Under the morning sky, beneath the looming shadow of the blood moon smudged into the clouds like a bleeding wound, two monstrous phantasms clash above the world.
A golden-scaled snake coils through the sky like a living storm. Her body gleams, scales catching the light like molten metal. Opposite her, a hulking blood-red bear bellows, the sound shaking the clouds. Its fur boils with flickering crimson flames, and each movement drips with malice.
They lunge.
The snake moves first—darting in with speed unnatural for her size. Her tail lashes out like a whip, crackling with thunder. It slices through cloud and wind, striking the bear's shoulder with a deafening *crack*. The bear roars, blood flame erupting from his mouth in a wide arc, forcing the snake back.
Golden wings unfold from the serpent's sides, not to fly, but to stabilize. Wind gathers around her tail, then slices out as a golden crescent blade. The bear raises his massive paw. A flash of blood—he conjures a scythe. He spins, slashing the golden wind blade apart mid-air, the remnants cutting across his side but failing to draw blood.
The snake twists again. Her eyes flare. She opens her maw and spits a beam of golden energy, raw and concentrated, tearing through the clouds like a lance.
The bear dives, spinning midair, dodging the worst of it—but the edge catches his back. Smoke hisses from scorched fur. In response, the bear slams both paws together, summoning a whip of pure blood energy. It lashes forward, wrapping around the snake's middle, dragging her from the sky.
They crash into the clouds below like titans falling into mist, bodies tangled, biting, clawing, coiling. Thunder booms, and golden fire bursts from the snake's jaws at close range. The bear takes the hit—then answers with a blood-flame breath of his own, their mouths locked in elemental war.
The cloud sea beneath them evaporates into steam.
The bear breaks the stalemate. With a snarl, he pulls back and hurls his blood scythe—spinning and curved like a reaper's smile. It carves a path toward the snake's head.
She vanishes in a blink—reappearing behind him in a streak of golden wind. Her tail whips forward with a thunderous crack, striking the bear's spine and throwing him forward through the sky.
He twists midair, catching himself, growling.
Then the sky splits.
A shriek pierces the clouds as a third form descends from the heavens—massive wings spread wide, feathers rimmed in golden lightning. A majestic eagle, eyes burning with stormlight.
Before the bear can react, thunder erupts.
The eagle strikes like a spear, talons crashing into the bear's shoulder, lightning exploding on impact. The bear snarls, trying to fight back—but the snake is already moving.
They come at him together.
Wind, flame, lightning, blood—clouds scatter as three monsters wage war above a dying world.
The eagle strikes like a spear, talons crashing into the bear's shoulder, lightning exploding on impact. The bear snarls, muscles flexing beneath blood-soaked fur, trying to twist free—but the snake is already moving.
They come at him together.
Wind, flame, lightning, blood—clouds scatter as three monsters wage war above a dying world.
The golden-scaled snake coils around the bear's flank, her tail sweeping with a whip of golden wind that forces the bear to stumble midair. Thunder crackles from her throat as she opens her jaws, spitting a column of golden flame across his chest. The bear roars and slams both paws down, forming a wall of blood-red energy that absorbs the worst of the fire.
The eagle circles above, wings humming with power. With a single beat, thunder rolls across the sky. A blade of compressed wind slices downward, sharp and silent, nearly severing the bear's left arm. He dodges—barely—flames erupting from his mouth as he retaliates, forcing the eagle to veer away.
But the pressure builds.
The snake darts in again, tail snapping. Her thunder whip shatters the bear's blood scythe mid-swing. Before he can react, the eagle dives, her claws glowing with golden lightning. She rakes them across the bear's back, drawing a roar of pain. Blood sprays, evaporating instantly in the storm of golden fire and wind.
Together, they move like mirrored storms—snake and eagle. When one strikes, the other shadows; when one retreats, the other assaults. Thunder clashes with blood, flame meets flame, but the bear staggers under the rhythm of their combined assault.
His breath becomes ragged. His flame weakens.
And finally, a tail of wind and a wing of lightning collide with his chest.
He crashes through the clouds like a falling star.
When the sky clears, the bear phantasm fades into flickering smoke. Left behind is a man—wrapped in grey, body hunched, breath shaking.
He tries to run.
But the skies crack open once more.
Twin bolts of thunder—one from the snake's mouth, the other from the eagle's wings—descend like judgment.
The man screams.
The lightning devours his voice, his form writhing as his body seizes and begins to fall.
As he plummets, that scream—sharp and wild—echoes through the wind, until it fades.
His vitality vanishes before he hits the ground. Smoke trails behind his corpse as it crashes into the shattered earth below.
A second later, the golden snake and thunder eagle descend like twin comets.
Their scales shimmer in the crimson light of the Blood Moon, their roars slicing through the clash of battle below. Thousands look up—one side with hope, the other with dread.
Then the sky splits open.
Thunder rains down in waves.
Bolts of golden lightning tear through the battlefield, cracking bones and igniting blood. The air thickens with heat and fury. The defenders—once emboldened by their phantasm—now scramble, desperate to escape the storm from above.
But there is no escape.
The eagle circles, her wings spreading arcs of lightning in wide sweeps, slicing through undead ranks like scythes. The snake coils and dives, her tail cracking like a whip, unleashing wind-blades that shear through formations. Mouths open—some to scream, others to pray—but the thunder answers louder than all.
The earth turns to ash beneath the onslaught.
Ten minutes. That's all it takes.
By the time the lightning fades and the fire settles, nothing remains of the enemy force. Just scorched armor, melted weapons, and bones charred beyond recognition.
The battlefield is silent, save for the low rumble of thunder still echoing in the clouds.
Above, the golden snake and eagle hover in the air—silent, watching.
And the Blood Moon watches back.
The golden snake dissolves into shimmering light, the thunder eagle fading with it. In their place, two women descend gently from the clouds. One of them is Cecily, her golden robe scorched at the edges, eyes still crackling with faint lightning. The other is cloaked in silver—Carmane, with hair like coiled flame and a calm, unreadable gaze.
Cecily steps toward her. "Cousin Carmane, why are you here?"
Carmane brushes a streak of blood off her cheek. "Aunt Elewyn gave me a mission." Her voice is casual. "While heading there, I saw your fight… so I came to help."
Cecily nods, expression easing. "What mission?"
"Aunt told me to inform all Spirit Lords and Spirit Realm cultivators about the path of connecting multiple elemental runes." Carmane's tone carries a quiet weight.
Cecily's eyes widen. She had learned that method early, thanks to Elewyn—her aunt—and used that very rune combination to step into the Spirit King realm only a month ago. Her voice is low with awe. "Aunt decided to reveal it…"
"She joined the Highest Council," Carmane replies. "The decision came from above."
Cecily smiles, a rare warmth blooming across her face. "Aunt joined the Highest Council…"
But the warmth fades almost immediately as she asks, "So, who are you heading to first?"
Carmane grins. "The famous Kanoru. Even as a Spirit Lord, he can fight Spirit Kings. Once he receives this method, he'll break through for sure."
Cecily's lips twitch—not in joy. Her smile sharpens into a snarl before she smooths it away. She forces a nod, but bitterness churns underneath.
She had always seen Kanoru as her rival. Her goal was to reach the Spirit King realm before him—to prove her superiority. She had done it. But now? Kanoru, still in the Spirit Lord realm, already wielded Spirit King strength. His breakthrough would only widen the gap.
Cecily turns away, her voice clipped. "You can go. I'm going to practice."
Without waiting for a response, she dives toward the city below, vanishing into the haze.
Carmane watches her go, blinking. "What was that about?"
She stands suspended in the sky a moment longer, puzzled. Then, with a quiet shrug, Carmane rises into the clouds, fading into the mist as she sets course for her next destination.
By the time she reaches the Black Hill region, the sun is veiled by thick clouds and the ever-watchful Blood Moon. Below, the black forest coils like a serpent around jagged hills, and violent fluctuations of power flicker across the land. She doesn't pay them much attention. This was normal—one moment the world's defenders conquered a node, the next, the Greyrose Circus reclaimed it.
But something to the west tugs at her senses.
She frowns, turning. "Kanoru?" she murmurs.
Without hesitation, she shifts direction, flying toward the source.
Soon, she spots a heavily fortified location—one of the Greyrose strongholds. Inside, she senses a node, throbbing like a heart. The defenders of the circus are under siege. Above the fortress, two phantasms are locked in battle: a towering werewolf bathed in blood-colored light, and a blue flame giant, its body pulsing with wind and fire. The skies tremble with their every clash.
Carmane narrows her eyes. The flame giant… its form is stable. Fire and wind—interwoven perfectly. Suspicion flares.
But she doesn't intervene. The fight is clearly between Spirit Lords, and on her side, the blue flame giant has the upper hand.
She watches as the elemental giant raises a burning arm and hurls a condensed energy blast. It tears through the werewolf's chest, boring a hole straight through its core. The phantasm vanishes in a flash of red mist, revealing a twisted, scorched corpse falling to the battlefield below.
Without pause, the blue giant turns toward the fortress.
It hurls another energy sphere—larger this time.
The ball slams into the stronghold, and in a thunderous eruption, the entire fortress disintegrates, shattered into dust and fire. The node inside flickers once, then fades as the Greyrose hold collapses.
From the fading wisps of blue flame, the giant disperses—revealing the man within.
Lou Chen.
Carmane flies forward, descending from the sky. Lou Chen, spotting her, tilts his head respectfully.
"King Carmane," he says, still catching his breath, "why are you here?"
"I came with a message," Carmane replies. "Councilor Elewyn asked me to inform Kanoru and all the Spirit Realm cultivators—about the method of forming one hundred runes using multiple elemental types."
Lou Chen blinks. "That? We already know."
Carmane arches a brow. "What?"
"Kanoru shared it with us over a month ago," Lou Chen explains. "He used it himself when he broke into the Spirit King realm."
Carmane sighs, a little amused. "Then there's no need for me to meet him."
"You flew all the way from Fairie City just for this. At least rest a bit," Lou Chen offers.
She shakes her head. "No thank you. I should return. The council might send me out again."
Then her eyes gleam. Golden light surges from her body as energy floods the air around her. Her form blurs—then expands—becoming a golden eagle wreathed in stormwinds and thunder.
With a single powerful flap of her wings, Carmane vanishes into the sky, flying fast and straight toward Fairie City.