Rover's world narrowed to the sterile interior of a cramped military ambulance. The steady hum of the engine struggled to drown out the distant chaos beyond.
Professor Kuroda lay on a stretcher, his hand tightly wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage. Despite the pulse pounding in Rover's ears from the heavy shockwaves shaking the streets—rippling from the battle between Etoile Sanglante and the Celestial Order—Rover's focus did not waver.
He watched the professor's trembling hand.
Blood seeped slowly between the bandage's threads. The professor's thumb was gone—cut clean off in the heat of battle. His breaths were shallow, ragged.
The professor whispered, voice barely audible, "I'm alright, Rover. I'm glad you're safe."
Rover's gaze darkened with pain and frustration.
"Professor, you're lying," he said quietly, his voice cracking. "You're in terrible condition, losing too much blood. Yet you still think about my safety?"
His eyes burned with a sudden heat, red and stinging, as the weight of grief threatened to break him.
He closed his eyes—and suddenly, the world shifted.
---
The dark void of the illusion battlefield reappeared.
The cold, familiar presence circled him like a shadow stalking its prey.
"Look at you, dear me," the doppelganger's voice slithered through the silence. "You finally managed to get the professor out of there… but at what cost? He's probably going to die, losing too much blood. You're being selfish because you're tough."
Rover clenched his fists, swallowing the bitterness.
"You think you're strong? You're not. Nothing's changed. You're still useless."
The doppelganger's voice grew colder, almost pitying.
"All you need to do is accept me. Let me take control. Let me be you. Yet here you are, fighting me. I'm not your enemy, Rover."
"You've forgotten what they did to you... to the professor... to the soldiers who died saving you... to your mother?"
Rover looked down at his hands. They trembled.
"Mom... is this my fate?" His mind whispered the question into the void.
The doppelganger's reply was sharp and merciless.
"She can't answer you. She's long gone—taken by the towers and monsters. People you couldn't save. You watched her die. Accept me, Rover. We are one."
This time, Rover didn't speak.
He just stared.
And for the first time, he believed it.
His shoulders slumped. His breathing slowed. The exhaustion—the pain—the loss—it was all too much.
Maybe the demon was right.
Maybe they deserved to burn.
---
Back outside, the battle raged like a storm unleashed.
Etoile Sanglante and the Celestial Order collided in a symphony of destruction. Spells exploded in the sky, clashing with ferocious roars and searing light. Buildings crumbled under the force of their unleashed power; the streets became shattered battlegrounds.
Valentine's dark magic surged like a tempest, corrupting the very air around him, while Naiomi and her comrades countered with radiant shields and divine incantations.
Shockwaves sent civilians, police, and soldiers staggering, struggling to maintain footing as debris rained from the sky.
A military commander's voice pierced the chaos over the radio.
"Everyone, this is a CODE RED. Evacuate immediately! This zone is a battlefield for higher guilds. Civilians are to retreat now!"
---
Meanwhile, the world watched in stunned silence.
A news reporter's live feed captured the titanic clash, broadcasting the ordeal globally.
From the gleaming towers of Metropolis to the shadowed alleys of distant cities—people gathered, eyes glued to screens. Presidents, high-ranking guild leaders, and ordinary citizens alike absorbed the shocking spectacle.
---
Maria del Rosario, leader of the Silver Halo guild, stared intently at the screen in her command room.
"What... what is happening?" she muttered, tension threading her voice.
"No matter the cause, we must respond," she declared, steel in her tone. "They're causing far too many casualties. Normal hospitals can't handle this. We have to help."
She turned sharply to her assembled guild members. "Prepare immediately. Silver Halo moves out."
---
Elsewhere, a smaller guild stationed at Tower 36 watched the broadcast with a mix of fear and disbelief.
One member muttered, "This... this is worse than we imagined. Two of the strongest guilds tearing each other apart in the city's heart."
His comrade nodded grimly, eyes fixed on the screen.
---
Suddenly—the air thickened.
A massive explosion of aura erupted from the battlefield's heart.
Time seemed to slow.
Every soldier, every guild member, every civilian watching froze.
The energy was unmistakable—raw, overwhelming.
Like the cataclysmic force that had shattered the Calamity Dragon.
The newscaster's voice trembled in disbelief as they struggled to maintain composure.
"This... this is unlike anything we've seen since the Calamity Dragon fell..."
---
The world held its breath.
Because this was only the beginning
To be continue...