Jared rockets into the air, earth mana swirling around his boots like compressed dust storms. The clouds above shudder as he breaks through the lower atmosphere.

Behind him, the three human generals follow—water, wind, and fire rising in streaks of blue, white, and red.

Across the sky, four monstrous figures rise to meet them.

Ruk, Erel'na, Varesh, Vordon.

Four Tier 6 auras ignite at once—like four suns flaring to life.

For a heartbeat, the entire battlefield falls into a quiet, tense vacuum.

Then—

BOOM!!!

Air detonates as they collide mid-sky.

----

The Fire General, a broad man in heavy crimson armor, hurls a blazing orb the size of a wagon.

"Tier 5—Flame Core!"

The orb streaks toward Ruk like a falling comet.

Ruk raises his halberd, grin stretching wide.

"Finally! A human who doesn't squeal!"

He stomps in midair, his hooves cracking invisible platforms of condensed mana.

"Tier 6 Skill—Tremor Pulse!"

He swings downward.

A shockwave of hardened earth energy erupts from the halberd, a jagged wave of brown-gold force.

Fire and earth collide—

BOOOOM!

Flames scatter. Ruk barrels straight through them, wreathed in heat but completely unbothered.

The Fire General's eyes widen. "What—?!"

Ruk grabs the man's arm with one hand.

"Too slow."

He slams his forehead into the human's skull.

KRAAK!

Ruk twirls his halberd eagerly.

"Come again!"

The Fire General wipes blood from his brow, pupils shrinking.

"…Minotaur bastard. Fine."

Flames concentrate at his back.

"Tier 6 Skill—Inferno Jet."

He shoots forward, both fists burning like miniature suns.

Ruk's grin only widens.

And their clash rattles the heavens.

----

The Water General, a silver-haired woman with a long blue spear, twirls it, forming a cyclone of shimmering water blades.

"You monster," she says calmly, "you fight in the sky? So be it."

Erel'na's mandibles click.

"You wield water. Let's see if it washes away poison."

Her four arm-blades gleam violet-green.

"Tier 6 Skill: Venom Bloom Rain."

She slashes the air.

Hundreds of tiny glowing orbs scatter outward, each one filled with compressed poison mana. The air hisses as they dissolve into a mist.

The Water General reacts instantly.

"Tier 6 skill—Hydroslash, Full Sweep!"

Her spear cuts arcs of razor water, detonating the venom clouds one after another, each explosion sending purple sparks across the sky.

Erel'na darts forward with inhuman precision.

Four blades thrust from four angles—

left rib,

right shoulder,

throat,

heart.

The human parries two, dodges one, and blocks the last with her gauntlet.

Even so, a thin cut appears on her cheek.

"…"

She touches it.

Her fingers tremble.

"That… burns."

Erel'na tilts her head. "Good. It means your body works."

The human general thrusts her palm forward.

"Tier 5 Skill—Water Cage!"

A sphere of spinning water slams shut around Erel'na.

But the insectoid woman's expression doesn't change.

"Trying to trap me?"

Her four blades glow dark purple.

"Tier 5 Skill: Venom Spiral Bloom."

She spins once.

Purple tornado.

The water cage ruptures violently.

The Water General is sent flying, coughing blood.

"Damn—she's faster than I thought!"

----

The Wind General hovers with both spears spinning, gathering cyclone energy.

"You're a lightning beastman… let's see if you can keep up."

Varesh floats in the air, calm, deadly, lightning cracking along his fur.

"I prefer when my prey runs. But this works too."

He vanishes.

A blue-white lightning streak arcs across the sky—

The Wind General barely reacts in time.

"Tier 5 Skill—Wind Step!"

He shifts sideways, leaving a fading silhouette.

Varesh reappears behind him, claw inches from his spine.

"Fast," the Wind General mutters.

"Faster," Varesh replies.

His claw flashes—

"Lightning Tier 5 Skill: Storm Rend!"

A blade of electricity tears through the air.

The Wind General spins both spears, creating a barrier of condensed wind.

Storm meets storm.

CRRRAAACK!

Lightning rips through part of the barrier, slicing the general's shoulder open.

He grunts, dropping a spear.

----

Jared and Vordon meet high above the battlefield, the sky cracking under their combined presence.

Earth mana from both sides churns the clouds into brown-gray swirls.

Vordon swings his halberd once. The entire sky groans.

"You're the strongest human here," Vordon says, voice steady. "Good. I don't have time for weak ones."

Jared glares at him. "Monsters. Why did you decide to attack a human kingdom? Do you all have a death wish?"

Vordon raises a brow. "Questions later."

He tilts his head.

"Show me your earth."

Jared snarls.

"Fine."

He slams his greatsword downward.

"Tier 6 Skill—Mountain Breaker!"

A massive chunk of condensed earth mana, shaped like a falling cliff, crashes toward Vordon.

Vordon inhales.

His muscles bulge, becoming like polished stone.

"Tier 6 Skill—Titan Rampart."

He swings his halberd upward, creating a towering wall of rock-like force.

Mountain and Titan collide.

BOOOOOOM!!

Wind explodes outward, ripping clouds apart.

Jared rushes in, sword heavy with mana.

Vordon meets him.

Halberd and greatsword ring with deafening force.

Both push.

Both roar.

Then—

Vordon suddenly stops smiling.

He steps in.

Jared's eyes widen. "—!"

Too late.

Vordon's knee slams into Jared's stomach like a battering ram.

GHHAAK!

Blood sprays from Jared's mouth as he's launched backward.

But he stabilizes immediately, wiping his mouth.

Jared cracks his neck.

"Again."

---

Below them, soldiers stop fighting for a moment… just to stare.

Because the sky is no longer sky.

It is a storm of lightning tearing through clouds. Poison mist swirling like violet storms. Earth pillars erupting from nowhere. Fireballs exploding like dying suns. Wind blades carving through clouds.

Every clash sends shockwaves that shake the ground.

Alix sitting on the platform. From up here, the battlefield looks brutally uneven, monsters and humans clashing in a chaotic blur of steel, fang, magic, and blood.

Alix narrows his eyes.

The Tier 6 monsters look like they're winning… but the ones below them clearly aren't.

They break human shield formations with brute strength, but they can't maintain momentum. They overpower single soldiers, but trained squads push them back. And whenever the monsters do force an opening, their lack of coordination lets the humans recover.

"Monsters have stronger bodies," Alix murmurs, watching a wolfkin tear through three spearmen before being pierced by a fourth. "But discipline… equipment… command structure…"

Humans move as one.

Monsters move as individuals.

"…they're losing," Alix finishes under his breath.

Zevran on the railing beside him, still in his tiny dragon form, "Master, want me to blast another hole? I can do it as much as you want!"

Alix pats his head. "Not yet."

He lets out a long exhale.

'Too bad. If I were Tier 7 already, I could use a proper army-wide buff skill.'

A lazy, cotton-like creature floats beside him, Mero. His round body bobs gently in the air like a soft white lantern.

Mero tilts his head. "Master."

Alix glances at him. "Hm?"

"I can… probably cast a Tier 7 buff skill now," Mero says, puffing his cheeks in pride. "Do you want me to buff the army?"

Alix blinks. "Oh? You can?"

He studies Mero more carefully now, eyes narrowing with interest. "So your real strength is Tier 7."

Mero grins, floating a little higher. "Yeah. You must be celebrating inside, Master. You got a Tier 7 being for free."

Zevran stops mid-preen, wings flaring. "What?! Why would Master be excited? He already has a Tier 7 subordinate!" He taps his chest proudly. "And I'm about to break through to Tier 7. You're not special, Mero."

Mero puffs up. "Still, I'm more special than you lizard."

"You are not."

"I am!"

Before they escalate, Alix raises a hand. "Enough. Both of you."

They quiet immediately.

Alix turns to Mero. "What kind of buff spell can you use?"

Mero brightens. "Although I'm an illusion spirit, my old master taught me a few Tier 7 spells. One of them is… well, perfect for this."

He pats his chest. "A full-army strengthening buff."

Alix nods once. "Use it."

Mero's smile turns serene. "Yes, Master."

The wind stills.

All sound seems to drain from the field.

Even the sky dims.

Mero rises higher, glowing softly—first white, then gold, then a deep shimmering blue. The light spreads across his body like flowing ink.

Monsters on the battlefield pause mid-swing.

Humans hesitate, sensing something shift.

From Mero's tiny form, mana pours out—so dense that even the generals in the sky flick their eyes downward for a moment.

"W-What is that mana…?" the Water General mutters, voice trembling.

"Tier… 7…?" Jared whispers, pupils tightening.

Above everyone, Mero spreads his little arms wide.

His voice echoes across the battlefield, layered and resonant, far deeper than his small body should allow.

"Tier 7 Skill—RADIANT CONVERGENCE."