In that moment, Luna's world finally began to collapse.

The appearance of a Sovereign was a nightmare none of them had prepared for. But in a world as cruel and twisted as this one, where hope was rare and tragedy a constant drumbeat, she couldn't even muster the strength to be surprised.

What chilled her wasn't the Sovereign's arrival—it was the timing.

The being had descended after the four strongest sorcerers had already exhausted themselves, their strength had been scattered across a battlefield that had demanded too much, too soon. And now, as they hovered in the blood-red sky, locked in a desperate clash against something beyond mortal comprehension, their auras flickered with strain. They were running on fumes.

Why had everything spiraled so suddenly?

Below, Luna watched with a clenched heart. The fight had now lasted ten minutes. That should've been a beacon of hope. After all, the sorcerers were Fourth Gate users, paragons of ascension. If they still stood, that meant there was resistance.

But for most of the survivors below, it was the first time witnessing a Sovereign. And the longer the battle dragged on, the more their hope began to wither. If the mightiest among them struggled, what hope did the rest have?

"It was inevitable," Storm Rider said quietly, as if speaking to the ashes. "The moment you or anyone shattered the heart of the tower, the divine would feel the imbalance ripple through the realms. I just didn't expect her to be the one that descends... or that she had joined the Demigods."

Her eyes narrowed, and in her hand, a flaming sword bloomed into being, pulsing with restrained fury.

"Who is that?" Luna asked, her voice cracking under the weight of dread.

"A corrupted servant of death," Storm Rider replied grimly. "The Witch of Corruption and Chaos."

Luna's breath caught in her throat. Was that...was that the being who had tried to kill her on the train? Raphael's master?

Realization hit her like a blow to the chest, and her blood ran cold. "We need to retreat," she whispered, panic climbing her spine. "I have to tell the others to retreat. They can't… they can't win against someone like her…"

Her breathing grew erratic and shallow. Her Vision swam in and out of focus, and her limbs turned heavy with terror. They trembled like they no longer belonged to her.

"They can't win," she repeated, voice cracking. "We need to run… we have to run… we-we-we need to get out of this place—"

But then, Storm Rider laughed. It was a soft, sudden laugh that cut through Luna's panic like a blade. Her fear froze in her throat as she stared at the sorceress.

Storm Rider's expression was calm, her voice carrying a strange kind of serenity, like the eye of a storm. "Emily Raymond. I was sent here by my master to ensure the Age of Chaos begins."

Luna's eyes trembled. "…What?"

"My father was Frank Raymond. My mother, Scarlet Raymond. And yes… my real name is Emily." A small smirk ghosted across her lips. "Wish it sounded cooler, though. 'Emily' feels too scholarly for someone like me."

Luna froze. 'Emily is her real name.'

Her breath hitched, and then—nothing. No vanishing memories. No phantom ache in her skull. Her mind remained intact.

"I'm cursed, aren't I?" she asked quietly.

Storm Rider or Emily Raymond nodded, her voice gentle. "Happens to the best of us… But I'm so sorry."

Luna blinked back the rising burn behind her eyes and turned toward the battlefield. Her gaze locked on her sister.

'I'm sorry too…'

Lena stood below, among the soldiers who had been pulled back to the real world. She stared blankly at the blood-red sky, unaware. She didn't see Luna, nor did she look for her.

As it appeared, Luna was out of time, and the hex had taken hold.

Beside her sister stood Darkness. She was missing an arm, and blood was leaking from an empty eye socket. This was all damage done by Victor Artemis, the toughest person she had fought until today.

'I wonder if she knows he's gone...' Luna thought. 'If she knows about Gail's sacrifice…'

With that, Luna gathered herself and closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and let the air settle her bones. Her mind steadied. And her spirit, still frayed, began to stitch itself together.

Today, she had witnessed too much loss. And while loss was part of being human, surrendering to it was something she could no longer allow.

Not now. Not again.

"I'm alright," she said, more to herself than anyone else. "I just need a moment to collect myself. That Sovereign tried to kill me before it came here… I think I can help you."

'That's right…' Her fingers curled into fists. 'I'm not the same as before. I can fight.'

She stood, spine straightening as power surged through her limbs. The Sun Ember—a radiant jian of power—materialized in her hand with a hiss of heat and light. She ignored her aching muscles from the Servant's earlier blow and stood with pride.

Then, with a steady grunt, she raised her head and met the heavens with fierce defiance.

"You are strong, Lunaris." Storm Rider smiled. It was a proud and radiant smile. She patted Luna on the shoulder. Her gaze was a sad one. "But this isn't your fight. Let me protect you for today."

With those words, she opened her second and fifth soul gates at once.

A brilliant storm erupted from her form as golden and silver light burst from her body, coalescing into gleaming armor etched with divine runes. Her golden hair shimmered, illuminated by a halo of flame that ignited above her head like a sun reborn.

The battle in the sky fell into a tense silence the moment a second overwhelming presence appeared.

The Witch of Corruption paused mid-air, her grin widening as her gaze fell upon the new arrival. Storm Rider now radiated with such raw force that even a Sovereign couldn't ignore her. She was the only one worthy of attention--not these spineless mortals.

With a flap of her obsidian wings, the Witch unleashed a wave of ether-charged energy. Amethyst blasts spiraled through the crimson sky like falling stars, each one laced with annihilating intent.

Storm didn't flinch.

A barrier of fire flared to life in front of her and every soldier, absorbing the ether bombardment and vanishing in the same breath, as if the attack were beneath her notice.

She raised her arms, and from either side, flaming avatars surged forth, slicing through the cursed clouds that the fallen tower had released. The avatars struck the Sovereign with divine coordination, pressing her from both flanks.

The Sovereign narrowed her eyes and folded her wings inward—but it was too late. The avatars exploded into flames that took hold, licking the feathers and searing them with divine fire.

By the time she unfurled them, Storm Rider had already closed the distance. Her flaming sword struck like a divine judgment, its edge hissing with volatile energy. As it neared, the blade twisted, morphing into a whip of roaring flame that lashed out and coiled tightly around the Sovereign's form.

With a fierce pull, Storm dragged the mighty being downward and threw a thunderous punch into her chest.

BAM!

The sky cracked with sound as the Sovereign was hurled down into the battlefield like a meteor, crashing through stone with apocalyptic force.

The impact left a wide crater in the ruined landscape below. Every sorcerer, except Mao Feng, stood frozen in awe. Storm Rider's power was transcendent. To them, she no longer seemed like a mortal.

"Haha… as expected of someone who once wore the title of Visionary." Laughter echoed from the crater. The Witch of Corruption rose, smoke curling off her scorched face. A long burn carved across her otherwise flawless skin.

Her eyes, once amused, now burned with murderous light. "Long time no see, Sun Fire."

Storm Rider raised a brow. "It's Storm Rider now. Honestly, when will you deities stop naming things like you're writing bad poetry?"

With a snap of her fingers, a cyclone of flame erupted from the clouds, spiraling downward with terrifying precision.

It struck the crater dead-on. The force was so immense, the earth itself screamed--melting into magma as Storm's fire consumed it.

When it stopped and the smoke cleared, a collective gasp rippled through the battlefield. Many were stunned by how much power Storm had in her arsenal, while others were shocked by the Sovereign.

The Sovereign still stood—unburnt and unfazed, with her arms crossed, and an arrogant smirk tugging at her lips. The runes on her armor now glowed with white-hot lightning, cackling with divine energy.

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Storm narrowed her eyes.

'So I was right… She's being backed by the Demigods. This… isn't supposed to be happening. The demigods aren't supposed to be allies with the Devils.'

Despite the realization, Storm's expression remained composed. The weight of the moment pressed inward, but she stood tall with an unshaken will.

"I didn't think you'd hold up this well," she admitted.

She raised one hand, and the radiant halo above her head pulsed brighter, drawing in the life essence of the world.

This battle was far from over.

The Sovereign scoffed, raising her arms to the heavens. In an instant, the red hue vanished, replaced by swirling black clouds that bled streaks of violet lightning. Her wings shed feathers like falling ash, each one dissolving into a viscous, purplish-black liquid that writhed unnaturally as it hit the ground.

A warning blared across the battlefield as nanosuits across the army flickered red. Alarms screamed in the ears of every soldier:

CORRUPTION DETECTED. EXTREME LEVELS. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER.

Storm's senses flared as something primal shifted in the air. She summoned another Omniscient Avatar and wreathed it in divine flame, sending it forth like a comet.

But before it could reach its target, the liquid moved as though it were sentient. It surged upward and consumed the avatar whole, dissolving it into steam and cinders.

'This is going to be harder than I thought.'

Thankfully, she'd already severed her bond with the avatar, and the corruption hadn't touched her soul. That last-minute decision had just saved her life.

The servant of death wasn't like Dorous or the corrupted beings she had battled before. She was crafty with her ability and was more powerful. In fact, all of Death's Servants were extremely powerful due to the concepts their master had under his domain.

She couldn't beat her alone.

With a crash of thunder, Storm Rider landed, shaking the earth beneath her. She charged forward with a brave face and a smirk on her beautiful face while she thought of her next attack.

At the same time, the dark liquid around the Sovereign twisted upward, transforming into dozens of tendrils—sharp, fast, and hungry.

They struck. But many instantly froze mid-air as though being held back by an invisible force.

Suddenly, a flash of pale blue-white burst across the sky as the Flame of Winter arrived like a phantom.

She was ethereal, her silver aura cascading around her like a silk veil. With a cry that betrayed none of her grace, she brought her ice-coated fist down upon the Sovereign's skull—amplified by her zenshi and the chill of death.

BOOM!

The battlefield exploded in light and sound. Fire and frost collided, not in opposition, but in harmony. The flames of the sun met the breath of winter, and together they became something divine as both Storm and Mao held their own against the enemy.

The ground beneath the Sovereign crystallized, turning into something beautiful and deadly.

When the dust cleared, the tentacles lay frozen mid-thrash, locked in an icy prison. Flame of Winter stood inches from the Sovereign, her white blade piercing through the gaps in the dark armor. Ice spread from the wound like a spider's web, slow but steady.

The Sovereign glanced down at her chest, her voice more curious than afraid.

"Strange… Since when were mortals this strong?"

"You underestimate them."

Storm Rider stepped out of the smoke, her silhouette glowing like a dying sun. Her right arm was covered in glowing amethyst fractures of the ether corruption, climbing her skin like cracks in porcelain. It was devouring her.

Yet she did not stop. Storm Rider raised her sword, and she swung it with might and bravery.

A wave of fire engulfed the Sovereign, a sea of divine heat clung to her form, and burst into golden infernos.

Her screams finally shattered the air as the Sun god's lineage showed its wrath.

Mao Feng remained unshaken and continued holding the Sovereign in place with her will alone, her zenshi shielding her from the inferno. But even her strength faltered when the Sovereign's armor began to melt and its magical material started dripping onto her icy flesh.

Just then, from behind them, the battlefield rumbled again as the other sorcerers caught up to them and added to the fight.

Moon Siren raised her hand, and her hound leapt forth with glowing eyes. It opened its mouth, and the very air trembled.

SKREEEEEEE!

A sonic boom thundered across the land, ripping apart the crystallized ground beneath the Sovereign and throwing her off balance. Stone shattered. Air fractured, and Mao Feng was separated.

Kaigen shifted back into his human form, his expression grim. He conjured a scythe of pure wind, but before he could even throw it, one of the Sovereign's tendrils lashed out, destroying the attack.

They were outmatched.

That much was clear. Sovereigns weren't just powerful—they were cunning. Their minds functioned like living war machines, and their strength bordered on the divine.

Against something like this, even the strongest sorcerers struggled to survive, not win.

As the fight continued, the Phoenix reached near the Sovereign and roared defiantly, his entire body igniting into brilliant blue flames.

He struck at the attacking ether tentacles repeatedly, each flaming blow fueled by desperation. The tentacles exploded with each punch and scattered on his flaming body.

But just as one hit landed, a writhing tentacle coiled around his arm. An amethyst energy cackled out of the tentacles, and the flames around his body suddenly died out when his connection to his gates was instantly cut off.

His young eyes widened as all the hope he had disappeared like a blown-out candle flame. He knew what was coming next and gritted his teeth as the black ether coming out of the tentacles consumed his soul in what looked like seconds.

The rest stood frozen, shocked and horrified, as the black ether consumed the once-mighty Phoenix. Grotesque spikes burst from his body, shredding through flesh and bone with sickening speed. Then, without warning…

Boom!

His body exploded into a vile storm of blood and torn muscle. A pillar of crimson mist rose from the ground where he once stood.

Mao Feng. Kaigen. Moon Siren. Every ascender who witnessed the scene stared in stunned disbelief. They had seen death. They had seen madness. But this?

This was different.

An ascender had been corrupted. That wasn't supposed to be possible.

Zenshi, their sacred divine energy, was believed to be incorruptible. It was a divine buffer against the horrors of the outer realms.

However, now that illusion had been shattered.

"….Could it be…?" Luna murmured, voice trembling.

Corruption slowly hovered off the ground and stared at the carnage. She chuckled softly, mockingly.

"I've been studying ascenders for years," she said, eyes gleaming with malice. "Zenshi may be difficult to infect... but nothing is immune. Not when touched by the true essence of…"

A howl of wind erupted from below as Kaigen, who was now a fully transformed dragon, unleashed a furious blast of zenshi flames. The skies twisted and roared as the wind answered his wrath. His flames surged upward in a torrent, crashing into the Sovereign.

He might have hated the Phoenix's guts, but he didn't deserve such an end.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"

Kaigen's dragon voice boiled with rage as the wind responded and pushed the Sovereign into a powerful cyclone that had emerged.

"You underestimate me, you Mortal!" The demonic woman's eyes glowed, and purple flames erupted from her right hand. "Your rage will be the end of these pitiful humans!"

Kaigen lunged with the might of a full wind dragon, tearing through the corrupted air. Wind javelins spiraled around him like a living storm, following his dive with razor precision.

But the Sovereign moved with inhuman calm. She clasped her arms together, and a spiral of purple flames ignited and merged with the cyclone.

In a blink, Kaigen's domain betrayed him. His eyes widened. The wind turned sickly, twisting unnaturally, howling not in his language but in something else. Something wrong.

He tried to sever the link and dismiss the cyclone, but corrupted wind lashed back. Purple fire surged through it, eating away at its purity.

Kaigen landed hard, staggering. His senses reeled. The wind was gone. He could no longer hear its whispers. No longer feel its breath.

"Kaigen. Get out of that place!"

He turned just as she and Mao Feng leapt in front of him, erecting barriers of zenshi and Authority to block the advancing flames. Each flame twisted like a serpent, striking with unnatural precision. Astrid clenched her jaw, her voice trembling but firm.

"EVERYONE, CLIMB ON TO ME!"

Kaigen didn't hesitate. He lowered himself, and both Mao Feng and Astrid climbed on. He roared, his wings spreading wide, beating against the storm-choked sky.

With a mighty thrust, he soared upward, carrying them away from the corrupted wind. This was a fight they weren't capable of participating in at the moment.

The best they could do was retreat after losing a sorcerer.

While the others fought and fled, Storm Rider remained in the skies, watching the chaos below with a contemplative smile. Not out of arrogance, but because it was never a battle to be won.

From the beginning, this had been a distraction—a costly gambit to buy time. She had pushed herself beyond her limits, wielding both her Second and Fifth Gates in unison. The cost was catching up to her.

Her body trembled. Her breaths were shallow. The cracks of corruption crept steadily up her arm, devouring her from the inside. Ascenders of the True Path weren't immune to corruption, and all she could do was slow it down.

This would've been a problem because she was scared of death.

[Humans of the Mortal Realm. It is I, the True Celestial of Chaos. Today, I descended to destroy a certain anomaly…]

Everyone around was staring at her with dread etched eyes. Some had already come to terms with dying, while others were crying in fear as THE Witch's voice sounded in their minds.

She was using an ability known as Great Communication. She talking through the essence of the world.

[This anomaly is a threat to both mortals and the divine. It is so dangerous that many of you should even consider it an enemy of humanity. Because of that, please understand that your sacrifices here will be beneficial to those who follow in your footsteps. The Visionaries already approved of this, of course.]

With that done, she ended the link, and the cyclone of flames started to move. The soldiers caught in the corruption had their bodies reduced to ashes. It took seconds for everyone to jump into a frenzy again and run for their lives. The purple flames destroyed everything in their path.

[Sun Fire, look forward to the world we are about to build. This realm is just collateral.]

"I hate to curse....but fuck you, Corruption." With her corrupted hand trembling, she flipped off the sky. It hurt like hell, but looking awesome mattered more. One last act of defiance. "You deities keep on underestimating humans. You only killed one of the five mortals who have given you a hard time. That alone proves that the era of your kind is doomed as the human spirit grows. Look at you, you couldn't use your power to destroy this place. Did you have to lick Everlight's feet to get that fancy armor?"

Corruption's face remained cold when she spoke:

"To think that a filthy mortal would spit out such nonsense. Ah, Sun Fire, you will make a beautiful vessel for me."

[…I still hate that name. However, before you take me, you will know that I am the Witch who Protects, the Storm that burns. And the Memory of the Fire Keepers.]

"I am the Firekeeper, Storm Rider."

For the first time, the sovereign's expression changed when Storm Rider used Great Communication. How was a mortal this strong?

Storm Rider leapt into the air, her body ablaze with crimson flames. She plunged into the cyclone of corruption, screaming as the black ether licked at her soul.

It burned and it hurt. But she didn't stop. Not until the purple inferno that threatened the mortals below was gone, annihilated by her flame.

When everyone was safe, Storm's body cracked with energy as she hovered midair. Lightning and fire pulsed through her veins, and her Fifth Gate trembled violently as the true form of Omniscience was realized.

Reality was torn, and a rift opened high above. It was small—a distorted ripple in the air—but unmistakably divine. It was a miniature Gateway, but nothing came through because of where she had opened it.

"Are you Mad?!" Corruption broke character when she saw the gateway.

"Hehe...maybe I am."

With that said, Storm Rider created five avatars that transformed their bodies into fire beings, including her own. Each one had a corrupted hand, showing that her soul had attained real damage this time around, and her only weapon against it was her will.

Combining all her energy, she attacked the sovereign with different types of attacks. Two trapped the Sovereign's arms with whips made of fire, and the third delivered a punch under her chin.

A force followed, and the witch was shot further into the sky, where the original Storm Rider and the fifth avatar waited. They merged their strength and summoned lightning that shook the Balance itself.

Storm Rider hissed in pain as the divine energy she called on destroyed her armor even more and left burns on her face. They didn't close immediately, meaning that Storm Rider's attack had done more damage by tapping into these higher powers.

"Taking me back won't be of any use, I will still be able to descend. I am not bound by rules…."

"I know…that's why I made a deal with an old friend," Storm Rider laughed. Her eyes moved to another avatar that was at the rift, controlling its mechanism and keeping it stable for now.

The scenery on the other side was a dark ocean that was suck in an endless storm. There, a single dark figure floated above as it waited for Storm Rider to make a move.

Storm Rider trembled from the intense presence leaking out of the divine realm. Some beings couldn't enter the mortal realm because of how stupidly strong they were and how that would upset the balance of the Mortal Realm. The reason why none of the deities could descend was because of the imbalance they could cause. This same rule applied to powerful ascending humans born in the divine realm.

The High Visionaries….

As soon as Corruption saw where she was being sent, she unleashed a torrent of hellish flames that destroyed all of Storm Rider's avatars.

"Don't send me there!" She roared and created more tentacles that grabbed hold of Storm Rider. The black ether moved up her body, but she fought back with flames.

She knew Agrilore wouldn't kill Corruption, but this would keep her busy for a good while until Lunaris learns to at least control her first gate.

"You think he can stop us? The Sea King is Neutral!" Corruption laughed nefariously as he black ether seeped faster into Storm Rider's body.

Her divine flames could no longer fight back.

Meanwhile, Agrilore watched all this happen from the other side with arms crossed. Storm Rider created another avatar that appeared in front of Corruption.

The Avatar then pulled back her arm, engulfed it in qi, and divine flames landed a direct blow in the Sovereign's face. The power behind her strength was enough to push the corrupted deity back and closer to the portal.

"I've fucking killed two deities in past, don't underestimate me at all."

Illusionary divine flames appeared in the avatar's hand. They danced with pure control as if their user had reached an enlightenment of sorts.

The Sky was then drenched in crimson-gold flames and lightning as they were released in a powerful torrent. Once the powerful flames touched the sovereign, the black ether tentacles collapsed as their master was hit.

Storm smirked from behind and created divine binds that entangled themselves around the Demon's arms and legs. This was a trick she had learned from Everlight's followers a long time ago when she was first captured.

They were the same binds that held powerful beings, so she was sure they were more than capable of holding someone like the Witch of Corruption.

With all her might--and her avatars--Storm flew threw the rift and pulled Corruption. Her strength was wavering, and her gates were trembling from all the damage inflicted on her soul. She was going to become an unkillable corrupted being because of the domain of Omniscience, which made her impossible to kill without a god's weapon. But she stayed full of hope and pulled the powerful binds.

Crack! After another burst of strength, the Sovereign's strength wavered. She used this opportunity to drag her into the divine realm, seconds before the binds shattered completely.

When this happened, the avatar left in the mortal realm quickly closed the rift, and the connection between them was severed right away. And all her avatars disappeared after a strain hit her fifth gate.

Now that her mission was successful, the light of her flames dimmed. Her power, once blinding, flickered out as her Second and Fifth Gates finally sealed shut. Her soul, overdrawn and cracked, could no longer hold them open. Using all gates simultaneously wasn't something humans were supposed to be doing. So in the end, her strength had eaten her up.

The cracks along her body deepened. The glowing purple lines traced down her face, creeping like veins of rot across her skin. It should have hurt. But her body was going numb. She was surrounded by darkness and storms. The cold touched her skin as the sound of powerful waves echoed through her ears.

Her thoughts drifted. 'I probably look hideous,' she thought with a bitter smirk, catching her reflection in the glimmer of the storm-lit sea. She barely recognized herself—charred armor, bleeding wounds, one eye dimmed by ether burns.

But that was fine. Vanity was never her thing. She had managed to do the one thing she was born to do. She had protected...and she was happier than ever to know that she won't be forgotten.

She turned her gaze to Agrilore, the silent Sea King. He stood on the water, untouched amidst the chaos. He was like a still silhouette against an endless, howling storm that seemed to bow to him.

'This is his domain,' she reminded herself. 'He'll be fine.'

She exhaled softly, as if surrendering her last tether to strength. Her vision blurred. The sound of crashing waves faded into a hum.

Then, finally—

She fell.

Her body plummeted from the sky like a broken star, trailing wisps of fading flame as the halo over her head vanished.

The dark ocean below reached up to claim her and swallowed her.

Author's thoughts: I do not think Sorcerers are Weak. Sovereigns like Corruption are just terrifyingly strong. They are rare for a reason. Also, thanks for reading.

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