Journey to Become the Zenith

The Arrival That Shook Heaven and Earth

”You’re late... Idiot...”

Those were Clara’s last thoughts before everything turned dark.

...

The battlefield fell into an unnatural silence.

It wasn’t the silence that came after victory.

Nor was it the silence of death.

It was the suffocating stillness that descended when every living instinct screamed that something far beyond reason had arrived.

A heartbeat later—

BOOM!

An immeasurable surge of mana erupted from the distant horizon like an endless tidal wave crashing over the world.

The sky trembled.

The earth groaned beneath the overwhelming pressure.

The clouds above Fantom City were violently torn apart as if an invisible hand had ripped open the heavens themselves.

Immediately afterward came something even more terrifying.

Bloodlust.

Pure...

Unrestrained...

Overwhelming bloodlust.

It spread across the battlefield faster than the wind, swallowing everything in its path. Every soldier, every monster, every dying warrior felt that terrifying aura settle upon their shoulders like the weight of an entire mountain.

Every single being on the battlefield was shaken to their very core as an incredibly massive amount of mana and bloodlust encroached them.

Even the undead that no longer had any human emotions stopped their assault.

One skeletal warrior froze with its sword raised high.

An Ogre King halted in the middle of a charge.

Several undead mages instinctively lowered their staffs.

Even the towering undead dragons circling in the distance hesitated for the first time since the siege had begun.

The eerie green flames burning inside their hollow eye sockets flickered violently.

Their decayed bodies trembled ever so slightly.

Not because they understood fear...

But because the instinct engraved into every powerful existence recognized something overwhelmingly dangerous.

The sheer density of mana pressing against the battlefield distorted the surrounding air.

The undead found themselves unable to move properly because of the crushing pressure blanketing the land.

Even the endless sea of undead that moments ago had advanced without pause now resembled statues frozen in time.

On the human side...

The reaction was no less dramatic.

The exhausted defenders instinctively looked toward the horizon.

Some dropped their weapons.

Others forgot to breathe.

The courage that had carried them through two days of relentless battle wavered beneath that unimaginable presence.

Even the fearless Redcliffe warriors, whose resolve had never faltered despite overwhelming odds, found their hands trembling.

One of the younger knights swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry.

”What... what is that?”

His voice barely rose above a whisper.

Beside him, a battle-hardened veteran tightened his trembling grip around the shaft of his shattered spear. His armor hung in broken pieces, stained crimson from countless wounds. Every breath sent a sharp pain through his battered body.

”I’ve...”

The words caught in his throat.

He forced himself to keep looking toward the distant horizon despite every instinct screaming at him to run.

”...I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

Not in all his years on the battlefield.

Nearby, Ramona Redcliffe slowly raised her head.

Fresh blood trickled from the countless cuts scattered across her body, dripping onto the scorched earth beneath her feet.

She ignored the pain.

Her violet eyes remained locked on the distant sky where the terrifying pressure had begun to gather.

There was no panic in her expression.

No despair.

Instead...

Curiosity.

A quiet, almost unsettling curiosity.

She narrowed her eyes, carefully sensing the strange power spreading across the battlefield.

”No...”

Her voice was soft, yet everyone nearby heard it.

”This isn’t ordinary mana.”

She paused, her gaze growing increasingly serious.

”It feels...”

”...as though the world itself is rejecting whoever has just arrived.”

The words sent a chill through everyone within earshot.

One of the Redcliffe family’s elite warriors instinctively took a step back.

Despite the heat radiating from the devastated battlefield, a cold shiver crawled down his spine.

”My Lady...”

His voice trembled.

”...is it... friend or foe?”

Silence answered him.

No one spoke.

No one dared to guess.

They simply stared toward the horizon.

The pressure continued to build.

Heavier.

Denser.

Each heartbeat felt as though an invisible mountain had settled upon their shoulders.

The air itself seemed unwilling to move.

The scorched earth groaned beneath the unbearable weight, while cracks spread farther across the ruined battlefield with every passing second.

Even the wind had vanished.

It was as if the entire world had fallen into absolute stillness, waiting for whatever was about to emerge.

Far across the battlefield, Max struggled to remain on his feet.

The once-proud armor of the academy’s headmaster had been reduced to little more than twisted scraps of metal clinging to his body.

Deep wounds covered him from shoulder to ankle.

Blood soaked through his torn clothes before dripping steadily onto the blackened ground.

His breathing had long since lost its rhythm.

Every inhale burned.

Every exhale felt heavier than the last.

He had reached his limit.

Everyone could see it.

If another powerful enemy appeared...

If the battle continued for even a few more minutes...

The legendary headmaster would almost certainly fall.

And yet—

The instant that overwhelming aura swept across the battlefield...

Max froze.

His exhausted eyes widened.

For a brief moment, he simply stood there, staring toward the horizon.

Then, without warning...

A broad grin spread across his bloodstained face.

It grew wider.

And wider.

Until—

”Hahaha...!”

His booming laughter echoed across the silent battlefield, startling both allies and enemies alike. It wasn’t the laughter of a man driven mad by despair.

It was the laughter of someone who had just recognized the arrival of a force capable of changing everything.

His laughter echoed across the battlefield.

It wasn’t madness.

It wasn’t relief alone.

It was the laughter of someone who had finally seen hope after staring into certain death.

Several nearby instructors looked toward him in confusion.

One of them, barely able to stand while supporting himself with a broken sword, frowned.

”Headmaster...”

”...what’s so funny?”

Max wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth before grinning broadly.

”Can you idiots not feel it?”

The exhausted instructor blinked.

”Feel... what?”

”The battle...”

Max looked toward the distant horizon with unwavering confidence.

”The battle has changed.”

Another instructor slowly lowered his shield.

”You mean...”

Max nodded.

”The tide has finally turned.”

A younger academy instructor, whose left arm hung uselessly at his side, couldn’t hide the hope in his trembling voice.

”Do you know who it is?”

Max remained silent for a brief moment.

Then...

A faint smile spread across his weathered face.

”I don’t know.”

”But...”

He laughed again.

”Anyone capable of making even those damned undead hesitate...”

”...is someone our enemies should fear.”

The surrounding instructors slowly exchanged glances.

For the first time since the siege began...

They saw genuine confidence in their headmaster’s eyes.

One instructor chuckled weakly.

”If you’re smiling...”

”...then maybe we’re not dying today after all.”

Max rested his Giant Battle Axe against his shoulder.

”Don’t celebrate yet.”

His expression became serious once more.

”We’re still soldiers.”

”Stand.”

”Hold the line.”

”When our chance comes...”

”We strike.”

Despite their battered bodies...

Every instructor straightened.

Every remaining student who could still fight also lifted their weapons once again.

Hope...

A tiny spark...

Had returned to the defenders of Fantom City.