Hour One.
The battlefield was scorched, twisted, and drenched in blood.
The Celestial Order had been holding the line for what felt like an eternity, their bodies battered but their resolve unshaken. The dragon—Calamity-Class, ancient, unrecorded, furious—showed no signs of slowing. Its roar cracked the skies. Its breath melted metal. Its presence distorted reality.
Then—the first reinforcements arrived.
From the north skies, roaring fighter-class helicopters and armored carriers descended. The Titan Eclipse Guild of Russia touched down on the ruined outskirts of Seoul.
Dmitri Volkov, the massive SS+ Rank ice-type and leader of Titan Eclipse, approached the frontline. Cloaked in thick, frost-forged armor, his presence alone cooled the burning winds.
He spotted Naiomi Sasaki, who was commanding a tactical support wing behind the vanguard.
Dmitri: "Gravity Queen. Status?"
Naiomi (panting, nodding): "We've lost too many. Some are wounded and still fighting. Can you back us up?"
Dmitri: "We brought medics. Some healers. Supplies for a siege."
Naiomi: "Good. Then let's keep that thing busy. Civilians are still evacuating. Buy me five more minutes."
Dmitri turned to his team.
> "We strike the wings. Ground teams take its flanks. Make the beast bleed."
His squad:
Elena Mirova – SS-Rank Lightning Archer. Cold-blooded, precise.
Igor Balenko – S-Rank Earth Manipulator. Tank-class, built like a wall.
Yulian Vass – S-Rank Beast Tamer. Rides a spectral frost-wolf.
They charged with Titan Eclipse's signature war cry, joining the Celestial Order in an explosive clash of power.
But just when the battle reached its peak—a new threat emerged.
> Rumble...
From the nearby Korean Tower, gates exploded outward.
Dozens of monsters, disturbed by the dragon's constant roar, poured out from the lower floors. Feral goblins, insectoids, and jagged beasts surged through Seoul's ruined streets.
---
Meanwhile…
Mina, Ayaka, Vex, and Professor Kuroda had reached a safer zone far from the front—but the safety didn't last.
Rover, unwilling to watch others die again, had run ahead.
Now he stood with his temporary team—Bo Gun, Nox, Sera, and Eun Ji—facing a swarm of beasts from the tower.
He fought clumsily—but finally managed to stab a goblin clean through.
Eun Ji (smiling): "You're getting better, Rookie."
Rover smiled for the first time. A brief moment of hope.
Until blood dripped from Eun Ji's mouth.
A massive shadow loomed behind her.
> CRACK.
A claw pierced her chest.
And out of the fog… it emerged.
The same wyvern. The one that had murdered his mother.
The one that haunted every nightmare he had.
Its glowing orange eyes met his. Its roar sent chills across time.
> Flashbacks. Screams. Fire. Blood. His mother's final words.
Rover's weapon trembled in his grip. His eyes watered. His breath quickened. He drooled from clenched teeth. The stone weapon almost shattered from how hard he gripped it.
> "You…"
> "YOU!!"
He lunged—aiming at the wyvern's leg—but a swing of its tail flung him through the air. He hit a boulder. A metal shard pierced his leg, pinning him to the ground.
He watched helplessly as Nox was slammed into a wall. Bo Gun's shield cracked. Sera screamed for help. The wyvern was killing them—one by one.
> "Move… MOVE!!" Rover cried, tears flooding his face.
> "GET UP!!"
He grabbed the shard in his leg.
> Blood gushed out.
> "Why am I even here?! Why am I alive if I can't protect anyone?!"
> "I should've died with her!"
And then—
A voice.
Not human.
Not his own.
But deep, cold, ancient.
> "...You finally see it, don't you?"
Rover's eyes widened. He froze. The wyvern locked eyes with him.
> "The one who took everything…"
> "And yet, you've only begun to awaken."
Rover's breath hitched.
> "What... are you?"
The voice didn't answer.
Only laughed.
---
To Be Continue…