Civilization

"Ian! Where is Sylvia? Is she okay? Wasn't she meant to be behind me?" - Luke

"Stop shouting Luke. I'm fine." - Sylvia

Sylvia appears from behind me, looking a little worse for wear. The armor she was wearing was cracked in various places, and she was clutching the side of her head. With her other hand on her hip, she looks at Luke with a tired expression.

"Are you alright, Luke? Sorry I probably got in your way." - Sylvia

"It's fine. So long you are safe, but how come Casper didn't attack us? Is it to do with the mask?" - Luke

"Spot on. I got this mask after I got separated from the main group. The skill lets an area around me be invisible. No sound comes out of the area as well." - Ian

Aura of Silence (Active) - 10 MP - For 15 minutes, in a 5-meter radius around the user, the area becomes invisible, and no sound can be heard outside the area. Cooldown 1 hour.

"I escaped from underground after taking the mask and winded up not too far away from here. I saw your battle with Kingston as well as the floating black egg. Slowly, I make my way towards you, finding an opportunity to cast this spell and bring you to safety. I didn't expect Casper to show up, though. Not only are Kronos's people here, but also the Horde's." - Ian

"At least, they aren't in any sort of alliance with each other. In fact, it seems like Casper despises the new monster." - Luke

"Pride. It's his pride as a true dragon that is causing Casper to lash out at the monster. Originally it was a chimera created by Kronos, but it evolved into a humanoid dragon-like monster. Casper must have felt offended when it called itself a dragon." - Sylvia

I look at Sylvia and nod my head. Her thoughts coalign with my own, which surprised me since I had always thought of Sylvia using her muscles before her brain. Never would I have thought that she would analyze the situation so clearly and calmly.

I turn away from both of them to see a small cloud of dust floating up into the sky. It was also the place where Kingston got landed after taking a hit from the monster. I couldn't keep my promise to Kingston, and his situation escalated to a new high. The berserk form, he had acquired, had evolved into a demonic state. One that craves blood and violence yet doesn't seek it actively. Instead, he takes a calculative approach, attacking weak points while yearning for more.

"Luke, Sylvia, I need to move towards Kingston. Since the area isn't that big, I need the two of you to follow me. I'm not sure if the two monsters will come back, but it would be better for all of us to stick together." - Ian

"Get up Luke, stop being on the ground like a wolf." - Sylvia

"Right, coming, coming." - Luke

Luke wobbly gets himself up. Sylvia, noticing his struggle drops a knee to help Luke stabilize, putting his arm around the back of her neck and holding him under his armpit. I come around the other side and prop his other arm around my neck as well. Together we slowly approach Kingston's crash site, however, his body was missing.

Instead, a pile of crimson blood pooled in the middle. His spear stuck in the middle of the pool but instead of the blood-red color, it was back to its shimmering white. I step cautiously down the hole, grabbing the spear and pulling it out of the blood pool. Knowing that Kingston most likely died and is back in the real world, I took his weapon with the intent of returning to him when I see him next.

While I couldn't kill him myself while he was going berserk, he ended up still dead. Was it a good thing? Or a bad thing?

"Where is Kingston?" - Luke

"Up with goddess Ariel. I'm sure he will be back in HavenFall tomorrow, but we won't be able to see him until later." - Ian

"That monster is stronger than anything we have faced." - Sylvia

"Both of you weren't here, but we faced 2 similar enemies on our way here. Lucky for us, we were safe and no one died. Where is everyone, by the way? I've only seen you two and Kingston." - Ian

"A lot of people were on the other side of the crevice, including Solar, Gibing, and more. They told us that Kingston and David were on the other side. Also, Melody sent us here." - Luke

I snap my head towards Luke with a worried expression.

"What did Melody see?" - Ian

"Kingston killing David. However, with me being here, I doubt what she saw will become reality since Kingston isn't here anymore." - Luke

"Although, it could have been you dying to Kingston. You looked like you were losing that even though you activated Golden Ascension." - Sylvia

"He got stronger the more I damage him and each time he damaged me, he got stronger too. I had to kill him in one strike, but by the time I realized that, it was already too late." - Luke

"It's not your fault. I told him I would kill him if he went berserk, but I wasn't even there." - Ian

I grip the spear of light tightly and was able to walk away with Luke and Sylvia when a brownish-red body come crashing into the ground near us.

"The skill doesn't have much time left, we need to get to a safe location before we get revealed." - Ian

Luke and Sylvia nod toward me, as we stick together, moving away from the cloud of dust behind us.

"I wouldn't move if I was you." - Casper

The moment he spoke, we stood still. The human-dragon monster floated above us looking around the ground.

"While I can't see you. I know you are there. Reveal yourself." - Casper

While I knew that sound would stay inside the area and if I reply to Casper, he wouldn't hear it anyway, I kept my lips sealed. My feet were planted on the ground and my arms were stiff as a tree.

"Hmm…" - Casper

Casper's silence went on for seconds, then minutes. Time on the skill tick away slowly.

"*Cough**Cough* You… Kro-Kronos will not forgive you." - ???

Casper floats to the ground and I signal for the three of us to back away slowly. The dust clears in front of us, and I see the monster's beaten body. Its wing was torn, and it had lost an arm. Blood poured out of its mouth, nose, and ears.

"Do you honestly think I would be afraid?" - Casper

"No." - ???

"Then why mention such a pointless thing?" - Casper

"Because he is here right now." - ???

The monster points upward shakily. We had gotten behind a rock and followed the pointing finger, only to see clouds above the sky. The sun had gotten closer to the horizon and an orange dye paints the blue sky. However, it all changes in seconds.

The clouds part as a peak of a mountain breaches through. No, it wasn't a peak of a mountain but the underside of a large pointy mountain-sized boulder. It covers the sky and covers the ground in darkness. Stopping not long after piercing through the clouds.

"The mad scientist's fortress, Himmel Festung. Didn't think I would see it all the way here." - Casper

"HAHAHA! Are you afraid?" - ???

"No. Just curious, why is he here? It can't be to pick up you?" - Casper

"Maybe it is." - ???

From the sides of the mountain, large rock-like objects drop, creating massive craters in the ground as they land. Once the dust disappears, I notice they were all golems, larger than the ones that we have faced and of different appearances. Some looked like giant ogres with clubs bigger than their bodies, while others looked like nagas or lamia. There were also some wolves, angel-like beings, and dragons.

All with a similar white stone body, with the only difference from the small counterparts, is the maze of blue veins covering the body. The golems had blue veins which connect all over the body, and from my conjecture, it is the mana that powers the golems and makes them stronger than other golems.

A total of 20 different golems had landed and stood behind the injured monster. The angel-like monster places its hand on top of the injured monster and a green aura envelops the monster.

"Lord Kronos has given you a name. Deino, you are to serve him to your death." - Angel Golem

"Of course. Anything for Lord Kronos. Now, dragon, do you still think you can kill us?" - Deino

Taking off his glasses, Casper sighs.

"Do I think I can kill you? I know I can kill you." - Casper

A blue light envelops Casper and instead of a humanoid dragon, he shows his true form. Glistening jet-black scales, with a pearl white belly and two thick black horns on his head. Casper roars into the sky ejecting hot flames towards Kronos's fortress, Himmel Festung. Before the flames even hit the fortress, it is blocked by a white translucent shield that covered the whole of the fortress.

"Did you think that your flames could damage the Himmel Festung?" - Deino

"No, it was a signal. For your impending doom. Now, die for me." - Casper