They returned to headquarters late at night.
Word spread quickly.
Heroes gathered one by one.
When Wang Wei stepped inside, the room shifted.
Whispers followed.
— Is that really him?
— Celestial Dominion…
— He came back…
Some faces held hope.
Others, disbelief.
Sebastian briefly explained the situation.
Wang said nothing.
He didn't greet anyone.
Didn't make a speech.
He simply observed.
Asher noticed it.
Wang looked calm.
Too calm.
But beneath that silence…
It felt like gravity itself was waiting.
Plans were made.
Security reinforced.
No one slept easily.
Everyone knew—
Lord would move soon.
Morning.
Alarms screamed through headquarters.
Asher's eyes snapped open.
The door burst open.
A hero stood there, breathless.
"Ernos is attacking the city center!"
Asher was already moving.
Sebastian was prepared.
Wang quietly adjusted his coat.
Within moments, they were airborne.
The city was burning.
Buildings cracked.
Flames rose like pillars.
Civilians fled in panic.
And at the center—
Ernos.
Fire coiled around him like living serpents.
He smiled when he saw them.
"At last."
Asher stepped forward immediately.
Energy surged around him.
"You won't escape this time!"
He was about to charge—
"Don't rush."
Wang's voice cut through everything.
Calm.
Unshakable.
Asher turned.
Wang stepped forward slowly.
"I'm already thirty."
His tone remained steady.
"I'm getting older."
A faint wind moved through the destroyed street.
"If I die… the world won't change."
He looked directly at Ernos.
"But this battle might."
Sebastian stayed silent.
Everyone felt it.
The air was getting heavier.
Wang continued:
"I'll attack first."
Asher clenched his fists.
But Wang's gaze stopped him.
"I will fight alone."
The sky above began to distort.
"If you enter the range of my power… it will be dangerous for you as well."
The asphalt beneath their feet cracked softly.
Invisible pressure increased.
"When I say your names… then you move."
He stepped forward.
Each step slightly dented the ground.
He stopped directly in front of Ernos.
Fire met unseen force.
Heat clashed with pressure.
The atmosphere split between flame and gravity.
Ernos' fire roared upward.
Around Wang—
Space compressed.
They locked eyes.
Ernos smirked.
"I remember you."
Wang's reply was quiet.
"I don't."
Silence.
Then—
The clouds above began to spiral.
Gravity shifted.
The air warped.
And the world held its breath.
The first strike was coming.