Nox withdrew his hand, the red lightning fading. "For once, I agree with you. We’d just go get ourselves killed."

"And maybe Amaera has already returned to headquarters," added Klein as he turned toward the path they had come from. "If she discovered the same thing, she’s surely waiting for us there."

The two men began their descent of the canyon, their silhouettes standing out against the sky of Tenebris.

...

The return to the rallying base had not been joyful despite the valuable information brought back by Klein... The tents hastily set up on the basaltic ground of Tenebris vibrated under a wind laden with demonic electricity and dust. Klein walked with a quick step, his black leather boots hammering the arid earth as he clutched the data crystals collected at the Spectrum outpost. But his mind was elsewhere.

The first observation upon his arrival was icy... The camp was on alert, but essential faces were missing.

’Olivia hasn’t returned. Neither has Sierra.’ thought Klein, his blue eyes scanning the tents. ’Amaera... Loriel... she too disappeared after the Wyverns’ attack.’

Konstantine felt a ball of ice form in his stomach... This was not just a tactical loss, it was a direct attack on his interests and attachments. He looked at the horizon, where the demonic mist hid the Bastion he had glimpsed with Nox.

"I will find you," he murmured to himself, his voice barely a breath in the tumult. "I’m sure Spectrum is behind it.."

Without wasting a moment, he ordered the preparation of a large-scale expedition... The time was no longer for cautious reconnaissance, but for a show of force. For this, he summoned the Dark Tetrad.

The meeting was held in an isolated command tent, far from indiscreet ears. The four men present represented a raw power capable of shaking the continent.

Nox Walpurgy was casually sitting on a crate of ammunition, his long black hair falling over his face adorned with piercings. Red lightning crackled intermittently around his fingers, a sign of his unstable S+ warrior power.

Facing him, Julian Frostvine, now an S+ rank magical warrior, wore a dark expression, his ice aura cooling the ambient air. Jasper Del Luna, the blind archer, stood straight, his eyes covered by an immaculate white cloth, his longbow resting against his shoulder even if one could not determine his real power... He did not seem any weaker than the others...

Finally, Klein Konstantine was also present.

Klein broke the silence first, staring at Julian.

"Julian... I ask your forgiveness."

The Frostvine heir furrowed his brows in surprise. "Forgiveness? For what?"

"For Irene," replied Klein without detour. "After this battle, I swear to you to do everything to go get her. I care about her more than you can imagine."

Nox let out a sneer, tilting his head back. "Well... so this dog had actually fucked Julian’s mother? It’s even more twisted than the experiments of my dear Walpurga."

Julian’s face turned crimson in a second... His veins bulged on his temples and his ice mana exploded, instantly frosting the floor of the tent.

"You...!" shouted Julian as he drew his blade in a fluid motion to strike Nox. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Jasper intervened at the last moment, seizing Julian’s wrist with surprising strength for an archer. The metal of the sword stopped a few millimeters from Nox’s throat, who did not even flinch, displaying a provocative smile.

"Let’s calm down," declared Jasper in his monotone and icy voice. "We must deal with the Spectrum threat for now. Then we will settle our differences if you are still alive."

Julian struggled to breathe, his chest heaving with rage. Jasper then turned his head toward Klein, his invisible gaze seeming to probe the Predator’s soul.

"I even heard that this dog in heat had a relationship with my cousin... Sierra didn’t tell me, but her mana is on you, as is the vice director’s..." Jasper shook his head as he took back his bow. "The Luna lineage does not appreciate mixed-blood Kaiser or Klein as you now call yourself..."

Klein sighed, running a hand through his silver hair. He did not try to deny it, knowing that lying would be useless in front of Jasper. "Anyway... let’s go. We’ll settle this later. If we lose this war, your grudges will die with you."

***

The next day...

The expedition advanced at a brisk pace across the plains of Tenebris... The coordination was total. Klein had divided the forces into several zones to converge on the Spectrum HQ, the objective being to encircle the fortress and prevent any escape by the organization’s leaders.

Far to the north, in the sector of the frost mountains, the leader of the Pendragon faction galloped on his reddish steed... His sister was dead, his mother had killed his father before disappearing into the wild... And even his fiancée seemed to have joined a strange sect..

Kris galloped alone, several dozen meters ahead of a hundred of the most powerful students of the Pendragon faction... Officially adopted by Isis Pendragon, he now bore the name Kris Pendragon with bitter pride. His aura was so dominant, so crushingly heavy, that no one approached him, risking death by simple pressure.

He spoke to no one. His amber eyes were fixed on the peaks, seeking a target for his fury.

As he crossed a narrow pass, the sky suddenly darkened... Hundreds of Harpies, rare-rank monsters with sharp talons and strident cries, dove from the heights to intercept the vanguard.

Kris did not slow his horse’s pace. With a gesture, he drew the Pendragon Greatsword.

"Exterminate this pile of shit!!!" shouted Kris, his voice amplified by the power of his lineage.

Instantly, a heavy gravity escaped from his body, spreading in an invisible shockwave over several hundred meters... The Harpies, caught in mid-flight by a pressure of several dozen tons, saw their bones shatter instantly. They crashed to the ground in a din of crushed flesh and torn feathers, unable to fight against the Pendragon’s will.

The students behind him stopped, petrified by the demonstration... His power now seemed far superior to that of an S+ rank warrior....