The mist split apart.
And the five hundred charged at once.
The ground trembled beneath synchronized footsteps.
Bodies twisted by poison no longer looked human — they were weapons without will.
Sebastian did not move.
One second.
Two.
Then—
He vanished.
No explosion.
No dramatic sound.
Just air tearing apart.
He reappeared inside the army.
Ten fell instantly.
Then twenty.
Then fifty.
Precise strikes. Clean. Relentless.
On WHU's monitors, enemy signatures disappeared one after another.
"That speed… impossible…" someone whispered.
Sebastian moved again — a blur beyond perception.
A shockwave erupted from the center of the battlefield.
The street cracked open.
Two hundred fifty bodies collapsed in a single expanding burst of force.
From a distance—
Miasma watched.
And smiled.
"After one hundred years…" he said quietly,
"…a worthy opponent stands before me."
The remaining half of the army attacked more viciously.
This time, Sebastian did not evade.
He advanced.
Through them.
Every step calculated.
Every strike final.
Poison brushed against his skin—
But it did nothing.
One by one, they fell.
Until—
Silence.
The battlefield emptied.
Only two figures remained standing.
Sebastian.
Miasma.
Wind circled them slowly.
The mist coiled like a living crown around Miasma's shoulders.
Sebastian allowed himself a faint smile.
"So. Now you speak?"
WHU Headquarters
High above the sealed complex—
A winged figure descended.
Massive wings.
Dark. Beautiful. Terrifying.
No one dared to speak.
Lord touched the ground outside the barrier.
His face remained hidden in shadow.
He simply stood there.
Watching.
Inside—
Asher saw him.
And something broke.
Memories surged violently.
His father.
His mother.
Vincent.
Julian.
Blood.
Screams.
Loss stacked upon loss.
His breath hitched.
His vision blurred.
His stomach twisted—
And suddenly he turned away and vomited.
"Asher!" Julia rushed to him.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
Lord did not move.
He simply observed.
As if measuring the depth of Asher's fear.
Seconds passed.
Then—
Lord slowly unfolded his wings.
Turned.
And walked away.
The energy barrier flickered.
Then shattered.
Steel locks lifted.
"We're free!" someone shouted.
Julia held Asher steady.
"Are you okay?"
Asher wiped his mouth, breathing hard.
"…Yeah."
But his eyes were different.
Fear remained.
But something else had joined it.
Rage.
And something resonating deep within his blood.
The heroes turned back to the monitors.
Because the real battle was beginning.
Battlefield
Sebastian and Miasma stood alone.
No army.
No interference.
Just two bloodlines facing each other.
Two ideologies.
Two eras.
Miasma tilted his head slightly.
"You have earned this moment."
Sebastian's voice was calm.
"This isn't about earning."
"It's about ending."
Poison began rising violently around Miasma.
The air thickened.
The earth fractured beneath their feet.
Sebastian stepped forward.
Miasma did the same.
And when their forces collided—
The shockwave shook the ruins of the city.
The war had entered its true phase.