Isaac immediately pulled out his phone, something he hadn’t touched in what felt like an eternity. His fingers quickly moved across the screen as he dialed his father’s number, eager to tell his family the same thing Yuris had just declared with a laugh.
He was alive!
He hadn’t gone to meet his grandma in heaven!
Charles had no one to call, so he simply walked over to Skyler’s side, watching the others with a faint smile. Zack didn’t have anyone to call either. After all, the original body had been abandoned by his family.
As for Austin, his gaze swept across the surroundings, searching for any familiar faces. Though Max had entered the Battle Royal like them, Jenny, Elena, and Monica should still be around, right? It had been so long since he had last seen the three girls that any trace of hostility he once felt had long since disappeared. Now, he simply wanted to see a few familiar faces again.
But the surroundings were eerily quiet.
The once-bustling area was completely deserted. Austin’s expression sank as he spread his Evol in all directions, searching for any signs of life. However, despite the academy’s huge size, it was really empty.
"What’s going on?"
His words drew everyone’s attention.
They, too, noticed that something was terribly wrong. But before anyone could rush off to investigate, wondering if their powers were not working, Skyler spoke.
"No need to look. The academy is really empty. There’s no one here."
His eyes narrowed slightly as his gaze drifted toward the distant horizon, in the direction of the Dwarven Continent. Faint tremors echoed through the air from afar, with dark clouds rising into the sky. If he hadn’t been powerful, he wouldn’t have noticed them at all due to the distance.
"Even in the city where Starlight Academy is located, I can only detect ordinary people. I can’t detect a single individual with Evol."
At that very moment, Isaac’s panicked, distressed voice rang out from behind.
"I can’t reach my Dad! There’s no way he’d ignore my calls after knowing where I went. Unless... something terrible has happened."
Skyler’s expression suddenly darkened.
Without another word, his tall figure vanished toward the Dwarven Continent. Only his chilling words lingered in the air.
"We’re late... The war has already begun!"
Yuris and the others exchanged shocked glances before quickly giving chase. One after another, they streaked through the sky like invisible gusts of wind, moving so fast that no one could perceive their presence.
Zack was the most shocked.
In the original novel, Eldoria wasn’t supposed to be attacked this soon!
Even after someone reached the Divine Rank in the original timeline, it had taken several months before chaos descended.
So... why was it happening so early now?
It didn’t take long for the group to leave the Human Continent and reach the borders of the Dwarven Continent, a land encircled by an endless expanse of forests. Even before they crossed the tall walls surrounding the vast continent, they could already hear the deafening screams and thunderous sounds of battle. The instant they passed through, every one of them came to an abrupt halt.
The blood-soaked battlefield unfolding before them was nothing short of hell.
The sky above the center of the Dwarven Continent had shattered. Endless cracks spiderwebbed, pulsing as if alive around a massive black void. Thick crimson clouds churned around the void, swallowing every trace of light until the continent below was engulfed in an ominous blood-red gloom.
From the dark void, countless grotesque creatures continuously poured out, their bodies twisting and writhing unnaturally.
Commanding them were human-like dark beings riding large flying skeletal dragons, laughing as though they were enjoying the scene while directing the endless horde.
Below, in a sea of blood, forming a large circle around the area directly beneath the dark void—which was showing clear signs of expanding as the sky continued to crack—countless powerful individuals from every race stood, unleashing the full extent of their strength to slaughter the monsters and hold the endless horde at bay.
Close behind them stood several more defensive lines, manned by elite soldiers, members of famous guilds, mercenaries, and experienced Lights, ready to reinforce any section of the battlefield where the front line showed signs of collapsing.
At the very rear stood countless students clad in uniforms from various academies.
Under the command of their instructors, they assisted in evacuating the wounded, provided support with long-range attacks, and stepped into the fight whenever they had the stamina to contribute to the war.
Yet it wasn’t enough.
For every dark creature that fell, dozens more crawled out from the shattered sky.
The battlefield was littered with broken weapons, shattered armor, and corpses.
Agonized screams echoed across the continent. Some were swallowed whole before they could even cry for help, while others disappeared beneath the endless tide of monsters pouring from the sky.
What made the hearts of those battling sink even further was the horrifying truth that those dark creatures were devouring everything in their path. The dead, the living, shattered buildings, grass, trees, even the very earth itself—they consumed it all.
And with every bite, their grotesque bodies swelled larger and more monstrous, their auras growing heavier and more terrifying.
Yet, no matter how many were killed...
Their numbers only continued to increase.
Austin’s eyes trembled.
"This..."
Skyler’s voice interrupted him, his gaze remaining fixed on the large void above.
"Two days..."
He muttered.
"The enemies descended two days ago. All of this... happened in just two days."
Drawing his weapon, he rushed toward the chaotic battlefield, shouting at the others.
"Snap out of it! We need to fight! Protect Eldoria! Remember, you are no longer weak!"
His words finally pulled everyone out of their daze. Seeing him charge into battle without hesitation, they all followed suit.
With a thunderous explosion, a powerful attack tore through the battlefield, aimed directly at a bone dragon ridden by a dark being clad in armor who had just seized a dwarf fighting in midair. The force of the attack was so huge that the surrounding space shattered from the impact. Before the dark being could even react, both he and the large bone dragon beneath him were cleanly cleaved in two, falling down.
The old dwarf, who had just thought he would die at the hands of the dark being, unable to protect his people and his land after being captured while fighting, found his body being supported by a tall figure.
His eyes widened as he saw the solemn blue eyes staring toward the battlefield.
Such a powerful attack startled everyone on the battlefield. Not only did those from Eldoria turn their eyes toward the source, but even the numerous dark beings riding the bone dragons looked over in shock at the person who had just slain one of their own and a bone dragon with a single hit.
Amidst the chaos, a tall figure with a few strands of golden hair peeking out from his ash-brown hair floated silently in the air.
Surrounded by a faint radiance that looked like a halo, his appearance stood in stark contrast to the bloody battlefield and the grotesque creatures swarming around him.