Anger blinded her reason, only the sword in her hand thirsted for the culprit's blood and agony. Carol rushed forward, her grip tightening as wind energy coiled around her blade. In response, Karl effortlessly shaped a massive stone hammer with his bare hands, wielding it with ease.

  Closing the distance, Carol swung her sword with lethal intent, but to her surprise, the hammer was far tougher than it looked.

  "Don’t forget. I am still the Gaia Holder in terms of strength, with or without my physical weapon," Karl stated. He broke the clash, swinging his hammer outward to push her back. Without stopping, he smashed the ground, the shockwave knocking Carol against the wall with bone-jarring force.

  Despite the impact, Carol refused to give in. Clenching her hands with desperate determination, she stood her ground. She tightened her grip, casting Wind Agnis as magic circles erupted beneath her boots. In an instant, she vanished, reappearing in front of Karl. This time, her sword was embodied with Dark Ender instead of her usual wind energy. The resulting explosion shattered the surrounding brickwork, blowing Karl out of the tower and onto the open field. He landed on his feet, though clearly nursing minor injuries.

  Carol panted heavily, her lungs burning. Above her, the crystal embedded in the ceiling mural slightly cracked, a direct response to her heavy utilization of the Dark Ender.

  (That kid is no joke. To think she can already channel her Ender like that,) Karl thought, a flicker of frustration crossing his face. (But that’s more than enough for me to know her current condition.)

  Carol jumped from the tower, landing safely as the two figures faced off on the battlefield.

  "Hah! Quite passionate, I'll give you that. Is revenge really driving you this hard?" Karl asked, his arrogant smile returning.

  Carol didn't answer. She stared at him, but her eyes were vacant. She was spacing out, caught in a waking nightmare. In her perspective, the charred hands of burned villagers were clawing at her, trying to drag her into a spectral flame.

  Seeing Carol frozen in place, Karl seized the opportunity and charged, his hammer raised high.

  Carol snapped back to reality just in time, raising her sword in a desperate defense. Their weapons clashed with a deafening clang, but she struggled to match the raw strength behind Karl’s strike. Realizing he had the advantage, Karl quietly conjured several stone spikes that erupted from the earth, piercing Carol before she could react.

  The spikes lifted her high into the air, growing larger as they reached for the sky. Her blood spilled out, dripping down the jagged stone. With a grin of pure satisfaction, Karl snapped his fingers, and the spikes shattered, sending Carol falling. Before she hit the ground, he created a giant stone drill from the debris below her.

  Despite her injuries, Carol twisted her body mid-air, channelling a massive surge of Dark Ender into her sword. Her blade met the tip of the drill. Though the pain was agonizing, she pushed forward with sheer stubbornness until the massive spike shattered under her power.

  She managed to landed safely, but the fatigue hit her like a physical weight. She panted as a result, her body trembling.

  "Playtime isn't over yet, Leviathan's child," Karl said. He summoned a small army of stone golems around him, with a colossal one towering behind. Dozens of magic circles formed in the air, arming a devastating volley of stone spikes ready to launch.

  Carol’s eyes widened in horror. She couldn't believe it. Even as a former Holder, his Ender capacity was far beyond hers; he was firing off advanced and standard spells simultaneously without breaking a sweat.

  Meanwhile, Revir was struggling. Hindrey’s high-speed spear strikes were relentless, forcing him into a desperate, purely defensive stance. With one powerful thrust, Hindrey gripped his spear and slammed it against Revir’s guard, sending him skidding across the dirt. Revir fell to one knee, trembling as he panted heavily.

  "It seems you cannot utilize your power effectively," Hindrey said, his voice dripping with disappointment. "To think you were the one who suppressed Irlia."

  Revir responded with a snort, brushing the sweat from his forehead. "So what? You think I’m only superior because of raw strength?" he asked. While he spoke, he was secretly casting magic circles around Hindrey using his levitating grimoire. "Think again, Professor."

  The moment Revir spoke, several sharpened chains erupted from the magic circles, ambushing Hindrey from his blind spots. Though shocked by the sudden trap, Hindrey managed to dodge most of them, though several minor cuts opened across his arms and torso.

  "Heh. Have you forgotten what the Sealers in our society call me? The Brain of the Queen. The Second Leader." Revir stood up, pointing his halberd at Hindrey while his book hovered beside him, glowing with intent. "But the title that stands out the most? The Uncanny Planner. Known for using strategy over pure force."

  "Is that so? I thought you hated using that title, especially when it was Irlia who gave you that title," Hindrey replied. He casually pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled a cloud of smoke into the battlefield air. "I'm not surprised you're using it right now. But honestly? It irritates me that you’ve decided to move on and continue chasing your 'dream' after what happened."

  "Hmm. Want to put that 'dream' of mine to the test, then?" Revir swung his halberd into a ready position, a carefree, defiant smile spreading across his face. "I want to hear your opinion, of me and my adventure!"

  He rushed forward, excitement radiating from him as he prepared for the next round.

  "Now, let me show you how a Holder truly fights!" Karl exclaimed. He extended his palm toward Carol, commanding his army of golems and the hovering stone spikes to swarm her.

  Fear consumed her, but with no way to retreat, Carol clenched her fists so tightly that blood began to drip from her palms. The pain snapped her back to reality. She stretched out her right arm and exhaled deeply, closing her eyes. "Please... lend me your power, Irene," she whispered.

  When she opened her eyes, they were hollow and glowing red. In that moment, a second sword, forged purely from Dark Ender, manifested in her right hand.

  A small golem leaped at her; she swung both blades in a cross-cut, shattering it instantly. Carol rushed forward, a whirlwind of dark steel, slashing through the golem ranks. When the rain of stone spikes charged toward her, she countered by manifesting dozens of Dark Needles. The weapons collided in mid-air, obliterating one another in a spray of debris.

  "Just because you can counter me, you think you have the advantage?" Karl swung his hammer high. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Leviathan Child!"

  He slammed the ground. The terrain beneath Carol’s feet exploded, the force launching her backward. Karl used the rising smoke as cover, charging forward to strike Carol with a 'home run' swing that sent her flying toward the watchtower. As a follow-up, the monstrous golem behind him leaped into the air alongside Karl. They struck the top of the tower simultaneously, demolishing the ancient stonework in seconds.

  Carol barely managed to manifest a Dark Ender Barrier. She gritted her teeth, enduring the crushing weight of their combined force. A war cry tore from her throat as she pushed herself to her absolute limit. Blood leaked from the corners of her mouth, and the audible crack of bone echoed from both of her arms. Above them, the crystal in the ceiling mural fractured further, nearing its total breaking point.

  With one final, desperate shout, Carol detonated her barrier. The explosion blew Karl back and shattered his giant golem into dust.

  Carol panted heavily, her body bathed in her own blood. She tried to stand, but her legs failed her. She remained on her knees, propped up only by her two swords dug into the floor.

  "No... this... isn't enough to kill him... this power... isn't enough to make him pay..." Carol mumbled. As she stared at the ground, her sclera began to turn black, corrupted by the Dark Ender.

  Stolen story; please report.

  (Is she at her breaking point?) Karl thought, brushing the dust from his clothes. Suddenly, a cold chill ran down his spine. He saw a glimpse of a towering, shadowy figure manifesting behind Carol, smiling menacingly at him. His expression hardened, and for the first time, he began to sweat.

  Carol stood up, slowly, yet unnaturally. She gripped her swords, and in a flash of impossible speed, she vanished. Karl gasped, but it was too late. She reappeared in his personal space. He tried to defend himself with his stone hammer, but the weapon shattered like glass. Carol’s corrupted blade followed through, slicing into him. In his final moments of clarity, Karl saw only those malicious red eyes, glowing with the intent to erase him from existence.

  Driven by a madness she could no longer control, Carol grabbed Karl's face and pinned him harshly to the ground. She raised her sword and began to stab him—repeatedly, rhythmically, making him feel every puncture. His consciousness began to fade as her grin widened into a mask of insanity.

  "This is for burning my village!" she stab. "This is for killing my mother!" she stab again. "This is for destroying my happiness!" she stab yet again.

  "This... is... for..." Carol plummeted into a frenzy, stabbing him seventeen more times until the ground was a pulp of mud and gore. She raised her blood-drenched blade high above her head one last time. "...shaping... my own... existence!"

  She thrust the blade down into his chest with finality.

  Carol panted, her vision blurred by the warm blood coating her face. As her sight slowly cleared, the corpse of Karl lay before her, unrecognizable, bathed in a lake of his own blood.

  "I finally did it..." Carol released her grip on her sword, staring intensely at her hands, which were coated in gruesome blood. A smile of madness flickered on her lips. "I finally killed that bastard..!" She chuckled in amusement, the sound echoing hollowly. "But why... why do I feel... so empty?"

  "That is the burden of being human, Carol. You will never be satisfied," Irene’s voice echoed in her mind.

  Carol’s eyes widened in horror. The world around her dissolved into pitch-black darkness, the same void she had been dreaming of for days. In front of her, stood a version of herself as a young child, smiling widely with closed eyes. But as the child opened them, they revealed the same red, hollow void that now claimed Carol’s own gaze.

  "In the end, this revenge was nothing but a distraction. A distraction from what truly defines our existence," the child in the plain white dress said, walking slowly toward Carol.

  "What are you—" Carol froze before she could finish. The screams of the villagers grew louder and louder as the child approached, their whispers turning into a chorus of loathing.

  "It was all your fault..!" "Why did you run away instead of helping us..!" "Why did you betray us..!"

  "No... I didn't mean to..!" Carol replied, her heart heavy as she clenched her hands, trying to reject the voices.

  "You cannot deny it anymore. It is a fact," the child countered, stopping directly in front of Carol. "These are the consequences you must face for leaving them behind. For being a murderer."

  The child snapped her fingers, and the void transformed into the peaceful village where everything began. Carol stood in shock, unable to process the shift as she was thrust back into her own past.

  (@#$%^ Village: A forgotten village without name, once a peaceful one)

  There, it was revealed that Carol had been a normal, kind child. She helped everyone, from her peers to the adults, and was skilled with wind magic even then. She had used it for mischief, driven by curiosity and a love for life. But that life ended the moment she invited Karl and his group into the village.

  "No... please... don't invite him in..!" Carol’s current self froze, forced to watch the birth of her own nightmare.

  At Carol's childhood home, Lydia opened the door to find her daughter standing there with Karl. Lydia’s eyes widened in horror.

  "Why are you here?" Lydia asked harshly, her tone a clear warning.

  "Well, I simply missed an old friend. Is it wrong to visit?" Karl asked kindly, hiding his malice. "After all, it was this child who invited me here when I was lost in the forest."

  "Carol, go to your room and hide. This mother of yours..." Lydia summoned a katana from her left hand, her fingers sliding it slightly from its scabbard. "...has a little business with this evil man." Lydia gripped the hilt and drew the blade in a flash, trying to slash him in half, though Karl managed to dodge.

  Panic took hold of the young Carol. She ran inside, hiding beneath her bed. The battle alerted the village; the warning bell began to toll, signaling danger. But it was too late. A dozen fireballs from Hindrey rained down, turning half the homes into an inferno.

  The current Carol knelt in horror, forced to watch the villagers scream and burn in agony once again.

  "Do you understand now what kind of murderer we are?" Irene’s voice echoed. "It was our heart, our kindness, that led to this destruction. Don't you see?"

  The child-Carol hid beneath her bed, her heart breaking at the sounds of despair. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but the true breaking point came when she saw her mother. Lydia lay on the floor of the room, bathed in blood, her gaze locked onto Carol.

  "Ca...rol..." Lydia wheezed, extending a trembling arm. "Run... away... it is not safe..."

  "Mo-mom..?"

  Then Karl walked in. He grabbed Lydia by her hair, lifting her up like a trophy, and preparing to use her own katana to end her. "You truly have gotten soft. A weapon like you, who used to exterminate threats and protect nobles... you think you deserve happiness? After betraying humanity and marrying a Leviathan?"

  "Sto-stop this... Karl..." Lydia gasped.

  "You could have given me the child. Your life and the villagers might have been spared. But thanks to your stubbornness, everything is in ruins."

  Unable to stay hidden, the young Carol lunged out, trying to use her mother’s sacred wand against him.

  "Found you!" Karl laughed.

  "No!" Lydia used her final strength to shield her daughter, hugging her tight. Karl swung the blade, slashing Lydia across the back. Carol watched in despair as her mother’s blood splattered across her cheeks.

  "Huh..?" Carol froze as her mother’s body sank to the ground, the blood staining her own boots.

  "Why... why..!" The current Carol wept, covering her eyes with her bloody hands.

  "Because we are monsters," the child-Irene said. "When we exist, humanity reveals its own monstrous nature. Greed for power, pride over duty, lust for rank. They will destroy everything to get what they want." The child appeared beside her, snapping her fingers to return them to the pitch-black field. "Everything we did was for our own selfishness. To hide our guilt!"

  "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Carol shouted, trying to deny the darkness, covering her ears. "It can't be true! It was for justice! Justice for what that bastard did to me!!"

  "If so... have you found peace now that your revenge is finished? Have you found... what your next purpose will be?"

  Carol’s eyes widened. Dark Ender hands erupted from the ground, grabbing her body and dragging her toward the abyss.

  "A killer will always be a killer, Carol. This sin is carved into our soul, and we must face the consequences." The child offered Carol a knife. Carol took it unconsciously, pointing it at her own chest, unable to carry the weight of her guilt.

  "For the ugliness we saw in humanity, justice will solve nothing. It must all perish alongside our lives. Therefore, it was already..."

  "...our purpose..." Carol whispered. She saw a glimpse of her mother leaving her behind, just as in her dream. She closed her eyes, tears falling off across her cheeks as she accepted her fate. In desperation, she finishing the child's thought. "...to begin with."

  She thrust the knife into her own chest, a final act of destroying her remaining humanity.

  The red crystal in the tower's mural completely shattered, reacting to Carol’s total despair as her Dark Ender collided with the device. A pillar of reddish darkness erupted from the tower, roaring into the sky.

  "What... is that?" a Qtiryn soldier asked, staring at the darkness.

  "I don't kno--" The Dark Ender from a Neurn soldier's wand suddenly began to consume his body. "No, no, no, no, no! I'm not signing for this!" he exclaimed, before his body dissolved into pure energy, flying toward the tower.

  "No... please, help me!" another cried, but it was too late. One by one, the Neurn soldiers were consumed, becoming fuel for the darkness.

  "What in the..?" Ordeus gasped, pausing his battle as the world turned grim.

  "Da-dang it!" Crake screamed. His own weapon was beginning to consume his arm. "I don't know what is happening, but please, help me Ordeus!"

  Without hesitation, Ordeus slashed Crake’s arm off. Though Crake's arm fell, bleeding heavily onto the ground, he was spared from the consumption.

  "That darkness... I knew it. This was their plan all along," Ordeus said, his fist clenched.

  "What... do you mean?"

  "This is why I wanted you to surrender. You were being manipulated by a third party." Ordeus looked up at the sky, now became a blood-scarlet sky. "Not that I can do anything now. Enjoy your consequences, Crake. You and your friends just helped the Apostles awaken the new Leviathan."