"ASHER! WAKE UP!"
Julia's voice was almost swallowed by the chaos.
Explosions.
Screams.
Fire tearing through stone.
"Please… Asher…"
Suddenly—
His fingers twitched.
His eyes snapped open.
He inhaled sharply and looked around.
The cave had become a battlefield.
Hundreds of heroes were fighting against Ernos and waves of flame-formed shadows.
Lance Poll was calling down lightning from above, bolts crashing into the enemy ranks.
Oliver Mark moved like a blur, dual blades flashing as he carved through shadows.
Lina Charlotte raised massive ice walls to shield the frontline, then shattered them into spears that launched forward like frozen missiles.
Sebastian and Lance attacked together.
Sebastian's sword ignited in blazing fire.
Poll's lightning surged through the flames, amplifying it.
A devastating combo strike.
They slammed into Ernos with explosive force.
Dust and fire filled the air.
For a second—
Hope flickered.
The smoke cleared.
Ernos was still standing.
He had blocked the entire attack with one arm.
Flames rolled off his shoulders.
He smirked.
"You're weak."
With a single motion, he hurled Poll across the cavern.
Then he unleashed a wave of fire that blasted Sebastian backward.
In the shadows behind him—
A figure moved.
Lord.
Calm. Watching.
He raised his hand slightly.
Dark energy streamed into Ernos' body.
The flames intensified.
This wasn't just Ernos anymore.
Lord was empowering him from behind.
Asher pushed himself to his feet.
His head still throbbed.
But his eyes were clear now.
"Julia… stay back."
He charged forward.
Punching through flame shadows.
Blasting enemies aside with raw force.
He leaped toward Ernos.
"Not this time!"
He threw a full-power strike—
Ernos caught his arm mid-air.
His eyes burned like twin suns.
"You… are not ready."
BOOM.
Ernos punched him.
Asher was launched across the cavern.
His body smashed into stone.
The wall cracked on impact.
Julia screamed.
Sebastian rushed to him.
"Asher!"
He pulled him up roughly.
"Stay behind me!"
Asher struggled to breathe.
His chest burned.
But his eyes were focused somewhere else.
Behind Sebastian.
On a raised stone platform—
A faint light.
A body lying there.
Asher's eyes widened.
"Vale…"
His brother.
Chained.
Unconscious.
Weak.
Breathing barely visible.
This wasn't just a mission anymore.
This was family.
Ernos stepped forward.
Each step cracked the ground.
"You want to save him?"
He spread his arms.
Flames above him twisted into dragon shapes.
"Come and take him."
Sebastian shouted another command.
Lina formed a massive spear of ice and launched it.
Oliver dashed in from the side, aiming at Ernos' legs.
Lance Poll called down a concentrated lightning strike.
Darius charged head-on, absorbing impact after impact like a living fortress.
Elena rose into the air.
A massive golden magic circle unfolded above her.
Ancient runes rotated rapidly.
"Binding Cathedral!"
Chains of radiant magic descended from the sky, wrapping around Ernos.
For a moment—
He dropped to one knee.
The cave trembled.
Hope returned.
But then—
Dark energy exploded outward.
Lord clenched his hand.
The chains shattered.
Ernos stood back up.
His entire body now engulfed in roaring fire.
He unleashed a massive wave of flames.
Heroes were blown away.
Stone shattered.
Screams echoed.
Sebastian stepped in front of Asher and blocked the blast.
His sword trembled.
His knees hit the ground.
"Asher… it's not your time yet."
Asher clenched his fist.
His eyes flickered red.
He looked at Vale.
Then at Ernos.
Then at Lord.
This battle wasn't stopping.
The cave burned.
Heroes fell.
Ernos stood in the center of the inferno.
And Asher slowly rose again.
Something inside him was awakening.
This time—
It felt deeper.
Darker.
Stronger.