Boom…

The ground quivered, vibrations spreading in waves as rocks and stones shattered into dust. Loud screams rang out as mortals fled in panic.

From children to adults, they all searched for cover but found none. Everywhere had become a danger zone.

Boom…

Bammm!

Buildings collapsed as rivers reversed their flow.

"Charge! Push them back!" a loud voice echoed as multiple figures shot into the sky, their auras shaking the surroundings.

Each of them radiated a faint domain, distorting the environment. Trees bent, plants withered.

Various King Realm experts moved, clashing with the incoming enemy.

Badoooooom!

The air ruptured. Across miles, eardrums burst, and mortals bled from their seven orifices before collapsing to the ground.....dead.

Corpses… piled upon corpses.

The secret organization had finally attacked.

The war had begun.

"Please… my mom… she's trapped under the rock…"

A little girl crawled toward a Gold Realm expert.

The man frowned as he looked at the massive boulder.

"Kid, don't worry. Your mom will be saved but you must run away immediately," he said with a reassuring smile.

It would be a miracle if she isn't already crushed into meat paste… he thought grimly.

Splat…

In the next instant, the man exploded into a mist of blood, raining down onto the girl's face.

Her eyes widened as her body trembled. Her fingers shook uncontrollably, her face drenched in fresh blood.

She could taste it… the thick, metallic scent filling her nose.

Her memories flashed, her mother being crushed beneath the boulder.

"Mister…?"

She looked ahead.

All that remained was mangled flesh, shattered bones, and torn ligaments.

Bang!

A supersonic shockwave rang out, shattering nearby glass.

Buildings trembled, tilting to the side.

Crack…

Crackkkk…

Craaackkk…

Deep fractures spread from the base of the structures.

And then—

Dooom…

They collapsed one after another.

One of them fell toward her.

"I…"

The girl froze as a massive shadow engulfed her.

The sun disappeared. Darkness swallowed everything.

Vroooom…

A violent wind pressed against her face as gravity dragged her downward.

With each passing moment, the building accelerated, its force bearing down on her.

Her body heated up, her pupils dilated, her heart pounded wildly as adrenaline surged.

She tried to move

But her legs gave out.

Her head lifted up as she looked at the crashing building.

" I will be saved right ?".., she whispered as a single tear fell from her eyes.

DOOOOOOM!

The building crashed down, crushing her instantly.

Like a chain reaction, nearby buildings followed.

Across the battlefield,

No… everywhere had become a battlefield.

From great cities to small villages, sonic booms echoed endlessly.

People screamed.

Death spread.

The sky darkened as the world plunged into chaos.

The ground turned crimson, soaked in blood.

No one had expected this.

The organization that had been retreating under Calus's assault…

Had suddenly risen again.

And now, they were attacking.

---

"Your Majesty, the Western Continent has been compromised!"

"Your Majesty, the Eastern Continent has fallen! People are being turned into blood-sucking monsters!"

"Sir, the Northern Continent requests reinforcements!"

"Your Majesty, the Southern Continent is under pressure! The Vice Minister seeks an audience!"

"Your Highness, the eastern front has been breached!"

The throne room, once majestic and filled with silence and reverence was now no different from a chaotic marketplace.

Reports came in endlessly.

All of them bad.

More losses. More collapse. More death.

"How…?"

A deep voice echoed, silencing the room instantly.

"How did this happen? How could we fail? And where is Calus?"

The king's eyes were bloodshot as he questioned his ministers and generals.

"Your Majesty… they have evolved

that toxin. They can now control our civilians on a massive scale. Not just them, even our fighters… from low-level warriors to King Realm experts… have fallen under their control."

The general stepped forward, his voice trembling.

"They've been contaminated…

Now the organization doesn't even need to deploy troops…

We are fighting ourselves."

The king took a deep breath, his head ringing.

"Your Majesty… as for Calus… he has vanished. He was last seen in Genoka City… and now he's gone. I fear they may have—"

The general stopped midway, unable to finish.

The king's mind drifted.

How could this happen…?

Calus…

The kingdom's strongest King Realm warrior.

A one-man army.

He had fought thousands…

Battled dozens of King Realm experts…

Killed eight… and crippled over fifteen more.

How could such a monster fall into the hands of the organization?

"Your Majesty… you must decide. Time is precious," an aged scholar pleaded, sweat dripping from his face, fear evident in his voice.

Silence filled the hall.

All eyes turned to the king.

Sweat poured down his face.

The air was cool but he felt suffocated.

Burning even.

"I…"

He spoke at last.

Everyone tensed.

"Pull back."

"…Pull back to the Central Kingdom."

"All surviving experts, from east, west, north, and south must retreat."

"We will fortify this land… build our defenses… and make our final stand here."

His teeth clenched.

"This is our last city… our home… our ancestral ground."

He paused.

Then, coldly

"As for those who have been turned…"

"Kill them."

"They are no longer human."

Silence.

So deep… a pin drop could be heard.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" they shouted as everyone bowed and walked out, ready to obey the king's orders.

Inside the throne room, silence finally returned as the king was left alone, his eyes dazed.

He just couldn't believe it. Even when they launched the attack that led to his wife's death… it wasn't this severe. Nothing like this had ever happened. This organization… they were terrifying.

The kingdom was falling apart, and he could do nothing about it.

And the face of the kingdom, the number one expert who had reached the peak of the King Realm some even said he had stepped into the Half-God Realm, or perhaps even the God Realm… had mysteriously disappeared.

He refused to believe Calus was dead.

No… he couldn't dare imagine that.

No. No…

"Father…"

Just as the king's thoughts spiraled out of control, a familiar voice called out. He turned to his side.

The apple of his eye… his darling rose in a garden of lilies.

"Arie… what are you doing here?" the king asked, sitting up and trying to regain his composure.

But the moment Arie saw his face…

Her heart sank.

When had her father ever looked this shaken?

This was far more serious than she had imagined.

"I want to fight too," Arie said.

The king choked, coughing in shock.

"No! Absolutely not. It's too dangerous. Even Calus… he—"

The king stopped abruptly.

He shouldn't have said that.

But it was too late.

"I heard it… and that's exactly why I need to stand up," Arie replied firmly. "Mabi and Calus are gone, and I'm the third strongest. I have to step up now."

Her fingers nervously played with her gown.

"No, Arie. And that's final," the king said with a frown.

"I promised your mother I would keep you safe. I've already lost a piece of my heart once… I don't think I can survive losing you too."

"Father…"

"I'm not a child anymore," Arie said.

A powerful aura burst out from her body

The aura of a Half-God.