Inside the explosion—
another explosion suddenly erupted.
**BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!**
The second blast was even more violent than the first.
A tremendous wave of energy swept across the battlefield.
The entire city shook.
Buildings trembled violently.
Windows rattled.
Dust and debris fell from rooftops.
At the city gates—
soldiers and civilians who had been evacuating suddenly stopped in their tracks.
Everyone turned toward the distant battlefield.
"...What was that?!"
The ground continued trembling beneath their feet.
Some civilians stumbled.
Others instinctively grabbed onto nearby walls or each other for support.
Even inside the skyport—
people froze as the shock wave reached them.
The massive structures shook.
Hanging signs swung violently.
Several people lost their balance.
The same thing happened at the spatial port.
Vehicles rattled in place.
People stumbled into one another.
Several soldiers grabbed onto nearby structures just to keep themselves upright.
For several seconds—
the entire city seemed to hold its breath.
Then—
slowly—
the violent tremors began to subside.
The enormous explosion gradually weakened.
The blinding light faded.
Smoke and dust continued to billow across the battlefield before slowly dispersing into the sky.
Above the battlefield—
the airships steadied themselves.
Their hulls continued trembling from the residual force of the explosion.
Inside one of the command decks—
silence reigned.
No one spoke.
Every officer stared through the viewing windows.
The captain's expression remained tense.
His eyes stayed fixed on the battlefield.
They waited.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
a communication officer suddenly looked down at his equipment.
His eyes widened.
"...Captain."
The captain immediately turned.
"What is it?"
The officer checked the readings again.
His fingers moved rapidly across the controls.
"...We've confirmed it."
He swallowed.
"The Rift Breaker's energy signature has disappeared."
Silence.
The captain slowly exhaled.
"...The target has been eliminated."
Relief immediately spread throughout the command deck.
Several officers released breaths they hadn't realized they had been holding.
"...Thank God."
"...It's finally over."
One officer leaned against the console.
"...We actually did it."
The captain leaned back slightly.
His tense expression relaxed for the first time.
"...We actually killed it."
For a brief moment—
the command deck was filled with relief.
They had succeeded.
The Rift Breaker was dead.
At least—
that's what they believed.
---
Below—
the surviving knights slowly began emerging from the aftermath.
Their armor was battered and covered in dust.
Several had blood running down their faces.
Others struggled to stand.
One knight pushed himself upright.
He looked around at the devastation surrounding him.
Buildings had been reduced to rubble.
The streets had been torn apart.
A massive crater occupied the center of the battlefield.
The knight swallowed.
"...That was close."
Another knight slowly rose to his feet.
His breathing was heavy.
"...I thought we were finished."
The knight commander remained silent.
His gaze was fixed on the location where the Rift Breaker had disappeared.
Nothing remained.
No corpse.
No movement.
Not even a fragment of its armor.
Only an enormous crater remained where the creature had stood.
The commander slowly lowered his sword.
"...It's dead."
His voice was quiet.
For a moment—
no one moved.
Then—
one of the knights suddenly groaned.
"...Ghh..."
The commander immediately turned toward him.
"What's wrong?"
The knight dropped to one knee.
His hand clutched his chest.
"...Something..."
His breathing became rough and uneven.
"...Something's wrong with me."
The commander immediately moved toward him.
"Show me."
The knight looked down at his body.
His armor suddenly cracked.
**CRACK.**
Everyone froze.
The knight's eyes widened.
"...What?"
Crimson veins began appearing beneath his skin.
They spread slowly at first.
Then—
faster.
The knight stared at his arm in disbelief.
"...No."
The veins crawled farther up his skin.
His hand began trembling.
"...What's happening to me?"
His body suddenly convulsed.
"Get away from me!"
His voice became strained.
His fingers curled tightly.
Dark crimson energy began leaking from his body.
The commander stared in disbelief.
"...Corruption?"
The knight suddenly screamed.
**ROAAAAARGH—!!**
His body violently convulsed.
The crimson veins spread across his neck.
Then his face.
His eyes widened as he struggled to maintain control.
The commander immediately stepped backward.
"Everyone!"
Before he could say anything else—
another knight suddenly collapsed.
**THUD.**
Crimson veins appeared across his face.
"...What?"
Then—
another knight stumbled.
**THUD.**
And another.
Within moments—
the battlefield was filled with groans and screams.
Knights who had survived the bombardment were beginning to change.
The commander looked around in horror.
His expression gradually turned pale.
"...No."
His gaze dropped toward his own arm.
For a moment—
nothing happened.
Then—
a faint crimson vein appeared beneath his skin.
His eyes widened.
"...Impossible."
Another vein appeared.
Then another.
The corruption began spreading beneath his skin.
The commander clenched his teeth.
His hand tightened around his sword.
"...Everyone..."
His voice strained.
"...We're infected."
Silence.
The words hung heavily over the battlefield.
No one knew what to say.
They had survived the explosion.
They had killed the Rift Breaker.
Yet—
the thing they had feared most had already happened.
---
Inside the airship—
an officer suddenly stared down at his instruments.
His expression changed.
"...Captain."
The captain looked over.
"What now?"
The officer pointed toward the readings.
"...I'm detecting another energy signature."
The captain frowned.
"Another Rift Breaker?"
The officer immediately shook his head.
"No."
He checked the instruments again.
"...It's not the same."
His expression became increasingly uneasy.
"It's spread throughout the battlefield."
The captain's expression hardened.
"What?"
The officer swallowed.
"The Abyssal mana..."
He looked toward the battlefield.
"...It's still there."
Silence.
The captain slowly turned toward the viewing window.
The creature was gone.
But the energy remained.
His eyes narrowed.
"...So that's where it came from."
Another officer suddenly spoke.
"The knights."
The captain turned toward him.
"What?"
"The knights were closest to the creature when the explosion occurred."
He pointed toward the battlefield.
"They were directly exposed to the blast."
The officer hesitated.
"...If the creature's body was saturated with that much Abyssal mana..."
The captain's expression darkened.
"...Then the explosion didn't simply destroy it."
His gaze remained fixed on the readings.
"It dispersed its mana."
The officer nodded.
"...Throughout the surrounding area."
The captain's face became grim.
"So even though the Rift Breaker is dead..."
He paused.
"...the danger isn't gone."
"No, sir."
The officer shook his head.
"...If the Abyssal mana continues spreading..."
He hesitated.
"...the corruption will continue."
The captain's eyes narrowed.
"And the knights?"
The officer looked back toward the battlefield.
"...They're already showing symptoms."
The captain stared silently through the viewing window.
Below—
the knights were beginning to collapse one after another.
Some clutched their bodies.
Others screamed as crimson veins spread across their skin.
The captain's expression became increasingly grim.
They had believed the battle was over.
They had celebrated their victory.
But the reality was far worse.
The Rift Breaker had not simply died.
It had left something behind.
Something that could continue spreading long after its death.
The captain finally turned away from the window.
"Get me a communication line to every unit."
The communication officer immediately straightened.
"Yes, sir!"
He began working on the console.
The captain looked toward the battlefield once more.
His expression hardened.
"...We killed the creature."
His voice became low.
"...But we may have just created something worse."