"Well, anyhow, that doesn’t matter—the world is ending with you."

She inhaled. Originat surged toward her body—a violent tide of power drawn from the very air.

Then she exhaled.

A torrent of pale, star‑hot flame erupted. Not orange or red. White as a dying sun.

It engulfed the assassin and the entire battle area. Stone melted. Silence followed the roar.

But if one noticed, within the white flame there was black flame. A flicker of void hiding inside the light.

Seraphina glanced at Lucien’s dead body and let out an angry roar. The sound was fury and grief tearing through her chest.

From nowhere came power. She could feel it—alien, vast, pressing against her soul like a second heart.

But she also felt the hunger. The hunger for the destruction of the world. The golden flame on her body began to change with intensity as her aura continued to increase. The air grew heavy.

A new flame appeared.

Black.

The moment this black flame appeared, hunger descended upon the world. Not a desire. A need. A thirst with no bottom.

Hunger for destruction of all things. This world.

Seraphina’s draconic form began to change. Black flames replaced her golden flames. Scales cracked and reformed. Feathers darkened into ash-tipped wings.

It felt as if she was being corrupted.

Her entire body turned black. Black flames burned across every inch of her. Her aura surged as if it had transcended the world itself. The ground beneath her feet cratered.

Then golden lines ran across her scales and feathers—like golden flames. They pulsed with a light that was not warm, but absolute.

She looked sacred rather than demonic. Like a goddess descended into a mortal world.

The assassin watched her complete transformation. All of it took only an instant. His breath caught. His heart forgot to beat.

His body froze under her overwhelming aura. The disparity in power and bloodline was immense—a gap not measured in strength, but in kind and bloodline.

"What creature are you?" the assassin roared. His voice cracked. He had never begged before. He almost did now.

He had never heard of such power in his life. It felt as though it was beyond the restraints of the world. Something that should not exist, yet stood before him.

The information about Seraphina hadn’t stated she possessed this level of power. Either the intelligence was wrong, or she had become something new entirely.

Even if it couldn’t be completely accurate, there should not be this vast a difference. A master does not fear an ant. But he felt like the ant.

Seraphina felt the power flowing through her veins. Her entire being felt full of it—so full she thought she might burst.

She was consumed by this power from an unknown source. It did not ask permission. It took. And she let it.

Her hunger for the destruction of the world grew so great that it clouded her mind. Thoughts became smoke. Only the hunger remained.

But her goal aligned with the hunger. She felt no need to stop it. Why resist when the path was the same?

She would make use of it to destroy the world.

But first...

She glanced at the assassin frozen in fear. His eyes were wide. He had killed before. He had never been the prey.

But now he was a prey.

Her black draconic eyes had golden tendrils circling them. They locked onto his soul.

She opened her mouth. Released her draconic breath.

A pitch black flame with golden strands engulfed the assassin. It moved slowly. Deliberately.

He wanted to defend against it, but his body wasn’t listening. He felt a desire against his will. Some deep part of him wanted to be consumed.

All he could do was watch.

As his body came into contact with the flame, everything about him was absorbed. His power. His memories. His name.

A force destroyed everything his body contained—meridians, organs, flesh, bones. All of it consumed.

A searing pain consumed his mind. He couldn’t even scream. The flame had stolen his voice along with his will.

He couldn’t kill himself. It was as if he was a supporting character in his own life. No agency. No escape. Only witness.

He could only writhe in pain as the flame consumed him slowly. Seconds felt like centuries.

All he could do was watch himself turn into ashes. First his hands. Then his arms. Then the rest.

The winds blew his ashes away. No grave. No memory. Nothing about him remained. It had been consumed.

Seraphina didn’t even look at him. Her dragon body appeared before Lucien’s dead body. She stared at his still face. The hunger quieted for a moment.

"The world will be a burial ground for you," she muttered.

She opened her draconic mouth. Lucien’s dead body was absorbed and stored. A hollow place inside her now held something precious.

She flew into the sky as if she was teleporting. The air screamed past her, but she didn’t feel it.

Not long after, she stood above the clouds. Everything was like an ant before her eyes. Kingdoms, mountains, oceans—all small enough to crush.

But she was just starting.

Massive Originat flowed toward her direction. Rivers of power from across the continent. Her flames burned fiercer. Brighter. Hot enough to scar the sky.

She closed her eyes. Utmost concentration. The world held its breath.

After a few seconds, she snapped her eyes open.

"Apocalyptic Flame Ultimatum."

And apocalypse descended into the world.

Black circular runes covered the entire continent. They appeared all at once—as if they had always been there, waiting.

Hundreds. Thousands. Millions.

They couldn’t be counted. Residents of different cities all glanced up to see the runes that began the apocalypse. Some dropped to their knees. Some ran. Most simply stared, unable to comprehend.

Mortals feared. Cultivators shivered. Even beasts in the deepest forests howled in terror.

Leaders of different powers and races came out, shaken by what their eyes beheld. Kings paled. Elders wept. Generals dropped their swords.

The powerful ones could sense that these black runes covered the entire continent. No border was spared. No sanctuary existed.

The strongest beings were alarmed. Their instincts screamed. Their centuries of cultivation offered no comfort.

What quantity of Originat would be needed for such a skill?

How strong would such a cultivator be?

Has a God invaded the world?

Is the world coming to an end?

All these questions went through their minds. But answers came to none.

Many cried. Some knelt, begging god or whoever for the cause. Others cursed. A few simply laughed—broken by the absurdity.

Fear of death engulfed their hearts. Chaos erupted. Fires spread in cities. People trampled each other. Mothers held children tight.

Some ran. But to where? There was no escape. The runes were everywhere. The sky had become a cage.

The world erupted into destruction. Buildings collapsed. The earth split. The oceans churned. Everything burned.

Seraphina noticed almost all of this. But to what concern? The world would be destroyed. Their screams were music. Their terror was fuel.

The unknown source of power pumped faster. Growing stronger and stronger. It fed on the destruction.

At this moment, Lucien’s father, David, arrived at the battle scene.

Looking at the massive destruction that had happened to the Haewun Forest, he was surprised. What was once a dense, ancient woodland was now a crater of glass and ash.

What happened? he thought.

He immediately became worried. He knew his son’s strength and that Seraphina’s could not be this strong. Something else had intervened.

He thought of his wife’s words. With his strength, he deduced that two people had died here.

One was complete. The other was confusing—as if dead yet alive. A contradiction.

He used the talisman she gave him and sensed that it indicated he was far above in the sky.

Without much further thought, he disappeared into the sky. Wind rushed past. Reality bent. He would find answers or die trying.

Black flames burned within the runes. They glowed with intense light, pulsating like a heartbeat.

It was time to end the world.

"Seraphina..."

A whisper. A familiar voice. Resounded in her mind.

She froze. Her wings stopped mid-beat. The runes flickered.

She thought she was hallucinating. It felt like a trick of the hunger. Like a phantom of guilt.

"Seraphina..."

Even though the tone was lower, she recognized it. No mistaking. No escape.

Her figure froze in excitement. She opened her draconic mouth. Lucien’s body came out. It floated before her. Small. Still.

Her gigantic draconic eyes looked at Lucien’s small body. She had never seen anything more precious.

She calmed down. Began hearing a faint heartbeat.

Thump. Thump. Soft. Unsteady. Alive.

Excitement clouded her mind. The hunger shrank. The rage faded. Only hope remained.

The black runes that were preparing to destroy the world slowly faded into nothing. They unwove like threads pulled from a loom. The sky cleared.

David appeared. He materialized out of thin air, his robes singed from residual heat.

He looked at Seraphina’s gigantic dragon-phoenix body. His guard raised. His hand went to his sword. He did not know this being before him.

The immense aura released from Seraphina showed the disparity in their strength. He was a candle before a bonfire.

And this was aura unconsciously released. What would happen if she turned it on him?

He glanced at the small body and immediately recognized it.

His son’s body.

His figure flashed before it. He looked at his son’s shut eyes. His expression turned ugly—but he felt relieved. A slow heartbeat. Still alive. Still fighting.

"I am sorry, Dad. I wasn’t able to protect him."

He heard a familiar voice. Surprised. He turned to the dragon-phoenix body. "Is that you, Seraphina?"

"Yes, Dad," she replied. Her voice was heavy. Older. Hollowed by what she had become.

David looked at her in shock. When had she become this strong? Strong enough that he felt dread from her? She was family. She should not feel like a natural disaster.

"What happened?" David asked. His voice was calm, but his hands trembled.

Seraphina drooped her head and began explaining. Each word cost her.

As she explained, the residents of Aethelgard were joyous.

For no reason, the black runes disappeared. After minutes, they showed no appearance. The sky returned to blue. The ground stopped shaking.

Some cried in joy. Most were relieved. A few fell to their knees and thanked gods they had never believed in.

Even powerful cultivators were relieved. Sweat dropped from their faces. They had stared into the abyss, and the abyss had blinked first.

They felt no chance against such apocalyptic power. It was not a battle. It was an execution waiting to happen.

But this made them realize—or remember—that they had not reached the peak of the universe. There were still those like fishes in the ocean compared to true whales.

At the battle scene, David listened to her words. His expression turned ugly. His jaw tightened. His eyes darkened.

He had not expected that someone had been prepared enough to disable the protection he had placed on his son.

And according to Seraphina, Lucien had died.

But surprisingly, his dead heart had resurged. Even though David was confused, he felt relieved. A miracle wrapped in mystery.

He would not know how angry his wife would be after hearing it. That conversation would be worse than any battle.

"So that’s what happened?" A familiar voice shook them.

They turned. Valyra stood there. Her eyes were red. Her hands shook. But her voice was steel.

David coughed. "Did you follow me?"

"I didn’t. Not long after you left, I tried to trace Lucien. But I sensed Seraphina’s outburst of bloodline. I could feel her angry emotions through it."

She didn’t wait for a reply. She appeared before Lucien’s body, cupping his cheeks. Her thumbs traced his closed eyelids.

Tears began to drop from her eyes. Her heart felt pain. Realizing what her son had been through. She had not been there. She would never forgive herself.

She glanced at David. David shook. He could feel what she meant by that gaze. You failed. We will talk later.

He had not expected that the protection he placed on Lucien could be stopped. That was his mistake. And mistakes cost.

ROAR!

A draconic roar resounded throughout Aethelgard. It came from Lucien’s still body—but also from somewhere deeper. Older.

Originat flowed toward Lucien’s body. His body absorbed it. A dragon soul appeared behind Lucien.

Only its eyes could be seen. Primal. Ancient. They held no mercy, no judgment—only existence.

Mist covered the rest of the body. It felt as if it was born with the world itself. As old as mountains. As patient as death.

Valyra and Seraphina felt resonance. Their blood sang. Their souls bowed.

A human appeared, covered in mist. Before it, thousands of blades knelt. Not in fear. In fealty.

David immediately felt resonance. His eyes widened. He knew that presence. He had heard of its legends. But this legend wasn’t suppose to exist now. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Suddenly, the Originat was drawn faster. The world turned upside down. Gravity wavered. Light bent.

The world dulled. Aethelgard shook as if it could not contain what was coming. Cracks spread across the ground. The sky darkened.

They were all drawn to what was happening. Every eye on the continent turned toward that single point.

Everyone was alarmed. Some thought the destruction was happening again. Others prayed it was something else. Anything else.

A throne stepped out of the shadow.