It was an ordinary day ... just like any other.
The sky was overcast, gray and heavyā¦ as though it mourned.
The fractured moon had vanished behind the clouds, its faint light completely swallowed.
A morning in the heart of autumnācold, suffocating in a strange, oppressive way.
And yetā
despite appearing ordinaryā¦ it was anything but.
"Todayā¦ is the most important day in the history of mankind."
These words were spoken by Abraham Starlightāthe man who now led humanity.
Standing at the head of the last army mankind would ever assemble,
two radiant swords in his grasp ...
the Star of the Starlight family had taken command of them all.
His eyes burned with a brilliant white glow,
his expression firm ...unyielding.
He had only recently returnedā
and yet, somehow, he now stood as the leader of all humanity.
Every soldier of the Empire stood present at full strength.
Alongside them were the Ultras who had defected, choosing to fight at their sideā
led by Mergo the Drunkard.
Though they now fought together, the divide between the Empire and Mergo's Ultras was unmistakable.
Hatred did not fade so easily.
But today's battleā
stood above all past grudges.
If any resentment remainedā¦ it could be settled tomorrow.
That isāif any of them lived to see it.
That was what everyone thought.
The ground beneath their feet ...
once belonged to the Ultras Continent.
The very land chosen, once again, to host the war.
How had the army arrived here?
The answer was simple:
Frey Starlight.
From afar, he had bent space itselfā
transporting tens of thousands of soldiers across continents in mere seconds.
Without effort.
Without even appearing before them.
And yet .. they had all felt him.
Felt his presence.
An aura so vastā¦ it defied comprehension.
The army advanced slowly.
They did not run.
They did not shout.
They did nothing unnecessary.
They simply walkedā
following Abraham.
They knew the enemy would come to them.
There was no need to rush.
The human champions were scattered throughout the ranks.
As SSS-rank warriors, they bore the responsibility of facing the most difficult battles.
Though this was not the largest army in historyā
it was undoubtedly the strongest humanity had ever assembled.
The sheer pressure of their auras aloneā¦ was overwhelming.
Their advance did not go unnoticed.
From above ...
eyes belonging to the strongest of their side observed them.
Upon a golden platform formed from pure auraā
stood four towering figures.
Each of them alone was capable of shaking the heavens.
The third of the Shadow Sectā
Fulghor the Planet, who upheld the platform itself.
The Pantheon Emperor, son of Midirā
the dragon, Kalameet.
The strongest bearer of human lightā
Snow Lionheart, also known as the Pure Vessel.
And at their centerā
the one who orchestrated it all:
Frey Starlight.
These four were weapons of mass destruction.
The chosen generals of this war ...
meant to face the strongest enemies the other side could offer.
There had originally been five ...
but the fifth now stood below, leading the army.
As for Gehrman, the blue-eyed engineerā
he was absent.
His whereaboutsā¦ unknown.
The army continued its advance.
And above themā
the golden platform drifted silently through the sky,
hidden by Fulghor's power and Frey's aura-sealing barriers.
Their faces were set ...
the faces of soldiers ready to surrender their lives if necessary.
For the coming battleā¦
would be anything but easy.
Throughout their marchā
not a single word was spoken.
Untilā
their expressions darkened all at once.
"What the hellā¦ is this filthy surge of aura?"
Kalameet clenched his spear tightly as he spoke.
The others felt it too.
A terrifying flood of dark, demonic auraā
vast beyond measure.
"They're here."
Frey spoke calmly.
His Void eyes lit up.
He saw them before anyone else.
He understood the source of that overwhelming darkness.
Though his expression remained composed ...
his aura stirred slightly,
betraying a flicker of anger.
Their enemies had far exceeded expectations.
They had done somethingā¦
no one had anticipated.
Belowā
Abraham frowned deeply as he too sensed the monstrous surge of aura.
The enemy had not yet appeared ...
but he gathered power in his throat and roared.
"Prepare yourselves!!"
"Prepare for battle!!!"
His voice thundered like a stormā
shaking the very air, reverberating through every soldier.
That single command ...
was enough to make them understand the gravity of what awaited them.
They readied themselves instantly ...
even though the enemy remained far beyond sight.
Because from the moment that order was given .. it was only a matter of time.
At firstā
the soldiers saw what appeared to be distant mountains on the horizon.
They had noticed them since their arrival ...
black ridges stretching endlessly across the distance.
But slowly ...
the truth began to dawn on them.
"ā¦Those aren't mountains," one soldier whispered.
And he was not the only one who realized it.
"They're not mountainsā¦ they're the enemy."
Eyes widened.
Hearts began to pound violently in every chest.
Before them surged a horrifying tide of monsters, rushing forward with a single purposeāto tear them apart.
Their aura was terrifying.
But what was truly horrifyingā¦ was something else entirely.
Not their aura.
Not even their grotesque forms, as though they had crawled straight out of hell.
It was their numbers.
They were many.
Far too many.
So countless that, from a distance, they resembled mountains ... piling over one another in a relentless mass.
There were demonsāa full army from Helmond. Thousands upon thousands.
There were puppetsāmachines crafted by the Hollow, Simon Manos.
An entire legion of them.
And worst of allā¦
those darkened abominations, cloaked entirely in black.
There was no trace of the Ultras.
In their place stood savage creatures of immense power ... each radiating crushing pressure.
The weakest among them had surpassed SS rank.
The strongestā¦
were nearing the realm of SSS.
Monsters twisted by the Demon Seed.
Countless demons.
Endless mechanical constructs.
Togetherā
they formed a force that far exceeded a million.
The disparity in numbers was overwhelming.
In comparisonā¦
humanity looked insignificant before that advancing tide of death.
"This is insaneā¦"
"ā¦Are we supposed to fight that?"
Some trembled.
Others laughed, madness creeping into their expressions.
Yet unexpectedlyā
many remained steady, unmoving despite the apocalyptic sight before them.
"Do not falter! No one said this would be easy!"
Nova Starlight roared, the founder of the Starlight family, his voice followed by the other human champions.
"The enemy is the elite of the demonsāour final adversary! This is the least we should expect from them!"
"Stand together! Fight with everything you have! And we will lead the way!"
The heroes did their best to hold moraleā
yet even they understood the gravity of the situation.
Against an army like thatā¦
survival itself would be a miracle.
Victory was a distant dream.
And stillā
there was no choice but to fight.