Outside, Saturn lifted his massive greatsword onto his shoulder and spoke with calm authority.
"Let’s go."
With that, he jumped onto my staff and strode forward, flying straight into the tunnel without hesitation.
I smiled faintly and flashed forward myself, appearing directly within the devouring flame wall.
’[Absolute Domain].’
I willed the command, and in the blink of an eye my domain spread everywhere. The castle, the cemetery, the walls, the flames, every stone, every breath of air was now within my domain.
One by one, the grandmasters followed Saturn’s lead, their figures rushing down the tunnel before landing at the start of the cemetery.
Saturn’s black-clad guards stayed close, forming a tight circle around their emperor. They scanned their surroundings with sharp eyes, their excitement plain as they caught sight of the towering walls and the fortress beyond.
Roland stepped forward with rehearsed confidence, though I could feel the nervousness under his mask.
He pointed toward Ragnar and Knight, his voice steady.
"Your majesty, those are the guardian beasts I spoke of."
Saturn’s gaze settled on Ragnar, then Knight, his eyes narrowing.
"You said there were two."
Roland froze for half a breath, caught off guard. His eyes swept the battlefield again, and only then did he notice Lyrate sitting on her newly conjured throne, her presence impossible to miss.
"We... faced only two of them," he muttered quickly, trying to mask his unease.
Saturn’s frown deepened.
"So, two of them wiped out five grandmasters, and now there is a third...a strange elf woman."
The air grew tense. Tension rippled through the gathered grandmasters, their faces tightening.
Even the black guards shifted subtly, gripping their weapons more firmly.
But then Saturn chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that broke the tension. His lips curled into a faint grin.
"This is getting interesting. At first, I thought you had set a trap for me, Roland. But now... it seems even you are surprised."
Roland’s eyes widened slightly, but he forced himself to remain composed. He bowed his head and replied firmly, though I caught the edge of fear in his tone.
"No, your majesty. I would never dare," Roland answered, his voice low.
Saturn only chuckled again, the sound deep and unsettling.
"I am the emperor, Roland, not a fool. Enough talk...we have a situation to deal with first."
He stepped forward, his greatsword sweeping in a wide arc. The air screamed as a massive blade of wind tore out from the swing, flying straight toward Ragnar and Knight who stood firmly in the center of the cemetery.
Ragnar scoffed, unimpressed. He took one heavy step forward and swung his fist. The impact shook the ground. A booming sound echoed through the graveyard as the wind-blade shattered apart, scattering into nothing more than dust and debris.
He rested his massive club on his shoulder, his deep voice rumbling along the echoing thunder from the clouds above.
"Now tell me," Ragnar growled, "will you come at me one by one or all at once?"
Saturn’s lips curled into a sharp scoff.
"Arrogant beast. Porus, Karu!"
At once, two of the strongest grandmasters in his force stepped forward. Both men were old, but the weight of their power filled the air, bending it around them as Essence surged like a raging tide.
Porus raised his hand and traced a slow circle in the air, his lips whispering an incantation.
"Endless Light."
From the circle, a blinding beam erupted, pure and powerful. It cut through the air like a white-hot spear, tearing straight toward Ragnar’s chest.
At the same moment, Karu clenched his fist, Essence boiling around him.
With a roar, he hurled a punch forward. Ripples spread from his knuckles like shockwaves, and from them a colossal maw of burning fire erupted. It opened wide, snarling like a beast of flame, and rushed down upon Knight with murderous hunger.
Ragnar’s fist clenched, silver light blooming around it like liquid metal. His lips curled back, and in a low growl he muttered, "Zero Dispersion."
He threw the punch forward.
A colossal fist of pure silver glow exploded outward, surging across the cemetery.
It struck both attacks at once, the blazing beam of light and the roaring maw of fire and the moment they touched, both were erased as if they had never existed.
BOOM!!!!
The air detonated with a deafening boom, the shockwave blasting across the ground, uprooting dust and shaking every loose stone.
Porus and Karu staggered back. Even Saturn narrowed his eyes.
Ragnar took two heavy steps forward, each footfall cracking the ground beneath. His booming laughter rolled out like thunder.
"Come at me all at once, you cowards!"
And before any of them could move, his figure blurred. Ragnar flashed forward, reappearing in the very heart of the Black Guards’ formation. His massive club swung in a vicious arc, aimed straight at Saturn’s skull.
Saturn roared, fury tearing from his chest. His greatsword came up in a desperate, blazing motion, metal clashing against metal.
The impact landed.
BOOM!!!!
A sound like a mountain shattering echoed through the cemetery. The ground caved in, forming a wide crater as Saturn was forced down to one knee. His face twisted with strain, his arms trembling against the sheer, monstrous weight pressing against him.
Ragnar’s grin stretched wide. He leaned close, his voice thick with mockery.
"You call yourself an emperor?"
Before Saturn could even respond, Ragnar’s leg whipped upward. His knee slammed into Saturn’s jaw with brutal force, snapping the emperor’s head back. Saturn’s massive body was flung like a broken doll, crashing across the cracked stone and tearing a deep furrow through the earth.
The Black Guards finally reacted, their eyes burning with fury. All of of them surged forward, weapons raised, killing intent blazing.
But Ragnar was already gone.
Crimson mist rolled from his body, and he flashed past them all in a blur. By the time their weapon cut through empty air, Ragnar had already appeared in front of Roland.
Before the man could even gasp, Ragnar’s knee crashed into his chest.
The impact was instant, absolute. Roland’s body burst apart in a violent explosion of blood and flesh, fragments scattering through the air like broken glass. The sound of it cut the battlefield like a whip crack.
And then silence fell.
Every grandmaster, every black guard froze where they stood. Eyes wide, breaths caught in their throats, no one dared to move. The dust slowly drifted down, settling over the graveyard.
Only Ragnar stood tall, crimson mist still rolling off his body, his grin splitting wider with each passing heartbeat.
The battlefield itself seemed to hold its breath.
Roland’s corpse had barely scattered across the ground when Ragnar raised his leg slightly. Then, with sudden force, he slammed it against the earth.
A deep boom rang out as a strange ripple spread through the cemetery. The gravity twisted and thickened, dragging even the strongest grandmasters lower, forcing their knees to bend under the sudden pressure.
Saturn, who had been flung far across the ground, stood again. His jaw was bleeding and dust clung to his bald head, but his greatsword was still firm in his grip. His voice roared like a horn.
"Together!"