Chapter 118: the worlds coming to an end 2

Inside his dark obsidian hall, the Soul Stealer sat upon his bone throne, his face contorted in pure, unadulterated rage.

"You aren’t having a very good time, I see," Varisa chuckled, strolling casually into the throne room with her hands resting behind her back.

He snapped his eyes toward her, his dark aura flaring wildly. "What do you think you are doing here?!"

"I came to visit you, of course."

"I don’t want to see your face—get out, you fucking trickster!" he spat, slamming a fist onto his armrest.

Varisa tilted her head, a smirk playing on her lips. "What’s wrong now? Are you mad that your grand plan failed so miserably?"

"My plan didn’t fail!" he snarled, standing up as shadow mist surged around his boots. "You and your divine friends fucked everything up! Why are the High Command Gods even back now of all times?! My entire strategy—everything I worked for—was wiped out in a single second! Now this war is utterly pointless! They’re just going to turn back time and swarm this entire world with their disgusting divine lizards!"

"I don’t think they’re going to turn back time this time," Varisa mused softly.

"Oh, they will! They always do!" he shouted, pacing across the dais. "If they don’t, every single nation on this continent will fall! I have infiltrated every major faction with members of the Black Cross! The moment I return to the real world, my puppets die, and the infrastructure collapses!"

Varisa shrugged her golden shoulders. "Well, I can’t do anything about that. Good luck!"

"Where do you think you’re going?!"

"To work," Varisa replied with a pleasant grin. "I have a job, you know. Sticking around while this world fills up with war and whatever monsters the High Gods unleash is none of my concern."

"Tsk... fine. Go on then!"

"I will. Goodbye!" she chuckled, vanishing into a shower of light.

Meanwhile, out in the borderlands, Sky Terror descended through the clouds. The dragon had grown significantly larger, its scales shimmering with the dense aura of a Rank 1 creature.

The moment Sky Terror landed, his glowing yellow eyes locked onto the fallen Inquisitor, and he snapped his massive jaws toward her—instinctively targeting the lingering mana of her sealing collar.

Reacting quickly, the Inquisitor unclasped the broken collar, tossed it into the dirt, and turned to walk away into the ruined woods.

"Aren’t you coming with me?" Yuki called out, watching her back.

She stopped, looking back over her shoulder with empty, tired eyes. "Why? My world is coming to an end. I’ll be gone soon anyway. It’s better if I die here fighting than running away like a coward."

Yuki marched over, grabbed her wrist firmly, and began dragging her back toward the dragon.

"We are leaving this place," Yuki said flatly, ignoring her weak resistance. "Whether your world ends is up to the gods. The System said the Trial is cancelled, but it never said the world is going to be destroyed. Knowing how those administrators operate, they’ll probably just reset everything back to before we arrived. So if you’re planning to die, do it with some dignity as a warrior for your nation—not as some forgotten name in the middle of a forest."

Without waiting for an answer, Yuki hoisted her atop Sky Terror’s saddle and climbed up behind her.

As the dragon took to the skies, heading toward the royal capital, Yuki looked down at the forest below. The massive vanguard of the Mountain Kingdom was slowly carving its way through the borderlands, moving in a thick column that would take months to reach the heartland.

Yet as the days bled together, events didn’t unfold as anyone expected. The High Command Gods didn’t send down legions of monsters to purge the realm. Instead, they completely abandoned the world, allowing the mortal war to rage without divine protection or interference.

After days of continuous flight, Yuki finally crossed the outer defenses of the capital.

Upon landing, the fallen Inquisitor was immediately taken into custody by military officers to be reassigned to the front lines, while Yuki was escorted directly into the high sanctuary of the Saint.

"Yuki!" the Saint greeted him cheerfully the moment he entered, rushing forward to clasp his hands with a warm, radiant smile. "I am so glad you made it back alive!"

"So am I," Yuki panted softly, stretching his sore shoulders. "Is everything okay here? The Mountain Kingdom’s army is advancing rapidly."

"I know," the Saint replied, her tone growing serious. "The kingdom’s generals are already drafting defense plans. But that isn’t why I summoned you here."

"What is it, then?"

"We have discovered a stronghold of heretics planning a massive strike against the capital from within," she explained. "We need every available elite asset to cull them out before the main army arrives."

"Where is their base?"

"Well..."

It had been one full week since Yuki returned to the capital and accepted the emergency assignment.

Now, Yuki stood atop a frosted cliff, staring out into a vast, unforgiving expanse painted completely white by heavy blizzards.

"Of course it’s in the middle of the Northern Wasteland region," Yuki muttered under his breath, adjusting his collar. "Why wouldn’t it be?"

He turned back to face his strike team. Every member was clad in white heavy cloaks draped over silver-and-wool winter armor.

"Just the six of us, huh?" the strike leader remarked, folding his arms as he looked over the edge. "The rest of you eliminate the stragglers. I will take care of the main force. Fay, follow me."

"Sir!" she replied cleanly.

In a flash of silver aura, the leader and Fay leaped off the cliff face, disappearing into the snowstorm below.

"Rank 2 strength, huh?" Vee remarked, her long rabbit ears twitching beneath her fur hood. "They’re at the same rank as Malakai."

"They aren’t as strong as me," Malakai replied smoothly, his glowing golden eyes scanning the white horizon.

"Who knew we’d all be back together again?" Camilla murmured, standing beside her towering demon shadow guardian.

"Yeah, it really is strange," Vee agreed.

"I didn’t think the authorities would allow Malakai in when they let us summon our familiars. But seeing as the world is going to shit, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised." Yuki chuckled

"It’s great to see everyone again... but why am I here?!" Kasumi asked nervously, shivering in her coat. "I can’t fight! and that guy didn’t even acknowledge my existence."

"You’re our communicator, Kasumi, so you don’t need to be on the front lines," Vee pointed out, fluffing her tail.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Kasumi grumbled, stuffing her hands deep into her pockets. "Why are there three Rank 2s assigned to this place anyway? What the hell is hidden down there?"

"It doesn’t matter," Malakai said, a dark smile playing on his lips. "It’s time for us to get to work. I’ll be clearing out the base on the eastern perimeter. Camilla, will you join me?"

"Not a chance," Camilla scoffed, crossing her arms. "I’m staying with Yuki and Vee. You go do your own thing."

With a soft chuckle, Malakai leaned his tall frame down, his pristine white hair falling over Camilla’s face as he looked deep into her purple eyes. He pulled her into a deep, lingering kiss, making her pureblood vampire tail sway rhythmically from side to side.

Once he broke the kiss, Malakai melted into his shadow form, gliding across the snow at blinding speed toward the eastern sector.

"So, you’re at Rank 1 now, huh?" Camilla said, turning her gaze toward Yuki. "Your growth speed is always insane."

"That it is," Yuki said, pulling his daggers. "Now let’s complete this mission."

"See you two on the battlefield!" Camilla called out, leaping off the ridge and spawning her crimson blood warriors beneath her feet to use as falling platforms.

"Terror!" Yuki called out into the sky.

A heavy wind whistled overhead as Sky Terror plummeted through the blizzard, landing heavily beside them on the ridge.

"Drop us off at the main courtyard, then fly back up to guard Kasumi," Yuki instructed.

With a deep rumble, the dragon lowered its wing, allowing Yuki and Vee to scramble onto its back before it launched itself back into the storming skies.