Sylven extended both hands toward the portal and unleashed the full force of his Plant Dragon Magic.

The district immediately responded.

The streets cracked apart as enormous roots erupted from beneath the city. They spread in every direction like a forest awakening beneath the ruins.

The buildings shook. Rubble shifted. Hundreds of glowing green vines spiraled upward and wrapped themselves around the dark gateway suspended above the battlefield.

The portal immediately resisted.

Dark energy surged out and collided against Sylven’s power.

At first, it seemed no different from the portals Eccar and Aesa had destroyed.

Then something changed.

The moment his Dragon Magic made direct contact with the portal’s core, Sylven felt something cold brush against his mind.

His eyes widened slightly.

The sensation did not come from the battlefield. It came from beyond the portal.

Sylven immediately frowned and took a cautious step backward.

Something was there. Something sinister.

The feeling did not resemble physical danger. No attack struck his body or any creature emerged from the gateway.

Instead, the disturbance crawled through his thoughts and reached deep into his soul.

The sensation reminded him of being watched by something vast and unnatural.

For a brief moment he felt as though an invisible presence had noticed him.

The feeling vanished almost immediately.nYet it left a lingering chill behind.

"Is this what Erend meant?"

Sylven had only heard descriptions of the Void Architect from Erend and the others. He had trusted their judgment and accepted the threat for what it was.

But now he finally understood that this thing was wrong. Fundamentally wrong in all aspects.

Its Magic carried a corruption unlike anything he had ever encountered.

Even for a Dragonborn, merely touching traces of its power felt unsettling.

Sylven narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. I don’t like you."

Green Dragon Magic exploded outward. The entire district trembled. Countless glowing runes appeared around the portal while colossal roots wrapped around it from every direction.

The dark gateway struggled violently. Then Sylven clenched both fists and the roots tightened.

Cracks spread across the portal. A second later, the gateway shattered apart.

The dark energy collapsed inward and vanished completely.

The disturbing presence disappeared with it.

Sylven released a slow breath. One more portal was destroyed.

Without wasting another moment, he launched himself into the sky and raced toward another battlefield.

Across Leonora, the same scene repeated itself.

Eccar moved from district to district like an unstoppable force of nature. Every portal he encountered collapsed beneath his Earth Dragon Magic.

Aesa crossed the city as a streak of blue light. The battlefields froze wherever she appeared. One portal after another shattered beneath overwhelming ice.

Sylven followed behind them, bringing forests of roots and vines that swallowed the invading creatures before destroying the gateways themselves.

Again and again, the three Dragonborn arrived where defenders stood on the verge of collapse.

Again and again, hope returned.

Knights who thought they would die survived. Mages who had exhausted every reserve finally found relief.

Citizens trapped behind defensive lines watched the impossible become reality.

One portal after another disappeared from Leonora. And with every destroyed gateway, the pressure crushing the kingdom weakened.

Far above the capital, atop one of the palace towers, King Garrie stood beside Archmage Velrion.

Both men watched the city, noticing that the situation appeared to be stabilizing.

King Garrie slowly released a breath. "They’re actually pushing it back."

Velrion nodded. "The Dragonborn are changing the entire battlefield."

Below them, distant flashes of green, blue, and golden light continued appearing throughout the capital.

Another portal vanished. Then another and more others.

Relief finally appeared on the king’s face. But it did not last long.

"This isn’t over," Garrie said quietly.

"No," Velrion agreed. "Not even close."

The Archmage’s gaze drifted toward the palace below.

"We still need to rewrite the Sky Anchor. We still need to stop the Void Architect. And we still don’t know how much of this invasion remains on other kingdoms."

King Garrie nodded grimly.

Victory on this battlefield alone would not save the world.

At that moment, a familiar presence descended from the sky.

A streak of crimson light landed beside them atop the tower.

Both men immediately turned and saw Erend stood there.

His expression remained tired and his movements carried traces of exhaustion, but he was standing.

"The expeditions have returned," Erend said.

King Garrie’s eyes widened slightly. "All of them?"

Erend nodded. "All five fragments have been recovered."

Relief flashed across Velrion’s face. The Archmage had been waiting for those words since the operation began.

Erend looked directly at him and said, "The fragments are secured beneath the palace. Can you do it now?"

His gaze sharpened.

Velrion remained silent for several seconds while countless calculations passed through his mind.

Then he slowly nodded. "Yes."

The Archmage’s eyes turned toward the city and then toward the palace beneath them.

"Now that all five fragments have been gathered..." A faint surge of Magic flowed around him. "We can finally begin rewriting the Sky Anchor."

"What about the formula?" Erend asked.

"It’s almost complete," the Archmage said. " The problem is the other Archmages."

Erend’s expression hardened again.

Velrion slowly shook his head. "I haven’t been able to contact them since the attacks intensified. The communication network between kingdoms is still unstable.

"I don’t know how far they’ve progressed. I don’t know if they managed to continue their work. And I don’t know whether their kingdoms suffered the same level of disaster as Leonora."

The realization immediately made the situation clear. Even if Leonora’s fragment was ready and Velrion completed his part, the entire operation still depended on the other kingdoms.

Erend stared toward the distant horizon. More Archmages were likely facing the same problems Velrion had faced earlier.

He made his decision immediately.

"Then I’ll go." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Both Velrion and King Garrie looked at him.

Erend continued. "I’ll visit the other kingdoms myself."

The king frowned slightly. "You’re still exhausted."

"I know. But if the Archmages are being delayed by the invasion, then we need to know and if yes, I need to help them."

Without wasting another word, crimson Dragon Magic erupted around Erend. Space distorted before him and a portal formed atop the tower.

Erend took one step toward it.

"Be ready," he said while looking toward Velrion. "If they’re finished, we begin immediately."

Velrion nodded. "I’ll be ready."

Erend gave a final nod. Then he stepped through the portal. The crimson gateway closed behind him moments later.

King Garrie watched the spot where the Dragonborn had disappeared. Then Velrion released a long breath.

"We’re close," the Archmage said quietly.

King Garrie nodded. "Then what will you do now?"

Velrion’s gaze shifted toward the royal palace below. "The fragments. I need to go there now. Five fragments gathered together after all this time. I want to make sure everything is exactly as expected before the rewriting begins."

King Garrie understood immediately.

"Of course."

Velrion stepped toward the edge of the tower. A faint surge of Magic flowed around him.

The wind stirred his robes.

"I’ll contact you once my inspection is complete."

King Garrie nodded. The Archmage launched himself into the air.

A streak of blue light descended from the tower and raced toward the palace below where the five recovered Sky Anchor fragments awaited inside the secured underground chamber.

—