Within the walls of the Empire, a brutal battle had just revealed its true colors.
Humanity had been struck by a full-scale invasion .. Geppetto and his army of the dead, accompanied by a host of powerful demons.
These were not noble demons.
These were the true demons .. feral, monstrous forms of gray, corpse-like flesh, elongated horns, vast bone wings, and claws like butchered steel.
This was the original demon race that humanity had not witnessed in hundreds of years ..yet here they were again, devouring the earth.
At first, countless humans were slaughtered. Entire districts collapsed in the span of a single hour.
But then .. everything changed.
Heroes rose again.
To the east, a tall, broad-shouldered man with pure white hair and dark black eyes appeared. He looked to be in his forties, his aura overwhelming.
That man alone slaughtered the demons in front of him.
"Stardust Style: Cannon of Light."
From his sword, a beam of radiance tore through the night, purifying thousands of corpses and demons in a single strike.
His presence rekindled hope.
"Retreat to the Oclas Mountains!! The Empire is no longer safe!"
He shouted ..recognized by some who had seen his portrait.
That was Nova Starlight, the First Star of the Starlight Family.
A veteran who once stood beside the hero Kazis, a survivor of the Age of War.
Nova was overwhelmingly powerful—capable of defending the entire eastern Starlight region alone.
But suddenly, he noticed another advancing army of enemies.
"Demons never change, no matter how many ages pass..."
Nova cursed, preparing to strike again.
But before he could ..
A scorching tide of flame swept across the battlefield, incinerating the demons in an instant.
Nova recognized those flames immediately.
The Eternal Flame ..wielded by only one man.
"What took you so long, Nova? Weren’t you always the fastest among us?"
Standing atop a nearby cliff, Enver Sunlight, Founder of the Sunlight Family, planted his foot down.
His hair was blazing crimson, and his expression was severe.
Amusingly ..he appeared younger than Iris Sunlight, one of his own descendants.
"Enver."
Nova called out as the man leapt down beside him.
"You already cleared the Sunlight territory?"
Enver nodded.
"They weren’t strong. I came here because I assumed this region would be worse. Looks like I was wrong."
He exhaled, extending his arm.
"We’ve been dormant far too long... waking up like this feels strange."
"We haven’t fought in hundreds of years. It’s natural."
Nova replied, gazing into the distant horizon.
Centuries ago, each of them sealed themselves away in unique ways to survive until the destined moment.
Except for Semiramis Moonlight, who abandoned her body entirely...
The others preserved their forms in hiding.
Enver had slumbered deep beneath volcanic ground, his skin now tinted bronze from ages of burning heat.
They had awaited one signal—one presence.
"You felt it too?" Enver asked.
Nova nodded.
"A familiar aura... calling directly to me. I knew then ..the time had come."
"That alien... the so-called Engineer."
Enver muttered, referring to Gehrman.
"Which means the foretold one has finally appeared .. the one destined to end this war and offer us our only chance."
Nova spoke with cautious anticipation.
They had all waited for one person to emerge.
What kind of person would he be?
How would he lead them to victory?
So many had died to make this moment possible.
"Let’s hope that man’s prophecy wasn’t a mistake."
Enver sighed, placing a hand on Nova’s shoulder.
"Let’s find Semiramis and the others first."
"Agreed."
They were about to move ..
But a blind old man stepped toward them.
"Gentlemen... there is no need for concern. The one you awaited has already appeared."
They turned ..and did not recognize him at first.
But his aura was unmistakable.
"You... Avalon?!"
Enver exclaimed, stunned.
Nova remained calm.
"Time has not been kind to you."
Avalon’s appearance was withered, empty compared to the man he once was ..ever since the tragedy at Helmund.
"Time has not been kind to anyone. I have come to lead you to the Shadow Sect. There is no time to waste."
Enver narrowed his eyes.
"What about Semiramis... and where is Zephyr?"
Avalon paused.
"Semiramis is currently defending the Moonlight capital. We cannot move her yet. As for Zephyr..."
Silence fell.
Zephyr ..the forgotten warrior erased from history.
Avalon closed his eyes, remembering that terrifying man.
"Zephyr left Earth long ago. He refused to hide."
"Meaning?" Nova asked, taken aback. Avalon nodded.
"His fate is unknown."
Neither Nova nor Enver expected that.
Every member of Kazis’s unit had agreed to the plan.
Zephyr was one of them.
No one imagined he would be the one to go against them after they sealed themselves away.
"Damn it... Zephyr was the strongest of us. Losing him will cripple our combat strength."
Enver cursed, but Avalon shook his head.
"We should move. There will be time to discuss this once we reach the Shadow Sect."
Avalon said, and both Nova and Enver agreed.
However ..
just as the three were about to depart ..
They froze.
A crushing pressure slammed down onto their shoulders, forcing their eyes wide in shock.
The surprising part wasn’t simply how powerful the pressure was...
but the fact that it wasn’t coming from a demon.
It was something else entirely.
Slowly ..very slowly ..they turned back.
There, standing atop a massive hill, looking down at them with a cold, disdainful gaze...
as though a king had descended to look upon worthless insects ..
was the source of the pressure.
All three were stunned, but for entirely different reasons.
Enver was shocked that a human could possess such overwhelming force.
Nova, on the other hand, recognized something else immediately ..
The man was using the Stardust Style.
He didn’t even need to fight him to see it.
The Ten Stellar Nodes were blazing around him—clear as the sun.
"He’s at my level... No... wait—"
Nova narrowed his eyes.
Both of them had reached the peak—Ten Stars.
But there was one defining difference ..
Nova’s stars were calm, serene.
This man’s stars were burning.
That realization carved a grim expression onto Nova’s face.
"Impossible..."
Meanwhile, Avalon’s fist tightened.
For he was the only one who recognized the man.
"That is... Abraham Starlight."
Avalon spoke the name in disbelief.
Nova and Enver turned to him in shock.
"So he’s one of your descendants, Nova. Doesn’t that make him an ally?"
Enver asked.
Nova laughed, dark and humorless.
"Does an ally bring this kind of suffocating killing intent?"
There was no doubt .. Abraham was not with them.
He had come to kill.
"What in the hell is happening?"
Avalon cursed.