Noah's POV
I looked up.
My heart pounding in my chest. The sky itself seemed to bend under the weight of the presence that descended from above.
A man cloaked in flowing silver robes, his long golden hair swaying like divine threads in the wind. His eyes gleamed with untold knowledge, power, and the kind of authority that could command the heavens themselves.
Headmaster Rein Shroud.
The strongest man in the Empire.
The very air trembled in response to his arrival, the clouds parting with a reluctance that made the sky feel alive, as if it too feared his wrath. Even the portals in the sky hissed, their edges flickering and flickering as they shrank in his presence.
"You missed me, brat," Rein's voice boomed, carrying a playful yet authoritative tone.
It echoed through the air like thunder, a sound that made the monsters freeze in their tracks.
I smirked back, forcing the tension in my body to ease. "Took you long enough."
With a single raised hand, the world itself seemed to hold its breath. Mana, thick and golden, swirled around him like an ocean storm, so dense that it felt like I was wading through quicksand. The atmosphere grew heavy, crushing, and for a moment, it felt like the world was bending to his will.
"Time to clean this mess up," Rein muttered, his voice a calm undercurrent in the storm of power he wielded.
BOOM!
A single wave of his hand, and golden beams of light shot across the sky, like divine arrows sent to smite the very heart of the darkness.
The portals cracked open, disintegrating to ash under the pressure of his mana, and the monsters—those creatures that had once seemed so powerful—screamed in fear. Not in rage. Not in defiance.
They screamed because they could feel it—the undeniable certainty that they were no match for the storm of light that had arrived.
In less than five seconds, they were reduced to nothing but smoldering ashes.
I blinked. The battle was over… at least for now.
But something still didn't sit right.
"Too easy," I muttered under my breath.
Rein's eyes narrowed, his face hardening as if he shared my unease. "Yeah, something's off. This feels like a setup."
As if to confirm his suspicion, two massive portals opened before us. Dark black and purple energy swirled and pulsed within them, an ominous aura radiating from their depths. From those rifts emerged two figures.
The first was an imposing figure, a towering behemoth cloaked in shifting black mist that seemed to devour the light around it. His body was covered in obsidian-like armor, tendrils of shadow writhing beneath the surface. His face was obscured by a crown of twisted horns, and his eyes burned with an unnatural purple light.
Like a Monarch of the Abyss.
The second figure, standing at the side of the first, was one I knew all too well. His dark crown floated above him, the weight of it a symbol of his arrogance and defeat. His eyes were the color of an endless abyss—deep, hollow, and cold.
The Shadow Prince.
He didn't have the same air of arrogance about him as before. His shoulders were slumped slightly, and his usual bravado was replaced with a kind of quiet resentment.
Had he come back to take revenge?
"So, you're the old man who beat his ass last time," the massive demon said, his voice like rumbling thunder aimed at Rein.
"Oh, him?" Rein chuckled, jabbing a thumb at me. "He ran like a coward last time—couldn't even beat my student."
Seth's jaw twitched.
"What? You said it was a close fight," the hulking demon said to him.
"That's—"
"He was very close, to dying—" Rein cut in smoothly, "—that is, if he had a brain cell and a spine."
I choked on a laugh.
The Shadow Prince grit his teeth, humiliated again.
"Pathetic," the other demon spat. "You disgrace the demon race. Now you come begging for my help?"
Then he kicked Seth square in the gut.
I blinked.
Seth flew back, coughing blood.
"What the hell are you doing, Nyxar?" Seth growled.
"Punishment for lying to me, Seth. And for tarnishing our name."
So… that's Nyxar. And Seth's real name.
"We didn't come here to fight among ourselves," Seth muttered, regaining his stance. "We have a mission. Don't forget that."
"Hmph. Right."
They weren't just here to attack randomly.
They were here with a purpose.
Nyxar turned his glowing eyes toward Rein.
"You, old man. I've heard the stories. Care to prove you're worth the hype?"
It wasn't a question.
It was a challenge.
"You, his daddy or something?" Rein replied lazily.
I sighed.
People are dying and this man's cracking dad jokes with a demon.
"Wahaha! No, but I did come to see if you're really as strong as they say."
"Hope you don't run like your friend here," Rein said, pointing at Seth again.
Nyxar's face twisted.
"Don't compare me to him. I am Nyxar– The Light Devourer. He's just a prince."
"Cute name."
"Whatever. Brat, you take care of the other," Rein tossed the words back at me, already preparing his fight.
This old man didn't even ask if I was ready.
"Tch. Fine. I wanted to settle the score anyway."
I stepped forward, meeting Seth's cold gaze.
"So your name's Seth, huh? Kinda adorable."
His eyes narrowed. "You won't be lucky this time."
"You too, won't be able to escape," I replied, summoning my mana.
No more running. No more hesitation.
It was time to unleash what I had trained for.
Let the fight begin.
-----------
[Inside the Imperial Palace]
While outside was in a turmoil, situation inside was almost under control due to the various strong presences: the pope, Archbishop, Olivia Lanze, and other church members.
The nobles and Royal guards.
Duke Richard and Duchess Julia, along with Alea, Lyra, Scarlett, and Layla, were all unharmed and saved many people.
Layla's parents were strong too, especially her mother. She mercilessly killed every demon that came near Layla.
Currently, everyone was watching the battle in front of them, where Emperor Charles was fighting Empress Louis in a fierce battle. It's been more than 20 minutes, but they were still not looking tired at all.
The emperor had a few injuries on his hands, but his eyes were sharp and filled with anger.
The empress, however, was injured quite a lot but didn't back down at all. Around her, shadows stirred. Her body was turning darker by the time, red veins bulging in her dark eyes.
"Why did you do it, Louis?" He asked her.
"Why? Why you ask? It's all for my son," she scoffed at him with hatred.
"It's all because of you that my son died. You neglected him..every time like a plague. This made him hungry for power. He thought... once he would be stronger, you would look at him with affection, but you never even looked at him."
"Because of you and this girl, my son is not alive anymore," she burst with all the hatred she had suppressed until now.
The shadows around her fed on her anger and hatred, growing more fiercely.
"I know it's my fault for neglecting Arthur, but why do you have to kill her or other innocent people?" Charles asked.
"Innocent? When he was being executed, they were all present, yet not a single person tried to save him."
"They all deserve to die," she exclaimed with a smile like a devil.
It was a voice of a mother who is ready to burn the world for her son's loss.
"What will you gain from this, Louis? Will he come back from death?" The emperor asked her with a helpless expression.
The emperor regretted his choice too, but he still had to stop her; he couldn't let all the people die just for her revenge.
"It doesn't matter. I will join him later after I kill you and that girl you cherished so much," Louis replied, throwing an attack of pure dark mana toward Charlotte.
Fast. Too fast.
"No, you won't—" Charles tried to stop the attack, but it went past him, reaching where Olivia was healing Charlotte with a priest.
The attack closed in—
FWOOOM!
A golden orb of light intercepted it mid-air, disintegrating the dark spear.
Everyone turned.
Standing at the heart of that divine light—
Was the Pope.
Calm. Resolute. Radiant.
His staff gleamed with holy power as divine circles hovered behind him.
"Olivia," he said, his voice soft yet absolute. "Continue healing the princess."
He stepped forward, gaze locked on the Empress.
"I am here."
–To be continued..