Five months.

That was how long it had taken them to confirm the location of a single anchor site.

Five months of searching through old ruins, cross-checking fragmented records from the destroyed book, analyzing abnormal energy signatures, and surviving one monster-infested region after another. The deeper Grace dug into Earth’s ancient history, the more obvious it became that the anchor sites had never been meant to be found easily. They had been hidden deliberately, buried beneath forgotten civilizations, erased by time, or swallowed by modern development long before humanity ever realized what they truly were.

And now, they had finally found one.

A portal shimmered briefly in the narrow alley before collapsing into nothingness behind them.

Grace stepped out first.

Cold wind swept through the ruined city streets beyond the alleyway, carrying the distant sounds of destruction - roars, collapsing concrete, shrill infected cries echoing through the dead urban landscape. This city in Country J had once been overcrowded with life, light, and movement. Now it looked like a graveyard left to rot beneath a gray sky.

The towering buildings surrounding them were either half-collapsed or overtaken by monstrous vines and fungal growth. Burn marks scarred entire streets, while abandoned vehicles littered the roads below like discarded toys. In the distance, massive silhouettes occasionally moved between the ruined skyscrapers.

Grace slowly lifted her gaze toward the darkened skyline.

Then 2025’s voice filled everyone’s ears.

[Area scan complete.]

Several holographic screens appeared before the team instantly.

[Confirmed hostiles within a 15-kilometer radius:]

[Infected: 18,432.]

[Monster Beasts: 317.]

[Shadow Beasts: 42.]

The numbers alone were enough to make ordinary survivors despair. But then the final line appeared.

[Warning: Two Class 13 Monster Beasts detected.]

The atmosphere shifted immediately.

Behind Grace, twenty-two elite warriors instinctively straightened, their expressions sharpening with caution. Even after years of fighting against these monster beasts, the oppressive energy of higher-class monster beasts still felt unnatural.

Rune let out a slow breath beside her. "Two Class 13s in one territory," he muttered. "That’s new."

Davian’s gaze narrowed slightly as he studied the holographic map. "Not random either. They are both positioned close to the anchor site."

"Guardians," Grace said quietly.

Or what used to be guardians.

According to the ancient book, every anchor site had originally been protected by sacred beasts tied directly to the Veil itself. But after the apocalypse corrupted the planet’s energy, those guardians had transformed into monsters just like everything else.

Now they protected nothing. They simply destroyed.

2025 highlighted a location deep within the city.

[Anchor signature confirmed beneath underground temple structure approximately 11.3 kilometers from current position.]

The moment the map stabilized, a deafening roar echoed across the city. The sound shook entire buildings and dust rained from cracked walls nearby.

One of the warriors immediately turned toward the source. "That didn’t sound like Class 13..."

2025 responded instantly.

[Correct.]

There was a brief pause before it added,

[That was both of them.]

Heavy silence followed, and then Grace smiled. She didn’t look nervous or tense, but excited.

"Perfect," she murmured.

Davian glanced sideways at her and shook his head slightly. "You are enjoying this."

"A little."

Rune snorted softly beside her. "Only a little?"

Grace didn’t defend herself. Instead, she stepped out of the alleyway and into the ruined street beyond. And the moment she did, the air changed. Power rolled off her body in invisible waves, subtle but impossible to ignore. Even restrained, the pressure of a Celestial Monarch distorted the surrounding energy currents.

Far above the city, something screeched. And a massive shadow crossed overhead.

2025 reacted immediately.

[Flying hostiles approaching.]

The sky exploded. Winged monster beasts descended from between the ruined skyscrapers like a living storm, their shrieks piercing the air as dozens of corrupted creatures locked onto the sudden presence of living humans.

"Formation!" Rune barked instantly.

The twenty-two warriors moved without hesitation, spreading out into defensive positions around Grace and the others.

But Grace lifted a hand calmly.

"No need."

The next second, darkness surged behind her and four massive summoning circles erupted open simultaneously.

The first creature to emerge was the Vermillion Bird, its enormous flaming wings spreading wide enough to blot out the ruined street beneath blazing crimson fire. Heat exploded outward as the beast released a sharp cry that made the approaching monsters falter midair.

Then came the Shadow Frost Fox with silver-blue mist curling around its body as frost spread across the broken asphalt beneath its paws.

The Flying Snow Lion descended next, massive white wings unfurling with a roar powerful enough to crack nearby windows.

And finally, the Thunderclaw Leopard appeared in a burst of violet lightning, electricity dancing violently across its massive black body.

The pressure from four high-class shadow beasts instantly shook the battlefield. But then, everything went still as the final summoning circle opened and the world itself seemed to tremble.

A colossal golden eye slowly appeared within the darkness. Then another... and the dragon emerged.

Its enormous body coiled through the air like a living calamity, black scales glimmering beneath streaks of crimson energy. The sheer pressure of the Class 16 creature slammed into the city like a tidal wave.

Buildings cracked. Monster beasts and infected froze. Even the sky seemed darker beneath its presence.

One of the warriors swallowed hard despite himself. "...Every time I see that thing," he muttered, "I understand a little better why humans fear dragons in every world."

The dragon lowered its massive head slightly toward Grace, waiting obediently. And Grace smiled. "Destroy them."

The city erupted into chaos.

The Vermillion Bird launched first, becoming a streak of living fire as it tore through the descending flying monsters. Explosions filled the sky one after another as entire groups of beasts were incinerated instantly.

The Thunderclaw Leopard vanished in a burst of lightning before reappearing atop a distant building, tearing through infected hordes fast enough that only flashes of purple electricity remained visible.

The Flying Snow Lion descended directly into the streets below, its freezing breath swallowing entire blocks in ice before crushing frozen monsters beneath its claws.

Meanwhile, the Shadow Frost Fox unleashed waves of icy mist that spread like death itself, slowing, freezing, and shattering everything caught within its range.

And above them all, the dragon moved, taking down infected, and shadow and monster beasts with its fire. Buildings, monsters, streets - everything in its path vanished beneath overwhelming destructive force.

The elite warriors could only stare. Even after years beside Grace, moments like this still reminded them of one terrifying truth - their leader wasn’t simply strong, she existed beyond the limits of this universe entirely.

Finally, Grace decided to join the battle as well.

The ground beneath her feet cracked as she shot forward like a meteor, her body cloaked in swirling celestial energy. She crossed hundreds of meters instantly before colliding directly with the first Class 13 monster beast emerging from between two ruined skyscrapers.

The creature resembled a massive corrupted serpent covered in black crystalline armor, its body large enough to coil around entire buildings.

It never got the chance.

Grace punched forward, and the impact detonated the surrounding city block.

The serpent’s head exploded instantly beneath overwhelming force, its enormous body crashing lifelessly through several collapsing towers behind it.

Silence followed for exactly one second, then the second Class 13 beast roared from somewhere deep within the city.

And Grace slowly turned toward it. Her eyes glowed faintly as she spoke, "Your turn."