The ground cracked as the area around the palace shook.

Her aura flowed as her silver hair and pale skin blended together, forming the image of an ice queen.

The temperature dropped drastically as the king gulped.

His daughter had far surpassed him… by a lot. He hadn't even realized she had become this strong.

"Father… will you allow me to leave now?" Arie asked, her eyes shimmering with silver light.

She smiled as she levitated a few feet above the ground.

"Arie…"

The king wanted to argue, but when he looked at his daughter… he smiled instead.

The king stood up, his aura spreading outward.

Diamond Realm… then King Realm…

King Realm, one star…

Two star…

Three…

Six…

Nine-star King Realm.

Peak.

The king gripped his throne as a gray, granite-like sword appeared in his hand.

A terrifying killing intent spread outward as the throne room trembled.

"It seems they have forgotten who I was in my youth…" the king said with a wicked smile.

Arie laughed softly.

"Then let's show them. Our kingdom isn't one to be messed with so easily," Arie said.

The king laughed.

"Awaken, ancestors of the royal family!"

His voice layered outward as space cracked, and terrifying auras, no weaker than peak King Realm emerged.

Some were even at the Half-God Realm… and a few beyond that.

And with that

The war truly began.

******

Meanwhile…

"Spat…"

Calus spat out blood as his hair fell messily over his face.

Fre slowly pulled back his fist, grinning.

"You're finally quiet, huh? Yes… accept it. Let the guilt of killing my sister consume you," Fre said with a bright smile.

Bang!

Another punch slammed into Calus's gut, forcing him to bend over but he remained silent.

---

Days turned into weeks…

Weeks turned into months…

The war reached its peak.

And after nearly a year, Calus finally saw sunlight again.

Fre dragged him forward to witness the organization's victory.

They landed on a cliff.

Opposite them stood the remaining powerhouses

Teachers from the Genius Academy… former colleagues…

And familiar faces…

Arie.

The king.

All of them were wounded to varying degrees.

But their eyes burned with rage toward the organization.

"I present to you… the number one expert of the kingdom," Fre announced.

Seeing their stubborn resistance, he smirked and removed the cloth covering Calus's face.

Gasps filled the air.

Their eyes widened. Their bodies trembled.

"Impossible…"

They couldn't believe it.

Calus…

Looked broken.

Thin… starved…

Heavy chains bound his body.

Parts of his flesh were torn open, deep wounds covering him entirely.

Clang…

Clang…

One weapon dropped.

Then another.

One by one… they all knelt.

All hope… shattered.

Calus wasn't dead.

He had been captured.

Tortured.

This organization… was truly unstoppable.

"I told you… I would take everything from you," Fre muttered.

He stepped forward and grabbed one of Calus's former colleagues.

Slash!

The head fell. Blood sprayed.

But everyone… looked only at Calus.

He didn't react.

He didn't move.

Their despair deepened.

"See? He doesn't care about you," Fre said with a smile.

"He watches you die… yet shows no rage. No sadness. No reaction. You mean nothing to him."

Their heads lowered even further.

Slash… splurt…

Slash… splurt…

One by one…

Friends… colleagues… acquaintances…

All were slaughtered.

Their blood painted the battlefield.

Calus still didn't move.

Fre smiled wider.

Finally… only two remained.

The king.

And Arie.

"Will you still not move… if I kill the princess?" Fre asked.

Calus moved.

His body trembled.

"Don't…"

A low, raspy, beast-like voice escaped his mouth.

Fre laughed.

"Watch me."

Fre grabbed Arie's chin, forcing her to look up.

Another follower lifted Calus's head, forcing him to watch.

Crack…

A faint sound echoed.

Calus's power began to boil.

The seal… was breaking.

The chains binding him started to crack.

But no one noticed.

Slashhhhh—

A slow, clean cut.

Silence fell.

A thin red line appeared across Arie's neck

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Splurt…

Blood sprayed… some landing on Calus's face.

Her eyes lost their light.

Her body fell.

Thud.

Calus's mouth opened

"FRE!!!"

His surroundings distorted.

Glitch…

A vision overlapped reality.

The king and Arie lay dead…

Smoke filled the sky…

Corpses everywhere…

The world shattered.

Calus snapped back.

His rage exploded.

His aura surged.

(+10,000)

(Congratulations, Host. You have reached the peak of the God Realm.)

The chains shattered.

Crack—

BOOM!

A violent shockwave erupted, blasting everyone away.

They crashed to the ground as an overwhelming pressure forced them to kneel.

BAM!

Glitch…

Another vision.

Fre… Mabi… Arie…

Together.

Millions attacking him.

Glitch…

Blood covered everything.

Calus shook his head, eyes filled with pure bloodlust.

He ignored the visions.

His target… was Fre.

Boom!

The followers around him exploded into blood mist.

Even the king's body shattered

Fre choked as an invisible force crushed him.

"You pushed me to my limits… again and again," Calus said coldly.

"You killed Mabi… you killed my daughter, Eva… then created a clone—Lina—and turned her against me…"

"You are despicable."

"I hate you."

"You were never my brother."

His arm pierced into Fre's chest, twisting.

Fre coughed violently, his face contorting in agony.

"Bitch…,

bastard… I hate you too…" Fre spat, gripping Calus's arm.

"Dad…"

"Papa…"

"Honey…"

Voices of Mabi, Lina, and Eva mixed together as Calus felt empty, overwhelming hurt and pain consuming him.

"Calus…"

A faint voice echoed.

Calus's eyes burned like fire as the image of Arie being killed before him replayed in his mind.

Glitch…

Glitch…

Hiss…

Everything blurred.

Calus looked around.

The surroundings had changed.

And Fre stood before him.

"Bro… brother… I love you…"

Fre slowly closed his eyes… and lost his life.

Calus's eyes widened as he stared at Fre's back.

Bodies…

Endless bodies…

Millions of them lay dead.

And they were all people he knew.

The king…

Arie…

Even Mabi…

All dead.

One by one, his mind rang with confusion.

None of them had died like this…

So what happened?

How could this be?

This was impossible.

Slide…

Thud…

Fre's body fell to the ground.

Silence echoed.

Calus saw figures wearing masks, their bodies dismembered.

They were the leaders of the organization in his last life.

And now…

He saw Mabi's corpse lying behind Fre.

They weren't on a cliff anymore.

They stood in an open, endless space.

What was happening?

How could this be?

Was everything he experienced… a lie?

And…

Did he just hear Fre say he loved him?

…Was he dreaming?