Victor finally stopped nearly three hours later after confirming that Diana’s condition had stabilized completely. Her breathing had become calm and steady, while the violent fluctuations of mana inside her body had gradually settled. Exhaustion eventually overwhelmed her, and she fell into a deep sleep against his chest.

Victor lowered his gaze toward her silent face for a moment before exhaling slowly.

"I need to hand her over to the Morningstar Clan," he thought quietly.

Although he already knew that Diana harbored feelings for him, he still did not wish to make anything official between them. The current gap between their strengths was simply too vast. Diana stood at a level that far surpassed his own, and Victor knew exactly what would happen if they entered a relationship in such circumstances.

She would become the one protecting him.

That thought alone was enough to make him uncomfortable. His pride could never accept hiding behind someone else while she fought his battles for him. Victor wanted to stand beside her as an equal one day, not as someone who constantly relied on her strength.

Now that Diana was safe, his attention finally shifted toward the countless people who had suffered because of her.

Victor carefully carried Diana in his arms like a princess while walking across the damaged area. The surrounding land remained filled with destruction left behind by the earlier conflict. Cracked earth stretched endlessly into the distance, while traces of mana still floated through the air like invisible remnants of war.

However, before he could think further about the aftermath, a cold mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside his mind.

[Ding! Attention all awakeners of Ethereum. Three Red Dungeons have broken open in the Arctic Ocean. A catastrophic class beast tide is about to descend upon humanity.]

[Prepare for battle. Point System has been activated. The beast tide must be eliminated within three days.]

[All awakeners are required to participate in the battle. Those who refuse participation will face tribulation.]

The notification resounded across the entire world simultaneously.

From Apprentice Realm awakeners to mighty Sage Realm experts, every single awakener heard the same words clearly inside their minds. Panic spread instantly across cities, kingdoms, academies, and battlefields alike. Faces turned pale with horror as the meaning behind those words settled into everyone’s hearts.

Nobody misunderstood what a catastrophic class beast tide represented.

At minimum, it meant that over ten S Rank monsters would lead an army exceeding fifty million lower level monsters. Such numbers alone were enough to drown entire nations beneath endless waves of death and destruction. If a force of that scale truly collided with humanity, the world itself could descend into complete chaos.

The Sages who had been directing rescue efforts moments earlier immediately lost their composure.

"How is this possible?" Arthur roared furiously. "How could three Red Dungeons appear at the same time without any of us noticing?"

Elyndros clenched his fists tightly while his exhausted face darkened further.

"We are already physically and mentally exhausted after this incident," he said heavily. "How are we supposed to fight another catastrophe now?"

The fear in their hearts was not without reason.

Humanity had once experienced a catastrophic beast tide in the past. That single disaster had nearly shattered civilization entirely and reduced the human population by almost one fourth. Countless kingdoms had disappeared during that era, while entire bloodlines vanished overnight beneath endless monster hordes.

The same system notification had appeared back then as well.

Those who survived the previous catastrophe eventually became terrifyingly powerful through the points earned during the battle. The System rewarded participants with treasures, weapons, resources, rare abilities, and artifacts capable of changing destinies completely.

However, those who avoided participation had suffered horrifying punishments afterward.

Some lost their powers permanently. Others lost their lifespan, while many disappeared entirely under mysterious tribulations sent by the System itself. Ever since then, humanity had understood one terrifying truth.

The System never gave choices without consequences.

Victor heard the notification along with everyone else, yet unlike the others, panic never appeared on his face. Instead, a faint smile slowly formed in his eyes.

"A heaven sent opportunity," he thought calmly. "This is my chance to close the gap between me and her."

His mind rapidly analyzed the situation while he continued walking.

A catastrophic beast tide was never limited to only the original monsters emerging from the Red Dungeons. The real danger came afterward. Once enough mana spread across the battlefield, nearby Green and White Dungeons could also lose stability and trigger secondary dungeon breaks.

If that happened, countless additional monsters would flood into the battlefield continuously.

Victor immediately understood that humanity was about to enter a war unlike anything they had faced in decades.

"Diana’s strength will be necessary," he thought seriously.

Without wasting another second, Victor activated both his Light Healing Spell and Water Healing Spell simultaneously. Gentle golden and blue mana surrounded Diana’s body while the healing energies rapidly accelerated her recovery.

Nearly thirty minutes later, Diana slowly opened her eyes.

Her vision remained blurry at first, while exhaustion still lingered throughout her body. However, before she could fully regain her senses, Victor spoke calmly beside her.

"Princess, the situation is grim. We will talk later."

The moment his words ended, Victor vanished instantly through teleportation.

Diana’s eyes widened completely.

She recognized that voice immediately.

It was Victor.

There was absolutely no possibility she could mistake him for someone else. Yet despite hearing him clearly, she could not sense his presence anywhere nearby anymore. Before she could process the situation further, the System notifications echoed again inside her mind.

Her expression turned serious immediately afterward.

Now that she knew Victor was alive, the anxiety buried deep inside her heart finally eased slightly. That alone allowed her to focus completely on the coming disaster.

However, another thought soon surfaced inside her mind.

"Is it them?" Diana thought grimly. "Is this merely another sign of their lord’s arrival?"

The monsters she had fought earlier had spoken of repeated beast tides. According to them, these catastrophes would continue occurring regularly until their lord finally descended completely into this world.

And when that day arrived, humanity would perish.

Diana’s gaze hardened instantly.

Without wasting another moment, she rose into the sky before flying toward the Fredonia Empire at incredible speed.

At the same time, enormous magical projections of Arthur suddenly appeared above every major city across every empire on the continent.

"You already know the situation," Arthur declared heavily. "I will not waste time explaining further."

"All awakeners are ordered to join the battle immediately. The Federation will provide supplies and resources at half price during the emergency period. Head toward the Fredonia Empire as quickly as possible."

The projection disappeared immediately afterward.

Meanwhile, Victor had already arrived back at his shop.

Without hesitation, he retrieved a black mask before changing into different clothes entirely. He wanted to locate Rudi first, but the current situation simply did not allow him the luxury of time.

After disguising himself properly, Victor headed toward the airport.

The entire area had descended into organized chaos.

Massive airships were being prepared continuously while Federation military personnel shouted orders in every direction. Thousands upon thousands of awakeners flooded into the airport with grim expressions covering their faces.

Some remained silent from fear, while others discussed the situation anxiously.

"Do you think humanity can stop this?" one awakener asked quietly. "The six Sages are already weakened after this entire incident."

"We can only pray," another replied heavily. "Hopefully the Federation prepared something for disasters like this."

Victor listened silently while continuing forward.

The situation truly had become dangerous beyond imagination. If powerful dungeons existed near the Arctic battlefield, chain reactions could occur rapidly. Additional dungeon breaks would continuously strengthen the monster tide until the battlefield transformed into a nightmare impossible to contain.

Victor began calculating calmly inside his mind.

During this war, engaging in close combat would be foolish for him. His greatest advantage currently lay in ranged spell bombardment. If he maintained enough distance while casting continuously, he could potentially eliminate C rank monsters efficiently which were equvalent to Elite awakeners.

However, B Rank monsters still remained completely beyond his current abilities.

"Move quickly! Enter the airships immediately!" military officers shouted repeatedly. "We are departing soon!"

Under normal circumstances, identification cards and criminal records would have been checked carefully before boarding. However, the Federation no longer possessed the time to maintain such procedures.

Humanity stood on the edge of catastrophe itself.

Victor boarded one of the airships quietly before sitting alone in a corner. After closing his eyes slowly, he began preparing mentally for the coming war.