[Steve’s PoV]
I stood at the edge of the ruined capital, far from where the palace once stood. Now, it was nothing but rubble and smoke rising into the sky.
"Fucking old bastards," I muttered under my breath. "Can’t you see there are weaker people down here?"
BOOM!
Another explosion tore through the air. The sound rattled my bones as a shockwave rolled out like a living wall, devouring everything in its path.
"Brace for impact!" North shouted at my side.
I almost rolled my eyes. As if bracing would help. I could see death itself rushing toward me, a wave of raw force tearing through stone and flesh.
I stepped forward. My hand tightened on the hilt, and with one clean motion, I swung my sword.
The blade cut through the shockwave with a sharp, ringing sound. Essence surged out with the strike, splitting the force apart. The wave broke against me, split into harmless currents that curved around my body before vanishing into the streets around me.
But not everything survived. Buildings behind me flattened like paper houses. Dust rose in thick clouds. I heard screams cut short, people thrown like rag dolls, blood spraying the broken streets.
I grit my teeth. Every clash of these grandmasters was killing the very people who had no part in this war. And all I could think was, how many more would be buried before this day was done?
I couldn’t help but wonder if this was how it had felt when we lost two continents in the last war. The screams, the falling buildings, the waves of destruction tearing through streets, how many countless people had died the same way back then?
I raised my head and looked to the sky. The last shockwave had come from nothing more than a clash between the two Emperors. Just their skills meeting had torn the land apart.
My gaze shifted to Saturn Max. The man stood there as if none of this chaos touched him. His capital was burning to the ground, yet he looked calm, almost detached. I had expected him to go mad with rage, to lash out at everything in sight but no. He was still. Emperors weren’t normal men. They were built differently.
Then my eyes caught Hazel. She had unleashed hundreds of swords only moments ago, and in doing so, she had nearly erased a fifth of the capital by herself. She looked wild, dangerous, like she was slipping further away with every swing. That was why I kept my distance. Staying far from her felt safer, even though she was on our side.
For a moment, I asked myself what the hell we were even doing here. Was this really a battle we were meant to fight?
Above me, a black crow circled. One of Edgar’s creations, always watching to keep us safe.
"Snap out of it." North’s fist tapped against my shoulder, dragging me out of my thoughts.
"This is just insane," I said, my voice sharp. "There’s no order to this fight. What are we even supposed to do here? Look at Silver. He’s not doing anything, just circling up there like a lost bird. There’s no one left for him to fight."
I tilted my head back and stared at the giant hawk soaring above us, wings stretched wide as it kept a steady path around the warring Emperors.
North sighed. "He’s doing exactly what Billion asked. Didn’t you say Billion told him to keep an eye on Saturn? That’s all he’s doing."
I scoffed. "So that means he’s at least doing something. We’re the only ones unemployed here."
"Why say that? There are plenty of Masters around," North shot back. "I’m going after my quest. You should do the same."
"So your plan is, find random masters and kill them?" I asked.
She gave a small, knowing nod. "Yes. Kill or be killed. Simple."
Before I could argue, North had already flashed forward, streaking toward a distant building that looked like some kind of official headquarters.
I stayed where I was for a heartbeat, raising my sword and staring at its dark edge. "Kill or be killed..." I muttered, the words heavy on my tongue. My mind drifted to the line etched into my class description.
You are the abyss at the end of all paths.
"Death is what completes a person," I whispered, and my knees bent as Essence gathered under my feet. I shot forward, rushing past North with a burst of speed, my thoughts stripped down to a single point, my quest.
The ruined streets blurred beneath me.
I leapt over piles of shattered stone and broken metals before landing hard in the open yard of the building still standing against the chaos.
Up close, I realized it wasn’t just any structure, it belonged to one of their strange factions, banners half-burned and swaying in the heated air.
I scanned the courtyard, my eyes sharp and searching, until they locked on a figure rushing out through the cracked doorway. A master-ranked fighter, his Essence flaring weakly as he tried to flee.
I didn’t let myself think. I didn’t scan the man. I didn’t let doubt breathe. My quest ruled me.
"[Abyss Severance]," I called the skill.
Lightning rippled across my body, wrapping my limbs in a storm’s embrace. My vision tunneled, sharpening until there was only his neck, the line where life would break. Everything else fell away.
I raised my foot ever so slightly, and in the same instant, I vanished from my place. Air split with my movement, the storm carrying me faster than sight could follow.
A sharp exhale left me as I reappeared behind him. The glow of my blade dimmed, and silence stretched for half a breath. Then his head slid from his shoulders, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
His body stumbled once before collapsing, and I lowered my sword, the crackle of lightning fading into nothing.
I turned, staring at the headless body crumpled on the ground. The cut was clean, too clean. My blade carried no blood, only the faint hum of Essence. Yet something was missing. I knew it. A million swings still waited before I could call it perfect.
"That was fast," North said from behind me.
I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the building’s entrance. "Not fast enough. Let’s go inside."
We had only taken two steps forward when a sharp, piercing whistle cut through the air. My instincts flared.
"Watch out!" Edgar’s voice rang out as he suddenly appeared behind us.
Before I could react, the world dimmed. His shadows surged forward, wrapping around us like a cloak, and in an instant, my vision darkened.