The King of Maskar Country was killed in a coup, already facing a grave external threat. The enemy seemed to be a step ahead, promising peace to the people of Maskar if they turned against their own king. Now, having lost their standing and allies on the frontlines, Zachary's expedition party was ambushed from both sides. On their way to escape, a massive barrage of attacks ultimately destroyed the shield protecting Zachary's battleship. The battleship was shot down not far from the coast of Karvhisyal, and there was little the soldiers could do as they began to be overrun by the enemy.
Field Commander Gartok was doing his best to hold the loyalist and allied forces' final defense at Dites Castle. Hearing this news, many nobles didn't think much of it, as they did not like Zachary either, claiming he was incompetent.
However, one morning, little Aina, barely five years old, could be seen running to File.
"Mr. File! Mr. File!" exclaimed little Aina.
"What is it, Princess?" File lowered his body to speak with the little girl.
"Is Daddy alright?" Aina asked.
File threw his gaze aside, unsure how to respond.
"Everyone said Daddy is missing, but people don't seem to worry. I'm worried; will Daddy be alright?" Aina continued.
File gently patted Aina's head and calmly reassured her, "Don't worry, Zachary is alright and will be alright. I promise you."
With starry eyes, Aina believed in File's promise. The two made a pinky promise. After that, File went straight to Hector, who was reading several documents.
"Prince Hector, you were looking for me?" File asked.
"Yeah, File. I'll skip the formality. I need to organize a search party for Father," Hector replied.
"I understand. If I may, I could gather some people who I believe have enough experience to accompany us to the Merk Continent," File suggested.
"I'll be real, File. Most of the nobles don't want us to waste resources. They say, 'Oh, Prince, honor your father's wishes; be a king and focus on Whiteford.' Or, 'Oh, Prince, King Zachary is already at peace.' I don't know how long I can hold back from breaking their jaws any longer," Hector vented.
"I understand your frustration, Hector. I can assure you that not a single day goes by when I don't hold back from showing my demonic wings to them," File responded.
"That's why we don't have much time. But we can't go with any flagship or giant battleship either. I need you to muster a small amount of people you can trust," Hector instructed.
"Understood, but given the minimal force I will be taking, I highly recommend you stay behind, Hec," File advised.
Hector looked angry but understood well that despite his great physical and mental skills, he wasn't in the same class as File or any champion. He was aware that he was not as strong as his younger brother, Zack White, who was a member of the Twelve Heroes.
"Very well, but I give you three months, or I will come down there," Hector warned.
"Fine, three months. I'll contact you regularly," File replied.
"And File… bring my old man back, please. He has already been through a lot," Hector added.
File nodded and then left to muster a small group of soldiers, including his trusted knights from the Archive Knight Guild. They were the protectors of Whiteford from the shadows, an order that had been around since the founding of the kingdom, established by none other than Archduke Drake Blood.
Among them were his two most trusted companions: Nia Regalia, a beautiful female Half orc Half elf with red hair known for her powerful hand-to-hand combat skills, enhanced by her gravitational magic; and Rifqie, a mysterious wizard capable of wielding nearly every element, including light. However, aside from File, no one knew his real identity—"JK" meant nothing to most, but to the elite of the mage society, it held great significance.
Despite being barely 15, Rifqie's exploits were already renowned among many. Additionally, there was one more person: Vixi, a young elf with white hair. Despite her youth, she had served the Archive Knights as a spy and executioner for over a century.
While File couldn't fully trust her, she had proven to be loyal and deeply caring. Together, they gathered over 25 elite knights and prepared for their journey to the other continent.
Using an airplane typically took around 12 to 20 hours, but they couldn't afford that route for fear of encountering anti-air artillery. Instead, they opted for a drastic measure by traveling by sea. They would land at Dites Castle, where Commander Gartok and his men were still holding the line against the rebels.
Without waiting any longer, that midnight, File led his knights using a small submarine. The journey took seven days, during which they avoided any anomalies. Finally, they landed on the coastal shores of the Maskar Kingdom, now ruled by a court that had rebranded itself as the Maskar Theocracy.
Three months had passed. Despite File not having found King Zachary or even his remains, he assured Hector that he would manage the expedition. Although Hector was against this and couldn't just sit idle while his stubborn old man was missing behind enemy lines, he had no choice. Right now, File had entrusted the safety of Whiteford to him.
Finally, five months had passed, marking exactly one year since King Zachary went missing. They found a trace of his whereabouts in the southern continent of Merk, in a small village called Aaruu—a village created by refugees who fled Artyam thousands of years ago. King Zachary could be found there.
However, Zachary had lost his memories and didn't remember who he was. For over a year, he had acted as a mentor and teacher to many warriors of the isolated Aaruu tribes, instructing them on how to defend themselves from the influence of the Outer Gods.
File and the Archive Knights who found him were shocked. They spent several weeks trying to medicate him and restore his mind. However, it was revealed that Zachary was in a relationship with the village shaman, Lura. The happy couple was blessed with a golden-haired daughter.
Despite his calling, File found himself conflicted about whether he should take Zachary home. The boy he had raised was now, despite not knowing who he was, experiencing some of his happiest moments with the woman he loved, surrounded by people who cared for him and whom he cared for in return. Though it had only been a year, without the pressures of political strife, Zachary had become the good person he always could be.
One night, File explained everything to Lura, which shocked her. File acknowledged Lura's wisdom while she recognized his responsibility. However, she revealed the greatest reason Zachary's memories had not yet returned: deep down, Zachary held fear and was trying to escape reality, thus burying himself along with those memories.
"Returning those memories may be a cruel thing for Zachary," Lura said. "In the end, I may be just a wife who is robbed of her husband, but I don't want to be the woman who robs a leader of his people. As much as I wish for him to stay, he still has a family of his own, and I wouldn't dare rob them of that."
Lura agreed to set up a trial to help Zachary regain his memories. As Zachary prepared for the trial, enemy forces began to catch on to their tracks, and File realized they couldn't stay much longer. Alongside the unknown force, powerful Victorian-era-like soldiers could be seen marching toward the small village. They were from Artyam, a country that worshiped many kinds of Outer Gods.
As night fell, many of the soldiers began to transform into horrific variations that mortals couldn't comprehend.
"This is bad," said File as he scouted from a mountain, observing the formation of his opponents, whose numbers exceeded one hundred thousand.
Zachary could be seen with his head resting on Lura's lap.
"What happens if I do this?" he asked.
"We have to go our separate ways, my dear," Lura replied.
"I can't leave. I won't leave you; I don't want to leave you," Zachary protested.
"I know you believe that, but right now you are needed somewhere else. I believe in our promise that you will return for me," Lura said.
As she began to chant a spell, Zachary started to feel unease. A strange pain surged through his head, and the memories he had buried deep within began to resurface. All the stress and depression returned. He was Zachary White, son of Zulf White—a king who barely controlled his kingdom, a king forced into a role where his freedom was taken from him.
As the ritual progressed, thousands of enemies began to charge. File, once again in a hundred years, showed his Holy Demon Ascension form—a powerful visage that carried the legacy of the morning star: pure white wings and a golden halo.
In an instant, File's power surged a hundredfold, unleashing a strength he had long hidden. Not even Vixi, Nia, or Rifqie had ever witnessed that form. Under File's command, the group was instructed to stay behind and protect the village at all costs; when the ritual was complete, they would escort King Zachary to their boats and escape.
On his own, File began taking out hundreds, if not thousands, of enemies. Fireballs and lightning strikes were hurled at him, but in the presence of a power capable of turning the bravest warriors to ash, even ballistic attacks meant to take down entire cities barely scratched him.
File summoned a black flame vortex that ultimately burned everything around him, followed by a massive blizzard that rivaled the coldest winds of the Northern Continent. Thousands upon thousands of enemy soldiers were slain. Despite their monstrous size and power, none of them could match File.
Yet, even then, their sheer numbers began to overwhelm him. Suddenly, a massive tree sprouted from the ground. From its top, a gigantic eyeball appeared, gazing down at File.
"Fallion… Drake… Blood…" the tree intoned with a monstrous, distorted voice.
"Hello again, Mohara. Have you had any new children yet?" File replied with a plain expression as the Outer God's eye scrutinized him. He appeared unimpressed; after all, at this point in his life, he was already accustomed to Outer Gods harboring personal grudges against him.
As the tree began to emit light, charging its attack, File transformed back into his human form. To everyone's surprise, he drew a katana to the sky. Suddenly, all the ice and flame he had summoned were absorbed back into the sword. The white katana now turned pitch black, pulsing with an intense power that no man had ever witnessed.
"Drake Blood," said File.
Now, his katana emitted a strange black flame, and with a single slash, it spawned a massive fire wave that burned everything within 100 meters in front of him.
"Come on, done already?" File taunted.
The tree summoned thousands of roots and veins, trying to attack File, but his superhuman speed allowed him to slash through all of them in mere seconds. As File rushed towards Mohara's eye, many enemies fired both firearms and magic missiles at him, but the halo surrounding his presence expanded and absorbed all their attacks.
With a single slash, File finished off the 100-meter-tall tree monster. As the ritual completed, Zachary stood in front of his lover, embracing her dearly.
"Please come with me," Zachary urged.
"I want to but I can't, dear. These people have been robbed of their homeland, and now it's up to them to retake their legacy. It's up to me to lead them," Lura responded.
"Then I'll help. There's something I can do," Zachary insisted.
"Maybe, but right now, I only have one request for you, my love," Lura replied, handing Zachary their daughter. "Take care of her. In our custom, we usually name a child after they turn one year old."
"Then allow me to name her one that will remind me of her mother: Allura White, the daughter of Whiteford," said Zachary.
As the two lovers shared this tender moment, File was still fighting on the frontline.
"My king, we really need to go," said Vixi as the enemy began to reach the village. The villagers started to evacuate to the dense forest.
Zachary and Lura kissed for the last time. For the first time, he was with someone he truly loved—not just a princess chosen for him, but someone he chose, and someone who chose him. Holding Allura tightly, Zachary took his daughter with him to board the ship.
Nia was seen fighting off enemies, suplexing them one by one and breaking their backs.
As they managed to board the submarine safely, just before it submerged, Rifqie called out, "Hey, File! We're leaving!"
File turned around amidst the remains of over 20,000 of his enemies. He gave one final look at them. "We will meet again, don't worry," he said before rushing away at the speed of light, managing to reach the submarine just before it submerged.
Once everyone escaped safely into the submarine, Zachary could be seen holding Allura, who was crying constantly.
"Shh, shh, shh, little one, it's alright. Daddy's here," Zachary soothed.