It was night. While the town slept peacefully, destruction silently began.
A sudden explosion tore through the library, engulfing it in flames and reducing centuries of knowledge to ash. But the destruction didn't stop there—different parts of the town were under attack by various elements. One area was frozen solid, another crushed under giant stone structures. In one district, electricity surged wildly, frying people alive. A tornado raged through the streets, while wind blades sliced through walls and bodies alike. Pure chaos.
Even worse, those meant to protect the town were now the ones attacking it. And those trying to defend it were being slaughtered. Dead bodies littered the streets. Cries of pain, screams for help, and panic echoed through the air.
A terrified woman cried out, "This is divine punishment! We've angered the gods!"
Before she could say more, a burst of light—shaped like electric bulbs—sliced through her, cutting her head in half.
It was Archvivion's doing.
Beside him, another figure used high-speed water bullets to kill indiscriminately. Archvivion watched and commented,
"She's doing her job perfectly. Even though she's new, Emma has the potential to rise. She's still learning, but she'll get there."
Emma moved on, causing further destruction elsewhere.
Just then, Hayato appeared and launched an attack at Archvivion. But a sudden blinding flash of light disoriented him. He turned in the wrong direction and sprinted south in confusion.
When his vision returned, Archvivion stood calmly with two large shuriken blades in hand.
Hayato growled, "Why are you destroying your own town? Don't you care? That library contained knowledge we can never recover. I thought you respected it—even if you supported the king, I never expected this from you."
Archvivion replied coldly, "There is nothing holier than our king. He's no ordinary man—he's a god. Imagine having the power to control the memories of others. People would worship you no matter what. Even if you committed the worst crimes, they'd call you a hero. They'd fight for you. Kill for you. Die for you. Even sacrifice their loved ones. That's godhood. That's what he offers. And I'll do anything to earn his favor—even destroy this place."
Hayato thought to himself, This man… he's completely lost to madness.
Outside the town, two people approached—Commander James and Sophia.
James looked at the chaos and smirked. "Looks like the party already started."
He summoned ten shadow beings with his dark magic and ordered them to kill civilians.
Fear overwhelmed the townspeople. Some dropped to their knees, hopeless. Others tried to flee, screaming.
But before James and Sophia could go any further, a man in a black outfit blocked their path. His left hand was wrapped in bandages. He stood silently.
James grinned. "Oh? A lone hero standing before monsters. What's your name?"
The man, expressionless, replied, "My name is Kagami Renji. From the Kagami bloodline."
James and Sophia were both stunned. "You mean… the bloodline that was mysteriously wiped out?"
Elsewhere, Ren, Ryota, and Akari were helping civilians escape.
Ryota asked, "Should we leave Morvon alone?"
Ren responded, "We can't do anything right now. He's safer where he is. We can't take any risks."
Akari said, "I think we should split up. We'll save more people that way."
Ren nodded. "You're right. Let's go."
They split up to cover more ground.
But after a short distance, Akari ran into someone—Emma.
Without warning, Emma fired water bullets at her. Akari dodged and thought,
"Judging by her magic… she must be Commander Emma."
Meanwhile, Ren, while helping civilians, was stopped by a mysterious man.
"I've been waiting for a worthy fight," the man said. "I am Commander Kael."
Ren calmly answered, "And I'm Ren."