Friedrich stared at the crack in the invisible curtain with disbelief. For centuries, it had protected humanity from the threat of Judgment. But now, the barrier—once thought unbreakable—was fracturing before his eyes.
Mr.Weinberg, too, walked up to the window, his face in despair and sorrow. While others' concept about the Great Judgment might be vague, Mr.Weinberg, who was possibly the only person alive who had seen this disaster himself, knew what was going to happen next. They brought nothing but disaster and death.
Each crack echoed through the air like a distant thunderclap, growing wider with each deafening snap. The small fissure became a jagged tear, and the tear transformed into a gaping hole, opening to nothing but an endless void of pure darkness.
From within the void, a new sound arose—different from the cracking. It was ancient, terrifying—a roar that shook the very ground beneath Hiemalis City. It was a sound no human had heard in over 300 years: the roar of the Executors.
Fear, innate and all-consuming, washed over the crowd in the arena. It wasn't just any fear—it was primal, buried in every strand of human DNA.
People in the arena screamed and ran in every direction, pushing, shoving—desperate to escape. Panic rippled like a wave, surging not just within the arena but also everywhere through the city. Hiemalis city of the Boerelis Republic, once a symbol of human resilience to nature, was now engulfed in chaos.
A little girl, caught in the tide of terrified bodies, fell and was nearly trampled by the stampede. Just as the crowd closed in, Emilia dashed forward, pushing away a man who was about to step on the child. Her hands glowed faintly as wind blades swirled around her, forming a protective barrier as she lifted the girl to her feet.
Emilia's heart raced, her body on high alert. She had been in the field when the first crack appeared, trying to stop Gabriel from destroying Igor's linker. Her wind blades still hovered around her, sharp and deadly, as she positioned herself between the two young men.
She had helped Igor, dragging him to safety, but the sight of the growing hole in the sky had frozen her in place. Now, there was no time to think—only to act. Quickly assessing the situation, she pushed aside the fear gnawing at her mind and began to help those who couldn't flee fast enough.
But it was too late…
The sky above them had turned an ominous shade of black. The hole in the barrier continued to grow, and from its depths, the Executors emerged.
They, twisted and monstrous, poured into the world. Their forms were unlike anything Emilia had ever seen nor imagined— shifting and bright, as though the sun had come across to the ground.
They were twisted and monstrous, unlike anything Emilia had ever seen or imagined—shifting shapes bathed in a blinding, radiant glow, as though the sun had come crashing to the earth. In stark contrast to the darkness beyond the barrier, the Executors' light was so intense it could blind anyone who stared directly at them. Their beauty was almost sacred, a deceptive facade for the creatures they truly were—devils cloaked in the appearance of angels.
When the first Executor stepped closer, Emilia could finally make out its form. Towering as high as the clock tower of the Academy, its body consisted of a single massive eye, wings covered with countless more eyes extending from its sides.
The first of the Executors flew forward. The ground beneath its feet cracked and shattered as it advanced.
Emilia's breath hitched as she watched the creature move, its massive form casting an oppressive bright light over the arena. The crowd's terrified screams echoed in her ears, but her focus remained on the Executor before her.
She had trained for this all her life. They all had. But seeing the Executors—these beings of Judgment that had only been depicted in old books—in person was different. They radiated a power so overwhelming that it was difficult to even stand in their presence.
She was in despair, but ready to fight.
...
A few miles away, Friedrich, still frozen in place, stared at the growing crack from Mr.Weinberg's office. His mind raced. The stories of the Executors had been passed down through generations, but they had always seemed distant—myths more than reality. Yet here they were, standing before him, more real and terrifying than he could have ever imagined.
One Executor turned its head toward him, its numerous eyes—all over its body and its wings, glowing faintly with an eerie, unnatural light—fixing on him. A chill ran down Friedrich's spine.
The Executor let out another roar, and the ground beneath Friedrich's feet trembled. He felt the vibration reverberate through his entire body, shaking him to his core. He had to act. He had to move.
"Go kid," Mr.Weinberg tapped on him on the shoulder, waking him up from the terror, his voice trying to be calm, "Go find your sister. Protect her."
"Go, kid," Mr. Weinberg's hand clapped onto his shoulder, jolting him from his terror. His voice, though strained, held a steady calm. "Go find your sister. Protect her."
Before Friedrich could respond, a massive surge of Link energy pulsed from Mr. Weinberg's hand, enveloping Friedrich.
In the next instant, he was transported into the arena. His initial shock faded as Mr. Weinberg's words echoed in his mind, sharpening his focus.
Fighting against the flood of people, Friedrich searched frantically until he spotted Emilia at the edge of the crowd, an Executor looming over her, mere meters away.
Terror gripped him. Friedrich sprinted toward his sister, drawing his sword, its blade blazing with the power of his Link. He reached her just as another roar from the Executors rattled the air, stronger this time, shaking the buildings around them.
With a swift motion, he swung his sword, conjuring a wall of flames between Emilia and the advancing Executor.
The creature moved forward without hesitation, passing through the flames as if they were nothing. Friedrich's face paled, but he clutched Emilia's hand, his grip firm.
Emilia was partially paralyzed, her mind overwhelmed. She knew her power meant little in the face of the Executor's might. She had known from the moment she saw the Executor approaching that escape was impossible.
"We have to go!" Friedrich shouted, grabbing her arm and trying to pull her back.
"No, we must stop them from reaching the crowd!" Emilia's eyes remained fixed on the Executor, its numerous eyes gazing back.
A second Executor burst through the hole in the sky, its form even more massive. It let out a low, rumbling growl, and with one swift motion, raised an arm. A wave of dark energy radiated outward, slamming into the arena's barrier, shattering it completely.
The Executor landed behind them, blocking their only escape route.
"There's nowhere to run," Friedrich muttered, swallowing hard.
They were alone for now—reinforcements from the Legion were still minutes away. Their escape was cut off. The only option left was to fight, even if it meant holding on for a few more seconds.
Emilia raised her sword, her voice unwavering. "I'll fight with you."
The Executors advanced, the air crackling with the ominous energy that surrounded them. The massive central eye of the nearest creature fixed its gaze on the siblings, and suddenly, a blinding beam of light shot toward them. Friedrich braced himself, raising his blade to deflect the oncoming blast. The impact sent a shockwave through him, nearly knocking him off his feet. Beside him, Emilia summoned a wall of wind, diverting the blast just enough to shield them from being engulfed.
With a grim determination, Friedrich tightened his grip on his sword. He knew they would have to fight, not only for their lives but for the countless people fleeing behind them.
Under Emilia's cover, Friedrich charged forward, aiming straight for the Executor's central eye—their only known vulnerability. But before his blade could strike, the Executor's colossal wings gave a single, effortless flap, creating a powerful gust that threw the siblings back. Emilia, scrambling to brace against the force, summoned wind of her own, but her strength was in no match in comparison to the might of the Executor.
They hit the ground hard, the impact reverberating through their bodies. Pain flared, but their injuries were minor, Emilia's Link Power having protected them from the worst of it.
The Executors loomed closer, their gleaming, blade-like wings poised to strike. Just as the first razor-sharp appendage descended, a flash of icy blue light sliced through the air, forming a wall of frost between them and the creatures.
It was the Zabelle sisters and William, who had been helping evacuate the crowd. Though the icy barrier shattered almost instantly, it provided enough time for them to pull Friedrich and Emilia to cover.
"When will the Legion arrive?" Friedrich asked, breathless and grim.
"Still a few minutes away," William replied, a shadow of despair in his voice.
"Then we have no choice…" Friedrich sighed, looking at his shattered blade. With a determined expression, he pulled another sword from his back. This one was different—its metal scabbard glowed faintly, pulsing with a dark, ominous red light.
Holding the sword in his hand, Friedrich felt the weight of its power. A tremendous surge of Link Power burst from the weapon, a force no weaker than that of the Executors.
"I'll buy you some time," Friedrich said, his voice heavy.
In an instant, he leaped into the air, his speed almost breaking the sound barrier. With a powerful swing, he pierced the Executor's once-impenetrable wings, blue flames igniting along its massive form. Friedrich plunged the sword into the Executor's central eye, and the creature let out a harrowing roar, its body crashing to the ground with a tremendous impact, creating a deep crater. Before anyone could even process what had happened, flames consumed the Executor's form, reducing it to ashes.
The strike had taken all of Friedrich's energy. He struggled to his feet, leaning heavily on the sword, exhausted but defiant. Though he had defeated one, many more were emerging from the darkness above.
Friedrich steadied himself, the weight of his sword grounding him as he raised it once more. Emilia stepped beside him, her eyes resolute. Ahead of them, William and the Zabelle sisters readied their stances.
"It'll be a tough one," William muttered, glancing at the advancing horde.
Friedrich nodded, his grip tightening on his blade. Together, they would face whatever came next.
...
"The Sword of the Solis in the hand of the young prince." Standing on the high tower, A man dressed in black talked to himself, "found another one."