At the same time ..
On the opposite side of the continent ..
Another exceptionally powerful group stood waiting for the right moment to act.
Their side was perhaps the most striking of all, for one simple reason—
A colossal being had spread its enormous wings, eclipsing a vast portion of the continent beneath its shadow.
It was a dragon.
A monstrous dragon, so massive that its size exceeded five hundred meters, making it the largest living dragon among all Pantheon beings.
The Primordial Dragon — Plasido.
Its scales were pitch-black, harder than obsidian gemstones, and its savage red eyes resembled blazing celestial bodies.
This awe-inspiring creature hovered calmly in the air...
while a man stood atop its head.
Arms crossed before his chest, his overwhelming physique radiated explosive power.
That man was none other than Midir ..
the First among the Seven Great Powers.
Midir’s gray hair rose upward under the immense pressure of his Aura, and his perpetually stern, angry features reflected his absolute seriousness .. making him a man no one dared to approach lightly.
Seeing the demon delegation take the initiative and enter the continent, Plasido released an enraged roar that shook the heavens.
But Midir raised his hand at once, placing it upon the great dragon’s head.
"Stop, Plasido. Not yet."
Midir’s voice struck like thunder.
At once, the colossal dragon calmed ..
as though it were nothing more than a tamed beast.
Midir returned his gaze to the continent as a group of five individuals approached him.
All of them were Dragon Kings ..
the elite of the Pantheon race.
"Lord Midir," said one of the Dragon Kings, a massive figure with dark skin and green hair.
"It seems this strange restriction applies only to the area outside the continent. At the very least, we should be able to fight freely once inside."
Midir nodded.
He had reached the same conclusion.
And so, without delay, he made his decision—a decision awaited not only by the Dragon Kings, but by countless other races observing from afar.
Among all those present, Midir was likely the only one capable of contending with Crimson, the Red Moon, whose return from dormancy had shaken the world.
Thus, whatever Midir chose to do would have a profound impact on everyone.
The Dragon God had already decided.
"Plasido. Spiritual Form."
At Midir’s command, the massive dragon beneath his feet released a deafening roar that shook the void itself ..
And then, its body dissolved magically.
Plasido vanished completely, transforming into a strange Aura that wrapped around Midir, extending from the back of his neck like an impossibly long mantle.
The Dragon Kings stood around him, watching with awe.
No matter how many times they witnessed it, the sight never failed to amaze.
Plasido was the oldest living dragon.
Unlike modern Pantheon beings, it possessed only its beast form and could not communicate.
Yet Midir had completely subdued it ..
binding it as his contracted spiritual beast, capable of supplying him with an overwhelming amount of power.
In the distant past, Midir had defeated Agares, the Second Seat, and Nito, the Ninth Seat, without even relying on Plasido.
Now, with that monster’s power added to his own, Midir’s strength would ascend to an entirely different level ..
Which was precisely why they believed he could stand against Crimson.
Midir moved first.
The Dragon Kings followed closely behind, breaching the continent and declaring themselves the second faction to enter the unknown land.
Gradually, the other races followed suit.
From countless directions, they poured in all at once, invading the continent as quickly as possible.
And just like that ..
In the blink of an eye—the area surrounding the mysterious continent fell silent.
No one remained outside.
The continent itself remained unchanged, its form shifting with every passing second.
The entrances through which everyone had entered had already vanished, replaced by new gates leading into the unknown.
The silence lasted for a moment ..
But not for long.
From nowhere, a massive cloud of strange, filthy black fog appeared, rushing toward the continent at a speed that signaled impending disaster.
The fog cloud continued to spread and expand, wrapping itself around the walls ..
yet it was unable to breach them.
Then, little by little...
The fog vanished completely.
And from within it, a single man emerged.
A man who could only be described as a monster.
A baleful aura clung to him, while his dark violet eyes stabbed into the surroundings with overwhelming intensity.
That fog...
was the Abyss Fog.
And that man...
Was the Father of the Abyss himself.
The strongest among the Dukes of Hell—
Gael.
He did not hesitate for even a second.
Without pause, Gael stepped forward and entered the continent as well, declaring himself another party in the conflict that was about to erupt within those walls.
And so—
All the players had finally entered the stage.
---
The moment they all crossed inside, the very void began to tremble unnaturally.
The scenery before them warped and shifted at a terrifying speed.
Only a few seconds passed ..
Before the distortion ceased.
And everyone found themselves inside.
Crimson’s feet touched the ground alongside Marvas and Agares at the same moment.
They immediately cast their gazes around them ..
And their first reaction was shock.
"It’s as if we’ve been transported to an entirely different world,"
Agares said quietly.
The place before them did not resemble a confined space as it had from the outside.
Instead, it was a vast world, stretching endlessly in every direction ..
so immense that none of them could perceive its boundaries.
The sky was pure white ..
brilliantly white, as though it were some kind of ceiling rather than an open sky.
The land below was gray and barren,
with black, dead trees rising like pillars—defining the identity of the place.
No matter how long they stared,
they could not compare this land to any other within the vast universe.
"The flow of Aura here is... strange," Marvas said.
"If I had to describe it, I’d say it’s chaotic—random."
He formed a black flame in the palm of his hand and hurled it toward the ground.
The black fire detonated successfully, scorching the earth with ease.
"It seems the restriction doesn’t apply here," Marvas continued.
"We can fight freely."
He let out a quiet breath of relief after confirming his ability to battle.
Crimson, however, showed no reaction at all.
Instead, he immediately took the lead.
"Let’s move."