound like a song remembered from a dream.

"Come on," he whispered.

And then—light exploded.

Ethan struck.

BOOM—

The impact was deafening, like the world itself had been torn in half.

His blade met the demon's charge head-on, and the collision was cataclysmic. Two forces—equal, immense—slammed together, sending shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. Space trembled. The air cracked. Even light bent under the pressure.

Their attacks landed almost simultaneously, the sheer force of it threatening to tear the plane apart.

If this fight kept going, the entire realm might collapse.

But neither Ethan nor the demon gave ground. Their powers were too evenly matched. The air between them pulsed with raw energy, thick enough to choke on. The world itself seemed to tilt, struggling to hold their clash.

Then—

A ripple tore through the sky.

A small vortex opened in midair, and from it, several figures were flung out, landing hard on the far side of the battlefield.

Ethan blinked, stunned.

His breath caught.

"Elira!" he called out.

"Ataneya!"

He hadn't expected them.

Elira and Ataneya hit the ground hard, covered in dust and streaked with blood. Their armor was scorched, their breathing ragged—clearly, they'd barely escaped whatever hell they'd just come through.

Elira clutched her chest, gasping. "We didn't think he'd be that strong!" Her voice trembled, eyes wide with lingering terror. "He's not just powerful—he can manipulate space. He almost trapped us in there. If we hadn't run when we did…"

She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to.

Ataneya's expression was grim, her fists clenched so tight her knuckles went white. "We need to find Ethan. Now. If we don't regroup, he'll pick us off one by one."

But before her words had even faded, a wave of pressure slammed down from above.

Ataneya's head snapped up—and her breath caught.

The source of that overwhelming aura… was Ethan.

"My Lord!" both women cried out in unison.

And then the demon reappeared.

It loomed into view like a nightmare given wings—bat-like, massive, and radiating a suffocating, predatory hunger.

Elira stared, stunned. "What… what is that?!"

Ataneya's pupils dilated, fury and fear crashing together in her chest. Without hesitation, she launched herself into the air, power flaring around her like a comet's tail.

Elira followed, right on her heels.

They split wide, flanking the demon, trying to box it in.

The demon hadn't expected reinforcements. For a heartbeat, its greedy gaze faltered—then twisted into a sneer.

Its voice rolled out like thunder, low and cruel. "Two little insects think they can challenge me? You must be tired of living."

With a flick of its wings, the air cracked.

Two enormous black swords materialized above them, howling down like falling stars.

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—

The sky split open under the weight of the strike. The pressure alone shattered the air, ripping open jagged tears in space. Elira and Ataneya barely had time to react. They threw up everything they had—shields of raw energy, hastily formed and desperately thin.

The blades hit like gods' hammers.

Their barriers shattered instantly.

The two women were caught midair, wide-eyed, helpless—about to be torn in half.

And then—

Ethan was there.

He appeared in front of them in a blink, his blade already raised.

The Blade of the Fey flared with power, and a massive shield of light burst outward, wrapping around the two women like a fortress of moonlight.

BOOM—

The impact rocked the world.

The sound was deafening, a shockwave that rippled across the battlefield and beyond. The very air screamed, every molecule vibrating with the force of it.

Ethan's heart pounded. The demon… it was stronger than he'd thought. Much stronger.

Its eyes gleamed with naked hunger, like a beast that had just scented blood.

"Ahahahaha…" The demon's laughter rolled out, deep and cold, like it had clawed its way up from the bottom of the abyss. Each syllable carried a chill that sank into the bones, a voice that didn't just speak—it invaded.

"More prey, delivered right to me. Your bloodlines… exquisite. One bite, and your power will be mine."

There was madness in its voice. Arrogance. Hunger. It spoke like a king addressing cattle.

Ethan's body tensed, a shiver running down his spine.

The demon's power surged again, a tidal wave of force that pressed down on the world like a second gravity. It wasn't just magic—it was annihilation, raw and unfiltered.

The sky cracked.

Space itself began to tear, thin lines of black splitting the air like shattered glass. Every breath of wind, every flicker of light, seemed to warp under the pressure.

...