Sunny opened his eyes.
The spirit sea dissolved like mist . Reality settled back onto his shoulders—the cold ribs of the dragon skeleton, the heavy silence, the ever-watchful atmosphere.
But something had changed.
Not in the world around him.
Inside.
Sunny exhaled slowly, steadying himself. The echo of Zerath lingered deep in his mind—quiet, but undeniably present.
He didn't dwell on it.
Instead, he stepped forward.
The moment his consciousness fully anchored to his body, his senses expanded with startling clarity. His spirit vision unfolded, stretching far beyond normal limits, scanning the surroundings on instinct.
And then—
He saw it.
Far in the distance.
A disturbance.
Not mere power—
Conflict.
Sunny's eyes narrowed.
"…That's not normal."
Without hesitation, his form blurred. Not physically at first, but spiritually. His spirit slipped free, shapeshifting into a swift, bird-like state—light, unbound by flesh.
In mere breaths, he was there.
Hovering silently above the battlefield.
Below him stood three familiar figures.
Mordret.
The baby.
Ava.
They were fighting.
But they were not winning.
Before them loomed a creature that defied ordinary description—a twisted, monstrous entity radiating a dense, oppressive aura. Its body pulsed with dark crimson veins, its form unstable yet heavily fortified.
A Blood Demon.
No—
Worse.
Sunny felt it instantly.
"…A rogue creation."
A Blood Demon Asura-type entity.
Something that should not have appeared so early.
Mordret struck first—sharp, precise, calculated. His attacks landed like deceptive reflections, unpredictable and layered, yet they lacked the decisive force needed to shatter the creature's defenses.
Ava followed. Cold frost surged from her hands, spreading like a silent blizzard. Ice layered and reinforced itself—
But the instant it touched the creature, it shattered.
Not from weakness.
From the creature's overwhelming guard. Its unnatural awareness. Its impenetrable protection.
Sunny watched from above, silent.
"…They can't synchronize."
That was the fatal flaw.
Individually, they were formidable.
Together, their attacks lacked harmony. They did not flow. They did not connect.
And against a monster like this—
That was lethal.
The Blood Demon moved.
Its mere presence warped the air.
Then it released something.
A pulse.
Invisible.
Silent.
Devastating.
A mental assault.
Mordret flinched.
Ava froze for half a second.
That was all the opening it needed.
Sunny's gaze sharpened.
"…It attacks the mind."
Extremely dangerous.
Yet he did not descend immediately.
Instead, he drifted downward, slow and deliberate. His spirit form condensed as it neared the ground.
Then—he transformed.
Shadows gathered and solidified into flesh.
Sunny stepped forward—solid, real, undeniably present.
Mordret noticed him first. Surprise flickered across his eyes.
Ava followed.
"…Sunny?" she breathed, her voice slightly uneven.
Sunny did not respond.
His attention remained locked on the creature.
Calm.
Cold.
Focused.
The Blood Demon turned. Its hollow eyes fixed on him.
And in that instant—
It attacked.
Not with claws or fangs.
Mentally.
A crushing wave of fear, distortion, and psychic pressure surged straight toward Sunny's mind.
But the moment it reached him—
Everything stopped.
The attack did not weaken.
It did not deflect.
It simply ceased.
The creature froze mid-motion. Its entire body locked in place. Its aura flickered violently. Its mind—silenced.
Sunny stood unmoving, expression unchanged.
Because this…
Was not entirely his power.
It was Zerath.
A passive reaction.
A mere presence.
An absolute superiority of mind that the creature could not overcome.
Sunny exhaled softly.
"…So that's how it works."
Behind him, Ava's eyes widened.
Mordret narrowed his gaze.
They both felt it—something fundamental had shifted in Sunny.
But now was not the time for questions.
"Move," Sunny said calmly.
That single word was enough.
Ava didn't hesitate. This time her frost surged with deadly precision—sharper, more focused.
Because now the creature could not resist.
The ice pierced straight through its defenses, entering and exiting its body in a clean, fatal strike.
The Blood Demon trembled. Its form cracked. Then it collapsed and dissolved into nothing.
Silence blanketed the battlefield.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then a cold, mechanical voice echoed:
"You have slain: Blood Demon Asura."
A brief pause.
"Reward granted."
Ava exhaled, lowering her hand.
Mordret glanced at Sunny, his expression unreadable.
"…That wasn't normal," he said quietly.
Sunny offered no reply.
Because he understood perfectly.
That moment of absolute freeze—
That effortless suppression—
It wasn't raw strength.
It wasn't force.
It was dominance.
Mental.
Absolute.
Zerath.
Sunny looked down at his own hand.
"…Three seconds."
He hadn't even activated it.
And yet something had already begun to reveal itself.
A faint smile touched his lips.
If this was only the beginning…
Then what would happen when he truly unleashed those three seconds?
The battlefield remained quiet.
But deep within Sunny, something ancient stirred.
Watching.
Waiting.
Zerath.
And it had only just begun to awaken.