The area around the Everlight Moon Guild had grown heavy, not just because of the presence of thousands of Awakened who had surrounded the entire guild in a deadly silence
But because of the pressure flowing through the air itself. The mana had become so dense that it made breathing difficult for weaker individuals.
The reason was simple. Thousands, even tens of thousands of Awakened had gathered in one place. Their individual levels didn’t matter, just their collective presence was enough to weigh down the atmosphere.
In the distance, a massive army, like a black wave, had completely surrounded the guild’s territory. The flags of the Goblin Guild were raised among them, and endless lines of their forces stretched as far as the eye could see.
Their auras were fully released, creating a terrifying atmosphere for dozens of kilometers, as if the sky itself was about to collapse at any moment.
Their auras carried anger and killing intent.
Above the guild walls stood Varnos, his gaze cold and emotionless, as if this scene was not unfamiliar to him, as if he had been waiting for such a day for a long time.
However, a trace of worry still lingered deep in his eyes. Even though he had tried to give confidence to his guild, he himself knew that the chances of defeat were far higher than victory.
It wasn’t just about numbers. The real problem was that the enemy had a Heavenly King, while his father had still not reached that level.
He had contacted his father and informed him of the situation, and to his surprise, his father had only said: endure.
On the other side of the battlefield, a man stepped forward.
The leader of the Goblin Guild.
With every step he took, the ground beneath him trembled slightly, and the surrounding mana moved in an unnatural way, as if space itself was reacting to his presence.
Several powerful commanders stood behind him, each with an aura far beyond ordinary individuals.
His eyes locked onto Varnos.
"I didn’t think that after what you did, you would still dare to stand in front of me."
His voice was calm, but there was a depth of anger in it that was impossible to ignore.
"You should be grateful you’re still alive. If it weren’t for those ridiculous tricks, you’d already be dead," Varnos said mockingly.
A moment of silence.
"You talk too much for someone who ran away," a cold smile formed on Alaric’s lips.
"The successor of the Goblin Guild is dead... and now you think this ends here?"
"It was the result of his own greed and stupidity."
This time, the silence grew even heavier.
The pressure in the air increased, as if both sides were on the verge of exploding, yet neither made the first move.
Why?
Because both sides knew that time was the most important factor at this moment.
Inside the guild, dozens and even hundreds of mages and array specialists were working. Lines of light spread across the ground, complex symbols activated one after another, and massive magic circles formed across different sections of the guild.
Without taking his eyes off the enemy, Varnos gave a firm command:
"Fully activate Celestial Aegis, no weak points."
At that moment, the ground trembled. Then a massive beam of light shot from deep within the guild into the sky.
Several layers of transparent, glowing energy rapidly expanded, and within seconds, a massive dome covered the entire guild like a shield separating them from the outside world.
But this was only the beginning.
A few moments later, the leader of the Goblin Guild raised his hand.
Then brought it down.
"Attack."
An explosion. In an instant, the sky turned into a battlefield.
A rain of skills, spells, and destructive attacks poured down from the Goblin army toward the glowing dome. Waves of energy, each capable of turning buildings into ash, continuously crashed against the Celestial Aegis.
The dome trembled.
But it did not break.
Inside the guild, shouts and reports echoed one after another.
"The western line is under heavy pressure!"
"Array energy at eighty-five percent!"
Another explosion.
"Seventy percent!"
Cracks of light appeared across the surface of the dome, thin, but clearly visible. This attack... was not ordinary. The enemy had come fully prepared.
At the same time, deep within the guild, there was an entrance to another dimension, a place where a large hall had quickly turned into a command center. Massive maps covered the walls, information was being transmitted in real time, and several commanders were making critical decisions.
Aron Velsar, a man with a cold, military-like face who was in charge of the defensive forces, issued orders without hesitation.
"Focus the defensive units on the west. Don’t let the pressure increase."
Beside him, Serah Lunaris stared sharply at the data.
"If this continues, Celestial Aegis won’t last more than ten minutes."
Celestial Aegis was one of their greatest weapons and trump cards, a powerful array built at enormous cost to protect the guild.
It could even withstand five attacks from a Heavenly King. In other words, it was one of the strongest defenses in the entire country, with very few rivals.
The reason for activating it was clear. They were not afraid of war, but unlike the enemy, they were not fully prepared yet, and they needed to establish a structure before entering direct combat.
Darius Kane, the commander of the offensive forces, stepped forward with a fierce grin.
"Then why are we still here? Just give the order, I’ll crush half their army myself."
Before anyone could respond, a calm voice came from the corner of the room.
"None of them."
All eyes turned toward Daniel.
He was lying on the sofa as if nothing was happening outside, but when he raised his gaze, there was a coldness in his eyes that made even Darius fall silent.
Varnos raised an eyebrow.
"Daniel, which sector do you want to take?"
"None."
Silence.
Daniel slowly sat up. He didn’t know any of the people in this room.
In fact, he had never had much interaction with his own guild. He only knew Varnos and Lana well.
And now, in this war room, he had met the other S-rank members of the guild. All of them were in Early S-rank, and compared to him, they had nothing to say.
"I prefer to act alone... I’ll lead my Fallen myself."
A few people wanted to object, but Varnos raised his hand.
"Fine."
At that moment, Elira Vas, the woman responsible for data analysis and intelligence command, who had been silently observing the information until now, suddenly raised her head.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Something’s not right..."
Everyone looked at her.
"Inside the guild... we’re detecting abnormal mana fluctuations."
A few seconds of silence.
Then—
A scream.
In one corner of the hall, one of the Awakened suddenly dropped to his knees. His body began to tremble, and when he lifted his head...
His eyes were no longer normal.
Dark. Empty.
Insane.
"What—?!"
Before anyone could react, he lunged at the nearest person with unnatural speed.
Blood.
Screams.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds, several guild members began attacking those around them like madmen. Their movements were ruthless, without hesitation, as if they had completely lost control.
"What are they doing?!"
"They’ve gone crazy!"
But Elira, her face pale, shook her head.
"No... this isn’t madness. This is controlled!"