"So, those three are here as well," I murmured, my gaze fixed on the battlefield below. Lillian, the so-called daughter of the Demon King, was fighting with a ferocity that matched her formidable mana signature.
'That's his daughter?' I thought, studying her movements. Her power was undeniable. Even though she was limited by the inefficiencies of the mana star system, she was pushing the boundaries of peak Immortal-rank. The raw intensity she exuded could rival legends like Li Zenith. And yet, there she was, being forced onto the defensive by three Ascendant-rankers working in unison.
Lucifer, ever the stalwart, had activated his astral armor, his verdant eyes glowing beneath the protective energy. He was the unyielding shield, absorbing the brunt of Lillian's attacks with the precision of a seasoned warrior. Ren and Seol-ah flanked her on either side, their movements sharp and calculated, striking with coordinated ferocity.
Lucifer's strength lay in his resilience, a tank who could weather storms that would break others. Meanwhile, Ren's fists burned with astral energy, and Seol-ah's winds and lightning raged like a tempest, their combined assault forcing Lillian to retreat step by step.
"Should we intervene?" Ian asked, his grip tightening on his spear as his dragon-like aura shimmered around him.
I glanced at him before turning to Jin, whose dark mana began to surge like an ominous tide. "We'll deal with the others," I said. "Those lackeys won't stop themselves."
Jin's lips curled into a faint smile as his mana twisted and coalesced. His necromantic energy seeped into the air, and from the shadows, his undead began to rise.
The battlefield seemed to shift as the first wave of his summons appeared—a skeletal horde clad in ethereal armor, their empty eyes glowing with eerie light. Then came the bear. A towering creature wreathed in flames, its roar shaking the ground.
'An eight-star summon,' I thought, impressed despite myself. The sheer power radiating from it was undeniable. This wasn't just a mindless beast; it was a weapon of destruction bound to Jin's will.
In terms of raw, individual combat prowess, Jin might currently be the weakest of Class A. That was the inevitable drawback of being a necromancer. Even his father, Valen Ashbluff—close to mid Radiant-rank—was considered the weakest among the Radiant-rankers in direct combat. But that weakness vanished when you factored in their armies. Valen commanded legions of the undead, and Jin was no different.
Jin's true strength wasn't in a single strike or duel; it was in the overwhelming numbers he could command. His summons blanketed the battlefield like a creeping shadow. The skeletal soldiers weren't just fodder—they were precise, coordinated, and deadly under his control. And then there was the bear. Just one of these eight-star summons could tilt the balance of a fight.
Ian adjusted his grip on his spear, his aura flaring. "He's a one-man army," he muttered, awe bleeding into his tone.
I smirked. "That's the point. He doesn't fight alone."
The undead surged forward, clashing with Lillian's forces in a cacophony of snarls, roars, and the clash of steel. Lillian's minions, strong as they were, began to falter under the relentless onslaught. Jin's strategy wasn't flashy—it was methodical, a tide that slowly overwhelmed.
Ian moved next, his spear igniting with dragon fire as he leaped into the fray. His movements were precise, cutting through the chaos with devastating force. He didn't waste energy or flourish unnecessarily; every strike was calculated to eliminate as many enemies as possible.
'Are you not going to fight?' Luna's voice echoed in my mind, her tone tinged with curiosity.
I shrugged, leaning on Eclipse Blade as though it were more walking stick than weapon. "They've got it," I said, gesturing lazily toward the fray. Ian's fiery spear carved through enemies with relentless precision, while Jin's undead swarmed the battlefield, their sheer numbers overwhelming Lillian's remaining forces.
But even as I watched, there was a weight in the air—something pressing against my senses like an itch I couldn't quite scratch.
'But...' Luna's voice hesitated, an unusual note of concern slipping through. 'There is something more.'
My gaze flicked to Lillian. She was faltering, her movements slowing as her strength ebbed. She crumbled to her knees, blood dripping from a deep gash on her side. Ian and Jin had done their part, whittling her down until she was no longer a threat. Lucifer approached her, his verdant eyes glowing coldly as his blade rose for the final blow.
And yet—
Badump!
My heart thudded in my chest, sharp and insistent.
Badump!
It wasn't danger—not in the way Luna usually alerted me. She was silent, and yet my entire being thrummed with tension.
What was this?
This feeling?
It wasn't rational. I couldn't explain it.
It was something deeper, something primal. An instinct that clawed at me, demanding I act.
I moved.
Before I even realized what I was doing, I was between Lucifer and Lillian. Eclipse Blade intercepted his strike with a resounding BOOM, the force of it sending a shockwave through the air.
"What are you doing, Arthur?" Lucifer asked, his voice sharp with confusion.
I blinked, looking down at our locked blades. I didn't have an answer for him. My body had moved of its own accord, driven by something I couldn't name.
"I..." I began, but the words caught in my throat.
Lillian glared up at me, her crimson eyes burning with defiance even as she knelt, battered and bleeding. She didn't thank me—she didn't even look grateful. If anything, her rage deepened, her gaze searing into me as though my act of mercy was an insult.
Clang!
Seol-ah's blade came for Lillian, swift and unrelenting. Again, I moved without thinking, my blade intercepting hers. Sparks flew as our weapons met, the clash reverberating through the air.
"Arthur, explain yourself!" Seol-ah demanded, her golden eyes narrowing. "Why are you protecting her?"
I didn't know. The answer evaded me like a shadow slipping through my fingers. My heart still thundered in my chest, each beat amplifying the pull of that inexplicable instinct.
"I..." I began again, but the words felt hollow, inadequate.
"You've lost your mind," Lucifer muttered, his blade shifting slightly as he prepared to strike again. "Arthur, stand down. This isn't like you."
He was right. This wasn't like me. I was the one who acted with precision, who calculated every move and weighed every risk. But now, that careful control had unraveled, leaving me standing here, shielding someone I should have no reason to protect.
'No, the one moving my body…' The realization hit me like a wave of ice-cold water. My thoughts were my own, but my actions? Those weren't mine.
Panic surged, sharp and immediate, as I felt my limbs move with a purpose that wasn't mine. My grip on Eclipse Blade tightened, not because I wanted it to, but because something—or someone—demanded it. The blade hummed with power, its sigils blazing brighter as though in response to an unseen conductor.
"Fuck you, Art!" I yelled, the words a desperate lash against the invisible chains binding me. The sound of my own voice felt distant, like an echo reverberating in a vast, empty cavern.
Then, the world blurred.
My consciousness frayed at the edges, unraveling like threads pulled too tight. The sight of Lillian's glaring crimson eyes and the astonished expressions of Lucifer and Seol-ah dissolved into a haze. My knees buckled, and the last thing I heard before darkness consumed me was the hum of mana dissipating into the air.
And then, nothing.