We were watching Reika and Reymond talk to each other when suddenly, a chilling sensation ran through my veins. A sensation that felt disturbingly familiar.

At the same time, a powerful gust of wind began to surge violently around the hall.

"What is happening?" I asked.

And then, I got my answer.

"Sorry for interrupting your happy moment. But this… is still not over yet."

Azul's voice echoed through the hall.

I turned my head and saw Azul standing there, his head tilted downward.

"He's not down yet? How many times do we need to beat this guy? He's like a cockroach!" Bob cursed.

The wind grew even stronger. It encircled Azul as his body slowly lifted into the air. The swirling wind turned pitch black, spiraling tightly as it merged with him.

Wooden panels were ripped from the walls. The chandelier above shook violently, its lights flickering as dust and debris were pulled toward the center of the raging gust.

---

From outside the mansion, Maya and the other members of Dawnbloom Guild were still holding back the horde of monsters.

She was releasing waves of flame and ice across the battlefield with her ornate staff when, suddenly, a chill ran down her spine. She looked up toward the sky above the mansion.

Dark clouds were spiraling violently overhead, thunder striking through them from time to time. The clouds moved unnaturally fast, as if being drawn toward a single point. This sudden change in weather felt completely wrong.

"Alan…" she muttered.

Her heart tightened as worry filled her thoughts. She could only hope that nothing terrible was happening to her friends inside the mansion.

---

Inside the hall of the mansion, the situation was becoming worse. The pull of the tornado was so strong that I had to create shards around us just to shield us from the wind.

THUMP!

THUMP!

The sound of debris slamming into the shards echoed every second.

"I don't like this, Bob. This feeling… it's the same as in the Coldshire Cave," I said honestly, voicing the ominous sensation creeping up my spine.

"You mean… he also has the card?" Bob's eyes widened. The memory clearly still haunted him.

I nodded.

Linus glanced at us, and from his expression, it was clear he understood exactly what we were expecting.

What worried me even more, however, were the two siblings behind us. Reika wasn't a fighter, and Reymond was heavily wounded. Fighting a transformed Azul while protecting them both was simply futile.

After a few minutes, the violent gust finally subsided. I slowly lowered my shards, and all of us turned our eyes toward Azul.

And just as I feared… he had transformed.

Dark mist surrounded his body, occasionally releasing red sparks. Darkness covered him like a suit of armor, spikes forming on his shoulders, elbows, knees, and heels. His mask shifted into a black one with glowing red eyes. As for his exposed left eye, it had turned completely black, with dark veins spreading around it. He was now Darkness Azul.

He was floating in the air.

Slowly, he descended and landed on the ground, placing his hands behind his back in a dignified manner.

"Ahh… look what you've done," Azul said calmly. "I originally planned to spare this gift the Lord gave me and keep it as part of my collection. But your presence forced me to use it."

He shook his head lightly.

"How wasteful."

"However, you should praise yourself, as you are given the opportunity to witness the miracle and experience it firsthand!"

"This guy is crazy!" Bob said.

"Azul! The gift you mentioned… is it this card?" I raised the other card we obtained in the Coldshire Cave, the one we got from Daria.

"Well, well. So Daria's card is actually in your hands," Azul said. "I should've expected that. But… if you truly think the card Daria used and the one I possess are the same, then you are looking down on me far too much!"

A violent gust of wind shot outward.

Sweat trickled down my temple, even though I was still in Shardstorm Mage form. It showed just how afraid I truly was. But in front of Reika, I couldn't allow myself to show any weakness.

I inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, forcing my nerves to calm. My hand holding Indra trembled slightly, so I tightened my grip until it steadied.

There was only one way to fight this battle.

"Linus," I called out.

"Hm?"

"Cover Reika and Reymond. Get them out of here," I said without looking away, my eyes locked onto Darkness Azul.

"Please."

Linus looked at me, then at Bob. Bob nodded back at him, clearly agreeing.

Linus sighed.

"Alright. Looks like, in the end, it all falls on you two," Linus said.

"Heh. We are

the main characters after all," Bob joked.

Linus lifted Reymond up, and just before they turned to leave, Reymond spoke.

"Beat that bastard, Alan!"

"I will."

Reika glanced back at me one last time before helping Reymond walk away.

"Do you think I will just let you walk away like that? No, no, no. Let me give you a taste of my power first!"

Azul suddenly disappeared from his spot, leaving only a cloud of darkness behind.

"Oh no!" I muttered. This bastard… he's targeting them!

From above the three of them, Darkness Azul appeared, his hand raised high, ready to strike them down.

I dashed forward using Slash Dash, using the momentum and activating my [Double Jump], but there was still a gap between us.

Then everything slowed down.

I saw it all.

Linus trying to raise his staff while still supporting Reymond.

Reika closing her eyes, unprepared for what was about to happen.

Reymond clenching his teeth, cursing his own helplessness as he looked up at the descending Darkness Azul.

Even Bob, injured and barely standing , had the same expression.

Is there really nothing I can do?

Is this Azul really so strong that we can't defeat him?

A feeling of defeat washed over me.

The feeling of being powerless.

The feeling that nothing could be done anymore.

The feeling of falling into despair.

…

…

…

"No!"

"This is not over yet!"

"As long as I live, I will never give up!"

I opened my status and selected a class.

"I'm sorry, Guildmaster. But I have to break our promise today."

[You have changed to Timeweaver class!]